{"id":73986,"date":"2025-10-13T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/?p=73986"},"modified":"2025-10-20T08:17:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T06:17:27","slug":"go2berg-2025-journey-through-the-heart-of-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/go2berg-2025-journey-through-the-heart-of-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Old Mutual go2berg 2025: Journey through the heart of South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Old Mutual go2berg<\/a> is a celebration of the people and the countryside it travels through. At its core, it\u2019s a bicycle race, but it\u2019s deeply woven into the lives of the communities along the route, creating a shared experience that feels genuinely special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My interest in cycling events waned after I\u2019d saturated myself in the lifestyle for a number of years. These days I still bang out my local road loop for the socialising and coffee stops, but my focus has shifted to exploring other sports. However, when the possibility of a go2berg entry was raised at the virtual office water-cooler, a dormant synapse quietly fired. To my own surprise, I raised my hand for the opportunity, and I\u2019m so glad I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is go2berg?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In its simplest form, go2berg is a seven-day mountain bike stage race that starts in the historic town of Villiers and winds south(ish) to Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensberg. You begin on the fast, open flats of the Free State and finish a week later climbing (with tired legs) into the mountains. But more on that later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like most things in life, there are layers to it. Beyond mountain biking, go2berg is a celebration of, and collaboration with, the people along its route: finding ways to support and uplift the communities it passes through. This creates a partnership that feels, quite rarely, authentic. Sounds gushy? Read on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I look for three things in a race: good vibes, exploring beautiful parts of the countryside, and fun trails. This is how I measured my experience at go2berg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Route<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The route begins in the Free State, just outside Johannesburg, and heads south for four days until you\u2019re halted by the breathtaking Maluti Mountains. From there, the trail winds through the foothills for a day and a half before dropping down the escarpment into KwaZulu-Natal and on to the Drakensberg. The scenery along the way is, as you\u2019d expect, spectacular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Unfortunately, the regions that go2berg traverses have been hit hard by a foot-and-mouth epidemic. Understandably, many landowners were reluctant to have hundreds of bike tyres crossing their farms. This created a logistical nightmare for the organisers, who often had to rework the route the night before. Yet they pulled it off so seamlessly that most riders barely noticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the first day, innovative farmers came up with bicycle-specific dipping troughs that riders could pedal through between farms: a clever and practical solution. Even in hard times, it was heartwarming to see the genuine desire of strangers to make us feel welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Free State<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As you might guess, the first four days through the Free State mean long hours on dirt and farm roads: a dirt roadie\u2019s delight! I\u2019ll admit, I was a little concerned about boredom on these stages; my mind doesn\u2019t cope well with endless open roads. But this was my first real encounter with the beauty of the platteland, and I quickly found myself absorbed in it. The miles slipped by almost unnoticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The open skies and rolling Highveld hills seem to stretch forever. It\u2019s easy to write them off as featureless, but if you take the time to look closer, you start to notice the smaller delights: the way morning light catches the damp grass, farmhouses dotting the landscape, watching with lazy curiosity, windmills turning against vast blue skies, and weeping willows dipping their fingers in the rivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Maluti Mountains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Reaching the foothills of the Maluti Mountains after days of open platteland is a striking contrast. The journey towards Clarens becomes hillier, and the walls of sandstone rise sharply into the blue sky. Although the Free State has its own sublime expanses, this Capetonian felt comforted to have a mountain back again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One unforgettable moment was riding away from Clarens, weaving through valleys and between sandstone cliffs bathed in sunrise light. I caught myself fantasising about leaving the bike at the foot of the mountain to brew a fresh coffee, legs dangling over a cliff edge as the sun appeared for the day. But instead, we had seventy more kilometres to ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The trail up and down Mount Paul deserves special mention. It climbs the flank of a huge, bread-loaf-shaped rock formation that rises to a fortress-like summit. The approach towards its crumbling cliffs is unforgettable, it feels as if the entire mountaintop might topple onto you. One of those perspective-altering experiences that remind you how small you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the top of the climb there is a great spot to stop. You can look back at the Maluti Mountains and see what you’ve achieved on the stage. Looking ahead, you’re met with the most unexpected sight: the \u201cSea of The Free State\u201d – Sterkfontein Dam: South Africa’s largest earth-filled dam. We were lucky enough to ride along the kilometers-long dam wall too. And before that, Mount Paul is not only a climb. There is also a fun, fast open single track descent which is a real test of skill to handle at speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Drop and KwaZulu-Natal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After a night spent gazing over Sterkfontein Dam, the legendary Escarpment Drop awaited us. Because of the ongoing