Pete Stetina walks us through his experience at the inaugural Gravel Burn in South Africa: the first major gravel stage race of its kind. This week-long event across the Cape was a hit, had a long list of hitters, and is sure to be the start of something new in the gravel world.
When the Gravel Burn in South Africa was announced late last year, my ears perked up: A 7-day stage race boasting a $150k prize purse. Matt Beers is a friend and had been urging me to try some S.A. racing; here was my opportunity. Stage Racing is my favorite type of racing as I’ve spent the majority of my career focusing on the Grand Tours. Plus, given that the predominant reason for having jumped across to Gravel 6 years ago was as much about adventure and experiencing new cultures, this opportunity was a no-brainer.
The Organizer, Kevin Vermaak, is the original founder of the most prestigious MTB Stage Race in the world, Cape Epic. While he no longer mans the helm of that event, he’d been looking for his next project, and with Gravel’s growth, he rallied his original team and went all in on year one—his aim: To be the biggest gravel stage race in the world. Beers had introduced us, and in hearing his vision, I knew being a part of the inaugural edition was something I couldn’t pass up.
Over 7 days, we’d race from South Africa’s Western Cape to its Eastern one via the Karoo (the interior high plains), which eerily look identical to parts of Western Colorado and Utah. While the terrain felt similar, everything else was a new experience. The Burn was a traveling camp, and to pull this off, they’d spared no expense in creating the most well-organized Off-Road event I’d ever seen.
Let me say that again: Yes, The Burn is the best organized and most thoroughly thought-out off-road race I’ve experienced yet!
The daily Burn Camps were a feat of logistical planning and were only successfully pulled off by rumors of a 1:1 rider-to-staff ratio.
They had deeply considered all the ingredients that make gravel special and focused the experience around that: The Finish Line Boma (base camp) had a full bar, snacks all afternoon and generally reliable Wifi. There were tables, sofas, nightly panels and even a movie screening. The food: proudly local, diverse, and delicious.
In truth, the stages were short. At first that was a negative in my mind: In the discipline built on endurance, the pro men completed each stage between 2.5-4 hours. But upon considering that they need to cater to ALL riders, I actually think the length was perfect. Each afternoon the overwhelming soundtrack was one of socializing and laughing over drinks and snacks. Had it been much tougher, they’d risk riders returning like zombies all afternoon, only focusing on completing the following day. I do wonder if in the future they will create longer additions to each stage for the Pros to race. It’s a tough balance to cater to all levels.
I’d heard stories of riders at Cape Epic suffering gastro illness. A foreign country, riders from around the world, and mass buffets are a recipe ripe for illness. I knew staying healthy would be crucial to success. Along with abusing the hand sanitizer bottle, I only ate cooked items or fruits that could be peeled (bananas, oranges, melon). Basically, I avoided anything that could have possibly been washed with bad water. While I would be pining for a fresh salad by week’s end I stayed on my regimen. Heck, I even brushed my teeth with bottled water. Additionally, I loaded up on Swiss RX’s gut supplements: A nightly dose of Gut Health and probiotic pills, washed down with the chocolate Gut Defense mix became my protocol. I am happy to report that, where many others suffered the runs or worse all week, I stayed 100% healthy and strong.
Alas, racing success is a combination of both physical and mechanical care, and the latter was not in my favor. My week of racing was a struggle to be honest. It’s hard to select equipment for a brand-new event with zero information. No one knew what the terrain or stages had in store for us beyond some social media hype. I wasn’t too “under-gunned” so to speak, but due to sheer bad luck, I experienced more race-ending wheel and tire catastrophes than the past few seasons combined. It became a running joke in the pro men’s field not if I would flat out of the battle, but when.
In the end, I would suffer mishaps in 5 out of 7 stages that would lead to a long day alone nursing compromised equipment. It was maddening. I had come with aspirations and legs for the podium fight and instead I rode off the back, sometimes chasing as hard as I could out of frustration and other times just enjoying the scenery when it was clear I wouldn’t see the front again that day.
While I leave South Africa without any result nor portion of the massive cash purse, I can say I fully enjoyed the whole of the trip, even the tough moments. Such was the experience, I was able to leave my racing tribulations at the finish mat each day, and rather than harbor negativity, appreciated it for the greater challenge of crossing a foreign country under my own power. Surviving the mishaps and continuing to push forward is a rewarding experience on its own. Gravel Burn is a bucket list event, and I cannot recommend it enough. I hope to return and expect I will someday.
Photo Credits: The Gravel Burn
