Hayley Preen Wins Her First Nedbank Gravel Burn Stage

Matt Beers’s firepower blew the elite men’s race apart on Stage 2 of the Nedbank Gravel Burn on Monday, 26 October 2026. The South African came up short in the finale, however, losing out in a sprint for stage honours to his day-long breakaway companion, Filippo Colombo. The 105-kilometre stage, which looped from Blaauwater Farm into the rugged mountains of the Great Karoo surrounding the beautiful Nieu Bethesda, saw Hayley Preen claim her first stage victory in the race’s short history. The ChemChamp Honeycomb racer jumped away from a reduced bunch within 3 kilometres of the finish line to gain time on the general classification too, after a day of punctures and crashes in the elite women’s field.

Preen’s Stellar 2026 Continues with First Nedbank Gravel Burn Stage Victory

Hayley Preen’s 2026 started with a win at the Attakwas Extreme, then the season brought her South African MTB Marathon and Gravel titles, before she defended her African Continental Gravel crown, and raced in the United States of America to her best yet Lifetime Grand Prix finish. In week-long stage races the ChemChamp Honeycomb rider is famed for getting stronger as the race wears on, but before Monday, 26 October, her strength has been consistency late in the race rather than stage victories ahead of truly world-class riders. Her Stage 2 Nedbank Gravel Burn win therefore be transformational.

Preen’s success came amid punctures and crashes for some of her key rivals. She had started the day 1 minute and 18 seconds adrift of the race leader, Nele Laing of Canyon DT Swiss ATR, and 1 minute 15 behind SCOTT SRAM’s Alexis Skarda. On the basis of the opening stage’s performance Laing was probably the strongest climber in the women’s field.

Climbing would again be pivotal on Stage 2, with Tafelkop and Leeukop in the first 15 kilometres followed by KOM Pass at the 50 kilometre mark. A long and at times technical 30 kilometre descent to the historic hamlet of Nieu Bethesda, featured a number of unexpectedly deep river crossings, before the final grind back to the finish line, above Blaauwater Farm on Tafelkop.

With climbs key to the race strategy of all the major protagonists in the women’s race, the first 15 kilometres were raced aggressively. Following that, on the descent from Leeukop, there was a regrouping and a lull in the action. It was only when the route ramped up again that the peloton began to split once more. Laing’s teammate, Carolin Schiff, launched up the road during this lull and established a 1-minute 20-second buffer over the summit of KOM Pass.

Alexis Skarda punctured on the KOM Pass descent. Photo by James Heron/Gravel Burn.

The favourites group summited together and the race looked to be swinging in Canyon DT Swiss ATR’s favour. It was Skarda’s misfortune which turned their race on is head however. The American struggled to repair her tyre and with an opportunity to gain time on her nearest rival Laing was convinced to collaborate in the pace making.

“I’m not actually sure what happened to Alexis [Skarda],” Preen noted. “But when she had to stop Nele [Laing] had to help me chase her teammate because she could gain time on Alexis. We caught Carolin [Schiff] and then there were two crashes. First Nele crashed. I’m not sure what happened there either, but I saw her teammates [Schiff and Larissa Hartog] stopping with her. She must have got up quickly because we could see them chasing back.”

“I was working with Clara [Marie Koppenburg], Elena [Hartmann], Nathalie [Eklund], and Olivia [Hottinger] until Clara also crashed after about 60 kilometers. We were going through a river crossing and it must have just been a bit deeper than she expected, because her front wheel stopped in a hole and she flew over the handlebars,” Preen explained.

“I’ve hurt my wrist,” Koppenburg confirmed. “I fell pretty heavily on it. In the race it wasn’t too bad, but now the adrenaline has worn off it’s starting to hurt a lot.”

Preen continued to drive on, keeping the chasing Canyon DT Swiss ATR trio at bay with the help of Hartmann, Hottinger, and the racing wounded Koppenburg. “About 3 kilometres from the finish we went through another little river,” Preen recalled. “I led through the water, and when I looked back I had a tiny gap. I thought ‘this is my chance’ and just went all in for the finish.”

Hayley Preen on the attack and on her way to stage victory. Photo by James Heron/Gravel Burn.

Crossing the line Preen was able to celebrate and then contemplate the time she had made up on the general classification. Hartmann and Hottinger were next to finish, 28 and 29 seconds later, respectively. Koppenburg was fourth, 31 seconds down. Laing fought mainfully to limit her time losses to just 39 seconds. As a result she remained in the orange leaders jersey, 39 seconds ahead of Preen, and 1 minute and 29 seconds up on Koppenburg.

Matt Beers and Filippo Colombo attacked inside 5 kilometres and spent the next 100 kilometres leading the stage. Photo by
Sam Clark/Gravel Burn.

Beers and Colombo Stamp Their Mark on the Men’s Race

Ahead of what was always going to be a challenging day, Mattia de Marchi wore the Nedbank Gravel Burn’s orange leaders’ jersey. His nearest rivals, Marco Joubert and Travis Stedman, started Stage 2 just 13 seconds adrift. France’s Hugo Drechou was a further 2 seconds back in the general classification, 4 ahead of the defending champion Matt Beers.

