FOUNDER’S BLOG

Over the course of 23 years, covering 3 decades, since I first conceived the idea in 2002 for the Cape Epic, I’ve met so many wonderful people associated with the bike and sport event industry. (Coincidentally, I was reminded of this when reading “The Wubbulous World of Dr Seuss” with my children – one of the chapters is called “Oh, the people you’ll meet”.)

In March, we witnessed another stellar edition of the Absa Cape Epic here in the Western Cape. Congratulations to Nino and Filippo and Annika and Sofia on their historic victories and to all the finishers for powering through some extreme weather conditions to claim well-earned finisher medals in what was undoubtedly a tough race.

Last month, 75 of us headed deep into the Great Karoo to ride The Kindling – a two-and-a-half stage preview of the Nedbank Gravel Burn designed to test everything from rider experience to event logistics. It was a huge success – so much so that we’ve decided to launch an additional annual event over three days for April next year, starting and finishing in Graaff Reinet. More on that soon.

Another exciting milestone has just passed for us at Nedbank Gravel Burn – entries for the inaugural event have officially sold out! We had set a target of 500 participants at the 2025 event, and we’ve not only reached it – we’ve exceeded it.

I set out to make the Nedbank Gravel Burn quite different from any other stage race and to do this with the ‘spirit of gravel’ in mind. To me, that means including a unique element – an African adventure in remote and unspoilt areas. Bringing this to life in untouched parts of our country requires real commitment – both in energy and capital. We’ve embraced that, eyes wide open.

As you may have read, we managed to secure an absolutely brilliant title sponsorship from Nedbank for Gravel Burn. I am very grateful to Nedbank for sharing our vision which, in turn, allows me and my colleagues to travel this journey doing something that we love. I can’t emphasise enough how this partnership affects our daily approach to our work to build the Gravel Burn – which is now officially the Nedbank Gravel Burn.