Simon Pellaud : The Fire Behind Gravel

The inaugural Gravel Burn in South Africa was a race like no other. Traveling solo, Simon Pellaud embraced the spirit of gravel, sleeping in a tent, washing his kit, and maintaining his bike each night. Despite the challenges, he claimed a stage victory and finished second overall after an intense battle with both his competitors and himself.

5.11.2025

Seven days, 786km and more than 10’000m of climbing were awaiting the riders when they lined up at the start in Knysna, in the Western Cape of South Africa. Cold rain, biting wind, frozen mornings, and scorching afternoons, nature threw everything at the riders. Then came the dust, the mud, the hail, the tempests that ripped through camp at night. It was survival.

Simon fought every day. He won a stage, battled for the general classification, and, at the end of an incredible week, stood second overall behind local hero Matt Beers. But the story that mattered most was written in between battles.

“It was one of the thoughest weeks of racing of my career,” Simon admitted. “I was completely on my own, the only rider in the top 10 sleeping in a tent and eating at the buffet, taking care of my bike, washing my clothes by hand under a cold shower.”

In gravel racing, control is an illusion. A single puncture, a crash, or a broken chain can end everything. “The stress of fighting for the overall in a gravel race is terrible,” Simon said. “It’s so easy to lose everything with a bad puncture, a mechanical issue, or a crash.” Through uncertainty, he held his nerve. Even when the queen stage, the one that suited him best, was cancelled after an accident, he refused to lose spirit. The next day was hard, mentally and emotionally. Simon lost sight of the lead but he raced the only way he knows how: with heart and without regrets.

“Yes, I had a tough day in the last stage. Mentally it wasn’t easy after dealing with a race accident the day before, and especially after the cancellation of the stage that really suited me. But I have no regrets. I raced the way I know how, and it paid off. I end my season with a second place in the GC and I can be proud of that.”

For Simon, the new South African event was the embodiment of what gravel is meant to be: raw, real, and human. “An adventure and an experience far beyond the ‘racing’ itself,” he reflected.

Gravel Burn will be remembered as the start of something new: a brutal, beautiful adventure through South Africa’s wildest landscapes. And at its heart was Simon Pellaud, proving once again that greatness isn’t only about winning, it’s about daring and living every moment fully.

Photos: Bruce Viane and James Cameron