The stage was almost literally written for Tom Pidcock. A long drag leading into the first summit finish at the first Gravel Burn. The Q36.5 rider obliged and followed the script, escaping the race leaders to claim a summit finish win on Swaershoek Pass near Cradock in the Eastern Cape., his first at the new gravel stage race.
“It looked to me to be the easiest stage, with only one climb to do,” said Pidcock, “That’s why I thought I would have a go. But it was actually Alistair Brownlee’s idea. He persuaded me… Right at the end of the stage, he told me to go for it, so I did.
After ending his official race season with a heavy, gravel world championships and Il Lombardia double-header weekend, Pidcock had been taking a more leisurely approach at Gravel Burn through the opening stages. Some had suggested, apparently, that the two-time Olympic champion might have a go at actually racing while in South Africa.
“Everyone has been saying to me, ‘You should try to win a stage’. But the riding is tough. I have been suffering all year. I don’t want to suffer here!”
How can you tell its a Cape Epic-related production? Helicopters. stage 4 of Nedbank Gravel Burn stage race from Blaauwater to Blaauwater, Eastern Cape, South Africa on 29 October 2025. Photo by Bruce Viaene/Gravel Burn
One rider who is suffering at Gravel Burn is Canada’s Andrew L’Esperance. The Forward Racing rider is pushing through intense gastrointestinal issues for a third straight day to finish the race. With Pidcock’s win on Stage 5, and his casual start to the event, the Brit moves one position ahead L’Esperance. They now sit 29th and 30th overall.
Behind, the race leaders seemed content to keep the pace under control. After making their way to the climb as a group, Matthew Beers, current leader lost a small margin to second-place rider, Simon Pellaud.
““I didn’t feel bad, but the heat definitely affected me today. Coming up to the climb, Simon attacked me there. I knew he would, so I just had to hold my own pace and not get overexcited. I lost about 24 seconds in the end. It sucks to lose the time, but it could have been worse.”
Haley Smith leads out the women’s field on Stage 4. Photo: Bruce Viaene
Heat and fatigue settle in for women’s leaders trade stage wins
If the men were slow approaching the climb, the women followed their cues. Five days into the first Gravel Burn, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio was happy to spend her first day in the leader’s jersey protecting advantage.
“It was a little bit slow at times, which I guess is unique to gravel racing. In road racing, we have teams for a reason, so that when someone is tired, someone else can go to the front and push,” Moolman-Pasio said, explaining the day’s pace. “In gravel, we are all individuals, so if there isn’t a collective decision to push the pace, it doesn’t seem to happen.”
The stage win on day five went to the woman who’d held the leader’s jersey up until that point: Axelle Dubau-Prevot. After suffering through a mechanical on Day 4, the French woman looked back on form the next morning.
“I still feel so good – maybe I even feel too good, and that’s why I got too excited yesterday,” said a considerably happier Dubau-Prevot at the end of Stage 5. “Today I decided to do what I do best, and that was just concentrate on riding well. I honestly feel like I am a new rider every day, like I am starting a new race every morning and not in the middle of a stage race.”
The day prior, though, It was Moolman-Pasio taking advantage of a hard, strategic day of racing. A smaller group of the top leaders escaped, meaning racing was still full-on when Dubau-Prevot suffered a flat.
“That was a really eventful day,” said Moolman-Pasio. “A small group got away quite early, and we kind of stuck together throughout the day. Today, all the women were working together, so that was fantastic to see and made for great riding. Around the midway point of the race, there was attacking and counterattacking, and that spiced things up a little bit. Lauren carried out a few attacks. Axelle was also really pushing it on the descents – and that’s when she punctured. It’s really unfortunate for her. I have the GC lead now, but it’s not a nice way to do it. She’s been so strong, so it’s very unlucky. Haley Smith also crashed, so a few things were happening out there.”
As mentioned, Canada’s Haley Smith is fighting among the leaders. The Trek Driftless racer held onto fifth place on GC through four days of racing. Stage five’s summit finish saw Smith drop one position, finishing sixth on the stage and conceding fifth overall to stage-winner Dubau-Prevot. Fellow Canuck, Alison Jackson, finished 13th on the stage.
Three days of racing remain at the Nedbank Gravel Burn in South Africa