Malan and White take victory at the Underberg Gran Fondo

Tyronne White attacked his breakaway companions to solo across after 140km gravel event in a time of 4:46:20,  part of the International Gran Fondo World Tour Gravel Series

The Gran Fondo has become a highlight of the South African cycling calendar, showcasing the stunning natural beauty of the Drakensberg and offering a challenging ride over a variety of terrain. The longest 140km route climbs over 2,533 meters, taking riders deep into the foothills of the Drakensberg mountain range. 

The race took riders through the stunning Bushmans Nek area before entering the Coleford Nature Reserve. There you will see black wildebeest, blesbok, and if you are lucky, the very rare Wattled Crane which is the logo of the ride.

Tyronne White attacked from a five-man breakaway for a convincing win at the “tough” Underberg Gran Fondo last weekend.

David Shelley and Michael Rowland were part of the breakaway until the big climb of the day and finished fourth and fifth respectively.

In the women’s race, Sanchia Malan (Index Property Solutions) cruised home in a time of 5:59:24, with Mikayla Benkenstein edging out Malan’s Swiss Epic teammate, Hayley Smith (Bell), and then Mikaela Hagemann in a close battle for the minor placings.

“I am always happy with a win obviously, but we also had a good group of guys to ride with for the first half of the race. They were all nice to ride with and were all happy to do their share of the work.”

“We split up on the Coleford climb and then David Shelley was with me for a while until he dropped off and Kev Benkenstein rode back until a climb after about 60km when I went off alone.”

“From there it was every man for himself until the finish.”

The 140km Gran Fondo is part of the Gran Fondo World Tour® GRAVEL Series. A ranking with races spread across 5 continents throughout the year, with Pro Cycling Stats ranking amateur gravel riders in partnership with Gran Fondo World Tour ® Series, providing an amateur ranking for gravel riding lovers. This ranking will be linked to the Gran Fondo World Tour ROAD series ranking, which covers a full calendar of events around the world where riders can pick up points.

Underberg Gran Fondo Selected Results

140km Men
1 Tyronne White 4:46:20
2 Kevin Benkenstein 4:52:49
3 Thabiso Zindela 4:57:11
4 David Shelly 4:57:17
5 Michael Rowland 4:58:19

140km Women
1 Sanchia Malan 5:59:24
2 Mikayla Benkenstein 6:09:47
3 Hayley Smith 6:13:51
4 Mikaela Hagemann 6:14:00

94km Men
1 Stefanus van den Heever 4:06:14
2 Graeme Kelly 4:22:04
3 Cameron Daly 4:22:15
4 Bryan Clarke 4:35:47
5 Ivan van Niekerk 4:38:51~

94km Women
1 Juli Morris 4:40:37
3 Daleen Tyler 5:29:13
4 Melanie Van Rooyen 5:37:30

45km Men
1 Isaiah Evans 1:58:02
2 Ezra Evans 2:07:01
3 Michael Streatfield 2:09:47
4 Asa Evans 2:16:43
5 Tayne Rudling 2:16:59

45km Women
1 Jenna Lofstrand 2:23:34
2 Minette Mccabe 2:38:50
3 Emma Logan 3:41:24

Link to full 2024 Underberg Gran Fondo results: https://results.finishtime.co.za/Results.aspx?CId=35&RId=4715&EId=2