- il y a 2 jours
Non, la saison de Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) n'est pas tout à fait terminée. À peine revenu de sa lune de miel avec sa femme, le Britannique de 26 ans a repris le vélo en Afrique du Sud à l'occasion de la course par étapes Gravel : la Nedbank Gravel Burn. Après une mise en route assez compliquée, le coureur de la formation Q36.5 est allé cueillir un magnifique succès sur l'étape reine, la 5e étape jeudi 30 octobre de cette édition, au sommet du Swaershoek Pass, une ascension de 18,5 kilomètres avec 790 mètres de dénivelé positif et des rampes dépassant les 10 % dans sa dernière partie. Le natif de Leeds s'est imposé devant l'Allemand Andreas Seewald (Singer KTM Racing) et l'ancien coureur de l'équipe Tudor, le Suisse Simon Pellaud (Li Ning Star).
Video : Nedbank Gravel Burn / quattro media GmbH
« Le vélo, partout & toujours ici » sur
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Video : Nedbank Gravel Burn / quattro media GmbH
« Le vélo, partout & toujours ici » sur
https://www.cyclismactu.net / Cyclism'Actu
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SportTranscription
00:00Qu'est-ce qu'il y a de l'autre côté ?
00:03Aujourd'hui c'était super facile.
00:05Je veux dire, les sections,
00:07le climb a été un peu difficile,
00:09Luc a été attacqué au début.
00:13Mais nous étions super facile aujourd'hui.
00:16Donc c'était juste un petit effort au final.
00:19Il n'y a pas besoin d'énergie mental.
00:23Je pense que quand vous êtes dans le zone un peu,
00:25vous commencez à concentrer sur votre respiration
00:27et tourner vos pieds,
00:30le reste du temps,
00:33je pense que mon pieds est trop difficile.
00:36Il y a probablement quelque chose de la nature
00:39que je pourrais aller chercher.
00:41Donc c'est assez souffert pour cette racer.
00:47Pour être honnête,
00:49j'étais juste avant d'aller dormir,
00:53j'étais comme,
00:55ce que je veux faire ici,
00:57je veux rentrer à la maison.
00:58J'étais vraiment triste.
01:00C'était la première fois que j'étais en train d'une vraie GT.
01:04J'étais très bien.
01:06Et j'ai pensé que c'était pas mal.
01:08Donc j'étais vraiment, vraiment triste.
01:11J'étais vraiment, vraiment triste.
01:13J'étais vraiment triste.
01:14J'ai eu une très bonne nuit.
01:16J'ai pensé à tous les erreurs que j'ai fait hier.
01:20J'ai eu une très bonne nuit.
01:25Mais j'ai réveillé dans la matinée,
01:29et au début de la semaine,
01:31j'ai regardé les stages.
01:35Et la première fois, c'était un goal.
01:38Et la deuxième fois, c'était aussi,
01:40c'était des bons stages pour moi.
01:44Donc cette matinée, j'ai pensé,
01:46« Ok, vous n'avez rien à perdre maintenant.
01:49Donc, c'est parti. »
01:51Et j'ai gardé le bon jour.
01:54J'ai eu un moment où j'ai appris
01:56pour garder mon cœur
01:58et poussière.
02:00Et dans le climat,
02:02j'ai pensé,
02:03« Si vous voulez gagner du temps sur la GT,
02:06c'est le temps de pousser et de donner tout. »
02:09Et puis j'ai eu avec Lauren Stéphane,
02:13qui est une excellente rider,
02:16et une très tactique.
02:18Et pour moi, c'est aussi
02:20le goal de cette semaine,
02:22c'est d'améliorer moi-même
02:23comme un rider,
02:24avec Ashley,
02:25avec Lauren,
02:26avec Melisa.
02:28Et oui,
02:29ça a été fait pour moi.
02:31Je suis vraiment heureux,
02:32pas parce que de la fin,
02:33mais aussi parce que
02:35de la fin.
02:43Déjà,
02:55c'est à l'époque.
02:56J'ai vraiment aimé
02:56de prendre le bon temps.
