The sani2c nonstop is a point-to-point, teamed, endurance mountain bike marathon event starting at the base of the Sani Pass and finishing on the shores of Scottburgh beach. Covering a total distance of 256 kms within a 24-hour cut-off, most of the route is on the same trails as the three-day KAP sani2c. You just do it nonstop!
“This race humbles you. You witness the magnitude of the evening stars, the sunrise at the Umko Valley and such team spirit. It is such a great test for anyone. Team work, laughter and really dark patches during the race, make it just so special” – Paul Snyman.
As endurance rider Kevin ‘Benky’ Benkenstein said after he rode nonstop for the first time in 2024: “This was one of the best rides I have done, anywhere. I’d even call it my longest MTB ride ever, because it was a real mountain bike course with more time spent riding singletrack in a day than I’ve done all year. It was brilliant.”
Since its reintroduction in 2022, sani2c nonstop has been carving a special place for itself on the South African racing calendar. Probably the most hardcore challenge in SA involving such a high percentage of singletrack trails, the racing upfront is fierce, while some teams are exhausted and only too happy to reach the beach in 22 hours.
In 2025 the race record was broken by Travis Stedman and Warren Moolman of Toyota Specialized Melon Mobile, and remains today, 11:25:14. Benky, who had returned to enjoy nonstop a second time, said: “I definitely think that in time, with the right riders, and especially a larger quantity of the right riders pushing each other, a time of ten and a half hours may be possible. I really hope that we get more of the pro teams for the race in the future.”
2026 sani2c nonstop Race
The Fairtree DP World Cannondale team of Luyanda Thobigunya, Ethan Michaels and Ziandro Jordaan, with support team Unathi Msophi and Shaun Mtintsilana, secured a convincing win on Saturday 30 May, in a time of 11:48:00, an incredible result after they took a wrong turn and had to ride some extra kilometres. The top five teams jostled for position at various stages making for exciting racing, and fast transitions at the obligatory 15 Check Points, where team selfies needed to be taken.
The All Torque team of Paul Snyman and Dale Bates were second, with their support team of Marie and Marinus Snyman (12:00:43), and team Mog & Stig’s Lance Chapman and Andre Booyens, with support driver Ken Cur, were third in 12:26:16.
Ziandro Jordaan says of their race: “We tried to break away early, but it was flat roads at first, so we just kept the pace quite high. As soon as we got to the first climb at around 10 kms, we set a good pace, but then around 30 kms we got lost and went about two kms off the map. We turned back and then had about an eight minute gap from the guys in front, so we worked to catch each one, and eventually we were in the lead again.
“We pushed each other, that’s how we got to the finish. It was quite, quite hard, we struggled to the finish because we went proper hard in the beginning, but it was a wild, wild effort from the team. The supporting team was brilliant, from the start until the finish.”
Support driver Unathi Msophi says: “The experience was amazing. It was our first time to do the team navigation. We were provided with a booklet with the instructions. There were two sections where we had to drive behind them just to encourage them to get through the hill. They hung on and held each other, so we just made sure that they were hydrated and had food. The team managed to open a big gap to the second team, even after getting lost, and they won by over 10 minutes.”
After their detour, the Fairtree DP World Cannondale team passed the second finishing team at the bottom of the long gravel climb that bypasses the Iconic Climb. Paul Snyman, a man who came to the race looking for the win after previously being on the podium in both second and third places, graciously conceded defeat and praised the young challengers for their tenacity in reclaiming the front position: “They got lost, fought their way back and were incredibly strong. We were hoping they had already burned enough matches after being quite feisty early on, and getting lost. We hoped that would catch up with them.”
“But they just went off. They were absolutely phenomenal. All we could do was watch them and think how impressive it was. They just kept going and going and never stopped. We hoped that our experience, endurance and stamina would eventually come into our favour, but it didn’t. They rode a fantastic race.”
Paul continues: “The beginning of the race was fairly easy, and then it started to pick up. From about ten kilometres in, there was a lot of surging going on and jockeying for position. The young guys kept attacking on every climb. After their mistake we were left racing against the non-supported team (KZN Wildebeest) for a while. There was a lot of back and forth between us. Dale and I realised we were a little faster in the singletrack sections, so we made sure we entered those first to open a small gap. They did something similar on the open gravel sections, where they could put the power down and make Dale and I work a little harder.
