South Africa is a global hotbed for endurance mountain bike events. And one of the country’s most iconic ultra-marathons, the Attakwas Extreme, turns 20 next year. A special feature of the 20th edition is the additional hour given to complete the gruelling event, making it possible for many more to tough it out and earn the coveted finisher’s medal.
Paid partnership with Dryland Event Management
Since its launch in 2007, Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme, presented by Biogen has been testing mountain bikers to their limit – mostly their endurance limit, but in some years, also their ability to tolerate extreme heat.
Always held on the third Saturday of January, the annual ultra-marathon race in the Western Cape falls in the middle of the South African summer, which has seen riders facing temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius in some years. But the primary challenge, regardless of the weather, is always the route.
The point-to-point race starts at Chandelier Game Reserve, near the town of Oudtshoorn in the Karoo and follows a 121km route to the finish at the coastal hamlet of Groot Brak. This route uses a combination of rough jeep track, rugged farm roads and established district gravel roads, but also includes a decisive section through the Attakwaskloof Reserve.
This section of the race descends the Attakwaskloof Pass, a more-than-300-year-old road through a Cape Nature Reserve. It was originally an elephant route and then it became the ox-wagon road between Oudtshoorn and Mosselbay. No longer in use and declared a National Monument in 1995, the Attakwaskloof Pass is the most technically challenging section of the Attakwas Extreme race.
It follows a disintegrated jeep track road that’s been weather worn and features long, fast, descents and steep climbs, punctuated with several river crossings. It’s both beautiful and brutal and adds to the challenge of the route, which climbs a total of 2 900 metres.
The race has always had an 11-hour time limit. But to celebrate the 20th edition of the Attakwas Extreme, the organisers have made a once-off concession and added an extra hour. Participants considering entering will need to ride at an average speed of 10kph to beat the cut-off and earn a sought-after finisher’s medal and commemorative t-shirt.
“On average, we have around 600 finishers within the 11-hour time limit each year. We anticipate that an extra hour will attract those who might be hesitant about their ability to finish. About one-sixth of the finishers each year complete the race between 10 and 11 hours. We would love to hand out more finisher medals at the 20thedition and expect the extra hour will make that possible,” said Carel Herholdt of Dryland Event Management, the race organisers.
The Attakwas Half was introduced in 2014. This is a shorter option that covers 47km with 1100m of ascent, enabling Weekend Warrior mountain bikers as well as Youth and Junior age group racers to experience the high quality organisation and prestige of the event. The addition of an hour to the Attakwas Extreme is expected to encourage this typical entrant (over the age of 18) to raise his or her game and give the full distance challenge a go in 2026.
In order to help entrants finish the 2026 Attakwas Extreme, a training plan has been developed by former multiple winner turned coach, Matthys Beukes of Synergy Cycle Sports. Few know the route and the demands of Attakwas Extreme as well as Beukes, who has competed in the race 10 times and won it on three of those occasions.
“I’m honoured to be asked to assist with a training plan for the 20th edition of Attakwas. It’s a race that helped shape my career as a racer, both as a novice and as a pro. It’s a race that can also break your spirit if you aren’t fully prepared, which is why I am pleased to impart my knowledge for the 2026 edition,” said Beukes.
Through his coaching business, Synergy Cycle Sports, Beukes has developed two training plans for Attakwas Extreme 2026. One is designed to prepare entrants to finish in under 12 years and the other is to guide more experienced or stronger participants to a sub-9-hour finish.
All entrants to the 2026 Attakwas Extreme will be given access to the training plans. To find out more about the event or to get your entry in early, click here.
