Dirtyheart MTB

Awarded the best race in South Africa in 2009, the Berg & Bush is once again upon us with team dormakaba riders Robyn de Groot and Amy McDougall looking forward to what promises to be another exciting event. The iconic Descent takes mountain bikers from the top of the Drakensberg escarpment near Harrismith and drops down into Kwazulu-Natal, negotiating world-famous single track into the bushveld below into Winterton. Starting Friday, 4 October and finishing on Sunday, 6 Octob

The 2020 Absa Cape Epic will be The Race That Measures All thanks to a rugged and Untamed route. Taking in 647 kilometres and 15 550 metres of climbing it will challenge and reward on the trails from Cape Town to Val de Vie. From the 15th to the 22nd of March 2020 the Absa Cape Epic will provide 1 300 mountain bikers with their toughest mountain bike challenge of the year. Rugged mountain passes and rocky singletrack ascents though pristine fynbos await. As do sandy farm road

The buildup to the Momentum Health Cape Pioneer Trek presented by Biogen is swiftly rising to a climax. Elite riders hoping to etch their names into the illustrious list of event winners have now entered the tapering phase. The mental warfare, however, is just about to begin. With seven arduous days in the saddle looming, riders will be mustering up all the willpower they need to overcome not only the testing, unpredictable conditions but a field of riders oozing with class.

Swiss marathon champion, Ariane Lüthi headlines a distinctively international field of elite women for the 2019 Swiss Epic. The five day, S1 Union Cycliste Internationale stage race is set to take place in the Graubünden canton from 20 to 24 August. Alongside the local Swiss heroine is New Zealand’s Samara Sheppard; while the pair will contest for victory against teams from across the globe. Lüthi won the inaugural edition of the race back in 2014 and will be eager to add the

The 2019 Trans Baviaans, ultra-endurance mountain bike race, is set to take place on Saturday the 10th of August. Among the 1 250 riders who will roll across the start line in Willowmore, on their way to Jeffery’s Bay are Mike Posthumus, Derrin Smith, Sarah Hill and Theresa Ralph. Though the quartet of riders from dormakaba and Galileo Risk headline the field their race through South Africa’s largest wilderness area, the Baviaanskloof, will be anything but simple. From Bergpl

Eleven years on from the inaugural FNB Wines2Whales many things in mountain biking have changed. One remains constant however, the sport’s iconic stage race's commitment to continual route refinements. Every year has seen new singletracks added and old trails reworked and perfected. 2019 is no different. Candice Lill rides some new unexplored trails which will feature in the 2019 Wines2Whales route. Winter in the Western Cape is trail building time. The soil is softer allowin

The Buco Lions Karoo to Coast Mountain Bike Challenge is a 100km off road race from UNIONDALE to KNYSNA via the Prince Alfred's Pass. The route is scenic, challenging and riders are encouraged to train sufficiently for this event in order to maximise the enjoyment of the experience. Only 15% of the entries remain – DO NOT be disappointed because you left your entry too late. At last we have convinced Monica Childs Marketing to work with us on the provision of the Official Eve

The 2019 PwC Great Zuurberg Trek, which takes place from the 24th to the 26th of May in the Zuurberg Mountains of the Eastern Cape, boasts a sold out field of stage race connoisseurs. In fact entries sold out within a month and given the race’s burgeoning reputation for superb riding and off-the-bike hospitality it is no surprise. There are therefore mountain bikers aplenty who will be watching jealously, from home, as the event unfolds. When the field lines up, at the Zuurbe

Johan Vorster is a passionate man and this is most clearly conveyed by his telling of plans to unlock the trail potential on Kurland Hotel and Polo Estate in the Plettenberg Bay area of the Garden Route, which happens to be the start venue for Day 2 of the Dr Evil Classic, the 3 day mountain bike stage race that takes place from 19-21 September. Perhaps best known for his Hakahana Enduro-style trail network in Gauteng, Johan and his team have built roughly 15kms of hand-built

2019 sees a starting field in the UCI women elite category which ranks amongst the top in the world. Not only are the world best mountain bikers, road cyclists and XCO champions amongst the field, but the South African ladies have also come to show just how strong our mountain biking pedigree is. We take a quick look at each of the registered UCI teams which will line up at the ABSA Cape Epic and give you some insight into just how exciting the women race could potentially be

