CYCLING NEWS - Some of the world’s biggest names in cycling will descend on the Great Karoo later this month when the second edition of the Nedbank Gravel Burn gets underway on Sunday 25 October.
Defending champions Matt Beers and Axelle Dubau-Prévot will face stiff competition from a field that includes two-time mountain bike marathon world champions Andreas Seewald and Henrique Avancini, Paris-Roubaix winner Alison Jackson and 2026 Gravel World Championships bronze medallist Larissa Hartog.
The seven-day stage race will take riders across 750km of challenging Karoo terrain, starting in Robert Sobukwe Town (Graaff-Reinet) and finishing at Shamwari Private Game Reserve on Saturday 31 October.
The event has attracted an international field of road, mountain bike and gravel specialists, setting the stage for another closely contested race.
South African riders eye home victory
South Africa’s Matt Beers returns to defend the title he won at the inaugural event in 2025.
Beers, who recently finished ninth at the Gravel World Championships in Australia, has enjoyed another successful season.
In March, he claimed his fourth Cape Epic title alongside fellow South African Tristan Nortje.
Nortje, who finished fourth at last year’s Gravel Burn, will also be on the start line, along with national marathon champion Marc Pritzen.
Pritzen, winner of the 2022 Cape Town Cycle Tour and a Cape Epic stage winner, will be looking to end his 2026 season on a high.
However, the South African trio will face strong international opposition.
Brazil’s Henrique Avancini, who finished 11th at the recent Gravel World Championships, will make his Gravel Burn debut.
The two-time marathon world champion is familiar with South African conditions, having previously achieved several podium finishes at the Cape Epic.
Germany’s Andreas Seewald, who claimed his second marathon world title in September, is another leading contender.
Switzerland’s Simon Pellaud returns after finishing runner-up to Beers in 2025. Pellaud was also second at Unbound Gravel 200 and in the overall Life Time Grand Prix standings last year.
Former Cape Epic winner Lukas Baum of Germany will be looking to improve on his fifth-place finish at last year’s race.
Other notable entrants include Switzerland’s Filippo Colombo, who recently secured a podium finish at the final round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in the United States, France’s Hugo Drechou, Switzerland’s Andri Frischknecht and Dutch rider Hans Becking.
The men’s field also includes Mathijs Loman of the Netherlands, American Griffin Easter, Belgium’s Lawrence Naesen and Switzerland’s Felix Stehli, who partnered Pritzen to two stage victories at the 2026 Swiss Epic.
Strong competition in women’s race
Defending women’s champion Axelle Dubau-Prévot of France returns after a remarkable 2025 victory.
Dubau-Prévot entered the final stage almost nine minutes behind the overall leader but overturned the deficit to claim the title at Shamwari Private Game Reserve.
She faces a formidable field this year, including Canada’s Alison Jackson, who won the prestigious Paris-Roubaix road race in 2023.
Three-time Swiss time-trial champion Elena Hartmann will also compete, along with Swedish gravel champion Nathalie Eklund and Germany’s Carolin Schiff, winner of the 2023 Unbound Gravel 200.
Several riders arrive in South Africa following strong performances at the recent Gravel World Championships in Australia.
The Netherlands’ Larissa Hartog claimed bronze, while Germany’s Nele Laing finished fourth and Switzerland’s Irina Lützelschwab seventh.
All three will make their Gravel Burn debuts, alongside Schiff, who finished 11th at the world championships.
Other international contenders include Germany’s Jade Treffeisen and Clara Koppenburg, Canada’s Sarah Diekmeyer, American Alexis Skarda and Great Britain’s Isla Short.
South Africa’s Hayley Preen will also be hoping to improve on her third-place finish at last year’s event, when she narrowly missed out on second place.
Preen has competed extensively in South Africa and the United States this season and currently occupies fourth place in the Life Time Grand Prix standings.
Earlier this month, she finished fourth at the Little Sugar race in the United States, behind Skarda, who is eighth in the series standings.
Seven days of demanding racing
The Nedbank Gravel Burn will test riders over seven consecutive days, with long distances, challenging terrain and unpredictable conditions expected to play a significant role in determining the winners.
Race founder Kevin Vermaak welcomed the return of both defending champions and the addition of several world-class competitors.
“It’s great to welcome back both defending champions alongside world champions, a Paris-Roubaix winner and a Gravel World Championships medallist in only our second year.
“Stage racing in the Karoo is a different kind of test – it demands patience, resilience and smart racing as much as firepower – we can’t wait to see how the race unfolds.”
The race starts on Sunday 25 October and concludes on Saturday 31 October at Shamwari Private Game Reserve.
For race information, results and daily highlights, visit www.gravel-burn.com.
Freezing temperatures in the Karoo during last year's race tested the athletes. 
The Nedbank Gravel Burn will test riders over seven consecutive days, with long distances, challenging terrain ‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
