Long before Jakob Fuglsang became one of Denmark’s most accomplished road cyclists, he was a young mountain biker learning how to win the hard way.
In 2006, he turned professional, moving away from his family to join a mountain biking team in Italy. He progressed quickly, finding success early in his career. In 2007 he raced the Cape Epic with Roel Paulissen and, in one of the closest fought battles in the history of the race, battling it out with the Bulls team of Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm, the pair placed second overall. Later that year at the Under-23 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, he overtook none other than Nino Schurter on the penultimate lap to win, denying the Swiss a repeat victory (coming in third was another future MTB legend Jaroslav Kulhavý). In 2008, he returned to the Cape Epic with Paulissen and won emphatically.
Fuglsang’s mountain biking results and physical prowess attracted the attention of Team CSC (later known as Team Saxo Bank, then Tinkhoff), a Danish team that was quickly gaining international prominence, with superstar riders such as Fabian Cancellara, Carlos Sastre and Andy and Fränk Schleck. Within a few months, he was fully ensconced and officially a road racer, beginning an illustrious career that would span 18 years, racing for major teams such as Leopard Trek, Radioshack, Astana and Israel Premier Tech.
South Africa and off-road racing sits close to the beginning of the Fuglsang story: before his Olympic silver medal in Rio, before his Monument triumphs at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia, before his two Critérium du Dauphiné stage race victories and before he placed in the top ten at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia and his stage win at the Vuelta a España.
Nearly two decades later, the Dane remembers those early days of racing vividly as it all comes full circle. “I have fantastic memories from my participation at Cape Epic,” he says. “I always wanted to come back to South Africa and race my bike again, but this time with a more relaxed approach and the chance to enjoy the surroundings a bit more.”
Having retired from the pro peloton mid 2025, Fuglsang now turns his focus to his own pursuits, including spending more time with his wife and daughter, and his business interests, which include cycling clothing apparel brand Mad.One.
Nedbank Gravel Burn gives him a reason to come back to South Africa. The race runs for seven days and 750 kilometres across the Great Karoo, linking gravel roads with remote Burn Camps. For Fuglsang, the draw reaches beyond what happens between start and finish – the local cuisine, the Lapas, recovery for tired legs, the camaraderie among the riders during this shared endeavour and the quiet, starry Karoo nights.
“I don’t think any other races have the same spirit and atmosphere once off the bike,” he says. “I’m really looking forward to being able to enjoy it to its fullest.”
For all riders, the attraction is clear. Nedbank Gravel Burn brings the professional and the committed Age Group category participants into the same world: same gravel, same climbs, same Burn Camp and long week of managing body, bike and mind, with the camaraderie among the riders building during the week.
“The fact that it’s a stage race and something that will still challenge me is still a big thing,” he says. “But also the fact that you sleep in these camps, far away from anything – that, all together, is pretty cool. Back when I did Cape Epic, we were sleeping in a camper. I really wanted to come back to South Africa and have the real experience… to be closer to the event and the people,” he says.
Yet Fuglsang’s racing instinct remains. He does admit to “a small idea” of being race competitive on certain stages, with an eye on building back some fitness before the end of October. “I’m happy the busy days of racing are over, with a result as the only goal. First of all I want to have some days on the gravel bike where I can enjoy the scenery. I still want to be challenged. Hopefully I can be up at the more pointy end of the race. I’m looking forward to having a good time on and off the bike.”