Rider Hub · 2026
The important information every rider registered for Nedbank Gravel Burn 2026 needs to know, in one place.
At Union High School, Robert Sobukwe Town / Graaff-Reinet, on Saturday 24 October, 10:00–16:00. Registration is mandatory: it's where you collect your race pack. The Rider Welcome and Briefing follows at 16:00, at the same venue. Don't miss it: it's your first chance to meet your fellow riders and Lapa mates, and you'll get everything you need to know for the week ahead. Hand in your bike box or bag here: it goes straight to Shamwari, and you can't get to it during the race.
| Date | Activity | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, 24 Oct | Bike Park Opening Hours | 07:00–19:00 |
| Sat, 24 Oct | Optional Shake-Out Ride | 08:30 |
| Sat, 24 Oct | Rider Registration | 10:00–16:00 |
| Sat, 24 Oct | Official Merchandise Store | 10:00–16:00 |
| Sat, 24 Oct | Shamwari Bag Drop-OffHand in your bike box to meet you at the finish | 10:00–16:00 |
| Sat, 24 Oct | Rider Welcome and Briefing | 16:00 |
| Sun, 25 Oct | Shamwari Bag Drop-Off | 06:00–07:30 |
| Sun, 25 Oct | Burn Camp Bag Drop-Off | 06:00–07:30 |
| Sun, 25 Oct | Stage 1 Start | Pro Men: 08:00 Pro Women: 08:03 Age Groups: 08:15 |
If you can't attend registration, give your nominated representative a signed letter of authorisation and a copy of your ID, so they can register on your behalf.
Check your name, race number and category on the start list, kept by Peak Timing, our timing company.
All South African and Namibian riders need a valid Cycling South Africa (CSA) membership for the full event period. Memberships run for 12 months from the date of purchase.
International riders who don't hold a membership or licence from their home federation need a CSA day licence for each of the 7 race days. Buy them online on the CSA website: create an account, select Purchase Licence, choose Day Licence, and select "Nedbank Gravel Burn - 2026-10-25".
| Stage | Pro Men | Pro Women | Age Groups | Max stage time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 Sun, 25 Oct | 08:00 | 08:03 | 08:15 | 6:45 h |
| Stage 2 Mon, 26 Oct | 07:30 | 07:33 | 07:45 | 8:00 h |
| Stage 3 Tue, 27 Oct | 07:00 | 07:03 | 07:15 | 9:30 h |
| Stage 4 Wed, 28 Oct | 08:00 | 08:03 | 08:15 | 4:30 h |
| Stage 5 Thu, 29 Oct | 07:30 | 07:33 | 07:45 | 8:45 h |
| Stage 6 Fri, 30 Oct | 07:30 | 07:33 | 07:45 | 5:30 h |
| Stage 7 Sat, 31 Oct | 08:30 | 08:33 | 08:45 | 7:00 h |
Start times are provisional and may change: the Karoo Post and the daily briefing have the final times. Finish within the maximum stage time to be classified on the stage (race rules).
One bag per rider moves between camps. Attach the luggage tag from your race pack and leave the bag on your tent porch each morning; it will be waiting at your tent in the next camp.
Two to three per stage, with AMACX drink mix, gels, chews, nougat and oat bars, plus fruit, salted potatoes, sandwiches, droëwors and more. SRAM and Shimano provide tech support at every Padstal: the labour is free, but you pay for parts. No littering, ever.
Every Burn Camp has a full Mediclinic field hospital. On the route, 4×4 ambulances bring any injured rider to it, and on to a regular hospital by road or air if needed.
Treatment by the race's medical team, on the route and in the Burn Camps, is free of charge. Transfers to hospitals and other facilities off site, and any treatment there, are for your own account, so make sure you have medical insurance that covers you for the race (Race Rules, Rule 3.1.3).
The facilities around the Burn Camp make it easy to keep clean and comfortable throughout the event. Play your part: it's the right thing to do.
Each rider gets a lantern for the duration of the race that doubles as a 9,900 mAh power bank, with USB-A and USB-C. You’ll find it in your tent on arrival at Blaauwater. Take it with you to the next Burn Camp. You can recharge it at our solar-powered trailer while you’re out riding, or ask your Camp Master to charge it for you. At Shamwari, hand it back to your Camp Master when you check out. Bring a multiport adapter, and your own power bank if you need more. There’s Wi-Fi across the whole Burn Camp, courtesy of Herotel, NTT DATA and Fortinet.
