Le Huitouze, Laing conquer Swaershoek

Eddy Le Huitouze (The Grip) and Nele Laing (Canyon DT Swiss ATR) were first to reach the summit on Swaershoek Pass and claim Stage 3 of Nedbank Gravel Burn 2026 on Tuesday.

In the Pro Men’s Race, Le Huitouze proved strongest in the break, outclimbing Simon Pellaud (Cervélo Assos Maxxis) and his teammate Jordy Bouts, while Matt Beers (Toyota Specialized) found himself chasing with his nearest rivals, including Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko), and closed the gap to the lead group on the climb to retain the Orange Leader Jersey with a 31-second lead over Filippo Colombo (SCOTT-SRAM).

With a superb performance on the pass, Nortje now holds the Toyota Power Climber Jersey. In the Pro Women’s Race, Laing continued her dominance, finishing ahead of Hayley Preen (ChemChamp Honeycomb) and Alexis Skarda (SCOTT-SRAM) to extend her hold on both the Orange Jersey and the Toyota Power Climber Jersey.

At 137 kilometres from Blaauwater Farm to Merino, with 1 550 metres of climbing, Stage 3 was the outlier of the week. With a large proportion of the route on tar, it raced like a road stage. Team tactics came to the fore, positioning mattered from the gun, and Wapadsberg Pass, at 1 730 metres, gave the first real indication of who had the legs to stay in the fight for GC.

Crosswinds raked across the open Karoo for much of the day, stretching the bunch out and leaving riders fighting for shelter. The day required maximum concentration, considerable power, alliances and deep bunch riding experience just to stay in the wheels, and in contention for the big climb –Swaershoek looming in the distance.

When the tar ran out, nearly 40 kilometres of gravel farm roads shook the race out, giving riders who had been dropped in the crosswinds a last chance to regroup before the deciding climb. Near the finish, Swaershoek Pass, the Toyota Power Climb section, packed 5km of climbing, ramping of up to 15 per cent – one final effort, with the windmill waiting at the top.

MEN

Le Huitouze rode clear on the steepest ramps of Swaershoek to take his first stage win, after The Grip played the team card to perfection.

The men’s race wasted no time hitting full speed as the bunch swarmed out of Blaauwater Farm towards Wapadsberg. Pellaud, Inus du Preez (Toyota Specialized Imbuko), Bouts and Rick Ottema (Foodmaker Gravelking) were the main protagonists from the off. They forged a breakaway and set a relentless pace, taking extended turns into the crosswinds.

Behind them, Le Huitouze, Marco Joubert (Toyota Specialized Imbuko), Felix Ritzinger (RH77), Georg Egger (ORBEA Speed Company) and Jasper Ockeloen (Canyon DT Swiss ATR) joined forces to chase.

Once the catch was made, the new lead group stretched its advantage to 1:40 over the main group containing GC leader Beers. The lead group was made up of riders out of GC contention – no threat to Beers – except Joubert.

After a brief discussion at the front, Joubert and Du Preez elected to drop back to the main group, and the field began their march towards Swaershoek for the final showdown.

“We knew in advance that Eddy had good legs,” explained Bouts. “We started the final climb with six guys, so I attacked at the beginning to make everyone work and close the gap. When they caught me, Eddy attacked and only Simon could stay with him.

“The two of them went up the road and I remained with Rick Ottema; I was able to watch Eddy drop Simon as Rick and I rode to the finish. Our team is going well; we used a similar tactic today as we did in Stage 1 when Mattia [De Marchi] won – I think the team race is going to grow very fast here at Gravel Burn.”

Le Huitouze crossed the line alone, 46 seconds ahead of Pellaud, to claim The Grip’s second stage win of the week. “I was quite confident for the climb even though I am not used to the altitude,” he said. “Fortunately I managed to hold it together to the end and it was quite perfect.” The Grip lie in second on the Teams Classification with a 16 point deficit to Toyota Specialized Imbuko.

Beers was a marked man on Stage 3. “The wind caused chaos and I knew something would go at some point. Marco went with the move and it was dangerous; luckily, we had a bunch willing to work and I am super grateful that the guys helped pull that back as it helped me and Filippo.”

With four stages left, the race looks set to stay tight all the way to the finish at Shamwari. “Tristan closed a lot of time today and pulled back time on Filippo; now I must watch the guys coming up too as well as Filippo. A 31-second lead is nothing. It’s tight and it’s going to remain tight throughout.”

WOMEN

Laing rode away from her rivals on Swaershoek to claim her second stage win and tighten her grip on the Orange Jersey.

The women’s field covered the stage 22:45 faster than on the same route at the Nedbank Gravel Burn 2025, proof of the depth of talent and the hunger to win.

The group stayed together up and over Wapadsberg Pass, but once down the other side and onto the rolling flats, it was a different race entirely.

“I thought it would be a bit more chilled,” admitted Skarda. “The crosswinds resulted in 20km of sprinting for the wheel across the road and all of us feeling Alison Jackson’s wrath!”

Jackson (St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93), the 2023 Paris-Roubaix winner, was just as dangerous off the tar, as Preen explained: “That section through the farms where it was so muddy and bumpy… I was just thinking to myself that Alison will love this because it’s just like the cobbles of Roubaix!”

A group of 10 came back together before Swaershoek Pass. With 16km to race, the sun beating down and the wind howling, it became a battle of attrition.

Preen, Skarda, Laing and Jackson rode clear of the bunch, and Jackson was first to attack on the lower slopes of the climb. Aware of the threat she posed, the other three reacted quickly and brought her back on the steeper ramps, before Laing went clear on her own. Jackson finished 8th.

“I tried hard to catch Nele,” said Skarda. “You look up at the rider ahead and they seem so close, but you can only do so much. I’d burnt a lot of matches on the tar sections and Hayley eventually passed me.”

“I woke up this morning feeling better than expected after my crash yesterday,” explained Laing. “The wounds don’t really hurt and as soon as we got into the race I found my groove really quickly. To have the Orange Jersey, the Toyota Power Climber jersey and get the stage win is pretty amazing.

“My team did a great job, so thanks to them; we came here as an end-of-season team celebration and I hope we can stay on this track and have a proper celebration at the end.”

STAGE 3 RESULTS:

Pro Men

Eddy Le Huitouze • The Grip | 3:45:00

Simon Pellaud • Cervelo Assos Maxxis | 3:45:46 (+0:46)

Jordy Bouts • The Grip | 3:46:47 (+1:47)

Pro Women

Nele Laing • Canyon DT Swiss ATR | 4:38:47

Hayley Preen • ChemChamp Honeycomb | 4:39:06 (+0:19)

Alexis Skarda • SCOTT-SRAM | 4:39:23 (+0:36)

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 3:

Pro Men

Matthew Beers • Toyota Specialized | 9:23:19