Why dance all night, when you can ride all night! As one of South Africa’s premier mountain biking events, this mountain bike marathon creates the perfect combination of extremely challenging cycling amongst spectacular scenery through exquisite mountain ranges, right into the heart of the magnificent Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area, all in a team format. Since its start in 2004 it has been growing annually, deserving its place on many mountain bikers’ wish list.
This event had the title as the ‘longest single stage team MTB event’ in the world for six years, and emphasized that the focus lay on whether the route is rideable, unique, enjoyable and most of all achievable. Because this is a team event, consisting of 2, 3 or 4 cyclists per team, the concept is very different to that of an ordinary MTB race.
The distance of 230 km from Willowmore to Jeffrey’s Bay must be completed in 24 hours to qualify for a medal.
Take a look at the amazing images, captured by Jacques Marais, during the 2019 Trans Baviaans Race. He is a genius behind the camera and seems to capture the true essence of every event he works on. Jacques had this to say about the incredible event :
"As usual, being part of the kickass media team at the annual EcoBound Mountain Events #TransBaviaans means a long day of tripping through the Kloof capturing the action, followed by a night of zero sleep as you plug away at the thousands of visuals. The worst part personally is seeing the riders cranking through this incredible World Heritage Wilderness site; I have to admit this #FOMO generally do not last late into the night, though! There is no ways I would have it different, though. Working with #ECOBOUND on this world-class event never disappoints, with new adventures and vistas and discoveries around every craggy corner, up every tortuous pass, and side-winding down every white-knuckle descent. The riders end up have dozens of exhilarating adventures, and I'd love to find a way to hear every story. This year we will be putting together an #oZine Publication covering the event: hopefully you can contribute your legendary tales!"
Below are a few of the images capturing the women of the event.
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For more information on the Trans Baviaans visit their website: https://www.transbaviaans.co.za