Hugo Drechou and his Allroad SL Carbon wheels win the final stage of Gravel Burn 2026

Hugo Drechou won the seventh and final stage of the Nedbank Gravel Burn 2026 on Saturday, October 31, on the Shamwari loop, riding his Allroad SL Carbon gravel wheels, the lightest pair in Mavic's gravel range. The Gravel Nation rider took the sprint in 1:37:13, one second ahead of Travis Stedman and Filippo Colombo, for his first stage win at the event. Hugo Drechou took this win on the seventh day of a 750 km week across the South African Grand Karoo, and fast gravel on uneven roads and tracks is exactly the riding the Allroad SL Carbon gravel wheels were designed for.

Gravel Burn 2026 stage 7: Hugo Drechou wins the sprint

Stage 7 of the Gravel Burn 2026, a loop drawn inside the Shamwari private reserve, was shortened by the organiser to 59.5 km and 1,050 m of elevation gain.

The timed Toyota Power Climb sector, placed within the first ten kilometres, made the race hard from the start. Felix Stehli set the pace there for his teammate Filippo Colombo before sitting up at the top. A group formed on that climb and the lead group was thirteen riders strong on the approach to Alicedale.

Five kilometres from the finish, Marcel Camprubi attacked and built a 40-second lead. Filippo Colombo brought the group back up to him, which set up the sprint. Hugo Drechou launched his effort from the back of the group and came up the right-hand side to cross the line first.

Matt Beers, sixth on the stage, won the general classification for the second year running. In the Pro Women category, Nele Laing won the general classification after carrying the leader's jersey from stage 1 to the finish.

Allroad SL Carbon gravel wheels: seven days of Grand Karoo

The Allroad SL Carbon gravel wheels weigh 1,550 g per pair, on a carbon rim 42 mm deep. In practice, that is less mass to bring back up to speed on every gravel ramp, across the 8,500 m of elevation gain listed for the week, and a rim deep enough to help hold speed once the group is rolling.

The rim of the Allroad SL Carbon wheels measures 25 mm internal width for a 31 mm maximum external width, in a hookless profile. That internal width supports the tyre sidewall under load and allows a lower pressure. The Gravel Burn organiser indeed recommends the widest tyre the frame will take, with a section of at least 45C, set up tubeless: the rim is UST Tubeless Ready.

Seven days of tracks and a bike wash every day at camp put the bearings to the test. The self-adjusting QRM bearings, sealed cartridge units with double sealing, hold their preload with no intervention. In the rear hub, the Instant Drive 360 freewheel engages its 40-tooth ratchet every 9°, which cuts the dead time when the power goes back down.

The Allroad SL Carbon wheels and their hubs are made and assembled in our own factory in Europe, and every model goes through the impact, endurance and bearing tests of the Mavic test laboratory in Chavanod before it is signed off in the field. At the Desertus Bikus 2026, Thomas Davtin covered 1,217 km of ultra gravel on that same pair, with no technical problem.

Hugo Drechou and the Gravel Nation gravel team

Hugo Drechou, 35, is a former cross-country mountain bike specialist who has become a leading figure in gravel within the Gravel Nation collective, a Mavic gravel team. 2025 French gravel champion, he took second place at the Traka 360 in Girona on April 29, 2026 behind Mads Würtz Schmidt, then won the Wish One Millau Grands Causses on June 14, 2026, a round of the UCI Gravel World Series.

Hugo Drechou had taken third place on stage 6 between Gwanishi and Shamwari on October 30, one second off the winner. Away in the breakaway of the day, he had closed the gap opened by Georg Egger 800 m from the line before the sprint.

The Gravel Nation gravel team has 19 races in nine countries on its calendar and rides the Allroad SL Carbon gravel wheels. Belgian rider Aaron Van der Beken, the team's second starter at the event, finished all seven stages, his best stage placing being 15th on the first.

Rider Alison Jackson, of the St Michel Preference Home Auber93 team, which Mavic also equips, won stage 4 on October 28 in 1:55:13, then took third place on stage 6. South African Luke Moir, who came from cross-country, also reached Shamwari.

In March 2025, Hugo Drechou summed up his discipline this way: "Gravel riding is a highly demanding discipline for equipment, where one must ascend hills rapidly and descend dirt paths as quickly as possible."

Allroad gravel wheels: from aluminium to carbon

The current generation of Allroad gravel wheels comes in five pairs, from the aluminium rim to the carbon rim. All share the same 12x100 front and 12x142 rear axles, Center Lock disc braking and the self-adjusting QRM bearings.

Four of the five pairs get the Instant Drive 360 freewheel and its 40-tooth ratchet every 9°, against 24 teeth every 15° on the Allroad gravel wheels. In the Mavic Allroad gravel wheels line-up, the Infinity hub is fitted to the Allroad SL Carbon gravel wheels as well as to the aluminium Allroad SL and Allroad S, while the Allroad S Carbon wheels get a Classic hub.

To choose, start from your riding. For a week of stage racing or events beyond 300 km, take the carbon rim and the lowest weight in the range. For regular riding on tracks, the aluminium models do the job, with the same Center Lock disc braking and the same self-adjusting QRM bearings. The shoes, clothing and accessories for the discipline are gathered in the Mavic gravel universe.