Stage 3: Nedbank Gravel Burn

Simon Pellaud (Tudor Pro Cycling) of Switzerland finally achieved what he’d been threatening to do since race registration on Saturday,

Pro Men during stage 3 of Nedbank Gravel Burn stage race from Willowmore to Blaauwater, Eastern Cape, South Africa on 28 October 2025. Photo by James Cameron Heron/Gravel Burn French rider Hugo Drechou (Numéro31.cc / Pinarello) was second, just a few seconds behind Pellaud, with South African Travis Stedman (Team Toyota Specialized) rounding out the podium places.

Overall leader Matt Beers (Specialized Off-Road Toyota) was fourth on the day and maintains a one-minute lead over Pellaud in the general classification after three stages. Lukas Baum (Orbea x Leatt Speed Company) is third in the GC.

Pro Men during stage 3 of Nedbank Gravel Burn stage race from Willowmore to Blaauwater, Eastern Cape, South Africa on 28 October 2025. Photo by James Cameron Heron/Gravel Burn After a few early attacks from a handful of riders, Pellaud labelled the Pro Men’s race as something of a ‘drag race’ for much of the first half of the stage, with riders keeping a close eye on each other. “Everyone in the bunch was together, waiting for something to happen,” said the Stage 3 winner. “I think we were all waiting for the big challenge of the day for the racing to start, and that’s exactly what happened on the climb.”

Early Attacks, Patience Wins

The Pro Men’s field started their day with a short neutral ride out of the historic and today exuberant – thanks to the local school marimba band – Graaff-Reinet, before turning on to the gravel roads. Almost immediately, Austrian rider Lukas Pöstlberger (Rose Racing Circle) attacked. South Africa’s Tristan Nortje went with the Austrian, but a dropped chain for Nortje meant that Pöstlberger was all alone at the front of the race; the bunch sat a minute behind and showed little interest in chasing down the one-man breakaway.

Pro Men during stage 3 of Nedbank Gravel Burn stage race from Willowmore to Blaauwater, Eastern Cape, South Africa on 28 October 2025. Photo by James Cameron Heron/Gravel Burn The effort of a solo ride into a headwind soon took its toll. First, Nortje caught Pöstlberger on the way up to the first major climb of the day, with the chasers eventually dropping the early Austrian pacesetter. After the climb, a group of 12 riders dominated the proceedings, with Marco Joubert (Imbuko ChemChamp Specialized) spending some time out front, as well as the USA’s Chad Haga (FELT Racing) with Joubert and Haga taking turns to attack. “By now the bunch was broken up, and I saw that Lukas (Baum) was struggling,” said Pellaud. “I said to Matt (Beers), let’s go, but he didn’t come with me. I think he was battling after two days of hard riding.” From the 80km mark, the lead had whittled down to eight riders.

With a few kilometres to go, the lead group found themselves jostling for position before gradual climb before a short drop to the finish. The pace steadied as riders collected their resolve in an effort to power up for one final push. Frenchman Drechou was the first to launch, but mistimedhis attack on the final summit. Pellaud was able to breach across to Drechou and surge ahead to claim a hard-earned, tactically astute stage win.

Pro Men during stage 3 of Nedbank Gravel Burn stage race from Willowmore to Blaauwater, Eastern Cape, South Africa on 28 October 2025. Photo by James Cameron Heron/Gravel Burn “Normally, I am way too aggressive and impulsive,” said Pellaud. “But today I tried to control

myself a bit more to keep some gas for the final attack. Yesterday, the end of the stage was way too technical for me, but I knew today would be a good final for me if I just stayed patient.”

Third on the day and the first South African to cross the line, Travis Stedman, echoed Pellaud’s statements. “All the action came on the first climb. It was really steep, and there were a few vattacks; the bunch would come back together and split on the descents. By the end of the stage,

there were about 10 of us all together. Simon attacked – too early, I thought – but he timed it perfectly in the end, and I maybe should have gone with him too, but I was waiting and then left it too late. It was a good day of racing, but hard on the body. The corrugated trail and sand made it

a real challenge.”

