Overall General Classification leads are cut as Swiss and American riders time their races to perfection on tactical day 3
The race to become the first-ever Nedbank Gravel Burn champion is hotting up in South Africa after Swiss rider Simon Pellaud and American Lauren Stephens secured thrilling Stage 3 victories on the Eastern Cape.
With the competitors set to reach the halfway point on Wednesday, the overall General Classification could hardly be any tighter, with early leaders Matt Beers (SA) and Axelle Dubau-Prevot seeing their respective leads cut to less than a minute.
Having enjoyed double successes on the opening two days of the 800km trek through the Great Karoo plateau, the riders were forced out of the top three places, both of them having to settle for fourth spot.
Pellaud is now hot on the back wheel of his rival, with just 55 seconds separating the pair, while Lukas Baum of Germany is a further 54 seconds back after finishing seventh on Tuesday’s route through Blaauwater.
Race for the line
Frenchman Hugo Drechou came in a narrow second behind Pellaud, while Travis Stedman (RSA) pipped Beers and a host of other riders in what was a dramatic late surge for third place.
The Pro Women’s event is even closer, with Dubau-Prevot just 12 seconds ahead of South African Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, who was edged out into second place on Tuesday as six riders were separated by just six seconds on the line. Haley Smith of Canada just managing to get in ahead of Dubau-Prevot to take third.
After a cagey start in the Pro Men’s race, the lead was whittled down to just eight riders from the 80km mark, jostling for position before a gradual climb and a short drop to the finish. Drechou was the first to launch but mistimed his attack on the final summit. Pellaud was able to surge ahead and claim a hard-earned, tactically astute stage win.
“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: “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.”
Like Pellaud, Stephens timed her final attack to perfection in a stage which could have gone to any six of the riders who were pressing for the line in one of the most dramatic finishes yet this week.
Tactical Stephens plays waiting game
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.
“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.”
With Stages 5 and 6 looking set to be pivotal due to their distance and elevation gain, Moolman-Pasio admitted she was willing to play 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.”
Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee finished Stage 3 in 30th place out of the 39 Pro Men competitors, while fellow Brit Tom Pidcock had a much better day, after struggling on days one and two, as he finished in 14th. Brownlee sits 28th in the General Classification at +1:05:15, and Pidcock is 34th at +1:45:50.
Designed very much as a pro-am event by mastermind Kevin Vermaak, the event has 500 riders and also includes a full-service package, which ensures all riders have a tent, food, provisions and mechanical support waiting for them when they arrive at the end of each stage.
Gravel Burn Stage 3 results and overall standings
Pro Men Stage 3 Results
1 Simon Pellaud (Tudor Pro Cycling) 2:43:35
2 Hugo Drechou (Numéro31.cc / Pinarello) +3
3 Travis Stedman (Team Toyota Specialized) +3
4 Matthew Beers (Specialized Off-Road Toyota) +8
5 Tristan Nortje (Imbuko ChemChamp) +8
Pro Men General Classification after Stage 3
1 Matthew Beers (Specialized Off-Road – Toyota) 8:33:20
2 Simon Pellaud (Tudor Pro Cycling) +55
3 Lukas Baum (Orbea x Leatt Speed Company) +1:49
4 Hugo Drechou (Numéro31.cc / Pinarello) +3:54
5 Tristan Nortje (Imbuko ChemChamp) +4:31
Pro Women Stage 3 Results
1 Lauren Stephens (Aegis Cycling Foundation) 3:24:15
2 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance Soul) +1
3 Haley Smith (Trek Driftless / MAAP / COROS / The Feed) +1
4 Axelle Dubau-Prevot (Numéro 31 par Café du Cycliste / Pinarello) +2
5 Olivia Hottinger (Scott SRAM) +5
Pro Women General Classification after Stage 3
1 Axelle Dubau-Prevot (Numéro 31 par Café du Cycliste / Pinarello) 10:37:32
2 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance Soul) +12
3 Melisa Rollins (Liv Racing Collective) +1:50
4 Hayley Preen (ChemChamp Honeycomb 226ers) +5:22
5 Haley Smith (Trek Driftless/ MAAP/ COROS/ The Feed) +6:40
For a full list of all the results, click HERE to go to the Gravel Burn website.
Read the Gravel Burn Stage 1 report HERE.
Read the Gravel Burn Stage 2 report HERE.
Read all about the Gravel Burn HERE.
