Philip Buys and Nicolette Griffioen proved equal to both fierce competition and one of the toughest gravel courses in South Africa as they claimed victory in the 155km feature race at The Grind near Magaliesburg this past weekend.
The event marked the opening round of the newly launched Stellantis Adventure Series and attracted a strong turnout, with more than 600 participants lining up across three gravel distances (155km, 70km and 45km), as well as three trail-running races. Hot summer conditions added an extra layer of difficulty to an already demanding day out.
In the men’s 155km race, Buys emerged from a thrilling three-way battle with Alwyn Steenkamp and Cape Town-based Dan Loubser. The trio quickly separated themselves from the rest of the field, setting up a tactical contest that would only be decided right at the finish.
Buys, one of South Africa’s most decorated mountain bikers, brought his vast experience to bear. The London Olympian boasts multiple national Cross-Country and Marathon titles, several Absa Cape Epic stage wins, and numerous Cape Epic African Jersey honours. Loubser, meanwhile, has been making waves on the gravel scene, most notably with his record-breaking win at the 2025 36ONE Challenge that announced his arrival as a serious ultra-endurance contender.
As the race entered its closing stages, Steenkamp was unable to stay in contention for the sprint, leaving Buys and Loubser to fight it out for the win. Buys timed his effort perfectly through the technical finale to outsprint Loubser, stopping the clock at 4:47:36, with Steenkamp crossing the line a few seconds later in third.
“The first half of the race was fairly relaxed,” said Buys. “With such a long distance, everyone seemed focused on conserving energy, and I was happy with that. I was planning to race the Herald MTB race near Port Elizabeth the following day, so I wanted to get through with as little effort as possible.”
Despite the measured start, the race still took its toll. “It turned into a long day out, and on a gravel bike your body is bound to take a bit of a beating. For this route, a gravel bike was definitely the fastest option. The racing really went flat out in the final third, which set up the sprint finish with Dan. Gravel isn’t my favourite discipline, but it was a solid day out and great conditioning.”
In the women’s 155km race, Nicolette Griffioen delivered a dominant performance, riding clear of the field early and remaining unchallenged to take the win in 5:57:10. Second place went to Julie Cass in 06:29:57 with Michelle Andrew rounding out the podium in 07:32:52.
“I chose to do The Grind because I needed more racing in the legs and it’s close to home, so there’s very little travel involved,” said Buys. “Our team also skipped Tankwa Trek this year, so there were no clashes on the calendar. The series prize purse was another deciding factor, and it looks like the rest of the series fits in well with our plans. If health and fitness allow, I’ll be lining up for all the races.”
With their victories, Buys and Griffioen take the early lead in the men and women’s standings respectively in the Stellantis Adventure Series, South Africa’s premier gravel racing series, which offers more than R500,000 in total prize money.
Series organiser Rob Jackson of The Leverage Corporation was pleased with the opening round. “We essentially doubled our overall entry numbers compared to last year. Having over 600 participants across all distances was fantastic to see.”
“Valley Lodge and Spa proved to be an ideal venue, with plenty of shade for riders and spectators on a hot summer’s day. We’re extremely grateful to Stellantis for their investment in the series and look forward to building on this momentum at Round 2 later this month.”
The Grind was also the first round of the 2026 Luxliner Schools MTB Series, aimed at growing the high schools competition in the marathon-racing discipline over safe, marked, non-technical routes.
Round 2 of the 2026 Stellantis Adventure Series, the Luxliner Route 66, takes place on Saturday 28 February and Sunday 1 March. The two-day event features a 75km stage on Day 1 and an 80km stage on Day 2. While designed primarily for gravel bikes, the event is also open to mountain bikes and eBikes.
Full results from The Grind 2026 can be found here.
More information and entries for the Luxliner Route 66 are available here.
https://leveragecorporation.co.za/route-66-mtb-trail-run/
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