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of FNB Wines2Whales the race finished in Hermanus in 2018. While The Marine Hotel added more than a touch of glamour to the final day’s proceedings the relaxed – small town – atmosphere of Onrus was calling the race home. The 2019 Chardonnay, Pinotage and Shiraz events will heed the call and return to the laidback beachfront village. Greg Beadle/Wines2Whales The Marine Hotel was an undeniably beautiful finishing venue. The cliff-top setting

Riders prepare for battle at the 2018 Momentum Health Attakwas Extreme presented by Biogen. Photo: www.zcmc.co.za The Momentum Health #AttakwasExtreme, presented by Biogen, also known as the #HellOfTheSouth: 121km with 2900m of climbing from Oudtshoorn to Great Brak River | The Spur #AttakwasMini: an introduction to ultra-marathons, 52km with 1100m. The 13th edition of the Momentum Health Attakwas Extreme presented by Biogen takes place this Saturday, 19 January 2019, which o

Diversity a key feature of new TransCape route. Moving the start for the Liberty TransCape MTB Encounter from Knysna to George has resulted in a slightly shorter overall distance, but has enabled route director Wayne Collett to make significant improvements. Photo courtesy: http://www.transcapemtb.co.za/event-gallery/ The seven-stage mountain-bike race, powered by Volvo, takes place from February 2 to 9 and will end at La Couronne Wine Estate in Franschhoek in the Western Cap

South Africa’s ‘Race with Soul’ is about to make a return to its pioneering roots. The Momentum Health Cape Pioneer Trek presented by Biogen has settled into a comfortable rhythm over the last ten years, and was said to have put on its best edition yet in 2018. But as with the spirit of a true pioneer, it will once again head into the unknown in search of something even better with a 2019 route like no rider has experienced before… To ease into things, the popular Mossel Bay

It takes a special group of cyclists to sign up for South Africa’s “toughest extreme one-day mountain bike race”, especially after the festive season. Yet year after year thousands line up for the Momentum Health Attakwas Extreme presented by Biogen, which takes place in January. Image from the 2018 Momentum Health Attakwas Extreme presented by Biogen captured by Zoon Cronje for www.zcmc.co.za With 12 editions to look back on, race directors have identified a common thread th

The rebranding of the three events within the FNB Wines2Whales stable is predicted to have the greatest impact on the elite women’s race. In 2018 the elite women will compete in the Chardonnay event, which takes place from the 26th to the 28th of October, without any elite men or competitive Mixed category athletes on the start line. This means they will have the sole attention of the media and race entirely without interference. Jennie Stenerhag (pictured above) will take on

IT’S A RACE LIKE NO OTHER, FROM THE HEART OF THE KAROO COMES THE RACE WITH SOUL. Taking place from 4 – 20 Oct or 17 – 20 Oct 2018 in the Western Cape, this race promises to deliver on everything mountain bikers love about their sport. From the arid desertscapes of the Groot Karoo to the great mountains of the Klein Karoo and the aboriginal forests of the Garden Route, the Cape Pioneer has it all, a truly African mountain biking experience. The magic lies in the unique combina

It’s the FNB Wines2Whale’s 10th anniversary and the race organisers along with Official Vehicle and Route Partner, Land Rover, have pulled out all the stops to make it a special event. That, of course, also includes the sort of route improvements that have become a staple of the FNB Wines2Whales since it was first staged in 2009. This year there are new trails on each day (and some old ones that have been brought back for Stage 1), each introduced to improve the rider experie

The BUCO Karoo to Coast, 100 kilometre MTB Challenge, is the largest single day mountain bike event in South Africa; attracting 4 500 riders to the sleepy Karoo town of Uniondale annually. This year the event is set to take place on Sunday the 23rd of September and though the focus is on ensuring each rider enjoys his or her day in the saddle, throughout the exceptionally scenic route, there are a number of highly competitive cyclists lining up with race victory on their mind

The 2018 UCI Mtb Marathon World Championships will take place on Saturday 15th September in Auronzo di Cadore and is reserved for the Elite athletes called in by their respective national teams. Photo courtesy of www.world.3epic.it After the flat out and fast race in Singen in 2017, the 2018 cross-country marathon (XCM) World Championships head back to the hills. And not just any hills, but to the Italian Dolomites where the race is attached to the 3Epic. The Dolomites have m