Big hitters from around the globe set to take on the 800km, 7-day stage race across the Western and Eastern Cape.

The professional riders’ entry lists for the inaugural Gravel Burn that kicks off on the 26th of October, has been released. It is a gathering drawn from road, gravel and mountain bike racing, in equal measure.

In the Women’s Race, the start list brings headline names – Alison Jackson of Canada, winner of Paris-Roubaix Femmes, carries her trademark flair and finishing speed into the race. South Africa’s Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, one of the world’s most accomplished road cyclists, lines up with tactical intelligence and climbing pedigree from years at the top of the WorldTour. Lauren Stephens of the USA, equally strong in long solo efforts or fast finishes, adds proven versatility, while Canada’s Haley Smith brings consistency and resilience honed in mountain bike stage racing.

Germany’s Rosa Klöser is another key name, one of the youngest in the field and returning with unfinished business after a late mechanical ended her podium hopes at the European Gravel Championships finale in Italy last month. The line-up also includes outsiders capable of shaping the race. Whitney Allison (USA) is a regular force in North American gravel, Ruth Astle (UK) transfers her endurance from triathlon as a former Ironman age-group world champion, and Catherine Colyn (South Africa), a past African Continental champion, brings home advantage as does the powerful Hayley Preen. Here’s a look at the full lineup:

Pro Men

Taking a closer look at the men’s field, 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.

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.

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. So too does Tristan Nortje. 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. Don’t forget Payson McElveen. Here’s the start list:

With a prize purse of 150,000 US dollars, Gravel Burn is the richest in global gravel racing and offers a platform for the world’s best riders to perform and will be a very tough race. //

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