03:00Sunrise on day 5
03:09For most, if not all, of the Bern community
03:11The four days of camping in Aventur, Grafrenet and Blauwarte
03:14Has been a rare and deeply fulfilling experience
03:17Genuine Kuru hospitality ensured that both local and international riders
03:22Are fully immersed in their first Nedbank gravel Bern experience
03:30And so the wondrous journey through a harsh but hospitable land continues
03:36In between stage racing's daily routine
03:39Pockets of delight and morsels of pleasure
03:47Will continue to surprise this group of Nedbank gravel Bern originals
03:51The fifth morning, Blauwarte Bern camp in the heart of the great Kuru
03:57The Bern community were in sync
03:59An Olympic champion washing bottles with an age group rider
04:03Shared experiences
04:05Simple pleasures enjoyed with new friends and old acquaintances
04:09Well, I just love an adventure and I love a challenge
04:12And my favourite way to see a new place is by bike
04:15So this ticked all the boxes
04:17I knew it was going to be pretty hard
04:19And that is part of why I signed up
04:21But also I knew I'd see all this amazing scenery
04:23And getting to the Bern camp on the first day was a real highlight
04:27Because I had no idea it was going to be this luxurious basically
04:32Like they'd set up a bar and they had a DJ
04:35And the catering is absolutely amazing
04:38And you're in the middle of nowhere
04:39I just didn't expect it at all
04:40So that was a real highlight
04:41Camp has been unbelievable
04:46The fire at night and the vibes and the tents
04:49And this kind of production
04:50The scale of it is just so unbelievable
04:53That it's hard to take it in
04:55And it actually takes a few days to kind of settle into it
04:58This is the kind of rugged thing that I think we sign up for
05:02To really test ourselves
05:04And it's rugged but it's luxury
05:06And it's this kind of combination of an experience
05:09That's just so powerful
05:11So the camp is incredible
05:16I think I had anticipated that it would really be quite something
05:21But all of the details that have been thought of and taken care of
05:25We're really in our own little communities within the camp
05:30Our lapas are smaller
05:32And we're with the same people each place we go
05:35The food has been amazing and plentiful
05:40And the crew and the team could not be more helpful
05:44And happy to be here
05:46And pleasant and excited for all of us
05:48The facilities have really been great
05:51I've been sleeping well
05:53I really am very comfortable and happy
06:10The men's elite batch was whittled down to 16 riders on the first of three tough climbs
06:30New faces of the sharp end included Georg Heger, Alex Millenlach and Morten
06:35The second test came shortly afterwards
06:37And early enough that all 16 survivors of Tafelkopp could safely summit Leo Kopp
06:42The wide open spaces of the Sneerberg Conservancy was a sight for sore eyes
06:47The lead bunch were given a first-hand dramatic view of the wildebeest that roamed these beautiful plains
06:53The high altitude and a cruel headwind out of the northwest played a critical role in the relatively sedate pace being maintained by the bunch
07:02German champion Andreas Seewald's hopes of making an impact on the race were compromised by a puncture
07:07Which he fixed with the aid of a CO2 cartridge and a dose of calm and experience
07:11On the drag towards the compass climb Tom Pitcock faded
07:15Preserving his legs for a tilt at a stage win later in the race
07:18The lead group of eight descended off the Sneerberg into New Bethesda
07:23A 150-year-old village dominated by a magnificent neo-Gothic-style church
07:27It took another 15 kilometers before the fireworks went off
07:30Simon Pelot launched a powerful attack that only the Ember leader jersey Matt Beers could follow
07:36Working in harmony by swapping regular turns on the front
07:39The pair quickly opened a gap to the chasers
07:41Pelot went hard up at Tafelkop
07:44But an exhibition of fearless descending by Beers
