Results & Recap: Gravel Burn, Stage 4 – The Sprint Day
Stedman & Jackson Sprint to Victory
Stage 4 was an all but pre-determined sprint stage, given its relatively short and flat nature. That pre-stage prediction came to fruition in both the Pro Men’s and Pro Women’s races as road specialists put their positioning skills and raw power to effective use. Travis Stedman (Toyota Specialized Imbuko) launched early from a select group, catching rivals off guard. Ryan Gibbons (RoadCover SunGod) and Cole Davis (Speed Studio) finished second and third respectively.
Winner of 2023 Paris-Roubaix Alison Jackson (St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93) used her road cobbled classics experience to position herself perfectly as the bunch approached the finish line. Through a display of brute force, Jackson launched and went all in, crossing the line ahead of Larissa Hartog (Canyon DT Swiss ATR) and Nathalie Eklund (58&fam). Matthew Beers (Toyota Specialized) extended his lead on GC by 1 second over Filippo Colombo (SCOTT-SRAM); Nele Laing (Canyon DT Swiss ATR) lost 2 seconds to Hayley Preen on the Pro Women’s GC, but she still holds the Orange Jersey by 56 seconds going into Stage 5.
On Stage 4, Nedbank Gravel Burn ignited. At just 61km with 550m of climbing, the loop was, on paper, the easiest stage of the week. But in gravel, a stage is as hard as the racing makes it. With no major, selective climbs and fast, rolling gravel, and perfect weather, it delivered the highest average speeds of the race so far.
Two battles came into view on Stage 4: the fight for general classification where every second counts; and an opportunity for those out of GC contention to be set free to contend a prestigious stage win. It was all in from the gun. For the amateur riders, a shorter day at the midway mark brought its own challenges, but more time in the afternoon to soak up Burn Camp life. Taking place in the remote Great Karoo, the only spectators were the local livestock and the best in the world put on quite the show.
Pro Men
Stedman began his sprint at 1km to go. He shot out from a breakaway group that had formed after 40km. Former UCI World Tour sprinter Ryan Gibbons had targeted this stage and made sure he was in the selection that was allowed to get away by the GC contenders. Gibbons thought Stedman’s move was too early, but the young South African rider’s knowledge of the roads and its corrugations ensured a perfectly timed move. He was unable to be passed and surged to his second stage win at Nedbank Gravel Burn, after his Stage 7 win in 2025.
Ahead of Stage 4 in the Pro Men’s race given its nature, predictions circled Merino Burn Camp of a 90-minute winning time. As it so happened, these predictions were just under 2 minutes off. Travis Stedman crossed the line in 1:28:08 at an average speed of 41.3 km/h. “It was aggressive from the start. Everyone was trying something, but nothing seemed to stick,” said Ryan Gibbons (RoadCover SunGod), recounting the opening half of the stage. “Eventually a bunch of 6 of us got away; that group then swelled to about 15 and we really started working.”
The group pushed on towards Klein-Visrivier climb, where the Toyota Power Climb section was placed. Stedman attacked and went over the top alone, but the group wasn’t going to allow him to get away, and the closed the gap. At 15km to go, Stedman attacked again, determined to make his mark. Georg Egger (Orbea Speed Company) and Henrique Avancini (Swift Pro Cycling) were having none of it and closed him down.
The group remained together, watching each other closely in the final 10km and it was until the last 1,000m that the deciding move would happen. Stedman had tried during the earlier parts of the stage, but his persistence paid off. “At 1km to go I launched,” said Stedman. “I knew that the corrugations would make it hard to come around me. I am really glad to take the stage win!”
Stedman crossed the line first, followed by Gibbons in second and Canadian Cole Davis (Speed Studio) in third. Matthew Beers (Toyota Specialized) increased his GC lead by an additional second over Filippo Colombo (SCOTT SRAM). Nickolas Zukowsky (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) claimed the Toyota Power Climber Jersey lead after his all-in effort on the climb. Toyota Specialized Imbuko’s performance kept them in the lead on the Teams Classification.
Ahead of the Toyota Power Climb, Nickolas Zukowsky (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling) held back from the group, targeting this section. With the help of teammate Marcel Camprubi, he posted the fastest time, putting him in the lead on points. The Canadian will wear the jersey going into Stage 5.
Pro Women’s Race
Alison Jackson, another former UCI WorldTour professional, put on a masterclass of gravel sprinting as she outgunned the Pro Women’s field to cross the Stage 4 finish line first. Much like the Pro Men’s Race, the Pro Women were faster than the predicted time of 2 hours. The stage featured a rally of attacks, but none stuck. The group worked cohesively approaching the Klein-Visrivier – the Toyota Power Climb of the day. This section influenced the race tactics of the day. Nele Laing (Canyon DT Swiss ATR), the current leader of the Toyota Power Climb competition, and Hayley Preen (ChemChamp Honeycomb), the jersey’s caretaker (Preen is currently in second in the points standings).
“It was a bit funny as Hayley and I had the same plan to drop back and then surge back to the group,” explained Laing. “We both rolled back looking at each other and then realised we had the same idea.” At the top of the climb, Preen and Laing crossed the line together, but the timing mats separated them by fractions of a second. With Preen marginally faster, she reduced Laing’s lead in the competition overall.
With 10km left to race, it was Larissa Hartog (Canyon DT Swiss ATR) who decided to make the racing and attacked. Again, the group didn’t allow any advantage to be gained, shutting the move down. The pace slowed drastically and tactics began to play out. “Our plan was always to back Larissa,” said Laing. “She’s our best sprinter.”
The sprint was closely contested; with Alison Jackson’s experience and firepower seeing her across the line ahead of Hartogg and Nathalie Eklund (58&fam) who tied for second place. It was Jackson’s first stage victory at Nedbank Gravel Burn. Laing lost 2 seconds to Preen on GC, her lead in the Pro Women’s Race now sits at 56 seconds ahead of Stage 5.
“Winning is a special type of fun,” said Jackson. “I approached this year differently; last year I had a surf camp ahead of the event but this year I kept riding, so I had no excuses. The first few days didn’t go to plan with crashes and mechanicals, but you never give up. I know I can sprint – a sprinter can always sprint at the end; it doesn’t matter how tired you are.”
Another standout feature of the stage was the Red Bull KM, flat-out test of pure speed and power over 1km, and with a place in the Night Burn on the line, many had targeted this section. On the fastest day of the week, riders emptied the tank for an all-out effort (they were still required to complete the 61km course). While the Red Bull KM affords the top 30 riders access to the Night Burn on Stage 6, it was Fabiano Cellini and Lena Ronge (Trail Angels) who were ranked on top after the all-in sprint. It was Ronge’s second time as fastest woman on this section.
GC standings after Stage 4
Pro Women
1) Nele Laing • Canyon DT Swiss ATR | 13:24:40
2) Hayley Preen • ChemChamp Honeycomb | 13:25:36 (0:56)
3) Clara Marie Koppenburg • Tudor Pro Cycling | 13:28:54 (+4:14)
Pro Men
1) Matthew Beers • Toyota Specialized | 10:54:08
2) Filippo Colombo • SCOTT-SRAM | 10:54:40 (+0:32)
3) Tristan Nortje • Toyota Specialized Imbuko | 10:54:59 (+0:51)
| Full results here |
| Images: Gravel Burn, James Cameron Heron, Fahwaaz Cornelius, Paul Ganse, Sam Clark |