THE PROS
Who holds the advantage as top riders from different disciplines converge in the Karoo? All bets are off as Nedbank Gravel Burn sets the stage for cycling’ s next evolution …
THERE ARE CERTAIN MOMENTS in cycling history when a new era dawns. When fans around the world sense the next beginning. When all previously known wisdom is suddenly dispelled and a new set of rules and players and landscape is ushered in. It signals the start of a new normal. Cycling is a nuanced, complex sport and these moments come when the past, present and future converge. Best of all, no one knows quite what to expect next.
The startline of the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn, and the week that precedes it, counts as one of those moments. This seven-day, 800km journey across highly varied terrain in South Africa – unlike anything else on the calendar – sees riders racing solo, battling it out in a unique, remote gravel stage race. No teams. No team radios. No support crews. No protected riders. No established pecking order, nor laws of peloton etiquette. No guarantees.
The one most indisputable thing of all? There’ s a field of top riders in their respective disciplines all coming together and each wants to win. From Olympic gold medallists and Monument winners to MTB marathon specialists, triathletes and gravel pros, they’ ll all sleep under the same starry skies, eat from the same buffet, feed from the same service stations, receive the same tech support and battle the same wind, heat and fatigue.
The discipline of stage racing at the highest level is still in its infancy. The race is a melting pot for the sport’ s most diverse and now converging talents. Each brings their own superpowers to the campaign. What does it take to win, and lose?
The turbo dieselers
The type of rider who can hold a high rhythm for days would surely be first on the list of favourites – the long-
60 NEDBANK GRAVEL BURN