Lauren Stephens claims tactical win on Stage 3 of Nedbank Gravel Burn Lauren Stephens (Aegis Cycling Foundation) of the United States timed a final attack to perfection on the 90km Stage 3 of the Nedbank Gravel Burn to claim the win after a day of tactical racing in the Pro Women’s race. South Africa’s Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance Soul) finished as the runner-up on the stage, which took riders from Union High School in Graaff- Reinet to Blaauwater Farm beneath the Compassberg.

Riders during stage 3 of Nedbank Gravel Burn stage race from Graaff Reinet to Blaauwater, Eastern Cape, South Africa on 28 October 2025. Photo by Paul Ganse/Gravel Burn. Haley Smith (Trek Driftless / MAAP / COROS / The Feed) of Canada finished third on a stage which featured six riders in contention for victory up until the very final metres. Axelle Dubau-Prevot (Numéro 31 par Café du Cycliste / Pinarello) was fourth on the day and maintains her overall lead in the general classification; Moolman-Pasio is second on the GC, just 12 seconds behind Dubau-Prevot.

Classic Karoo blue skies and cool, calm conditions greeted Nedbank Gravel Burn participants on the morning of Stage 3. The Union High School marimba band set the scene for the day, showcasing their musical skills, watched by some of the world’s best cyclists. The plink and plonk of the marimba keys quickly gave way to the start signal – the blowing of the Kudu horn, with riders heading out of Graaff Reinet on a short neutral tar section before hitting the Karoo gravel for the day.

For the first few kilometres of the Pro Women’s race, the field remained in one large group, but from the 10km mark onwards, riders began to drop off the pace, leaving eight riders alone as Conical Peak – the biggest climb of the day – approached. From the top of Conical Peak, the group split further, but regathered to stay together all the way to the finish line.

Chances Missed, Opportunities Taken

South Africa’s Hayley Preen (ChemChamp Honeycomb 226ers) was in contention again, until she suffered her second consecutive day of bad luck. As was the case on Stage 2, Preen was well-positioned going into the home stretch. This time, instead of an untimely puncture, her fronthub became entangled in wire. She stopped to remove the offending item, ultimately losing three minutes on the leaders.

Riders during stage 3 of Nedbank Gravel Burn stage race from Graaff Reinet to Blaauwater, Eastern Cape, South Africa on 28 October 2025. Photo by Paul Ganse/Gravel Burn. Stephens, tactical throughout the day, sat at the back of the pack and launched her attack with

around 300m to go. Having conserved her energy to maximum effect, she was able to hold off a charging Haley Smith for the stage win.

“I haven’t felt great the first few days of the race,” said Stephens, “So I am happy that things

came right today and that I was able to ride to my ability. I knew going into the stage there wasn’t

really much that was going to be decisive on the course, so my goal from the beginning was

always to stay with the front group and be patient for as long as I could.”

With some big days of riding to come on unfamiliar terrain, the tactical approach on Stage 3 paid off for Stephens. “We came into the finish today with a small group,” added Stephens. “I knew it was a bit of a drag to the line, but I wasn’t exactly sure. On the final sprint, the wind seemed to

change to a slight tailwind, and that helped a bit. I think there is definitely some fatigue starting to be felt out there, so I am happy to get the win now. It’s only going to get harder from here.”

The second and third-place finishers on the day, Moolman-Pasio and Smith, respectively, both said it was a frustrating day on the route, with some riders prepared to work harder than others. Moolman-Pasio, in particular, felt some of the racing was ‘negative’. “It was super, super

frustrating. The rhythm wasn’t there,” said Moolman-Pasio. “But I am happy with second place. I just tried to keep it as smooth as possible on the rough terrain – in the end, it was another beautiful day in the Karoo.”

Smith added that the racing was tactical, but also frustrating in parts. “I felt that sometimes not all the riders wanted to pull through and do the work, but that is racing, I guess! We all knew Lauren would launch right at the end; I tried to go with her, but she just had more energy than

me.”

With Stages 5 and 6 looking to be pivotal due to their distance and elevation gain, Moolman-Pasio said she is playing the long game. “I am an experienced Grand Tour rider, so I have my eyes on Stage 5 and Stage 6 because that’s where things are going to get really interesting. I’ll

probably keep it safe tomorrow (Stage 4) and save as much as I can for the two big days.