Wow. It’s been six weeks since the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn, and honestly, it still feels a little surreal. That initial spark of an idea – a gravel stage race across the Karoo – turned into an 18-month blur, and now it’s been ridden, captured, and all the amazing rider stories shared online across the planet.
Pulling off a first edition of a seven-day event in a remote region is never the work of a small group. It was a massive collaborative effort involving an enormous number of people. A huge thank you to our suppliers, crew, sponsors, landowners, local teams, townsfolk, and friends. The passion and effort poured into every single detail was extraordinary. It truly wouldn’t have happened without you.
And to the riders: thank you for trusting us with our first year. The racing was intense, from the Pro categories to the age-group battles, and everyone who signed up for the adventure found exactly what they were looking for. Congrats to the winners, and massive kudos to all who crossed the finish line at Shamwari.
The Karoo threw every kind of weather at us. There were tough times, for sure, but the energy in the Burn Camps was something special that I’ve rarely felt before. It genuinely felt like a community sharing one big, wild adventure. Even with 100 years of combined experience in organising bike stage races, we learned a ton about logistics and also – big picture wise – the impact a stage race has on this growing gravel category. We’ve now got a fantastic platform to build and improve upon.
The 2025 point-to-point route (with one circular stage) had all the romance of ‘a journey,’ and we’ll preserve much of that going forward, with a few innovations, of course. We also became acutely aware of how different Karoo gravel is – it truly deserves its own category, separate from “US-gravel’ for which many bikes are built today. Let’s just say a new normal has arrived for bike and equipment spec, especially tyre width!
Riding day after day in this terrain reinforced that point. The surfaces are tougher, the distances longer, and equipment choices matter far more than many riders expect. Out of that experience came what we now refer to as the Burn setup. It reflects what works in African gravel conditions, with a focus on durability, comfort and wider tyres. By the end of the week there was a clear consensus among riders. Karoo gravel plays by its own rules, and the Burn setup is here to stay.
My personal highlight was The Night Burn. Many years ago, I’d envisioned bikes and bonfires and watching it come to life was thrilling. With Red Bull DJs, lighting, lasers and fires lining the course, the atmosphere was something else entirely. Riders of all levels were swept up in it, racing under the stars and feeding off the energy around them. A special thank you to Tom Pidcock for being part of that moment and embracing it in the spirit it was intended. It is an element of the event that we are excited to keep developing, and we already have some great ideas to evolve it with each edition.
Speaking of Tom, another huge highlight was seeing top cyclists, some used to six-star treatment, hanging out in the Karoo Burn Camps, sleeping in tents and enjoying the exact same facilities and sharing the same experience as every other rider.
On the topic of atmosphere: we were especially proud of the Lapa concept in the Burn Camps. The design was no accident. We wanted the design to encourage a more social experience. We tested two prototypes, the second being three-day test event we ran in April to test a small-scale Burn Camp, logistics, the layout and the route. The outcome exceeded all our expectations. The riding was superb, and we had a great time sharing stories each evening. That simple, shared experience – the riding, the setting, the camaraderie, and the simplicity – reminded us why we do this.
Also, we deliberately kept the first year spectator-free on the route and at the camps. This was the right call due to the complexity of the logistics and the remoteness, and it made the Burn Camps feel incredibly intimate and connected. We intend to preserve this: Burn Camps will remain spectator-free, but we’ll be more inclusive at the seven-day race start and especially at the finish at Shamwari, where we’ll welcome riders’ families and loved ones to celebrate the journey’s end. More details soon.
As the year winds down, thank you for being part of this community. Whether you rode, supported, partnered, or just followed the journey from afar, your involvement mattered. Wishing you and your families a wonderful holiday season, and I look forward to what’s next in the new year!
Kind regards,
Kevin