Emma van der Stockt lay on the gravel where she had come down. Helmet destroyed. Bike laying nearby, bars skew. Her elbow was already swelling. The wind was still up, pushing across the Karoo the way it had all morning. Her father David stood over her. The one thing on their minds was not time or position or even if they’d finish. It was only whether they would continue.

Nedbank Gravel Burn isn’t a team race. Riders start solo and their own front wheel stops the clock at the finish. But David and Emma’s trip to the start of the race, and their participation to this point on the route where Emma lay, was anything but a solitary journey. 

David knew well, don’t rush. Knowing she wasn’t in grave danger, he waited quietly while she caught her breath and witnessed her realisation: of what had happened, and what that meant for the rest of the week. In a race like this, this was one of those times when stopping briefly is the only way forward.

As with all 500 riders, the Karoo had played its part in the rollercoaster that defined the experience. The wind: offering support and hindrance in equal measure. The roads: long stretches of innocuous gravel, then a jagged, rocky ambush around a corner. This vast region is always ready to remind us how quickly months of diligent preparation and a week of calm poise can unravel – it happens, and happened to Emma, in one hot moment.

The family theme is a common theme at the event. Cousins, siblings, parents and offspring (former road world champion Maurizio Fondriest travelled from Italy to participate in the race) may have raced for their own satisfaction, while they shared this special, unencumbered time, far from anywhere out on the distant roads and relaxing in remote Burn Camps. 

For Emma and David, Nedbank Gravel Burn wasn’t a mere plan or goal. Their love for endurance cycling on dirt trails grew from a time long before results or categories mattered. “Dad never pushed me,” Emma says. “He just included me.” Whatever he was doing at the time, adventure racing, survival racing, or simply long days outside, she was part of it. If something didn’t exist, David built it. A child seat for a bike. A way to make the day work. Routes that stretched a little further than expected – none of it was framed as training – it was simply how quality time was spent.

As Emma grew older, competition arrived naturally. She worked hard and committed fully, yet often found herself sitting squarely in the middle of the field. When she asked why, her dad didn’t soften the truth. “Progress takes time. Results don’t arrive on demand. Complaining only wastes energy you’ll need later.”

They travelled to bigger races and tougher events including mountain biking, eventually bringing them to South Africa for the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn.

Emma had entered the Pro Women category, and during their week, Emma and David didn’t ride together. They each started minutes apart, racing their own races, bound by the rules and sportsmanship to ride separately. Yet they crossed paths regularly as the days unfolded.

“He told me before one stage that he was going to catch me,” Emma laughs. “I didn’t believe him. And then suddenly he was there, flying past me. I was very surprised! Luckily that didn’t happen again, until my bad luck kicked in with a broken wheel and the crash!”

They shared stories each evening at camp, comparing notes, laughing about moments where strategy had gone wrong or effort had tipped just a little too far. That time in the evenings allowed space for that kind of special connection.

Emma sat up, dusty and bloody from sliding across stony gravel for several metres. A decision that had to be made. “Do we carry on? Can you carry on?” They did. David stayed with Emma, riding close by, shepherding her along (sacrificing his own result for the day) and eventually finishing the stage together. Later, medical checks confirmed the dread they’d both felt. A broken elbow had brought her race to an end. David went on to complete the final day, while Emma recovered, watched, and processed what the week had taken and most of all what it had given.

“There’s unfinished business,” Emma says. “With the race, and with my dad. He beat me last time. I love him, but that’s not happening this time.”

They will return to Nedbank Gravel Burn for Edition #2. Sure, Emma’s competitive spirit will drive her to seek results, yet the real reasons that truly tipped the decision to be on the start line again were the connections – the bonds forged with her father and also the new friends they both made.