From 13-18 April, riders will embark on a six-day, 684 km journey across the breathtaking landscapes of the Garden Route and Klein Karoo – coastal plains, iconic passes, arid Karoo flats, forested valleys, and ocean horizons will all roll together in one unforgettable adventure. Here are eight reasons you should be on that start line.
Paid partnership with Dryland Event Management
This isn’t a weekend fun ride, it’s a true gravel stage race, with different age- and gender-category leader jerseys, KOM and Sprint Jersey competitions and varying terrain to suit all strengths. The Garden Route Giro is designed with purpose and passion by the team at Dryland Event Management, the same crew behind some of South Africa’s most legendary endurance cycling events.
Eight reasons to enter today!
If you’re still on the fence about entering, here’s what makes the Garden Route Giro a foundational event for gravel riders everywhere:
Gravel that rides like a dream: This is real gravel – smooth, rideable, fast. No jeep tracks. No singletrack. No mountain bikes required (or allowed). The roads are flowing, fast, and meant for steady group riding.
Tarmac when it matters: Where the gravel gives way, the route uses tar to connect towns smoothly – a thoughtful mix that keeps the race flowing.
Every day tells its own story: From agricultural lands and Karoo valleys to coastal forests and vast plains, each stage has character and personality, offering visuals and terrain that would take a lifetime to explore on your own.
Legendary passes on true gravel: Dreaming of Rooiberg, Swartberg Pass, Prince Alfred’s Pass, and more? They’re all here, each iconic mountain road demanding grit and rewarding riders with epic views and high-speed descents.
Route designed for speed and flow: This is gravel you’ll move on. Fast sections, rolling climbs and descents, tactical terrain – it’s all rideable and rewarding.
Start easy, finish proud: No pre-dawn wake-up alarms here – every stage starts at 9 am. Because the adventure is as much about the experience as it is the effort.
Celebrations you’ll never forget After six days of riding, there’s more than just a finish line – there’s a finisher’s party in Wilderness, included in every entry, where dust turns to champagne and stories turn to legend.
A prize purse that matters: For the competitors aiming for the podium, the inaugural Garden Route Giro carries a R700 000 prize purse with cash and leader jerseys for overall, sprint, climbing, and age category winners – ensuring the racing stays fierce.
This truly is a stage race in every sense: Mossel Bay to Riversdale, Calitzdorp, Prince Albert, De Rust, Knysna, and finishing in Wilderness – six stages, each with memorable terrain and moments that will live long after the ride is done.
With entries open now and closing soon, this is your chance to be part of gravel racing history – not just to ride the Garden Route Giro, but to say, forever, that you were there at its beginning.
Event details:
Dates: 13–18 April 2026
Location: Western Cape & Klein Karoo, South Africa
Distance: 684 km over 6 stages
Total Ascent: 11 300 m
Prize Purse: R700 000
Enter at www.gardenroutegiro.co.za
