French rider Axelle Dubau-Prevot (Numéro 31 par Café du Cycliste / Pinarello) stormed back dramatically on the final stage of the Nedbank Gravel Burn today (Saturday, 1 November), winning Stage 7 and overturning an 8:54 deficit in the General Classification; she went from fifth in GC to race winner in the process. It was a ride of grit and determination after Dubau-Prevot had all but ruled herself out of contention earlier in the week.
American Melisa Rollins (Liv Racing Collective) finished second overall, with South African National Gravel Champion Hayley Preen (ChemChamp Honeycomb 226ers) finishing third at the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn. Overnight leader Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance Soudal), who started Stage 7 with a strong GC lead of 4:20 over Rollins, eventually finished fifth overall due to mechanical issues on the day.
For Dubau-Prevot, the stage and overall win were just rewards after a commanding week on the bike. Earlier in the race, she had relinquished her GC lead to Moolman-Pasio, but only after a lengthy puncture repair. After each stage, Dubau-Prevot said she felt stronger and stronger each day; that proved true after seven stages of racing.
“I woke up feeling very good today,” said Dubau-Prevot at the finish line at Shamwari Private Game Reserve. “Yesterday – on the neutral stage – I had such a good day on the bike with Melisa (Rollins). We took it easy and made it a fun ride; we stopped at all the Padstal feedzones and really just enjoyed ourselves. So today I think I was in good shape to push.”
Starting the seventh and final stage in fifth place on the GC and almost nine minutes behind Moolman-Pasio, Dubau-Prevot said she intended to help Rollins in her GC fight. “I was in two minds this morning. I thought I would help Melisa, but then I started feeling really strong and I told her that I would attack 70km into the race. At one of the river crossings, Melisa got a puncture. I waited for a while, but it was too long. I rejoined the group, and then it was chaos; more punctures and Lauren Stephens crashed.”
Dubau-Prevot managed to avoid any misfortune and joined Moolman-Pasio at the front. “There was a lot of cow manure on the road, so I told Ashleigh we must now be careful and smart on the course. But then Ashleigh punctured; so I thought ‘okay, now I must just focus on my own race and maybe I can make up some time on the GC’.”
Sensing that the overall win might be in her grasp, Dubau-Prevot attacked with 30km to go, riding solo all the way to the finish line to claim the stage ahead of Stephens and the overall title ahead of second-placed Rollins.
“It was a long time alone. But I had already said to Lauren this morning that I was prepared to die on the bike to get the win, so I just put my head down and pedalled. I am so happy to win, especially after what happened on Stage 4 with my puncture. I really thought it was all over, but I rode for myself and in the end it paid off.”