The frustration of a lack of cooperation when chasing the Beers had clearly woken up angry, because the big South African drove the tempo from the off. On the first rise of any significance, he went all-in, and only Filippo Colombo could follow. The SCOTT-SRAM man would later recount that he was not unwilling to help his Toyota Specialized rival; he was simply unable to do so.

Try as they might the chasers could never reel Beers and Colombo back in. Photo by
Sam Clark/Gravel Burn.

“What can I do when he’s already going 60 kilometers per hour,” he Swiss star laughed.

“Yeah today’s stage suits my abilities as a rider,” Beers allowed. “I thought this morning, if I feel good I’ll attack early. Ideally 3 or 4 strong guys would have come with me, but it was okay that it was just Filippo and I. It makes the general classification a lot easier to manage now.”

Beers and Colombo forged a healthy lead, which topped out at over 2 minutes. While, behind, the chasers collaborated but were unable to reel the pair back in. Overnight leader, De Marchi’s day then went from bad to worse. The Italian endured misfortune in addition to the pain of being powerless to follow the key move when he punctured. Despite taking wheels from his The Grip teammates, Eddy Le Huitouze and  Jordy Bouts, De Marchi lost significant time.

Unaware and unconcerned by the issues behind them Beers and Colombo forged on. The a reduced chase group of Joubert, Tristan Nortje, and Marc Pritzen knocked 30 seconds out of the advantage on the rising roads towards the finish line, but victory was all-but assured for one of the two powerhouses. In the final 500 metres Colombo used his cross-country kick to poached the stage victory from Beers, though the Toyota Specialized rider made sure he ceded no time to the SCOTT SRAM man.

Just 4 seconds had separated them at the start of the stage and as a result Beers took orange for the first time in the 2026 Nedbank Gravel Burn. Both he and Colombo moved up in the general classification standings, with Joubert, who finished fourth just behind his teammate Nortje, dropping one position to third. The South African Gravel Champion is one of three Toyota Specialized Imbuko riders in the top five. Joubert’s teammates Nortje and Stedman are 1:22 and 3:05 behind Beers, though perhaps more importantly for potential intra-team drama just 7 and 1 minute and 45 seconds off third.

Filippo Colombo outsprinted Matt Beers to win Stage 2 of Nedbank Gravel Burn stage race. Photo by Paul Ganse/Gravel Burn.

2026 Nedbank Gravel Burn Results

Stage 2 Men’s Results

1. Filippo Colombo: SCOTT-SRAM (2:56:36)
2. Matthew Beers: Toyota Specialized (2:56:36 | ST)
3. Tristan Nortje: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (2:57:57 | +1:21)
4. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (2:57:57 | +1:21)
5. Marc Pritzen: Honeycomb 226ers (2:58:58 | +2:22)
6. Travis Stedman: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (2:59:47 | +3:11)
7. Jaedon Terlouw: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (2:59:50 | +3:14)
8. Lawrence Naesen: Orbea Mafia (2:59:51 | +3:15)
9. Hugo Drechou: Gravel Nation (2:59:52 | +3:16)
10. Rick Ottema: Foodmaker Gravelking (2:59:56 | +3:20)

Men’s Stage 2 Podium (from left to right): Matt Beers, Filippo Colombo, and Tristan Nortje. Photo by Paul Ganse/Gravel Burn.

Stage 2 Women’s Results

1. Hayley Preen: ChemChamp Honeycomb (3:41:52)
2. Elena Hartmann: OPEN Schwalbe (3:42:20 | +0:28)
3. Olivia Hottinger: SCOTT-SRAM (3:42:21 | +0:29)
4. Clara Marie Koppenburg: Tudor Pro Cycling (3:42:23 | +0:31)
5. Nele Laing: Canyon DT Swiss ATR (3:42:31 | +0:39)
6. Carolin Schiff: Canyon DT Swiss ATR (3:46:44 | +4:52)
7. Larissa Hartog: Canyon DT Swiss ATR (3:47:06 | +5:14)
8. Maddie Le Roux: Tshenolo Women’s Pro Cycling (3:55:18 | +13:26)
9. Isla Short: HUNT Cullen Kilshaw (3:55:30 | +13:38)
10. Alison Jackson: St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93 (4:09:56 | +28:04)

Matt Beers. Photo by Paul Ganse/Gravel Burn.

Men’s General Classification after Stage 2

1. Matthew Beers: Toyota Specialized (5:33:44)
2. Filippo Colombo: SCOTT-SRAM (5:33:48 | +0:04)
3. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (5:34:59 | +1:15)
4. Tristan Nortje: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (5:35:06 | +1:22)
5. Travis Stedman: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (5:36:49 | +3:05)

Nele Laing leads the Nedbank Gravel Burn by 39 seconds after her Stage 2 crash. Photo by James Heron/Gravel Burn.

Women’s General Classification after Stage 2

1. Nele Laing: Canyon DT Swiss ATR (6:50:38)
2. Hayley Preen: ChemChamp Honeycomb (6:51:17 | +0:39)
3. Clara Marie Koppenburg: Tudor Pro Cycling (6:52:07 | +1:29)
4. Elena Hartmann: OPEN Schwalbe (6:53:25 | +2:47)
5. Olivia Hottinger: SCOTT-SRAM (6:59:03 | +8:25)