Easter Breaks Through, Eklund Wins After Sprint Drama and GC comes down to the final day.
New winners at Nedbank Gravel Burn, Griffin Easter (OpiCure Foundation) and Nathalie Eklund (58&fam) prevailed, taking Stage 6 of the 2026 edition at the remote orange windmill outside the gates of Shamwari Private Game Reserve. Easter won the sprint from the day’s breakaway, while Eklund was awarded the Pro Women’s stage after a commissaires’ ruling relegated three riders in the sprint.
In both races, the general classification leader goes into the final stage less than a minute ahead of the nearest rival, and it’s all to race for on Stage 7. Matt Beers still holds a slender 32-second lead over Filippo Colombo (SCOTT-SRAM) with Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko) in third at 54 seconds. Nele Laing (Canyon DT Swiss ATR) is still in the Orange Jersey with Hayley Preen (ChemChamp Honeycomb) at 56 seconds back.
Preen took over the Pro Women’s Toyota Power Climber Jersey from Laing. The Pro Men’s Toyota Power Climber Jersey was retained by Nickolas Zukowsky (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling).
The penultimate stage sent the field from Merino towards Big Five Country, with 76km and 700m of climbing to the orange windmill finish. It was a day of highly variable road surfaces and several river crossings. Once across the line, riders from 33 countries were treated to a 33km liaison through Shamwari Private Game Reserve, an on-bike gravel safari.
“Riding through Shamwari was amazing. We saw a few giraffes, and they ran beside us for a kilometre or so. They’re fast! If they had turned towards us, especially with how my legs felt, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything. But it was pretty cool and I was enjoying the moment,” said Henrique Avancini (Swift Pro Cycling).
Pro Men’s Race:
With just 76km and 700m of climbing on the profile, Stage 6 was set to be fast, and the pre-stage prediction was a sub-two-hour day. Add in spiking Karoo temperatures, and the forecast of a white-hot morning of racing rang true for the third day in a row.
“As soon as the flag dropped, there were a few guys trying to get in the break, and it formed nearly immediately,” said Alex Miller (Swatt Club x KingPrice). “It was me, Griffin Easter, Georg Egger (Orbea Speed Company), Hugo Drechou (Gravel Nation), Mattia De Marchi (The Grip), Blane Kiek (RoadCover SunGod), Cronje Beukes (ChemChamp) and Juri Hollman (Canyon DT Swiss ATR). We worked really well together for a while, until Mattia dropped his chain and Blane dropped off.”
While the break went up the road, the GC leaders appeared unperturbed, involved in their own battle over two minutes behind.
As the group of GC contenders, which included Orange Jersey wearer Matthew Beers (Toyota Specialized) and second-placed Filippo Colombo (SCOTT-SRAM), entered Swartwaterspoort, the river crossings proved pivotal. Beers was caught behind a rider who crashed, and the SCOTT-SRAM team pushed on out of the river as a gap opened.
“We knew this stage from last year,” said Beers. “I got caught out when a rider in front of me crashed and it caused a split. Filippo and the Scott guys drilled it, but I knew I could ride back pretty easily, so I took my time to get back on and didn’t rush.”
Once Beers was back on, Avancini and the SCOTT-SRAM squad lifted the pace again and the group stretched out.
Up ahead, the break charged over the Toyota Power Climb section, where Easter posted the second-fastest time of the day. Once over the top, the group pushed on, determined to fight out the stage among themselves.
With 800m to go, Egger launched his attack. Drechou reacted immediately and closed the gap. The group hesitated, looked at each other, and Easter struck.
“I crashed out last year after Stage 3, so I’m beyond stoked to be here this deep in the race and take the stage win. I’m pumped!” said Easter after his first stage win. “On Stage 2 I broke a wheel, which killed my GC hopes. Since then, I’ve been trying hard to get away, and today it worked. I want to be here [at Nedbank Gravel Burn] for as long as this event is running. This win will stay with me for a long, long time.”
Easter crossed the line first, with Miller one second behind in second and Drechou third.
Beers’ lead over Colombo remains at 32 seconds, and he keeps the Orange Jersey going into Stage 7. Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko) is third, 54 seconds behind Beers. With 94km left to race, the final day in Shamwari Private Game Reserve is set for a thrilling finish.
