Gravel Burn: Preen and Stedman Double Up on Stage 5

Stage 5 of the 2026 Nedbank Gravel Burn on Thursday, 29 October, took the race south from Merino Farm, in the Swaershoek Valley, to Gwanishi, near Middleton. A fast-paced 128-kilometre course culminated in sprint finishes in both the men’s and women’s races. Hayley Preen surged clear of women’s general classification leader Nele Laing and Clara Koppenburg to win her second stage of the second edition. While Travis Stedman held of Toyota Specialized Imbuko teammate Jaedon Terlouw to claim his third Nedbank Gravel Burn victory, and his second of his year’s race. Filippo Colombo and Matt Beers finished 1 second down on Stedman, to remain just 32 seconds apart in the battle for the 2026 title.

Hayley Preen Reduced Bunch Sprint Queen

Hayley Preen’s chances of overturning the slender advantage Nele Laign holds over her, in the Nedbank Gravel Burn women’s race may be dwindling, but she still has two more opportunities for stage victories after galloping to the win on Stage 5. The ChemChamp Honeycomb racer had predicted at the start of the day that she would be on the lookout for opportunities to attack, and while she could not gain time, she came away with the next best thing. Her victory in Gwanishi, at the end of an ultra-marathon 128-kilometre course moved her a single second closer to Laign, and sets up the chance of becoming the rider with the most stage wins in the second edition.

Before the start Preen had noted that the stage would be fast, with the Toyota Power Climb likely to determine how the racing played out. “The Toyota [Power] Climb starts 105-kilometres in, and I think it’ll be important,” she anticipated. What she had not expected was for Nathalie Eklund to attack solo.

: Nathalie Eklund went on the attack, on her own, on Stage 5. Photo by James Heron/Gravel Burn.

: Nathalie Eklund was only reeled in after the 105 kilometre mark. Photo by James Heron/Gravel Burn.

The Swedish Gravel Champion struck out from the women’s peloton with more than 100 kilometres to race and forged ahead on her own. At one point she held a 70-second advantage, but Laing’s Canyon DT Swiss ATR team never allowed Eklund’s lead to balloon out. By the foot of the Toyota Power Climb Eklund’s raid had come to an end, she was passed by Preen, Laing, and Clara Koppenburg.

Koppenburg was eager to gain time on Olivia Hottinger, who could not climb with the top three women in the general classification standings. “I told the others [Preen and Laing] that I wasn’t interested in the stage win, my focus was just to gain time and secure third overall,” the Tudor Pro Cycling star confessed.

: Clara Koppenburg was eager to make up time on Olivia Hottinger. Photo by James Heron/Gravel Burn.

: Clara Koppenburg, Hayley Preen, and Nele Laing in action on Stage 5. Photo by James Heron/Gravel Burn

“Clara [Koppenburg] did most of the work in the last 18 kilometres,” Preen acknowledged. “Nele [Laing] had a teammate behind, so she didn’t want to work. I helped a bit, but Clara did most of the riding.”

“In the finale I kind of knew I could beat Clara, because of all the work she had done, but I was a bit worried about Nele, because she was a bit fresher. To take my second win of the race is amazing, and it gives me confidence going into the last two stages. The terrain might not offer many opportunities to take back time on the GC now, but I’ll keep trying. You never know what might happen,” Preen concluded.

Hayley Preen won Stage 5 of Nedbank Gravel Burn. Photo by James Heron/Gravel Burn.

After five days of racing Laing leads Preen by 55 seconds. Koppenburg is 4 minutes and 16 seconds back in third, but her efforts in the closing kilometres ensured that she gained nearly 3 minutes on Hottinger. The SCOTT-SRAM rider is fourth at 13:11, with Canyon DT Swiss ATR’s Caroline Schiff in fifth.

: Canyon DT Swiss ATR after Stage 5. Photo by James Heron/Gravel Burn.

: The women’s peloton during Stage 5. Photo by James Heron/Gravel Burn.

The route from Merino to Gwanashi took in 128 kilometres and just 1 050 metres of climbing. Photo by James Heron/Gravel Burn.

Stedman Secures Second Stage Win

Having taken a flier on Stage 4 to win ahead of Ryan Gibbons, Travis Stedman doubled up on Stage 5 with a true sprint victory, ahead of Jaedon Terlouw and Filippo Colombo. The Toyota Specialized Imbuko team had to work hard to ensure success on the day, and it came at a heavy cost too, as Marco Joubert crashed out of the race.

“Inus [Ignatius du Preez] and Lood [Goosen] will have to work hard today,” Terlouw had noted before the start. “They’ll have to control the break if we are to have any chance of fighting for victory in the finale.”

: Stage 5 saw more chaotic racing in the early phases. Photo by Paul Ganse/Gravel Burn.

: It was tough to control the peloton, let alone the breakaway. Photo by Paul Ganse/Gravel Burn.

Terlouw’s prediction proved prescient. After an aggressive first hour of racing, where the group covered over 45 kilometres, Lawrence Naesen, Jasper Ockeloen, Eddy le Huitouze, and Daniel Loubser joined forces to establish a strong breakaway. The quartet forged an 80-second advantage by the halfway point of the course.

In the general classification group, Georg Egger did the lion’s share of the pace-making, keeping the break in check. That meant the men battling for the overall were always in with a shout of winning the stage. As the peloton’s pace increased, the breakaway’s lead was whittled down and the last remaining riders, Naesen and Ockeloen, were swallowed up on the Toyota Power Climb with 25 kilometres to race.

: The breakaway gained a maximum of 1 minute and 20 seconds. Photo by Paul Ganse/Gravel Burn

: Orbea Speed Company’s Georg Egger controlled the break on the open roads leading to the day’s main climb. Photo by Paul Ganse/Gravel Burn.

Over the summit, a select group of six went clear. Race leader Matt Beers was accompanied into the finale by his nearest general classification rival, Colombo and four Toyota Specialized Imbuko men: Terlouw, Stedman, Tristan Nortje, and Marco Joubert. Sadly for the best ranked team in the teams’ competition, near the bottom of a high-speed descent, Joubert crashed heavily. The South African Gravel Champion cut his knee badly and was taken to hospital by the race medics to receive further treatment.

Joubert’s misfortune left Beers, Colombo, Nortje, Terlouw and Stedman to race it out for line honours.

: Matt Beers went over the summit with 5 companions. Photo by Paul Ganse/Gravel Burn.

: Speeds were high on the long, straight descents. Photo by Paul Ganse/Gravel Burn.

For the second day in a row, Stedman outfoxed and outsprinted his rivals. Terlouw was second and Colombo third. Beers fought to ensure he did not cede a single second to Colombo. As a result he remains 32 seconds ahead of the Swiss cross-country racer. Nortje is third, at 53 seconds off the man in the orange jersey. Joubert’s withdrawal promotes Terlouw to fourth, while Marc Pritzen, who finished in the second group 57 seconds back on the day, moved up to fifth.

The Stage win was Stedman’s second in 2 days. Photo by Fahwaaz Cornelius/Gravel Burn.

Stage 6 to Shamwari

The penultimate day of the 2026 Nedbank Gravel Burn takes the riders south once more to the final Burn Camp in Shamwari Private Game Reserve. Stage 6 is 76 kilometres long, and features 700 metres of climbing, on a course which rises and falls gently throughout. The day’s highlight is a 33 kilometer liaison into Shamwari, guided and guarded by game rangers the riders will group up and cycle through the bushveld where Big 5 roam free.