foot-and-mouth epidemic, the usual route along the edge of the escarpment was closed, but the alternative proved wildly fun in its own right. The anticipation builds as you climb a mountain road that gradually narrows into what can only be described as a proper MTB path. When you finally reach the drop, you\u2019re rewarded with 500 metres of pure descent following an old cattle migration route. An exhilarating rush that demands sharp concentration and rewards it with high-speed excitement. It left me grinning from ear to ear for the rest of the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Spionkop climb and descent needs little introduction. It\u2019s a fan favourite of every Berg & Bush<\/a> edition, and for good reason: the trail is world-class, and the history that surrounds it adds an unmistakable layer of mystique. A mountain biking bucket-list day, without question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Drakensberg<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The race ends in the Drakensberg, and for those unfamiliar, that means seriously big mountains. Seven days is a long way to ride, so it feels fitting that the final climb, just a few kilometres from the finish, is also the toughest of them all: steep, hot, and completely exposed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, the suffering is short-lived. Riders are rewarded with a finish line dip in the pool at Champagne Resort and a well-earned night in a real bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The go2berg Experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’ve been privileged enough to ride many mountain bike races. There’s always the same recipe to them, but go2berg stood out notably for a few reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Community Hospitality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

go2berg blesses riders with the most fantastic scenery, but the real feel-good story is the schools and communities that provide vital hospitality to the riders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The race villages in the Free State are hosted by the local schools in the area. go2berg pays the schools to host the race. It’s a critical fundraising event for each school. The school kids, parents, teachers, and governing bodies go to extraordinary lengths to show their appreciation. It gives real meaning to the comparatively frivolous activity of riding a bicycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warmth, hospitality, and excitement you are greeted with on arriving at a new race village is moving. I got into the habit of anticipating during each stage, the sort of reception that would be waiting for us at the finish. Now that I’m back home, finishing my rides without a sea of dancing and cheering school kids is a little disappointing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While finishing each day is a personal achievement, the real story is the fundraising that the event provides for the schools. Each night a school representative would address us and list all the amazing things that have been possible thanks to go2berg passing through. For many schools, it’s a critical source of money for daily operations and annual upgrades. It’s an experience that made me truly positive about the event and its ethos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organisers & Sponsors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just as go2berg has forged meaningful partnerships with local schools and communities, its relationship with sponsors deserves mention too. At the opening race presentation, the organisers spoke about how their sponsors were genuine partners, deeply involved in the event. I\u2019ve heard that kind of thing before and usually take it as lip service, but as the week went on, and I interacted with them on the route and in the race villages, my cynicism did a complete U-turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Courier Guy team were everywhere, radiating cheer and offering help at every turn, morning or evening. Likewise, the free Seattle Coffee caravan quickly became part of the daily routine: an energised morning vibe check before each stage. Local Choice Pharmacies impressed everyone with their mobile pharmacy on site (brilliant if, say, you left your toiletry bag in the previous race village). SARZA provided medical support with an efficiency and thoroughness that made you feel completely safe. Even Old Mutual, the title sponsor, without any tangible race-day service, felt naturally present: thanks to the number of staff and clients riding alongside the rest of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Then there are the organisers themselves. I\u2019ve never encountered such a hands-on team. I\u2019m referring to the owners and top decision-makers, not just the crew. They were everywhere: on the route, in the villages, and at the finish line. I saw them quietly helping the last riders in by carrying their bags, handing over bikes mid-stage so riders could finish, even stopping to thank each participant personally before they headed home. I doubt a single rider left without a chat with one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As one rider said, ‘at go2berg you’re a name, not just a number’. A nod to your race number board that carries your name, but it’s also the culture of the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Old Mutual go2berg is a celebration of the people and the countryside it travels through. At its core, it\u2019s a bicycle race, but it\u2019s deeply woven into the lives of the communities along the route, creating a shared experience that feels genuinely special. My interest in cycling events waned after I\u2019d saturated myself in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":74081,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[5328,286],"featured_location":[338],"class_list":["post-73986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-go2berg","tag-joberg2c","featured_location-bottom-row"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73986","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\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73986"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74099,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73986\/revisions\/74099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73986"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=73986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}