07:47Saw to it that the specialized off-road racing rider could open a sizable gap
07:51And he uses formidable power on the drag to the line to keep Pelot at bay
07:55And claim a third stage win in four days
07:57Pelot is still within a minute of Beers
08:03The arm though lost in nearly four minutes
08:06And he is just 20 seconds ahead of French chap and Hugo Dresho
08:10Three days and the women's elite race was desperately close
08:20With just 12 seconds separating the top two
08:22Axel Dubois-Prevost and Ashley Mollman-Pascio
08:25A group of seven riders moved clear on the steep climb up Tafelkop
08:29The leading pair as well as the two Haley's Preen and Smith
08:32Americans Melissa Rollins and Lauren Stevens and Olivia Hortinger
08:35Stage three winner Lauren Stevens launched a trademark attack from the back of the group
08:39But the bunch were not going to let the American champion go
08:42And hauled her in in double quick time
08:44Preen for a third day in a row met with bad luck
08:47She had to stop to reset a ship chain
08:49Precious time and energy lost in the chase back to the group
08:52But the biggest casualty of the day was the race leader Dubois-Prevost
08:56Who suffered a double puncture and had to stop at the neutral tech zone
09:00The distraught French woman was to lose nearly 10 minutes on the stage
09:03It was tense racing and Haley Smith clashed with Stevens and hit the dirt
09:07She was bruised, bladed and clearly shaken
09:10As she rode gingerly behind the leaders for the rest of the stage
09:12The final climb saw Koppenberg's gutsy assault on the stage and GC fade
09:17As Mollman-Pascio, Preen, Rollins and Stevens crested the summit
09:20Rollins then bolted down the descent
09:22And eventually having got past the other two, Preen set off in pursuit
09:27The South African drew closer
09:28But American Rollins carried too much power over the last kilometers
09:32And took the stage win
09:33Dubois-Prevost's disastrous day saw her tumble down to sixth place
09:40Mollman-Pascio inherited the leader's jersey
09:43And she goes into stage five with a minute and nine seconds
09:47Over Rollins with Preen five minutes and one second back in third
09:50Stage five is significantly different to the previous four
09:59It's the second longest and has the most kilometers on TAR
10:02As they transition to the east
10:04They won't see gravel for 60 kilometers after the first ten
10:07The riders will reach the highest point of the stage on the Warpatzberg Pass
10:12And then the trend is mostly downhill but not to be underestimated
10:16They ride near the Fish River before taking on the longest climb of the week on dirt roads
10:21The 11 kilometer Swahooks Pass
10:23The finish line is at the summit before a roll down into the warm embrace of a Reno camp
10:29Half an hour earlier than the previous stages the riders rolled up to the start line
10:36Not something the European riders are accustomed to
10:38But no issues for big matte beers in the Assos Ember leader's jersey
10:41Simon Pelot though could be a thorn in his side on stage five
10:45Just 57 seconds separated the pair at the top of the GC standings
10:49And after four days the long pull to Reno camp would certainly be tough
10:53Ashley Mollman-Pascio first day in the leader's jersey
10:56Of course it's always nice to be in a leader's jersey
10:59And yeah especially at a South African race
11:02It's home territory so yeah I'm really happy to be in it
11:05And I'm looking forward to the day
11:06Yeah I mean we'll have to see how it plays out
11:11But of course the final climb is the distinctive point obviously
11:14So yeah it will be about kind of staying in contact
11:17Trying to take it as easy as possible
11:20And then waiting for the final climb
11:21The two Americans Rollins and Stevens sharing pre-ride thoughts
11:27Yeah it will be more like a road race race today
11:32I think tactics come into play today
11:34The goal is to save as much energy as possible for the last climb
11:39And then we got full gas there
11:40I'm feeling really good this morning
11:44Had a really good night's sleep
