Snakes and Ladders in the Men’s Race, while Laing Climbs Swaershoek Fastest

Stage 3 of the 2026 Nedbank Gravel Burn featured the longest route of the second edition and crosswinds to boot, on a day when 90 of the 135 kilometres were raced on asphalt. Men’s race leader Matt Beers lost time to Tristan Nortje, but gained on Filippo Colombo, in second, as Eddy le Huitouze won the stage from the breakaway. Nele Laing used her team’s strength in depth to control in the crosswinds before striking out in the final 7 kilometres. For the second time in three stages, the Canyon DT Swiss ATR rider proved herself the strongest climber in the women’s race, winning on Tuesday, 27 October, ahead of Hayley Preen and Alexis Skarda to gain 19 seconds in the battle for the overall title.

Le Huitouze Ascends to Victory While Beers, Colombo, and Nortje Play Snakes and Ladders

Leaving Blaauwater, for Merino Farm to the Southeast, Matt Beers held a slender 4-second advantage over Filippo Colombo, the Stage 2 winner. Toyota Specialized Imbuko’s Marco Joubert was third, ahead of his teammates Tristan Nortje and Travis Stedman in fourth and fifth. Beyond the top five gaps were larger, and a number of strong racers were well down in the overall standings. This made them eager to attack.

Attack they did, in the crosswinds on the descent off the Wapadsberg. Echelons formed and groups were spread up and down the road, with The Grip team well represented in a breakaway which eventually swelled to include Simon Pellaud, Rick Ottema, Ignatius du Preez, and crucially Marco Joubert.

“We were in a bit of trouble there,” Beers confessed. “Fortunately the Canyon [DT Swiss ATR] team and Marc Pritzen helped me pull the breakaway back. We got close to them, then Marco [Joubert] sat up.”

“I’d like to say chapeau to Mr Joubert,” Pellaud stated. “With him in the break the GC group was never going to let us get away. So I asked him to drop back, which he did. Then our advantage grew.”

Henrique Avancini driving the favourites group on the roughest section of gravel of the race thus far. Photo by Fahwaaz Cornelius/Gravel Burn.

With Joubert back in peloton with Beers, Colombo, Nortje, and Co. the general classification riders eased off and the breakaway’s advantage ballooned from under a minute to 7-minutes by the base of the Swaershoek Pass climb. When the gradients ramped up The Grip’s Eddy le Huitouze and Jordy Bouts, alongside Pellaud and Rick Ottema climbed powerfully. Stragglers from the breakaway were hoovered up by the peloton as the general classification racing intensified.

Le Huitouze was the fastest man from the breakaway up the Swaershoek Pass mountain. The 23-year-old Frenchman duly claimed the stage victory, ahead of Pellaud and his teammate Bouts. Jasper Ockeloen and Nortje were the first two men from the general classification group to cross the line, with Nortje gaining a valuable 32 seconds on Beers. Beers himself gained time on his nearest rival, finishing one place and 27 seconds ahead of Colombo.

Wind and dust. Photo by Fahwaaz Cornelius/Gravel Burn.

The day’s result means that Beers remains in the orange jersey ahead of Stage 4. His advantage over Colombo has swollen to 31 seconds. While Nortje, who also claimed the Toyota Power Climber’s jersey for his Stage 3 efforts, moved up to third overall, just 50 seconds behind Beers.

Stage 3 winner: Eddy le Huitouze of The Grip. Photo by Fahwaaz Cornelius/Gravel Burn.

Laing Climbs Swaershoek Pass the Fastest

At the start of Stage 3, in the women’s race, Nele Laing led overall. Hayley Preen was just 39 seconds back, with Clara Koppenburg, who like Laing had been a victim of a crash the previous day, was in third at 1 minute and 29 seconds back.

Windy conditions and long asphalt stretches made for tactical racing, with Canyon DT Swiss ATR’s team strength as well as the road power of Alison Jackson and Koppenburg making life difficult for the gravel specialists and mountain bikers in the peloton. “We felt the wrath of Alison Jackson today,” Alexis Skarda had laughed on the finish line. “She that middle gravel stretch like it was the cobbles of Paris Roubaix,” Preen praised.

Alison Jackson on the attack. Photo by Paul Ganse/Gravel Burn.

Despite enjoying her best 120 kilometres of the race thus far, Jackson’s aggression was not rewarded by the stage. “We weren’t too concerned about Alison [Jackson] being up the road,” Laing noted. “There were about 10 of us in the group at the bottom of the main climb. We caught Alison as the Toyota Power Climb started, then my teammate Carolin [Schiff] gave me a leadout and I attacked.”

