Meet the Men Contesting the Inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn

The men’s professional field for the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn is confirmed. It is a gathering drawn from road and gravel in equal measure, with riders from other disciplines stepping across to test themselves on a new stage. They will assemble in Knysna on 26 October and race for seven days and 800 kilometres across the Western and Eastern Cape before finishing at Shamwari Private Game Reserve on 1 November.

Each rider arrives carrying recent history in their legs. Some come from long gravel campaigns in Europe and North America, others have races yet to ride before the start in Knysna. And one, Tom Pidcock, arrives with the echo of Rwanda’s World Championships still in his season. The conditions there were furnace hot and attritional from the first climbs over cobbles. He called it the most unenjoyable race of his year, then refused to stop and rode it home in tenth. That is not a prediction for Nedbank Gravel Burn, but a measure of how deep he is willing to go.

Tom Pidcock finished 6th in the 4th UCI Gravel World Championships in Maastricht on 12 October. Photo by Dion Kerckhoffs/Cor Vos.

Another marker lies ahead. Gravel Worlds in Limburg on 11 and 12 October will draw a portion of this start list into one final one-day examination. Results there will colour the picture, but they will not dictate the story of stage racing across South Africa.

Form glimpses matter, but they are brushstrokes rather than final lines. Simon Pellaud is the clearest example. He took second at Unbound in June, then banked points all summer and now sits second in the Life Time Grand Prix standings as the series tightens in the final rounds. That blend of relentlessness and race-long aggression is exactly what can translate into consistency over a week in South Africa. Hugo Drechou also showed sharpness with a podium at the European Gravel Championships in Avezzano, proof that he reads long races with calm precision. Andreas Seewald underlined his form by winning Gravel Suisse, a World Series event earlier this year, reminding everyone of his power over demanding terrain. And Lachlan Morton arrives with proven pedigree in gravel. He won Unbound’s 200-mile elite men’s race in 2024, then returned in 2025 to take second in the Unbound XL after a gruelling battle that lasted deep into the night. Few riders combine audacity and endurance the way he does, and that versatility makes him a constant wildcard in stage racing.

Simon Pellaud finished 2nd at Unbound in June. Photo Supplied.

Look at the list and the possibilities multiply. Matt Beers knows these roads better than most and has a reputation for seizing small opportunities and making them decisive. Koen Bouwman and Lukas Pöstlberger bring WorldTour sense and timing, sharp in knowing when to spend energy and when to save it. Ivar Slik arrives with the knowledge of an Unbound victory behind him and the calm required to handle the messiest finales. Peter Stetina remains the quiet metronome, often present when the selection finally sticks.

The cast is richer still. Brennan Wertz comes in with American gravel wins and an upward curve that has been steady rather than flashy. Ramon Sinkeldam brings a road engine built on thousands of kilometres in echelons and lead-outs. Lukas Baum and Alex Miller carry off-road skill that keeps races alive when the surface deteriorates and the light starts to go. And there is Cam Wurf, a name familiar from his WorldTour career and his multi-discipline pedigree, now turning his attention to gravel’s proving ground.

Payson McElveen brings a different kind of value alongside his racing. Through his With Pace podcast he will publish daily dispatches from inside the event and let fans follow the race through his eyes. In a field this layered, a rider who can explain what it feels like from the inside is part of the show, not separate from it.

Readers looking for a sure thing will not find it here. One-day results can flatter or they can hide, and stage racing has a way of letting the truth out slowly. Fatigue accumulates, equipment must be minded, decisions made in seconds can echo for hours. Evenings will end in Burn Camps under the Karoo sky and mornings will start with new maths.

Tristan Nortje has been targeting the Nedbank Gravel Burn in the second half of his season. Photo by Oakpics.com.

That is why the old hands are careful with predictions. They know the rider who loses five minutes on Tuesday is sometimes the same rider who lights the race on Thursday.

There is a ceremony to match the sport. On 7 October the Trophy will be unveiled, the prize that will be lifted for the very first time at Shamwari on 1 November.

So here is the picture as it stands. European gravel legs are on the roster. Pidcock’s World Championship effort in Rwanda remains fresh in memory. Gravel Worlds in Limburg will be the last rehearsal. The Life Time Grand Prix continues in the United States and will not pause while Nedbank Gravel Burn begins in South Africa. The questions remain unanswered, and only the roads of the Eastern Cape will decide.

ORBEA LEATT Speed Company’s Lukas Baum. Photo Supplied.

Swatt Club’s Alex Miller is the African and Namibian gravel champion.

To find out more about the 2025 Nedbank Gravel Burn visit www.gravel-burn.com.