Matt Beers withstands Filippo Colombo’s attacks to win the 2026 Gravel Burn, while Nele Laing dominates the women’s race

The Gravel Burn 2026 has concluded in South Africa with Matthew Beers and Nele Laing as the overall winners. The South African has defended his title after withstanding constant attacks from Filippo Colombo, while the German maintained her lead in the women's category throughout the seven stages. Hugo Drechou and Alexis Skarda claimed the last stage victories.

Beers withstands all of Colombo's attacks and conquers his second Gravel Burn

The final day of the Gravel Burn was particularly tight in the men's category. Matthew Beers (Toyota Specialized) started with just a 32-second lead over Filippo Colombo (SCOTT-SRAM) and 54 seconds over Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko).

The final route, reduced to 59.5 kilometers with 1,050 meters of positive elevation, left little room for recovering time. However, Colombo decided to try from the first kilometers, taking advantage of his explosiveness as an XCO specialist.

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His teammate Felix Stehli increased the pace on the first climb, the Toyota Power Climb, causing a selection at the front. The intensity was such that Beers recorded the best time in that sector, although it had no consequences for the final mountain classification.

After the climb, a front group formed in which Colombo continued to attack repeatedly. The Swiss rider managed to open small gaps, but Beers responded to all his moves and managed to keep the race under control.

Five kilometers from the finish, the Spaniard Marcel Camprubí (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling) launched an attack that allowed him to gain a 40-second lead. Colombo took on the chase and neutralized the breakaway, leaving the stage victory for a sprint among the front group members.

Hugo Drechou (Gravel Nation) was the fastest at the finish, surpassing Travis Stedman and Filippo Colombo, who finished one second behind the Frenchman.

Beers crossed the finish line sixth, in the same group, and secured his second consecutive victory in the Gravel Burn with a 32-second lead over Colombo. Tristan Nortje completed the podium 59 seconds behind.

The South African acknowledged the difficulty of this edition and highlighted the performance of his main rival: "Filippo really made it tough for me and gave it his all."

Beers thus ends a week in which he did not need to win any stage to claim the overall title, while Colombo was one of the most combative riders in the race.

Nele Laing confirms her victory and Alexis Skarda takes the last stage

The women's competition also arrived open for the final day. Nele Laing (Canyon DT Swiss ATR) defended the orange jersey with a 56-second lead over Hayley Preen (ChemChamp Honeycomb), her main rival throughout the week.

The race began with an attack from Axelle Dubau-Prevot (EF Education-Oatly), winner of the 2025 edition, on the Toyota Power Climb. The group of favorites responded quickly, and Preen took the opportunity to record the best time on the ascent, securing the mountain classification.

After the climb, Laing and Preen continued to keep an eye on each other. The South African tried to break the group, but the leader responded without conceding any gaps.

This tactical battle allowed Alexis Skarda (SCOTT-SRAM) to find the opportunity to break away in the final kilometers. The American took advantage of the momentum from the final descent to launch an attack that none of her rivals could neutralize.

Skarda crossed the finish line solo with a 48-second lead over Laing and 57 over Preen. In addition to the stage victory, she finished sixth in the overall classification.

Behind, Laing still found the strength to accelerate in the approach to the finish and gained an additional nine seconds over Preen. The German thus completed a week leading the race from the first stage and finished with a 1:05 lead in the overall.

For Laing, who was debuting in a stage gravel competition of this duration, the victory represents one of the most important results of her career.

Hayley Preen finished second in the overall and Clara Marie Koppenburg (Tudor Pro Cycling) completed the podium 4:28 behind the winner.

The competition also defined the winners of the Toyota Power Climber, with Nickolas Zukowsky (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling) winning in the men's category and Hayley Preen in the women's.

Final overall classification Gravel Burn 2026

Men

1. Matthew Beers (Toyota Specialized) — 17:47:42
2. Filippo Colombo (SCOTT-SRAM) — +0:32
3. Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko) — +0:59

Women

1. Nele Laing (Canyon DT Swiss ATR) — 21:41:50
2. Hayley Preen (ChemChamp Honeycomb) — +1:05
3. Clara Marie Koppenburg (Tudor Pro Cycling) — +4:28

The second edition of the Gravel Burn concludes after seven stages through the South African Great Karoo, with an intense battle among riders from gravel, MTB, and road cycling. For 2027, the organization has already announced that the competition will reduce its duration from seven to six days.