Bone's commanding performance
Lisa Bone carved a 15-minute gap over her closest rivals, finishing ahead of Chloe Bishop and Catherine Kruger in the 100-mile gravel race. Bone, representing Cycle Nation, worked her way through the course with 1,760 meters of elevation, leaving the women's race without close competition.
The Swellendam start and finish marked a new event for the UCI Gravel World Series, with more than 90% of the route on gravel. Bone controlled the race from start to finish, showing how she dominated the 2026 qualifying event.
Beers wins by the slimmest margin
The men's race was a different story. Matthew Beers and Tristan Nortje, teammates from the recent Cape Epic, dueled to the line. Beers took the win by a hair, with Nortje following closely. Alexander Miller finished just over three minutes later in third.
The tight race showed the high level of competition in the men’s elite category, which added drama to the event. Both riders came off a successful Cape Epic campaign, bringing their form into the new gravel-focused race.
Qualifiers set for world stage
Around the Pot is one of three qualifying events leading up to the UCI Gravel World Championships, scheduled for October 10 and 11. The top 25% of finishers and podium placers from each category earn a spot.
Riders from the event will now look toward Hlinsko in Czechoslovakia and Bogotá in Colombia, the other two qualifiers. Performance at these races will directly influence who gets to compete at the world championships.