11:45And yeah big stage ahead our longest stage with a mountaintop finish
11:51But I'm feeling good and I'm feeling strong
11:54So I guess we'll just have to see how it goes on that last climb
11:58Tension building
12:03Och then Morten was relaxed
12:06Andreas Siewoldt
12:11Well that could be a warm-up
12:14That certainly was
12:17So the scene was set
12:20Attention building the longest stage of the race thus far
12:24A blast from the Kudu Horn and the elite men's bunch
12:29Headed away from Blava to camp
12:31After two nights
12:32Taking with them onto the road
12:34Memories of hearty home-cooked meals and warm fires
12:36It took less than five kilometres into the neutral zone
12:40For the first drama of the day
12:42Race leader Matt Beer stopped with a rear wheel flat
12:44The benefits of having trade teammates was graphically illustrated
12:47When Toyota's specialised Travis Steadman and Johan van Selle stopped to assist him
12:51The peloton waited
12:53After van Selle had donated his wheel
12:55And the ASOS Embelida's jersey was back in the group
12:59Thanks to the assistance of Travis Steadman
13:01First to attack on the R61
13:04In the early kilometres of what would be 60-odd kilometres on the tyre road
13:07Was Cameron Werff
13:08He didn't last long up there
13:10But it did give the platform to Marco Hubert and Lucas Baum to attack
13:15The peloton shielding against the wind
13:18With Matt Beer's dictating the pace
13:19We're in the gutter
13:20Lucas Postelberger
13:22World Tour racer
13:23Grand Tour stage winner
13:24Loving the descent off the Warbergspot
13:28In hot pursuit of that breakaway of Marco Hubert and Lucas Baum
13:38Eventually they were called to heel
13:40Mainly because Marco Hubert picked up a puncture
13:43And began losing time
13:44As did his teammate Tristan Norkier
13:45The group are all still together
13:57As they made their way past Craddock
13:59And into the day's defining moment
14:02The Swazhook Pass pops out at around 1700 metres
14:08It's 11 kilometres of gravel road climb
14:11That links the towns of Craddock and Pearson in the Eastern Cape
14:15It's as remote as you can get
14:19But the views are absolutely stunning
14:20Hostelberger doing a long turn on the front of the group
14:25As he has done throughout this week
14:26But he's still not particularly hype in general classification
14:30But enjoying his first experience of racing on the roads of South Africa
14:34Hugo Drescu there
14:37Third wheel
14:38Andri Frischnecht
14:39Lucas Baum
14:40His partner Gio Ghega
14:41And Tom Pitcock tucked in there
14:43As well as Andres Seerwold
14:44Peter Stettiner
14:45And Matt Beer's
14:46Quite far back in the group here
14:48With Simon Pillow
14:49Just dragging himself on the back wheel
14:51Of the overall leader
14:52There's 57 seconds between them at the start of the day
14:57Hostelberger has been in absolutely superb form all week
15:07Doing a lot of the hard yards on the front of the group
15:11And again he was dragging this long peloton of riders up the Swazhook Pass
15:15Tom Pitcock was in there
15:17As well as Andres Seerwold
15:18Peter Stettiner
15:19And Matt Beer's
15:20Quite far back for the general classification leader
15:22As Simon Pillow pulled himself up onto Beer's back wheel
15:26They would watch each other like hawks
15:28With just 57 seconds between the pair
15:30At the start of this day's stage
15:32This is the Nedbank Gravel Burn Stage 5
15:46There was motivation here for every single one of these riders
15:53General classification positions were up for grabs
15:56With Marco Huber and Tristan Nokia way back off the back due to their mechanical issues
16:03There was opportunity for the likes of Travis Stedman
16:05As well as Neff and Andrei Frischnick and Andres Seerwold
16:09And it was Seerwold who attacked first
16:11As the road started to tilt uphill
16:13The German champion and former marathon world champion
16:17Has the strength, has the pedigree
16:19To take it all the way to the top
16:21But he had to contend with some fierce rivals
16:23And world-class racers in the bunch chasing him