Read the race rules before you arrive, or at least the 10 most important ones at the top. There's a strict no-personal-fires policy in every Burn Camp and the motorhome park: only our Camp Masters light the one fire per Lapa.
Qualify in the Red Bull KM on Stage 4 for the Night Burn at Shamwari on the penultimate night, after Stage 6. How it works
During race week the Burn Camps aren't open to the public, and there are no spectator points on the route, to keep the race remote and the rural roads quiet. But your family and friends are welcome at the finish at Shamwari Private Game Reserve on Saturday 31 October: entry is free, or they can book a hospitality ticket.
If they'd like to stay for a drink or a meal, they'll need a Spectator Hospitality ticket. Tickets are limited and must be booked in advance, and every vehicle must be registered, even if they're only collecting you.
| Option | Price per person | Access for registered vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| Pick-up-and-go | Free | 10:00–18:00 |
| Lunch ticket | ZAR 490 | 10:00–18:00 |
| Lunch and Burn Celebration dinner ticket | ZAR 990 | 10:00–midnight |
Tell them to allow plenty of time to get in: every vehicle goes through biosecurity sanitisation at the gate.
If you're staying off-site on Friday night, email the Race Office at [email protected] in advance to register the vehicle collecting you. This applies to private vehicles and shuttle companies alike. Friday access is strictly pick-up-and-go, 10:00–18:00.
In late October, average temperatures across all our Burn Camp venues range from about 10 °C (50 °F) in the early morning to about 30 °C (86 °F) in the afternoon. The sun rises at about 05:30 and sets at about 18:40.
Off the bike, bring sturdy shoes, a good headlamp, a sleeping bag and a pillow. See the full recommended packing list and the bike and kit guide.
Photographer and adventure rider Craig Kolesky shows how he'd pack for the race, with his own gear choices and practical tips, from one of our test events. (Not a sponsored video.)
Foot-and-mouth disease has been reported in parts of the Eastern Cape. The race goes ahead as planned, 25–31 October 2026.
Last updated 16 October 2026.
In August you were invited to our Rider Evenings at Nedbank's offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, for race information and answers to your questions. Many of you were there, or watched the Johannesburg evening streamed live. If you missed it, here's the recording of the 2026 Johannesburg Rider Evening:
Show you're riding: download your rider badge, and graphics to share with your community. The Nedbank Gravel Burn logo is reserved for sponsors, so please don't use it on your kit.
The Nedbank Gravel Burn logo itself is reserved for our sponsors, so please use the rider badge rather than the logo on your kit.
These graphics mark your commitment to Nedbank Gravel Burn 2026. Share them with your community and on social media, or keep them as a reminder of the months ahead. There are formats for Instagram Stories and posts, and plain overlays to put over your own photo.
Riders meet on Escape Collective's community forum: ask questions, compare bikes and kit, share travel plans and connect with other riders before race week.
Join the club to follow other riders' training in the build-up to race week. Nedbank Gravel Burn on Strava
Fundraise on GivenGain for your own cause or for our official charities: the Shamwari Foundation, the SA College for Tourism and VulPro.
SRAM and Shimano provide tech support at every Padstal on the route. The labour is free; you pay for any parts. Roaming motorbikes provide limited support between Padstals.
In the Burn Camps, every bike is washed after each stage and stored in the Bike Park. Servicing is available as an Optional Extra: walk-in service, or a daily full-service package from Techno Guide, which we recommend as the more economical option.
Padstal is Afrikaans for a farm stall. It’s our name for the service stations, two to three per stage. Expect AMACX nutrition, fresh fruit, boiled potatoes, sandwiches, sweet breads and more, plus SRAM and Shimano tech support.
One bag per rider moves between Burn Camps each day. Leave it on your tent porch each morning and it will be waiting at your tent in the next camp. Bike boxes and bags go straight from registration to Shamwari and can only be collected at the finish.
No. Nedbank Gravel Burn is a full-service race. The Burn Camps are on remote private farmland and aren’t open to visitors, and only official vehicles may follow the race. There are no spectator points on the route.
Family and friends are welcome at the finish at Shamwari on the final Saturday, and entry is free. To stay for lunch or the Burn Celebration dinner, they book a Spectator Hospitality ticket in advance: see spectators at Shamwari.
