Matt Beers (Specialized Off-Road – Toyota) won Stage 1 of the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn on 26 October, finishing the cold and wet 84km stage from Knysna to Avontuur one second ahead of Swiss rider Andri Frischknecht (Scott SRAM). Hugo Drechou of France finished third on the day, crossing the line alongside Frischknecht.
Beers, who grew up in the Garden Route region, is always the hometown favourite when he starts a race in South Africa and didn’t disappoint with a commanding performance from start to finish.
He started well in testing conditions alongside fellow South African riders Tristan Nortje, Marco Joubert (both IMBUKO ChemChamp), and Travis Steadman (Team Toyota Specialized), and soon began asserting his authority on the proceedings on the final climb of the day. Fresh off the plane from the United States and victory at The Big Sugar Classic just 15 days ago, Beers looks to be the man to beat on home soil.
With 15km to go and the bulk of that distance climbing up the historic Prince Alfred’s Pass, Beers pulled away from the pro field with Drechou and Frischknecht in tow. Drechou made a handful of efforts to drop the two-time South African Gravel Champion, while Frischknecht was digging deep to stay in touch with the two front riders.
Ultimately, Beers summited first putting himself in pole position for the twisting, technical descent into the Avontuur finish to claim the coveted crown of the first stage winner of the first-ever Nedbank Gravel Burn.
“It’s actually very cool to win the first stage of a new event,” said Beers.
“I feel like it was my duty to put in a big effort today to be the first person to wear the Assos Ember leader jersey. The conditions were gnarly out there; it was wet and really cold, but I had done my homework in the week leading up to the race and studied the route well, so I knew exactly where I needed to ease off, attack, or take charge of the racing.
"I knew it was quite a technical finish, so I just wanted to get into the front on the final few kilometres to hold the chasers off. I was able to do that; right at the end, I was a little confused because I couldn’t see the actual finish line, but happy to take the win on a tough day.”
Outside of the Beers’ victory, the story of the day was the weather. Rain pummeled Knysna from the early hours of the morning, with the pro riders and 500 entrants leaving Knysna just as the heavy rains abated. Reports from the route labelled the gravel trail ‘slow and sticky’, with riders needing to pick their lines carefully.
After a short neutral start to get out of town, the racing began with the all-South African attack on the first climb up Simola Hill, before a group of 20 riders settled into the lead.
Among the early pacesetters alongside Beers, Drechou, and Frischknecht were Simon Pellaud (Tudor Pro Cycling), Lukas Baum (Orbea x Leatt Speed Company), and Luis Neff (Rose Racing Circle). Baum and Neff both had turns leading the race, but in the end, the gravel racing nous and power of Beers was too much for the pro field.
“I gave everything I had to be the first person in the leader’s jersey,” said Drechou, “but everyone was waiting for that last climb, and when it came, Matt just raised the tempo. I tried to follow him; he was just stronger towards the end. It is six days to go, though, and we are all eager to make our mark on this event.”
Stage 2 of the Nedbank Gravel Burn will take riders from Avontuur to the mohair farming region of Willowmoore. At 108km long with 1150m of climbing, the pro field will no doubt be ready to shake off Stage 1’s mud and raise the race temperature.
Pro Men Stage 1 Results
1 Matt Beers – Specialized Off-Road – Toyota – 2:54:19
2 Andri Frischknecht – Scott Sram – 2:54:20
3 Hugo Drechou – Numéro31.cc / Pinarello – 2:54:20
4 Tristan Nortje- IMBUKO ChemChamp – 2:55:07
5 Simon Pellaud – Tudor Pro Cycling – 2:55:08
