Henrique Avancini is headed for South Africa again. The two-time UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Champion and Brazil’s first UCI World Cup winner has confirmed he will race Nedbank Gravel Burn from 25 to 31 October 2026. It will be his first time on gravel in the Great Karoo.
The Red Bull athlete is not arriving cold. In March he won UCI Gravel Brazil. In July he took the inaugural Campeonato Brasileiro de Gravel in Rio Acima, Minas Gerais, a 96km course with 3,000 metres of climbing through the Serra do Gandarela. Two national-level gravel wins in four months.
That level of performance comes from a mountain biking career spent at the pinnacle of the sport. He spent more than a decade at the sharp end of the international cross-country circuit as one of the defining South American riders of his generation. At 36, he is racing gravel and honouring that résumé. Many of Avancini top results listed in his impressive palmarès come from South Africa, as a multiple Cape Epic podium finisher and stage winner.
Avancini rides Swift bikes. Headquartered in Belo Horizonte, and Brazil-owned, there remains a thread that connects with South Africa. Swift was founded by a South African, with many bikes in the range designed in South Africa with South African conditions in mind.
He has never raced in the Karoo. It is a part of South Africa. That “looks nice and wild,” he says, and that is what drew him: a demanding parcours, beautiful yet harsh environment and a high-level field. Nedbank Gravel Burn is seven days, 750km, from Graaff-Reinet through the Karoo to Shamwari Private Game Reserve. Remote gravel, Burn Camps under open, starry skies, and a landscape unlike the trails around his home in Petrópolis.
“I’ll be more active on gravel this year doing some races and content,” Avancini said. He is coming to race to win, yet wants the week to leave him with memories to share back home.
“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 said. “I’m looking forward to coming back home with memories and stories…”
Avancini is the first confirmed rider from Brazil. He is sure he will not be the last. “In the near future we’re gonna bring some noise to the camp,” he said. “I expect to be only the first of many to come for this adventure.”
Kevin Vermaak, founder of Nedbank Gravel Burn, said Avancini’s confirmation opens a door into Brazilian cycling.
“Brazil has one of the most passionate cycling cultures on earth, and Henrique is the rider who can open that up and add some more vibe to the Burn Camps. We are thrilled to welcome him, and we expect a proper fight at the front.”