Stage 2 of the Nedbank Gravel Burn was hot, fast and just chaotic enough to be memorable, the 108 kilometres from Avontuur to Willowmore served as the backdrop for the first-ever presentation of the Elixirr Challenger Jerseys – reward for the biggest movers in the general classification (GC).

In the women’s field, Beatrice Lehmann made up a phenomenal 16 places after shaking off what she politely described as a “challenging” Stage 1. Determined not to get dropped in the wind again, the Swiss rider charged out like a woman on a mission. Perhaps too much so. “I probably burned a few too many matches early on,” she admitted, “but then I teamed up with two really great people– a South African and an English rider – and they just took me with them! They were so great!” It was the perfect combination of grit, teamwork and relief that Nedbank Gravel Burn spirit thrives on.

Meanwhile, Cameron Wurf, the Australian endurance polymath who’s done everything short of racing to the moon, decided Stage 2 was the time to drop his babysitting duties (he had ridden Stage 1 at a very leisurely pace with friends) and unleash his inner WorldTour engine. He catapulted himself 185 places up the GC, earning the men’s Challenger Jersey, though not without drama.

The night before, Wurf had attempted to dry his mud-soaked cycling shoes by the campfire – a move that went about as well as it sounds. The shoes melted, shrank and then proceeded to cook his feet throughout the blazing ride. “My feet swelled as the temperature rose and they were a few sizes too small by Willowmore,” he joked at the handover of the Assos jerseys, before confessing that he binned the shoes immediately after finishing.While riders fought heat and headwinds, Elixirr, the race’s Digital Transformation Partner, ensured the tech held up better than Wurf’s footwear. Behind the app specially developed for the riders and the new live website was Elixirr’s world-class team: keeping fans connected and riders informed. Expect them to keep the digital magic flowing for Nedbank Gravel Burn, plus other events in the pipeline including Kindling by ChemChamp.