“Tomorrow is going to be a hard stage,” said Beers. “Today we got to recon the first 30km. Now I need to fuel up and rest as much as I can, because it’s going to be really hard and I have to hope the legs are there for the fight. There’s nothing in it, but I feel confident, and I’ll be as smart as I can.”
Pro Women’s Race:
Laing started the stage with a 56-second lead over Preen as the race rolled out calmly towards Alicedale. Larissa Hartog (Canyon DT Swiss ATR) tried an early attack on the approach to the Kommadagga climb, but Alexis Skarda (SCOTT-SRAM) spotted the move and shut it down with no cooperation from the GC contenders in the bunch.
In Swartwaterspoort, the river crossings were deeper than the field had expected. “The river crossings were a bit of a cool-down,” said Preen. “A few of us fell over. Clara [Koppenburg] fell in front of me, and then I fell onto her and her bike. They were a lot deeper than last year, and we had to be cautious after the falls.”
The Toyota Power Climb to Frontier proved the perfect hunting ground for Preen. Her win on the section drew her level with Laing on points, and with three wins to Laing’s two, Preen takes the Toyota Power Climber Jersey into Stage 7.
The day’s major drama unfolded on the flat approach to the finish. Preen, Eklund, Hartog, Clara Koppenburg (Tudor Pro Cycling), Alison Jackson (St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93) and Laing were among the nine riders who came to the line together, and Preen used her raw power to win the sprint.
However, following a protest and a review of race footage, the commissaires relegated three riders for failing to heed a safety warning issued by a race official in the run-in to the sprint. Preen, Koppenburg and Carolin Schiff (Canyon DT Swiss ATR) are placed seventh, eighth and ninth and credited with the same time as the last rider in the group. The general classification is unaffected.
That gave Eklund the stage win, with Hartog second and Jackson third.
With one stage left and a lead of 56 seconds, Laing is calm but aware of what could happen on the final day. “We’re still holding the Orange Jersey,” she said. “We didn’t gain any time, but we didn’t really lose any. Tomorrow is going to be very interesting, and we’re going to try to race smart and keep the jersey.”
Stage 6 Results:
Pro Men
- Griffin Easter • OpiCure Foundation | 1:58:48
- Alex Miller • Swatt Club x KingPrice | 1:58:49 (+0:01)
- Hugo Drechou • Gravel Nation | 1:58:49 (+0:01)
Pro Women
- Nathalie Eklund • 58&fam | 2:23:11
- Larissa Hartog • Canyon DT Swiss ATR | 2:23:11 (+0:00)
- Alison Jackson • St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93 | 2:23:12 (+0:01)
General Classification After Stage 6:
Pro Men
- Matthew Beers • Toyota Specialized | 16:10:28
- Filippo Colombo • SCOTT-SRAM | 16:11:00 (+0:32)
- Tristan Nortje • Toyota Specialized Imbuko | 16:11:22 (+0:54)
Pro Women
- Nele Laing • Canyon DT Swiss ATR | 19:42:23
- Hayley Preen • ChemChamp Honeycomb | 19:43:19 (+0:56)
- Clara Marie Koppenburg • Tudor Pro Cycling | 19:46:40 (+4:17)
Teams Classification
Pro Men – leaders
Toyota Specialized Imbuko | 105 points
Pro Women – leaders
Canyon DT Swiss ATR | 120 points
Stage 7 Preview: One Last Fight to the Windmill
The journey that began on the dry plains around Graaff-Reinet ends deep in game country, with one final test before the finisher medals are awarded. The 94km stage that was originally planned has been shortened to 59.5km, with 1,050m of climbing, decides two podiums: the GC standings and the final stage win. The Toyota Power Climb to Founder’s Gate comes inside the first 10km, and after six days in the Karoo, it and the climb to Assegaai is a summit finish. Then riders roll back to Burn Camp for an unforgettable celebration . With the hills relentless, a bunch sprint is unlikely, and category leaders will have to defend their advantages with everything they have left. Expect pure attrition as glory awaits within the game fences of Shamwari Private Game Reserve.
