Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) made his presence known at Nedbank Gravel Burn on Thursday’s stage 5, attacking on the 17km gravel ascent to the summit finish at Swaershoek Pass in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Matt Beers (Specialized Off-Road Toyota) retained his overall lead, having won three of the opening five stages and placing fifth behind Pidcock.
On the women’s side of the seven-day stage race, Axelle Dubau-Prevot (Numero 31 par Cafe du Cycliste/Pinarello) matched Beers with her third stage win, but it was not enough to regain her early GC lead, now held by Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance Soudal) who finished third on the day.
Pidcock, the two-time mountain bike Olympic champion who also has world titles in MTB cross-country and cyclocross, added the race late in his season. His road season was packed with a third place on GC at the Vuelta a España then 10th place at UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda. He went on to finish sixth both Il Lombardia and UCI Gravel World Championships, a weekend doubleheader in Italy and the Netherlands, then had two weeks to prepare for his second trip to the African continent.
“It looked to me to be the easiest stage, with only one climb to do. That’s why I thought I would have a go,” Pidcock told organisers at the finish of the 137km stage 5. “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!”
He was pushed to try the attack by fellow British rider, Alistair Brownlee (TrueFuels), during the stage. “He persuaded me… Right at the end of the stage, he told me to go for it, so I did.”
The stage win moved Pidcock into the…
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