16:26One of whom was Tom Pitcock
16:27With Mathieu Damaki up the road
16:30Pitcock decided to join him
16:31The general classification was up for grabs
16:35It split into two races
16:36One for the stage honours
16:37And one to determine the general classification
16:40Beer's and Pillow in the forefront of that battle
16:44Meanwhile, the drag across to Andres Seerwold
16:49The lone leader continued
16:50It was Mathieu Damaki
16:52Who had been joined by the Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pitcock
16:56Anonymous through the first four days of the race
16:59He decided to target this stage with a summit finish
17:02Seerwold digging deep to try and take it all the way to the line
17:05The German
17:06But he had a man who's won at the top of Alpe d'Huez
17:09And the Tour de France on his wheel
17:11And soon enough, Tom Pitcock had passed Andres Seerwold
17:16With five kilometres to go
17:18And the gap started to widen
17:19Matt Beers was struggling today
17:22It wasn't his best
17:23And he was under pressure from Simon Pillow
17:26Who knew he could take an opportunity
17:28And eke back some of the time he'd lost to Matt Beers
17:32But it was all about Tom Pitcock
17:35As he summited the Swazhook pass
17:37As the winner of stage five
17:39At the Nedbank gravel burn
17:41The world's best
17:43Stepping up when it matters most
17:45Andres Seerwold
17:50Came home in second place
17:52A brave, bold effort
17:53His best result of the week
17:55And Simon Pillow
17:57Powering over the line
17:59To take seconds, precious seconds
18:01Away from the fighting Matt Beers
18:02Out of the saddle over the last couple of metres
18:04With Hugo Drescher on his wheel
18:06Beers limiting his losses
18:08He will hold on to the Ember leader's jersey
18:10What a battle
18:14Up Swazhook pass
18:16Thomas Pitcock takes the win
18:1843 seconds ahead of Seerwold Pillow
18:20In third place
18:21And Peter Stettner
18:22Matt Beers
18:23Hugo Drescher throws out the top six
18:25Like climbs like that
18:27I'm really not comfortable
18:28When you're not in perfect shape
18:33It's about just trying to find your rhythm
18:35But you don't know where that is
18:36So it's difficult
18:37You keep going over and under
18:38What you can sustain
18:39Slow
18:39Yeah I think when you get in the zone a bit
18:41And start focusing on your breathing
18:43And just turning your legs
18:45Then yeah you can
18:47The rest of the time
18:48I was thinking about how much my legs hurt
18:51And this is too hard
18:52And there's probably some wildlife here
18:55That I could be looking at
18:56But focus on racing
18:57So never then
18:59It was
19:00It's enough suffering now for this racing
19:03The general classification is tantalizingly poised
19:06For a thrilling conclusion
19:07To the first Nedbank gravel burn
19:0933 seconds between the top two
19:11With Hugo Drescher now in third place
19:136.42 down
19:14After four days of hard riding
19:22All the way from Nisner to Blavata Farm
19:25And with the prospect of riding
19:26137 kilometers to Marino Farm on stage five
19:30The women's peloton were at a relatively sedation
19:33At a great pace
19:34As they climbed up and over
19:35Warpartsberg
19:37On the descent
19:38Well the roadies came to the fore
19:39And don't they just love it
19:40Jana Giegler
19:41And Clara Koppenberg
19:43The confidence rider who raced the Tour de France
19:46Femme earlier this year
19:47Were in their element
19:48As was Alison Jackson
19:50A Canadian absolutely loving being on the roads
19:54A 2023 Roubaix champion
19:56Another Canadian
19:57Hayley Smith
19:59Consistent all week as Hayley Smith
20:01And time on the front
20:02Conversation in the peloton
20:05Such was the relatively docile pace of the peloton
20:09They had bigger fish to fry later in the day
20:11With a summit finish at the top of the Swarjuk Pass
20:15As they got towards the end of the road section
20:20An age group peloton passed them
20:23And Emma van Stock to the Belgian
20:25Decided she would latch on to that group
20:28The Belgian managed to cruise past them
20:34To the front of that group
