There’s a growing number of South African mountain bikers looking for a more relaxed multi-day event. Routes that are challenging, but not spirit-crushing, comfortable accommodation, fine food, interesting drinks and a compelling social vibe, all delivered with efficiency and class. That’s exactly what you get at Ride the Karoo 3 Day Stage Race.
Paid Partnership with Urban Goat
Ride the Karoo is a three-day mountain biking experience designed to deliver a no-pressure event that will be remembered for the savouring and not the suffering. Located almost perfectly in the middle of the country, Dwarsvlei Farm, near Middelburg, Eastern Cape offers a combination of simplicity, culture and comfort for three days and two nights of bicycle riding and bonding.
Stage 1 on Friday is a night ride over 20km with 230m of ascent. There’s no better place in the country to star gaze than the Karoo. Far from any kind of air or light pollution, there are unobscured night-sky vistas.
Stage 2 is over 73km with 660 metres of climbing. It’s not flat, but it’s also not technical, following mostly jeep track through farms in the foothills of the Sneeuwberge mountain range.
The final stage is short and sharp – 46km with 520 metres of ascent. This route has been designed to make the most of the beautiful scenery and there’s a chance you will spot antelope such as Kudu and Gemsbok and our national animal, the Springbok.
While the event is not a hardcore race, where you would see pro racers, it does use chip timing and generate stage and overall results and times so that you can see how you fared compared to the others who you left the start line with each day. eBikes are also welcome with a separate start for each stage and a dedicated eBike charging station.
Don’t leave your significant other at home. Bring him/her with you to enjoy the supporter’s experience, which is as engaging and memorable as that experienced by the riders. Supporters are welcome to follow the provided map and head out onto the route on Stages 2 and 3 and to the local attractions to create their own Karoo-escape memories.
From the 2024 edition, there is also a Kiddie Zone. Any child under 12 gets a Kiddie Zone pass, which includes their meals for the weekend and they get carers looking after them while their parents ride.
As you’d expect on a Karoo farm, the meals include Karoo lamb chops, Karan Beef steak, baked farm bread and condensed-milk coffee at breakfast. There’s obviously ice-cold draft beer to enjoy as you cross the finish line with sweet koeksisters and savoury snacks to keep you fuelled at the water points on the route.
Accommodation, refreshments and meals are all included in the entry fee and there are options ranging from Standard Tents to Glamping Tents, as well as renovated farm stables to fit all budgets and definitions of an extraordinary escape.
Daily bike wash (included in the entry fee) and massage packages (additional fee) are also available to reduce any kind of remaining pressure you may experience.
Group-booking benefits
Make a group booking for added benefits! It will include a surprise merchandise item added to your goodie bag, private wine tasting and your accommodation option located next to or near each other. The group needs to consist of six participants or more to qualify. Request a group booking via mail to info@urbangoat.co.za
In order to preserve the exclusive value of the participant and supporter experience, numbers are limited. To make the opportunity available to more, there are two editions each year, a few days apart, but it’s still advisable to secure your entry early. The 2024 dates are 20-22 September and 27-29 September.
Click here to find out more and enter online for the 2024 Ride the Karoo 3 Day Stage Race.