“When we got to Mackenzie Club, having support allowed us to get through much quicker, which meant we reached Umko Drop first, and that was amazing. It was the first time we’d ever reached that point first in the race. I think if they had been in the supported category, it could have been a completely different race, but that’s the advantage of the supported category – it makes life easier and allows for faster racing.”
Mog & Stig are also nonstop ‘regulars’. Lance Chapman says: “Andre and I have done the last three nonstops together. We have tried different strategies each year. We found the racing super competitive and have tussled with Paul Snyman and his different partners for the last three years. Derrin and Ross (fourth place) also rode really well. We didn’t know how far back they were but knew they were close, as their seconds were together with ours at all the CP’s along the way. It turned out to be really close.”
He says: “I love the night riding. The navigation is different, and as a bonus, just about half the distance is taken care of without feeling like you’re slogging it out. The Umko Drop is the highlight of the sani2c and at nonstop it’s even better. You fly down at sunrise with the trail exclusively to yourself. The inclusion of a support team changes the dynamic. It is really cool to involve them as part of the team and strategy. Taking Check Point photos, sharing info on the other teams and motivation when you’re broken.”
KZN Wildebeest’s Bradly Thompson says: “As an unsupported team you have to plan extremely carefully and ensure you have all the supplies you will need to get you through almost 100kms at a time between checkpoints. I’m already thinking about how to be more efficient, and new strategies for the next one. To finish this race is an extremely fulfilling feeling as your body, bike, nutrition and especially your mindset all have to be on point to get you to the finish line.”
For the first mixed team in, Jessica and Isaac Wilkinson, it was their second sani2c nonstop, and they were pleased to have shaved an hour off their time from last year’s race. Jessica says: “It was fiery from the get go – the Fairfree DP World Cannondale team set a blistering pace up the first climb, which felt easier than it should have because of the dark and startline adrenaline. We held on for the first 10km before we knew we needed to tap out and set our own pace. 257km is a long way and mixed racing is a little different. We then rode our own race and it played out well, with consistency being key. This race will push you to your limits in the best way possible.”
Sue Wadley (first women’s team in) is also a returning nonstop rider: “sani2c nonstop still ranks as one of the most beautiful rides in the country. My brother Mark offered to be our support vehicle driver and we could not have asked for better support, weather and route conditions. Each third of the route has its own wow factor – Umkomaas, Vernon Crookes, Fisherman’s trail – just fabulous riding . The Haw family leave no stone unturned in their preparation and execution of this event. We were the only all-women’s team to enter, which meant all we had to do was beat the men! We raced our hardest and came 13th overall.”
Grant Macpherson is one of three sani2c Legends who has done every single KAP sani2c event over its 22 years, and for the second year he took on the sani2c nonstop: “The route is absolutely fantastic, both the three-day and the nonstop – we had perfect conditions and beautiful scenery and the trails are awesome. Riding early in the morning with lights is one of my favourite things, and then the sunrise as you drop into the Valley is really exhilarating. This was my second non-stop and I’ll be back again next year.”
Paul Snyman adds: “The race humbles you, you witness the magnitude of the evening stars, the sunrise at the Umko Valley and just all the team spirit. It is such a great test for anyone. Team work, laughter and really dark patches during the race makes it just so special. Marie and Marinus (my son) support us every year, and it’s just so amazing to experience this type of an event as a team. No other race like this race.”
The last team to arrive, team Gooi Mielies, finished in a time of 20:51:16.
2026 KAP sani2c nonstop Results
Overall top five teams:
- Fairtree DP World Cannondale: Luyanda Thobigunya, Ethan Michaels and Ziandro Jordaan, with support team Unathi Msophi and Shaun Mtintsilana (11:48:00)
- All Torque: Paul Snyman and Dale Bates, with support team Marie and Marinus Snyman (12:00:43)
- Mog & Stig: Lance Chapman and Andre Booyens, with support driver Ken Cur (12:26:16)
- Drivetrain Racing & The Relic: Anthony Derrin Smith and Ross Crookes, with support driver Brendon Crookes (12:28:16)
- KZN Wildebeest: Bradly Thompson and Johnathan Vorster, unsupported (12:35:16)
First mixed team
Team Wilkinson Wilkinson: Jessica Wilkinson and Isaac Wilkinson, with support driver Tracy Wilkinson (13:38:54)
First women’s team
Specialized Squared: Sarah Van Heerden and Sue Wadley, with support driver Mark Wadley (15:31:14)
First solo rider
Jacques Vermaak (15:57:56)
For full results visit: https://tan.sportraxs.com/events/423
For more information visit KAP sani2c nonstop website
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