You might not want to live in the tiny Karoo town of Nieu-Bethesda, but spending a couple of nights there is something you won’t regret – or forget – especially if you take your mountain bike and your sense of adventure. As the South African mountain bike market matures, classy, boutique multi-day events like The Owl Route are making an impact. Here’s why…
Paid partnership with Urban Goat
Stage races were largely responsible for the popularisation of mountain biking from the mid-2000s. Because active South Africans tend to be naturally competitive, the multi-day races were always that – races. Ride fast, suffer plenty and relax afterwards. Then repeat. Almost two decades later there’s still a strong appeal to packing your riding gear and bike and heading away for a few days, only now it’s not necessarily for a race, it’s to find an adventure.
The Owl Route comprises three days of riding on pre-determined routes and two nights of accommodation in tents. Those are the only similarities to traditional stage races because the stages aren’t too long, they’re not timed and you’re not camping, you’re glamping. It’s an eclectic riding and cultural escape to a Karoo town that has a historically textured past that is immortalised and preserved in the buildings, farms, décor, cuisine and art.
The riding is a blend of singletrack, jeep track and district roads that wind their way around the quaint town and along the foothills of the nearby Sneeuberge mountain range. It’s far from any city with uncluttered daytime vistas and crisp, night skies. Nieu-Bethesda is 50km from Graaff Reinet in the Eastern Cape, a leisurely, scenic drive from most cities to what is geographically almost the very centre of South Africa.
There’s an 80-person limit for The Owl Route, so early entry is essential to avoid disappointment. Non-riding partners are welcome and pay a slightly reduced per-tent-sharing fee. All meals from Friday lunchtime until Sunday lunchtime are included, as are all beers, wine and gin.
The Tee-Pee style luxury tents include two comfy wooden base beds, quality white linen with plush down duvets, two chairs, bedside tables, floor rugs and solar lights. There’s also limited guest house accommodation. Each entrant gets a ‘Karoo Boksie’ that includes a commemorative, quality riding jersey as well as other locally produced goodies to the value of R1500.
To find out more or to enter the 2023 edition of The Owl Route, which takes place from 31 March-2 April, click here. The Owl Route is organised by Urban Goat. To find out about all their events, click here.
