France’s Axelle Dubau-Prevot (Numéro 31 par Café du Cycliste / Pinarello) triumphed in a two-up sprint finish into Avontuur against South Africa’s Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance Soul) on Stage 1 today (26 October) of the 2025 Nedbank Gravel Burn.

On a cold, wet day Moolman-Pasio lead the way in the pro women’s race on the final climb of the stage up Prince Alfred’s Pass, but Dubau-Prevot was able to make her move within sight of the finish line and hold off the South African rider to claim victory on Stage 1 at the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn. South African National Gravel Champion Hayley Preen, fresh from a season of racing in the United States, finished third on the stage.

“It was a case of watching and waiting,” said a mud-splattered Dubau-Prevot at the finish. “Ashleigh is such a strong rider and she is so good on the hills that I really had to time my attack well. I just got it in the end and was able to take the win! But I actually said to Ashleigh, as we got close to the end, that I respect her so much that I didn’t want to finish with a sprint. But she just said to me ‘don’t be silly, we must race’.” 

While the men’s race was decided on the climbs, the pro women’s race came down to the tricky, technical descents on the Stage 1 route. Right from the start, eight riders pulled away from the rest, with steady pacing the order of the day until around 40km into the stage.

At the halfway mark of the stage, Dubau-Prevot, Moolman-Pasio, Preen and the USA’s Melisa Rollins made their move. From there, the four riders jostled for position, with Preen commanding on the descents. Just before the finish, she was dropped by the three leaders, only to make up time on the final descent to overhaul Rollins on the finish straight to claim a hard-fought third-place. 

“The last 10km was a great battle,” said a soaked, but smiling Preen. “I am incredibly happy to get that result after a tough ride. The conditions were absolutely brutal out there – the weather and the road conditions. But this is what we expected and we know what it’s all about. There are so many strong women out there, which made it an amazing race. I think the next six days will be tough, but that’s why we’re here!” 

Despite the conditions, Moolman-Pasio, who lives and races in Europe, said it was “amazing” to be back racing in South Africa. “It was a tough stage, but I really enjoyed it. Coming over the pass was so beautiful… and the weather did at least make it feel like I was still in Europe. I worked hard on the route with Hayley and Axelle; I thought the 14km climb at the end would make the difference and tried to pull away there, but Axelle was really good on the day.” 

Pro Women Stage 1 Results

1 Axelle Dubau-Prevot – Numéro 31 par Café du Cycliste / Pinarello – 3:31:30

2 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio – AG Insurance Soul – 3:31:31

3 Hayley Preen – ChemChamp Honeycomb 226ers – 3:33:16

4 Melisa Rollins – Liv Racing Collective – 3:33:16

5 Haley Smith – Trek Driftless / MAAP / COROS / The Feed – 3:38:06