OPEN x Gravel Burn

14 years ago...

Once in a while I look back at the last 14 years at OPEN. We've had many ups and downs, but through all of it, the most special memories are the people I've met along the road who became not just business associates, but very good friends.

When we launched our first product, the OPEN 1.0 hardtail mountain bike back in 2012, I received an email from two guys down in South Africa: Kevin and Jakes.

They requested the first and second frames that came off the production line, and they got them. Only later did I find out that Kevin (Vermaak) was the founder of the legendary Cape Epic mountain bike race.

Official cars and Assos

Around the same time, Assos started developing an MTB clothing lineup and also became a sponsor of the Cape Epic. To prove out their new clothing concept, they sent two teams down to South Africa to race the Epic — and of course, they raced on our frames too.

Since this was an important event for us, I went down to support them, along with our photographer Marc Gasch.

Kevin told me about his friend Jakes and that he had the perfect support vehicle. And it really was the perfect car — actually the only branded OPEN company car we've had in the last 14 years, thanks to Jakes.

Funny side note: Assos had a Gelandewagen that got stuck and had flat tires more than once. We had zero problems. The race was an amazing adventure, and we had great results with our teams. A year later, I actually met Kevin at an Assos event. We became friends quickly, and over the years I stayed in close contact with both Kevin and Jakes.

Following Kevin

Over two years ago, Kevin told me about his new venture: the Gravel Burn multi-stage grave race. He didn't have to convince me for even a minute, and we became a ‘Founding Friend’ of the race. It all came together very last-minute, but I knew that if Kevin was building a new event, it would be an amazing adventure — and it was.

This year we wanted to go one step further and put together a race package with a limited- edition bike designed together with Kevin and the team — inspired by Gravel Burn. The handpainted design shows off the elements of the Karoo (the unique region where the race is held) and the fires that are lit each night in the special, remote Burn Camps. For me it was always clear.

The model had to be the new WIDE 2.0 — the perfect bike, with generous tire clearance ensuring more comfort on the rugged Karoo roads, while still being a genuinely fast race bike.

Unfortunately, we were a little late, so our launch came just a couple of weeks before this year's race. So instead of selling an entry package and limited-edition bike for this year only, we're offering that opportunity for the next three years to come. If you're interested, please contact me (andy@opencycle.com) and we can talk about this very special Nedbank Gravel Burn package, lead time and pricing (starting at $11.900 or 11.500 EUR)— depending on whether you want to go with our in-line specs or the ‘Kevin-approved’ build.

More info about the race at gravel-burn.com