20:35Powering down the tar road
20:38Back on to the gravel and the dirt
20:40And the dirt rough it was too
20:41The peloton still relatively cohesive
20:44As they started chasing down the Belgian
20:46Who had built a lead of almost two and a half minutes
20:49Race leader Ashley Moorman Passio
20:52Defending a lead over Melissa Rollins
20:55Of a minute and nine seconds
20:57Alison Jackson
20:58Well we haven't seen her in this sort of form yet
21:02It's off season for the EF Education Oatley rider
21:05But wonderful to see her blast out of the chase group
21:09And set off in pursuit of this young lady
21:12Emma van Stockt
21:13Jackson of course
21:20The road race champion of Canada at the moment
21:22And a winner of a stage at the Vuelta Feminina in 2024
21:25This last year with the EF Education Oatley team
21:30Even the construction workers paused
21:39To watch the peloton fly past
21:41What a sight
21:42What an unusual sight for them
21:43Cruising through the dairy farms
21:45On the banks of the Fish River
21:47As they closed in on
21:48Ngruba
21:49Formerly known as Craddock
21:50Hayley Smith flicking riders through
21:52Melissa Rollins responded
21:54Clara Koppenberg in there as well
21:56But still out front
21:58Was Emma van Stockt
21:59The Belgian rider
22:00Not for too long though
22:03Eventually she was caught
22:04As they closed in on Craddock
22:07Hayley Preen
22:09Ashley Moorman Passio
22:10All the big hitters in there
22:12Melissa Rollins
22:13The top three on general classification
22:16The one rider who had much to gain today
22:19Was the French rider
22:21Former leader of the race
22:23Axel Dubois-Preval
22:24Alison Jackson then onto the gravel
22:27As they began the lower slopes of the climb
22:31And immediately an attack from Lauren Stephens
22:34The American champion
22:35Already a stage winner this week
22:37And going with her was Axel Dubois-Preval
22:40She sensed an opportunity
22:41If she stayed with Lauren Stephens
22:42That she could gain some of the time
22:44She lost on stage four
22:46Ashley Moorman Passio
22:47Had to work really hard
22:49To find the back wheel
22:49Of the French woman
22:50Stephens backed off
22:53And the French woman went to the front
22:54Moorman Passio sensed
22:56This is a wheel
22:57She would have to follow
22:58If she wanted to win this stage
23:00And continue to build a lead
23:02Over Melissa Rollins
23:03Who was not in this group
23:04The second place rider
23:05Minute to nine down
23:06At the start of the day
23:07Dubois-Preval
23:14With two stage wins
23:15And a couple of days
23:16In the leader's jersey
23:17This week already
23:18Moorman Passio
23:20Has yet to win a stage
23:20She was desperate to rectify that
23:22Going past some age group riders
23:24Down she goes
23:25The South African
23:26To the gravel
23:27That would cost her time
23:29And precious energy
23:30But
23:31Dubois-Preval
23:32Eased up
23:34And said
23:34Come
23:35Come back and join me
23:36Great sportsmanship
23:37Inside the Nedbank gravel burn here
23:39And hostilities resumed
23:41Once
23:41Moorman Passio
23:43Was back with the French rider
23:44But she was on a mission
23:45Losing ten minutes
23:47On the previous day
23:48Dubois-Preval
23:49Was desperate
23:50To try and claw her way
23:51Back towards the podium
23:53She was 9.21
23:54Down in sixth place
23:55At the start of today's stage
23:56Whilst riding with Moorman Passio
23:58Wasn't going to help her
23:59Take back the lead
24:01She was certainly making inroads
24:02Into those riders ahead of her
24:04On the general classification
24:05The likes
24:06Of Melissa Rollins
24:07And Lauren Stephens
24:08And Hayley Preen
24:09The pair
24:11Rode at tempo
24:12Up the climb
24:13There was still
24:14A long
24:15And very steep
24:16Climb
24:17Over the last
24:18Kilometre
24:18To conquer
24:19Watching each other
24:22Closely
24:23Meanwhile
24:24Behind
24:25Behind
24:25Lauren Stephens
24:27The American champion
24:28Was stalking them
24:29Steady temper
24:31From Lauren Stephens
24:32And inside
24:35The last kilometer
24:36It was
24:37Axel Dubois-Preval
24:38Who turned on
