By Kevin Rademeyer, Sports Journalist.
Photo Credit: Nedbank Gravel Burn.
World champions, gravel specialists and South African favourites are ready to compete at the Nedbank Gravel Burn from Sunday, where big racing meets remote camps, star filled skies and a US$155,000 prize purse.
There will be no hiding in the pack when Nedbank Gravel Burn sends its riders into the Great Karoo on 25 October. For seven days, the race will pit some of cycling’s biggest names against 750km of rough gravel, relentless climbs and exposed semi desert terrain, finishing at Shamwari Private Game Reserve on 31 October.
The numbers tell part of the story: around 8,500m of climbing, four remote Burn Camps and a field drawn from the highest levels of mountain biking, road racing and gravel competition. The rest will unfold on the road, where patience and tactical judgement can matter as much as raw power.
Defending champions Matt Beers and Axelle Dubau Prévot return with titles to protect, but neither can expect an easy ride.
Beers has already established himself as one of South Africa’s leading endurance riders. His 2025 Gravel Burn victory was followed by a fourth Cape Epic title in March, won alongside Tristan Nortje. Now he returns to a race he knows, with Nortje and national marathon champion Marc Pritzen also lining up for the home crowd.
Pritzen arrives after a strong season, while Nortje will be looking to improve on his fourth place in last year’s race. Their presence gives South African supporters plenty to follow in a field stacked with international contenders.
Henrique Avancini is among the biggest names making his Gravel Burn debut. The Brazilian, a two time mountain bike marathon world champion, has already won gravel races at home this year and brings a formidable endurance pedigree to the Karoo. A multiple Cape Epic podium finisher, he knows South African racing, but this will be a new kind of challenge.
“The Nedbank Gravel Burn is seven days, 750km,” Avancini said of the event. “This really offers you a personal life experience but it’s also a great platform to race with top riders in the pro field and also hang out in the evenings with amateur riders.”
He is not coming simply to admire the scenery. Avancini says he wants to race to win, while also returning home with stories from a landscape he describes as looking “nice and wild”.
Germany’s Andreas Seewald, fresh from his second marathon world title, adds another major threat. Switzerland’s Simon Pellaud will be keen to improve on his second place in 2025, while former Cape Epic winner Lukas Baum returns and Filippo Colombo arrives after a recent World Cup podium.
The women’s contest has the ingredients for a race of its own. Dubau Prévot’s first victory came after a stunning final stage last year, when she recovered a deficit of almost nine minutes to take the title at Shamwari. Canada’s Alison Jackson, the 2023 Paris Roubaix winner, will bring a different kind of racing experience to the gravel, while Carolin Schiff arrives with a win at the 2023 Unbound Gravel 200 on her record.
South Africa’s Hayley Preen is another rider with unfinished business. She finished third in 2025 by mere seconds and has spent the season racing in South Africa and the United States. Larissa Hartog, bronze medallist at the 2026 Gravel World Championships, also makes her debut, joining a deep international field.
There is more at stake than the prestige of winning. The US$155,000 prize purse is split equally between the professional men and women, with stage prizes and a further US$2,500 available to the overall climbing winner through the Toyota Power Climber competition.
The rewards have been designed to match the scale of the challenge. South African makers MetCon have produced six podium medals from fine silver, with first place plated in gold, second in rhodium and third in red gold. Each weighs 180g and has an approximate finished value of R30,000, subject to the silver price.
The overall professional champions will also receive the Fire Starter, a working trophy created by South African fire tool makers Donkey Long Tong in collaboration with MetCon. Made using titanium, brass, Karoo olive wood and ostrich leather, it incorporates a 42g ring of 24 carat gold. The winners will use their trophies to light the ceremonial fire at the closing celebration.
The experience between stages is part of the attraction. Four Burn Camps, at Blaauwater, Merino, Gwanishi and Shamwari, will bring riders and crews together for meals, recovery and evenings under the Karoo sky. The event is designed to connect elite racing with the wider community of amateur riders taking on the same journey.
Connectivity is another piece of the operation. Herotel has stepped up from internet service provider sponsor in 2025 to headline sponsor in 2026, taking on a larger role in building and managing the network across the remote camps. The infrastructure supports essential race operations, including timing, medical coordination and race control, while helping riders and staff share their experiences.
“Covering a whole camp with Wi Fi is one thing,” said Herotel chief commercial officer Estiaan Ferreira. “Making sure it holds up for the people who depend on it, like the medical team, race control, timing, and others, that’s the real job.”
The field also includes Japan’s Kohei Yamamoto, a four time Olympian and 12 time national champion, who returned from retirement to race the 2026 Cape Epic. Gravel Burn will be his first gravel stage race. Racing in the men’s 40 to 44 age group, he has set himself a clear target.
“When I learned it was a seven day stage race where participants live and camp together, I knew instantly this was exactly the kind of challenge I had been searching for,” Yamamoto said. “It’s a brand new journey for me, and my goal is to win my age group, for myself and for everyone who supports me.”
For race founder Kevin Vermaak, the combination of elite competition and shared adventure is central to the event’s appeal. He expects Avancini’s participation to help bring more Brazilian riders to future editions and says the field should deliver a serious fight at the front.
The race starts on 25 October and finishes at Shamwari on 31 October. Fans can follow stage updates, results and rider content through the official Nedbank Gravel Burn website and social media channels. Any confirmed live broadcast or streaming details should be checked there before race day.
The Karoo will test every rider who lines up. The rewards are substantial, but so is the undertaking: seven days of racing, long hours on exposed roads and a finish earned one kilometre at a time.