Celebratory Beers, and huge drama in women’s race

Matt Beers (Specialized Off-Road Toyota) won the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn on Saturday, finishing at Shamwari Private Game Reserve, just north of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape.

After seven days of racing that threw everything from hail to high temperatures to extreme wind at the riders, Beers managed to outlast his challengers with a powerful and precise performance. He walks away with a new title under his belt and $18 000 (approximately R312 000) in prize money.

“The Nedbank Gravel Burn definitely lived up to expectation,” said a champagne-soaked Beers 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.”

Beers added that the final stage of the event couldn’t have gone any better for him. “Everything went right today. It was a really nice route. The weather was good. I had no issues and felt strong from the start, so at the final climb I was able to attack and roll away from Simon.”

HANGING IN THE BALANCE

Stage 7 started in cool, calm conditions at the Gwanishi Burn Camp and took riders 112km to the final finish line of the event at Shamwari Private Game Reserve. At the start of the day, the Pro Men’s race hung in the balance, with Swiss rider Simon Pellaud (Tudor Pro Cycling) only 33 seconds behind Beers in the General Classification.

Beers had said overnight that he anticipated Pellaud to go all out on the stage, but Beers proved to be the stronger rider on the home stretch.

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. “I was just completely dead. Today was my worst day on the bike all week. Overall, though, it’s been a great experience. We started in rain, then it was freezing, then hot and windy, then the hail came – but today was a beautiful day to end a great race.”

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,” said Beers. “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.”

In a race stacked with top pros from around the world, Stage 7 turned out to be an exceptional day for South African cyclists. 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.

“So happy with that win,” said an elated Stedman. “It’s been great fun to be out here, racing hard against some top guys on our gravel bikes. It’s been tough but enjoyable. I think it’s great that we had three South Africans at the top today; I’m very happy with the performance today. It all went so well.”

FROM FIFTH TO FIRST

There was drama on the women’s side as French rider Axelle Dubau-Prevot (Numéro 31 par Café du Cycliste / Pinarello) stormed back on the final stage of the women's race, winning Stage 7 and overturning an 8:54 deficit in the General Classification.

She went from fifth in GC to race winner in the process. It was a ride of grit and determination after Dubau-Prevot had all but ruled herself out of contention earlier in the week.

American Melisa Rollins (Liv Racing Collective) finished second overall, with South African National Gravel Champion Hayley Preen (ChemChamp Honeycomb 226ers) finishing third at the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn.

Overnight leader Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance Soudal), who started Stage 7 with a strong GC lead of 4:20 over Rollins, eventually finished fifth overall due to mechanical issues on the day.

For Dubau-Prevot, the stage and overall win were just rewards after a commanding week on the bike. Earlier in the race, she had relinquished her GC lead to Moolman-Pasio, but only after a lengthy puncture repair. After each stage, Dubau-Prevot 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 at Shamwari Private Game Reserve. “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.”

CHAOS AND CRASHES

Starting the seventh and final stage in fifth place on the GC and almost nine minutes behind Moolman-Pasio, Dubau-Prevot said she intended to help Rollins 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. “There was a lot of cow manure on the road, so I told Ashleigh we must now be careful and smart on the course. But then Ashleigh punctured; so I thought ‘okay, now I must just focus on my own race and maybe I can make up some time on the GC’.”

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 ahead of second-placed Rollins.

“It was a long time alone. But I had already said to Lauren this morning that I was prepared to die on the bike to get the win, so I just put my head down and pedalled. I am so happy to win, especially after what happened on Stage 4 with my puncture. I really thought it was all over, but I rode for myself and in the end it paid off.”