{"id":72035,"date":"2025-04-08T14:06:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T12:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/?p=72035"},"modified":"2025-04-14T08:33:26","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T06:33:26","slug":"ride-through-the-wild-8-reasons-to-race-the-waterberg-traverse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/ride-through-the-wild-8-reasons-to-race-the-waterberg-traverse\/","title":{"rendered":"Ride Through the Wild: 8 Reasons to Race the Waterberg Traverse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you ready to tackle a stage race with a difference? Whether you\u2019re a weekend warrior or a seasoned competitor, the Glacier Waterberg Traverse<\/a> at Summerplace Game Reserve from 9-11 May, less than three hours from Johannesburg, is your ideal event. Here are eight good reasons why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. It\u2019s an escape<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although Summerplace Game Reserve<\/a> in the Limpopo province is a bit of a drive, it\u2019s under three hour\u2019s drive from Johannesburg and even less from Pretoria. It\u2019s close enough for an easy drive (mostly on freeway) and far enough away from the big cities of Gauteng to be a real escape!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. It\u2019s deep in the bush<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Summerplace Game Reserve is located in both the Bushveld region of South Africa and the Waterberg Biosphere. It\u2019s a true South African bush destination where you are surrounded in every direction by natural vegetation, geology, fresh air and crisp night skies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. It all happens on a private game reserve<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All three stages for both the RIDE and the RACE take place inside Summerplace Game Reserve. There are more than 40 species of large mammals, including Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeest, Eland, Roan Antelope, Kudu, Sable Antelope and more. There are also more than 130 species of trees and over 140 species of birds. It\u2019s a nature-lover\u2019s dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. The trails are sublime!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Summerplace Game Reserve is owned by passionate mountain bikers. As a result, the mountain bike trails network on the reserve makes it one of the best mountain biking destinations in South Africa. There is more than 140km of hand-built singletrack trails on the reserve as well as easy-riding gravel roads and game-drive jeep-track routes. Summerplace Game Reserve regularly hosts Cycling South Africa national cup and national championships events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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5. The accommodation is top-notch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Early entrants have a chance to book Summerplace Game Reserve accommodation, which is refined and includes self-catering lodges. Glacier Waterberg Traverse entrants that miss out on the local reserve accommodation, will have access to comfortable tented accommodation, including luxury tents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Exceptional catering<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Entry to the Glacier Waterberg Traverse includes all meals from dinner on Thursday 8 May, until lunch on Sunday 11 May after the final stage \u2013 a total of nine delicious, nutritious meals. Dryland Events are widely known for their exceptional standard of catering and that can once again be expected at the 2025 Glacier Waterberg Traverse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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7. A race for all levels of rider<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Serious racers that are fit and strong can enter the RACE, which offers three tough stages. Don\u2019t be deceived by the distances! Recreational riders can still experience the challenges and rewards of a multi-day event by entering the RIDE, which offers three shorter stages all starting and finishing at the same place. You can view the stages here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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8. Supporters are welcome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unlike many stage races, the Glacier Waterberg Traverse is geared for both racers and supporters! Supporters can enjoy a fun weekend away and share the experience with their riders. There\u2019s obviously a supporter package that needs to be purchased to secure accommodation and catering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Details<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Glacier Waterberg Traverse is also unique in that it offers two stage races in one, with a RACE route that\u2019s designed to be tough, yet rewarding and a RIDE route that\u2019s moderately challenging. The RACE is a Solo event, while the RIDE has both Solo and Team categories for those who want to share the unique Bushveld mountain biking experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what\u2019s in store:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Race<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage 1: <\/strong>55km |830m ascent<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage 2: <\/strong>61km | <\/strong>1275m ascent<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage 3:<\/strong> 52km | 700m ascent<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ride<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage 1: <\/strong>38km | 590m ascent<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage 2: <\/strong>41km | 650m ascent<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage 3: <\/strong>42km | 575m ascent<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There\u2019s one race village, which simplifies logistics. As with all Dryland Event Management stage races, it\u2019s fully catered, serving delicious, nutritious meals from registration day lunch until lunch after Stage 3. There are various accommodation options, from basic tents to luxury lodges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The RACE is Cycling South Africa sanctioned and offers podium recognition for Under-23, Elite, 30-34,35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59 and 60-years+ Males and Females. Prizemoney is on offer for top three overall Men, Women, Veteran Men and Master Men as long as there are a minimum of five riders in the category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are prizes for the top three finishers in the RIDE event for Overall Solo Men, Solo Women, Men\u2019s Team, Women\u2019s Team, Mixed Team, eBike Men\u2019s Team, eBike Women\u2019s Team, eBike Mixed Team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summerplace Game Reserve<\/a> is a 2 hour 15 minute drive from Pretoria and less than three hours from Johannesburg on good quality roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learn More<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Find out more or secure your entry here: https:\/\/www.waterbergtraversemtb.co.za\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you ready to tackle a stage race with a difference? Whether you\u2019re a weekend warrior or a seasoned competitor, the Glacier Waterberg Traverse at Summerplace Game Reserve from 9-11 May, less than three hours from Johannesburg, is your ideal event. Here are eight good reasons why. 1. It\u2019s an escape Although Summerplace Game Reserve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":72054,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[5343,5344],"featured_location":[338],"class_list":["post-72035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-glacier-waterberg-traverse","tag-summerplace-game-reserve","featured_location-bottom-row"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72035"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72072,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72035\/revisions\/72072"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72035"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=72035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}