Off-road bicycle racing continues to diversify with the refinement of mountain biking sub-disciplines and the recent addition of gravel racing. Global brand LEATT, which has South African roots, is celebrating with the introduction of Grinduro, presented by LEATT from 17-19 October. Here’s what you can expect of this unique event.
Paid partnership with LEATT
Grinduro is essentially a cycling festival. There’s racing, there’s fun, there’s camping and there’s music. From 17-19 October, Grinduro will be the reason most cars with bike racks are seen heading to Greyton, a quaint hamlet in the Overberg region, less than a two-hour drive from Cape Town.
What bikes will be on those racks? Mostly gravel bikes, but also mountain bikes and eBikes because Grinduro promotes inter-discipline tolerance and love. The objective is a weekend of fun with other passionate bicycle-riders and those who enjoy the outdoors. Nobody will be judged by their type of bicycle as long as it can roll well over a blend of gravel roads, jeep track and singletrack.
If being competitive is important to you, then a gravel bike is likely going to be the fastest. Here’s how the riding/racing will work:
- Friday 17 October: Prologue – 22km | 320m
- Saturday 18 October: 4 Times Stages – 100km | 1400m
- Sunday 19 October: Hangover Ride – 20km
The Prologue and Hangover rides are just that – rides. Go your own pace and soak up the vibe – making new friends and memories along the way. The 100km on the Saturday will start and finish with no rush. But there are four segments on that 100km route that will record rider times. The segments range from 5-10 minutes in duration with each featuring something different:
- Stage 1: Downhill – 5.7 km elevation loss 180m (Grinduro only) on district gravel road
- Stage 2: Undulating with singletrack – 3.5km elevation gain 130 m (both events)
- Stage 3: Singletrack – 2.5km with 20m elevation (both events)
- Stage 4: Uphill – 2.8 km with 355m elevation (Grinduro only) on district gravel road
The results will be determined by a combination of all four segment times. GPX files will be available to load to your device, but the routes will also be marked to ensure nobody gets lost.
If the full event doesn’t quite suit you here are your other options:
- Grindurito: Same three days of fun, but with a shorter race-day stage – 50km | 650m with two timed segments.
- Grinduro One-Day: Only the Saturday 100km race, dinner and party.
- Grindurito One-Day: Only the Saturday 50km race, dinner and party.
NOTE: eBikes may only enter the Grindurito event.
There’s as much, if not more focus on the off-the-bike experience at Grinduro. Each entry includes a campsite (bring your own tent and essentials). Meals included are Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, Saturday dinner, Sunday breakfast and Sunday lunch. There will be food vendors on site for to fill in the gaps…
There will be a Grinduro party on Saturday night with DJ Chris Taylor (international DJ and passionate bicycle guy) managing the vibe. There will also be a cycling expo element with several brands on site to show and discuss product as well as art displays because that’s part of the local Greyton culture, Bro.
Also expect craft beer, gin and wine tastings, the presence of some cycling industry celebrities, fun activations at the end of each timed segment, lucky draw prizes, positional prizes per category (per stage and overall) and plenty more!
While this is the inaugural Grinduro in South Africa, it’s not the first. The South African edition is part of an international Grinduro Series with similar events in Italy, Scotland, USA and Japan. For more information to secure your entry, click here.
