Cape Town, South Africa – Simon Pellaud will return to the Nedbank Gravel Burn in 2026. He is aiming for one step higher on the podium, following one of the most consistent seasons in global gravel racing. In 2025 he placed second behind four-time Cape Epic winner Matt Beers.  

The Swiss rider, who transitioned from the professional road peloton into gravel just over a year ago, delivered results across the board at the biggest gravel races in the world. His 2025 season included a win at the Brazil leg of the UCI Gravel World Series, second place at Unbound 200, third at Leadville, alongside second overall in the Lifetime Grand Prix Series. 

Despite the depth of those results, one target remains. “I will consider my season successful if I can get that big win that’s been missing,” Pellaud said. 

At the Nedbank Gravel Burn, he came close. With a stage win and four podium finishes across seven days he finished second on GC and established himself as the one consistent challenger to overall winner Matt Beers. Despite racing without the support structures of a full team, he remained in contention throughout the week, matching moves, shaping the race and, in Matt Beers own words “making life difficult for me!”

For 2026, the Karoo is calling him back. “Being a off the bike with my injury only gives me more freshness and more motivation to make Nedbank Gravel Burn one of my main goals of the season,” Pellaud said, his early season disrupted by a knee injury, forcing a reset at the start of his first full year as a privateer.

“It’s been a rough start to my new project. A very long seven weeks off,” he said. “But hopefully I will be able to recover from now on and slowly get back training.”

The move to a privateer setup marks a significant change in his career. After years within structured teams, including IAM Cycling, Trek Segafredo and Tudor Pro Cycling, Pellaud has opted for a model whereby he has full control over his racing programme, partnerships and performance environment.

“I decided to be my own team,” he said. “Now I’m just training for myself… I’m my own centre of attention.” 

Pellaud’s decision to race as a privateer is a natural extension of a life lived outside the traditional lines of professional cycling. He is a rider who consistently bucks convention – most notably in his choice of home. After visiting Colombia as a young Swiss professional, he didn’t just fall in love with the high-altitude terrain, but with the people and his future wife. Choosing to relocate to the Andes full-time, he has traded the manicured roads of Europe for the vibrant, unpredictable energy of South American life. This willingness to embrace the unknown and embed himself in a foreign culture mirrors his approach to the Nedbank Gravel Burn, where he eschews the luxury of team buses for a tent in the Karoo and the camaraderie of the campfire.

This independence was clearly evident at the 2025 edition of the Nedbank Gravel Burn. He lived fully within the Burn Camps, sleeping in the tents, working on his own equipment and keeping his routine simple (including daily use of Hyperice’s recovery systems), just like the several hundred amateurs, and many professionals at the race. This is the appeal of the event for many – a true pro-am experience, which is enjoyed by both the amateurs and pros alike. Recovery remained consistent across the week, alongside the wider rider field.

Beyond the racing, the experience left a lasting impression. “I loved the first edition a lot and can’t wait to see what the second one will bring,” he said. “At least I know where I’m heading to and I’ll be able to work on some visualisations and mental prep.”

His season continues to span the major gravel races in the United States, alongside European racing and select stage events. Nedbank Gravel Burn sits at the back end of that global calendar, bringing together riders from road, mountain bike and gravel onto a single start line. For a rider who has built his career across disciplines and continents, it is a natural fit.

“For me, gravel is not only racing… I want to discover new places, I want some adventure, meet new people…” he said. Following his 2025 performance, Pellaud returns as one of the leading contenders, with unfinished business on a course that rewards consistency across a full week of racing. “Even if going there alone, facing a full South African group will only make the challenge bigger than last year,” he said, “that’s part of the adventure.”