2016 Mountain Bike Stage Race Calendar

South Africa is undoubtedly the capital of the marathon cross country stage race world, with well over 50 stage races (and multiday single stage events) to choose from. It’s clear that proper planning is required. After the success of our 2015 Stage Race Calendar, we’ve compiled a list of the mountain bike marathon stage races taking place in South Africa (and other parts of Africa) in 2016.

Photo: Kelvin Trautman/ Gameplan Media

January

23 – 24: EuroSteel Drak Descent (Drakensberg) – Event Website

February

6 – 7: Fairtree Capital Simonsberg Contour (Western Cape) – Event Website

7 – 13 TransCape MTB (Western Cape) – Event Website

13 – 14: Lighthouse to Lighthouse (Gansbaai, Western Cape) – Event Website

13 – 14: Stanford MTB Tour (Western Cape) – Event Website

12 – 14: DUTOIT Tankwa Trek (Ceres, Western Cape) – Event Website

12 – 14: Bridgestone Route 66 MTB Experience (Gauteng) – Event Website

19 – 21: Trans Outeniqua MTB (Great Brak River, Western Cape) – Event Website

26 – 28: Garden Route 300 (Knysna, Western Cape) – Event Website

March

13 – 20: ABSA Cape Epic (Western Cape) – Event Website

18 – 21: 3 Mountains Challenge (Clocolan, Free State) – Event Website

31 – 2 April: Spur Lord of the Chain Rings (Hogsback, Eastern Cape) – Event Website

April

15 – 17: Liberty Cape Winelands (Winelands, Western Cape) – Event Website

22 – 30: Old Mutual joBerg2c (Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal) – Event Website

23 – 24: Cell C Arabella MTB Challenge (Kleinmond, Western Cape) – Event Website

30 – 1 May: 7 Passes (Garden Route, Western Cape) – Event Website

30 – 1 May: Houw Hoek MTB Tour (Western Cape) – Event Website

30 – 2 May: Spar Sabie Experience (Mpumalanga) – Event Website

May

6 – 8: Gravel & Grape (Western Cape) – Event Website

7 – 8: Gravel & Grape Lite (Western Cape) – Event Website

10 – 12: sani2c Trail (KwaZulu-Natal) – Event Website

11 – 13: sani2c Adventure (KwaZulu-Natal) – Event Website

12 – 14: sani2c Race (KwaZulu-Natal) – Event Website

24 – 29: Windhoek Light Namib Quest (Nambia) – Event Website

27 – 29: Croc2Croc (Mpumalanga) – Event Website

28 – 29: MTBike Girl 2 Day MTB (Oudtshoorn, Western Cape) – Event Website

June

1 – 6: Grindrod Bank Pondo Pedal (Wild Coast, Eastern Cape) – Event Website

1 – 9: Race To Rhodes (Kwa-Zulu Natal to Eastern Cape) – Event Website

3 – 5: PwC Great Zuurberg Trek (Eastern Cape) – Event Website

3 – 5: FNB 1Zambia MTB (Zambia) – Event Website

5 – 2 July: Freedom Challenge: Race Across South Africa – Event Website

10 – 12: Liberty Waterberg Encounter – Event Website

10 – 12: The Gem Diamonds Kalahari Challenge (Botswana) – Event Website

11 – 12: Dusi2c (KwaZulu-Natal) – Event Website

17 – 19: RECM Knysna 200 (Knysna, Western Cape) – Event Website

17 – 19: Tour of Legends (Entabeni Game Reserve, Limpopo) – Event Website

18 – 19: Fish River Sun MTB Challenge (Fish River Sun, Eastern Cape) – Event Website

25 – 26: RidetheBerg (Northern Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal) – Event Website

30 – 2 July: Innibos MTB Stage Race (Nelspruit, Mpumulanga) – Event Website

Photo: Anthony Grote/ Gameplan Media.

July

12 – 17: Laikipia XC (Kenya) – Event Website

28 – 2 Aug: Nedbank Tour de Tuli (Botswana – Zimbabwe – South Africa) – Event Website

August

TBC: Imana Wild Ride (Wild Coast, Eastern Cape) – Event Website

6 – 8: Glacier Storms River Traverse (Garden Route, Eastern Cape) – Event Website

18 – 21: iSimangaliso MTB (iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal) – Event Website

September

1 – 3: Namaqua Quest MTB (Namaqualand) – Event Website

1 – 4: PE PLETT The Tough One + Lite (Eastern Cape) – Event Website

3 – 4: Potberg & De Hoop MTB (Western Cape) – Event Website

3 – 4: Greyton MTB Tour (Greyton, Western Cape) – Event Website

9 – 11: Ride2Nowhere (McGregor, Western Cape) – Event Website

15 – 17: Dr Evil Classic (Western Cape) – Event Website

19 – 24: Lesotho Sky (Lesotho) – Event Website

20 – 24: Rift Valley Odyssey (Kenya) – Event Website

30 – 2 Oct: Lormar Endurance MTB Tour (Eastern Cape) – Event Website

30 – 2 Oct: Isuzu 3 Towers (Mpumalanga) – Event Website

October

7 – 9: Berg & Bush Descent (Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal) – Event Website

11 – 13: Berg & Bush Great Trek (Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal) – Event Website

13 – 15: The INYATSI Swazi Frontier (Swaziland) – Event Website

15 – 16: The U MTB Stage Race (Piket-Bo-Berg, Western Cape) – Event Website

15 – 16: Berg & Bush 2 Day (Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal) – Event Website

16 – 22: Cape Pioneer Trek (Western Cape) – Event Website

TBC: Wild Corridor (Eastern/ Western Cape) – Event Website

November

4 – 6: FNB Wines2Whales Adventure (Western Cape) – Event Website

7 – 9: FNB Wines2Whales Ride (Western Cape) – Event Website

11 – 13: FNB Wines2Whales Race (Western Cape) – Event Website

19- 20: To Hell And Back (Western Cape) – Event Website

25 – 26 (TBC): Origin of Trails (Stellenbosch, Western Cape) – Event Website

30 – 5 Dec: The Munga – Event Website

The 2016 stage race calendar will be kept up-to-date. If an event has been excluded or you spot an error, please leave a comment on the article so that we can look into it.