Where calories meet culture
Nedbank Gravel Burn, riders cover 800 kilometres of Karoo gravel over undulating terrain with 11,000m of climbing, topping out at 1894m. It’s safe to say they earn their meals. Fortunately, the hospitality at Burn Camps is all-inclusive, to satiate the seemingly limitless appetite of the riders.
Shamwari – a true African welcome for Nedbank Gravel Burn riders
It has been a journey through the raw, untamed beauty of South Africa – seven days, 800 kilometers and every kind of weather the Karoo could conjure. From icy mornings and searing afternoons to dust storms and downpours, riders have battled through it all. And now, the race reaches its final and most extraordinary chapter: the finish line at Shamwari Private Game Reserve, one of the oldest conservation initiatives in the Eastern Cape.
Turning hospitality into harmony in the Great Karoo
If the Karoo had a heartbeat this week, it would sound a lot like the dawn chorus that rose above the Blaauwater start line of Stage 5. Ninety students from the South African College for Tourism (SACT) have turned the Nedbank Gravel Burn’s back-of-house into a festival of song, rhythm, and radical hospitality.
Wind neutralises the race but never the enthusiasm
After extreme winds in the morning of Stage 6, it was decided to neutralise the stage up to the first Padstal (water point) at 46km. But after consulting with riders on the route, as the weather continued to wreak havoc and the race commissaire decided to neutralise the entire stage. But this did little to dampen the spirits of the riders.
The Final Duel: Beers and Pellaud – a battle defined by respect
When the sun rises over the Eastern Cape tomorrow morning, two men will line up knowing that seven days and 800 kilometres of racing come down to a difference of just 33 seconds. Matt Beers and Simon Pellaud.
Stage 6 racing ‘neutralised’ due to extreme weather on the route.
Riders woke early this morning to extremely strong winds and then rain. At one stage, riders were evacuated from their Lapas to a central meeting point in the Burn Camp for their safety. It was decided to delay the 7am start by an hour and neutralise the racing to Padstal 1 – water point – at 46km on the route.
Alistair Brownlee: From Olympic Gold to Karoo Dust
Two-time Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee has always been driven by adventure. After a lifetime at the pinnacle of world sport, he has traded podiums for something wilder: the vast open spaces of South Africa’s Karoo, where the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn offered a new kind of challenge across 800 kilometres of unpredictable terrai, soaring temperatures, and complete isolation.
Night Burn ignites the Karoo in a festival of fire, light and energy
As the sun slipped behind the jagged Karoo ridgelines and the dust of the Nedbank Gravel Burn Stage 3 finally settled, the inaugural Night Burn roared to life – a Chase-the-Fox-style nocturnal criterium that turned Blaauwater Burn Camp into a glowing carnival of lights, fire and the right kind of chaos.
Melisa Rollins sprints to Stage 4 victory, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio leads GC.
On a day of wind, crashes, minor mechanicals and costly punctures, United States rider Melisa Rollins (Liv Racing Collective) claimed a hard-fought stage victory ahead of a rampaging Hayley Preen (ChemChamp Honeycomb 226ers) at the Nedbank Gravel Burn on Blaauwater Farm today.
Matt Beers powers to Stage 4 win, only protagonist Simon Pellaud can match.
Matt Beers pulls off anther stage win, further solidifying his lead on overall GC, with Simon Pellaud pushing the South African to the limit.