24:39The afterburners
24:40And she started
24:41Riding away
24:41From one of the world's
24:42Great climbers
24:43Ashley Moorman Passio
24:45A phenomenal performance
24:46By the French rider
24:47Moorman Passio
24:48Had no answer
24:49She could not respond
24:51To the power
24:52And the strength
24:53And another stage win
24:54For Axel Dubois-Preval
24:55Second
24:57Lauren Stephens
24:57Also passed
24:58Ashley Moorman Passio
24:59Hayley Preen
25:00In third
25:00A wonderful ride
25:02By all of them
25:03And Melissa Rollins
25:04Managing to salvage
25:05Her second place
25:06On GC
25:07She is now
25:09Four minutes
25:09And twenty seconds
25:10Down
25:10On the
25:11Ashley Moorman Passio
25:12Preen
25:12631 down
25:13Axel Dubois-Preval
25:15Is now in fifth place
25:16854 down
25:17To be honest
25:20Yesterday
25:21Just before
25:23Going to sleep
25:24I was like
25:25What the f***
25:27I'm doing here
25:28I want to go home
25:29I was doing so well
25:31And I felt like
25:33It's unfair
25:33The goal this week
25:35To improve myself
25:37As a rider
25:37With Ashley
25:38With Lauren
25:39With Melissa
25:40And so yeah
25:42It's get rocked on me
25:44So I'm really happy
25:46Not because of the win
25:47But also because
25:48Over the sun
25:49Yeah
25:50As the sun beat down
25:56On the Marino burn camp
25:57The specialised led team
25:58Mechanics got down
25:59To the job
26:00Of washing
26:00Servicing
26:01And lubing the bikes
26:02They're a dedicated lot
26:05Experts in their field
26:06They'll burn the midnight oil
26:08Once again
26:08A recovery massage
26:09After the stage
26:10Ensured the riders
26:11Would be in top condition
26:12To tackle stage six
26:13So Ned Bank gravel burn
26:16For me is an incredible challenge
26:19An amazing adventure
26:20And the best way
26:21To see South Africa
26:22On a bike
26:23If you're looking for something
26:24That's tough
26:25But rewarding
26:26With amazing scenery
26:27And also
26:29Somewhere that you're really
26:30Looked after very well
26:31Then this is the one
26:32Every time that I'm feeling tired
26:42Or sore
26:43Rather than thinking
26:44Oh I can't wait
26:44To get to the end
26:45Of the stage
26:46I think
26:46This is exactly
26:47Where I wanted to be
26:48This is exactly
26:50What I wanted to do
26:51I wouldn't have signed up
26:52If it was going to be easy
26:54And all the boxes
26:55Are being ticked
26:56On and off the bike
26:58The Ned Bank gravel burn
26:59Was meeting riders expectations
27:00Post ride recovery
27:02Began with a healthy
27:03Hearty
27:04Freshly prepared meal
27:05On an afternoon siesta
27:07Was the choice of some
27:08Those who sought
27:09Another form of relaxation
27:10Were entertained
27:11In true Ned Bank
27:12Gravel burn style
27:13Another remote outpost
27:26Created out of an arid farm field
27:28Thanks to the generosity
27:29Of farmer Womvili
27:30The race had reached
27:32The sheep and dairy farms
27:33Of the Eastern Cape
27:34But don't be fooled
27:35The toughest day of all loomed
27:36Stage 6
27:37The Queen Stage
27:38At 144 kilometers
27:40Of three major climbs
27:41And a total of 1700 meters
27:42Of ascending
27:43The route takes them
27:44Into the remote
27:45Eastern Cape bush
27:46Over some of the
27:46Roughest terrain of the week
27:48A long and winding road
27:49To Guarnicia waits
27:50Will the much-traveled
27:53Swiss maestro
27:54Simon Pillow
27:55Find more inspiration
27:56And energy
27:56In his colossal
27:57Vault of racing experience
27:58Or will it be
27:59The local legend
28:00The Nysendale
28:01Who will hammer home
28:02His advantage
28:02With a characteristic
28:03Display of power riding
28:05It's all to play for
28:08In the inaugural
28:09Ned Bank gravel burn
28:10jogo
28:15needed
28:19Every town
28:20Magic
28:21and
28:21A
28:23We'll be
28:24ahead
28:24To be
28:25the Finnish
28:25ни
28:26You're
28:27And
28:27you're
28:28I'll be
28:28brilliant
28:29Probably no from that
28:30show off
28:31this
28:31episode or
28:32Ы
28:33something sehr
28:34long and
28:35T
28:36You're
28:36See this
28:37는데
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