Gravel Burn: Matt Beers and Axelle Dubau-Prevot win inaugural seven-day stage race across the Great Karoo of South Africa

Matt Beers (Specialized Off-Road Toyota) and Axelle Dubau-Prevot (Numéro 31 par Café du Cycliste/Pinarello) won the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn, a seven-day stage race which crossed South Africa from the Western Cape into the Eastern Cape.

Nedbank Gravel Burn concluded Saturday with a rolling 112km seventh stage from Gwanishi to Shamwari Private Game Reserve, passing through the Esperant Game Reserve and the Swartwaterspoort Gorge.

The inaugural event was held as a full-service gravel stage race, crossing the Great Karoo, a high arid region from the western Cape to the eastern Cape of South Africa, with 786km and 10,360 metres of climbing planned for the seven days, October 26-November 1. Strong winds and rain that neutralised stage 6 eliminated the longest day of racing, 144km with 1,700 metres of climbing.

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All routes were marked and organisers provided neutral technical service, nutrition support, medical support and post-ride bike wash, laundry service and any transfers to nightly campsites with individual canvas tents set up with a cot and mattress.

Going into the final day of racing, Beers held a 33-second lead on Simon Pellaud (Tudor Pro Cycling) and over six minutes on third-place Hugo Drechou (Numéro31.cc / Pinarello). But Pellaud, competitive all week at the sharp end of the racing, said he just didn’t have the legs to chase down the South African favourite.

After early attacks from Georg Egger, Lukas Baum (both Orbea x Leatt Speed Company), and Lukas Pöstlberger (Rose Racing Circle), Travis Stedman (Team Toyota Specialized) won the stage, with Beers coming second after a discussion between the two riders in the final kilometres. Tristan Nortje (Imbuko ChemChamp) completed the all-South African top three.

“The Nedbank Gravel Burn definitely lived up to expectations,” Beers said on the finish line. “It was rough and tough, and throughout the week we dealt with everything from wild wind to hail and heat… Stage 6 was neutralised due to the extreme weather, so I am glad we got to race today and finish on a high.”

At one point in the week, it looked like Beers might be fading, with Pellaud getting stronger with every kilometre.

“It was such a tight race all week,” Beers said. “Simon is such a strong rider, so it was a great battle. I was hurting a little bit on the middle stages when riding at altitude, and he is super strong when riding in those conditions. But as we got closer to the coast, I could feel my power coming back.” Beers added that he hopes the event goes from strength to strength, “then I can tell people when I am old and fat that I won the very first Nedbank Gravel Burn.”

Beers claimed the overall victory with 5:26 gap on Pellaud, while Drechou held on to third place. Nortje moved up one spot to fourth overall while Baum took fifth.

Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling), winner of stage 5, ultimately finished 26th overall, 2:42.20 in arrears.

In a dramatic final stage, Dubau-Prevot stormed to the stage win and overcame an 8:54 deficit to claim the overall victory. Though she had won three stages, the Frenchwoman had lost her GC lead to Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance Soudal), but only after a lengthy puncture repair. After each stage, she said she felt stronger and stronger each day; that proved true after seven stages of racing.

“I woke up feeling very good today,” said Dubau-Prevot at the finish line. “Yesterday – on the neutral stage – I had such a good day on the bike with Melisa (Rollins). We took it easy and made it a fun ride; we stopped at all the Padstal feedzones and really just enjoyed ourselves. So today I think I was in good shape to push.”

Starting the seventh and final stage in fifth place on the GC and almost nine minutes behind overnight leader Moolman-Pasio, Dubau-Prevot said she intended to help second overall Melisa Rollins (Liv Racing Collective) in her GC fight.

“I was in two minds this morning. I thought I would help Melisa, but then I started feeling really strong and I told her that I would attack 70km into the race. At one of the river crossings, Melisa got a puncture. I waited for a while, but it was too long. I rejoined the group, and then it was chaos; more punctures and Lauren Stephens crashed.”

Dubau-Prevot managed to avoid any misfortune and joined Moolman-Pasio at the front. Sensing that the overall win might be in her grasp, Dubau-Prevot attacked with 30km to go, riding solo all the way to the finish line to claim the stage ahead of Stephens and the overall title.

American Rollins finished second overall, 2:07 down, with South African National Gravel Champion Hayley Preen (ChemChamp Honeycomb 226ers) finishing third a further eight seconds back. Stephens was fourth and Moolman-Pasio fifth overall.

The top 10 for elite women and elite men split the $150,000 prize purse evenly, with the winners banking $18,000 each.

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