Laign was initially followed by Skarda, but the American could not close the gap to the flying German. “Even when the gradient eased off a bit I couldn’t bridge across to Nele [Laing],” Skarda stated. “After a while Hayley [Preen] came past me and I couldn’t follow her wheel either, I think because I’d cooked myself a bit trying to catch Nele.”

Preen too was unable to reel in the race leader, but both she and Skarda fought valiantly to minimise their time losses. By the summit of Swaershoek Pass and the finish line Laing had notched up her second Nedbank Gravel Burn stage victory. Preen crossed the line 19 seconds later, 17 ahead of Skarda. Olivia Hottinger was fourth, Clara Koppenburg was fifth, and Schiff came home in sixth. The day’s results mean that Canyon DT Swiss ATR’s Laing holds a 59 second advantage over ChemChamp Honeycomb’s Preen, going into Stage 4. Koppenburg lost time to the women in first and second, but remains third overall. Hottinger and Schiff are fourth and fifth, respectively, while Skarda moved up to sixth, after losing 31 minutes to a series of punctures on Stage 2.

Stage 3’s podium finishers sharing their thoughts on Swaershoek Pass. Photo by James Heron/Gravel Burn.

Looking Ahead to Stage 4

Stage 4 features an out and back loop from Merino Farm, which is nestled in an isolated valley in the Karoo Heartland. The 61 kilometres stage is the shortest of the 2026 race and features just 550 metres of accumulated elevation gain. This should suit Beers, if he can snap the elastic to his rivals. It could also be a day for Jackson, or Koppenburg who is reportedly feeling bullish about her chances as the race gets into the championship rounds.

Photo by Sam Clark/Gravel Burn.

Stage 3

Stage 3 Men’s Results

1. Eddy Le Huitouze: The Grip (3:45:00)
2. Simon Pellaud: Cervelo Assos Maxxis (3:45:46 | +0:46)
3. Jordy Bouts: The Grip (3:46:47 | +1:47)
4. Rick Ottema: Foodmaker Gravelking (3:46:50 | +1:50)
5. Jasper Ockeloen: Canyon DT Swiss ATR (3:48:51 | +3:51)
6. Tristan Nortje: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (3:49:03 | +4:03)
7. Felix Ritzinger: RH77 (3:49:05 | +4:05)
8. Marco Willie Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (3:49:34 | +4:34)
9. Matthew Beers: Toyota Specialized (3:49:35 | +4:35)
10. Filippo Colombo: SCOTT-SRAM (3:50:02 | +5:02)

 Stage 3 Women’s Results

1. Nele Laing: Canyon DT Swiss ATR (4:38:47)
2. Hayley Preen: ChemChamp Honeycomb (4:39:06 | +0:19)
3. Alexis Skarda: SCOTT-SRAM (4:39:23 | +0:36)
4. Olivia Hottinger: SCOTT-SRAM (4:40:36 | +1:49)
5. Clara Marie Koppenburg: Tudor Pro Cycling (4:41:30 | +2:43)
6. Carolin Schiff: Canyon DT Swiss ATR (4:41:31 | +2:44)
7. Nathalie Eklund: 58&fam (4:43:47 | +5:00)
8. Alison Jackson: St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93 (4:46:07 | +7:20)
9. Jade Treffeisen: Canyon DT Swiss ATR (4:46:31 | +7:44)
10. Larissa Hartog: Canyon DT Swiss ATR (4:48:47 | +10:00)

Photo by Sam Clark/Gravel Burn.

Men’s General Classification after Stage 3

1. Matthew Beers: Toyota Specialized (9:23:19)
2. Filippo Colombo: SCOTT-SRAM (9:23:50 | +0:31)
3. Tristan Nortje: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (9:24:09 | +50)
4. Marco Joubert: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (9:24:33 | +1:14)
5. Jaedon Terlouw: Toyota Specialized Imbuko (9:27:08 | +3:49)

Women’s General Classification after Stage 3

1. Nele Laing: Canyon DT Swiss ATR (11:29:25)
2. Hayley Preen: ChemChamp Honeycomb (11:30:23 | +0:58)
3. Clara Marie Koppenburg: Tudor Pro Cycling (11:33:37 | +4:12)
4. Olivia Hottinger: SCOTT-SRAM (11:39:39| +10:14)
5. Caroline Schiff: Canyon DT Swiss ATR (11:44:32 | +15:07)

For the full results from the 2026 Nedbank Gravel Burn, click here.