The GRAVEL RACE IN THE HEART OF THE KAROO
26.09.2026 Graaff-Reinet, EC, South Africa
Three Routes to choose from. LIMITED ENTRIES.
The Road to Desolation is a one-day gravel cycling race through the semi-desert of the Karoo, in South Africa.
We start in Robert Sobukwe Town formerly Graaff-Reinet — a small town on a bend in the Sundays River, the oldest town in the Eastern Cape — and finish at the top of the Valley of Desolation, where rocky columns push up out of the plain and the world drops away below. In between is the Karoo: vast, dry, ancient. The horizon pushes the day open. Light moves in shafts across the scrubland. Distant thunderstorms hold the edge of the sky. Animals you barely register at first turn into shapes when you slow down.
The Karoo has no exact boundary; no one agrees where it begins or ends. Our race carries some of that ambiguity. It asks more of you than the distance alone suggests.
Three distances. Two of them are races. The 180km Road to Desolation is a course of its own — a long day, full commitment, every metre earned. The 130km shares its course with the 66km but goes further, into the harder hours — a real race in its own right.
The 66km A Taste of Desolation isn’t a race. It’s a ride through the Karoo without a clock — the kind of day where you can stop, talk to the riders alongside you, and let the place do the talking. The last 7km is the same climb for everyone, race or not.
The Road to Desolation is a one-day gravel cycling race through the semi-desert of the Karoo, in South Africa.
We start in Graaff-Reinet — a small town on a bend in the Sundays River, the oldest town in the Eastern Cape — and finish at the top of the Valley of Desolation, where rocky columns push up out of the plain and the world drops away below. In between is the Karoo: vast, dry, ancient. The horizon pushes the day open. Light moves in shafts across the scrubland. Distant thunderstorms hold the edge of the sky. Animals you barely register at first turn into shapes when you slow down.
The Karoo has no exact boundary; no one agrees where it begins or ends. Our race carries some of that ambiguity. It asks more of you than the distance alone suggests.
Three distances. Two of them are races. The 180km Road to Desolation is a course of its own — a long day, full commitment, every metre earned. The 130km shares its course with the 66km but goes further, into the harder hours — a real race in its own right. The 66km A Taste of Desolation isn’t a race. It’s a ride through the Karoo without a clock — the kind of day where you can stop, talk to the riders alongside you, and let the place do the talking. The last 7km is the same climb for everyone, race or not.
“A guy that rides 700 million miles with a bicycle likes bicycle riding.” –that’s how Johan from the Odesa nursery in Graaff-Reinet sums up our race.
Routes
Choose between ROAD TO DESOLATION (180KM|130KM) & TASTE OF DESOLATION (66KM)
Finish on top of the valley!
32°25’12.2″S 24°53’44.4″W
Road to Desolation
180KM | 2773M Elevation
130KM | 2000M Elevation
The race: two ways in.
Two timed races this year. The original 180km, and a new 130km joining it for the first time.
The 180km is the race in its hardest form — the route Road to Desolation has been since the start, and the test it was always meant to be. Entry is open to anyone over 18, but it isn’t for everyone. We recommend it for riders who’ve trained for ultra-distance gravel and are ready for a long, technical day. Strict cut-offs apply. If you DNF because you weren’t prepared for the day, we charge a recovery fee — coming to find someone in the Karoo isn’t cheap, and asking the people who weren’t ready to cover that cost is the fairest way we know to keep entry open to anyone.
The 130km is new for 2026 and a real race in its own right: 2,000m of climbing, five to six hours for an averagely fit rider, the same summit finish at the Valley of Desolation. It’s the answer for riders who want a serious gravel race in the Karoo without committing to the full 180.
The race leaves Graaff-Reinet heading north-east. After a 3km neutralised roll-out, the flag drops as the riders turn right onto gravel at dawn. The road is smooth, the air is cold, and the first 40km look easier than they are — a long, gradual incline that punishes riders who go out too hard. The early attacks find the people who aren’t ready for them.
Feed zone one comes at Erasmuskloof, 41km in, with nearly 1,000m of climbing already in the legs. The selections will have been made by then, and the field will be scattered. What follows is twenty kilometres of rolling downhill — quick, loose, and unforgiving on tyres and tubes; mechanical issues here have decided more than one race. The landscape opens up. Feed zone two waits at a windmill at 78km.
A short tar section crosses the N9, then a punchy climb takes the field over Witnekpas. The descent off the other side is some of the smoothest, fastest gravel in the country — ten kilometres of it — before one last rise and a sharp drop into Nieu-Bethesda, the small town at the foot of the Sneeuberge.
Feed zone three sits in Nieu-Bethesda — a good place for family and friends to have breakfast and watch the riders come through. A short, steep climb out of the valley takes you over into the Riverdeen farm and forty kilometres of rolling terrain that is best ridden in a group. Anyone who finds themselves alone here will pay for it by the end of the day. The last feed zone comes at 154km, just before the route turns south-east onto the tar back towards Graaff-Reinet — an exposed section that has a way of putting daylight between the riders who can hold a wheel and the ones who can’t.
At 172km, a right turn puts the riders onto the road up to the Valley of Desolation. There’s a brief moment at the bottom to take in what’s coming. The road rises hard and doesn’t let up until the summit. The gradients are punishing, and the hours already in the legs make every metre tell. There’s no fast way up — only a slow, steady grind over the final test. At 175km, the view opens up: Graaff-Reinet small below you, the road you came in on tracing back into the Karoo. The summit follows shortly after.
Distance: | 180km |
|---|---|
Elevation: | 2800m |
Surface: | 85% Gravel 15% Paved |
Start Time: | 6:45AM |
Feed zones: | 78km, 107km, 154km |
Record: | 06:04:26h (Marco Joubert ’24) |
Distance: | 130km |
|---|---|
Elevation: | 2000m |
Surface: | 65% Gravel 35% Paved |
Start Time: | 7:30AM |
Refuel: | 36km, 103km |
Cut off: | 4:00PM for anyone entering the Climb to the Valley of Desolation |
TASTE OF DESOLATION
66KM | 1300M Elevation
The experience.
The 66km isn’t a race. There’s no clock, no podium, and no cut-off — just a day in the Karoo, ridden at your own pace, with whoever you want to ride with. That doesn’t make it easy: 1,200m of climbing, a section of single track, and a final climb up to the Valley of Desolation summit — the same finish the racers earn. Not the easy way to do the Karoo, but your way.
The route leaves Graaff-Reinet heading north-west. You climb out of town past the dam, and the landscape opens up into the Camdeboo National Park — game dotted across the horizon. A short section of single track takes you off the tar and gives the morning some shape early on. Six kilometres of paved road follow, leading to a left turn onto the Roodewal Loop — a private road that starts smooth and fast, then becomes a long, technical, rocky climb up to the top of Ouberg.
At the top of Ouberg you reach the only waterpoint of the day, shared with the riders racing the long route. It’s a moment with a vibe of its own: a refill, a chat, a cold beer if you’re lucky, sometimes a boogie in the veld to loosen the legs before the final stretch. From there the route turns back towards Graaff-Reinet, borrowing a section of the long course — exposed jeep track through the park, with the wind playing a part if it’s blowing. You’ll turn off before the racers do, taking your right onto the road up to the Valley of Desolation. You don’t want to do this last bit alone; wait for your maatjie and climb the Valley together.
The final climb is on tar, through the national park. It’s hard, but it’s doable — and if you have to walk a few stretches, that’s fine. The point is to get there. Climb to the top, take the Taste of Desolation, and remember to look down. The Karoo opens up below you, and the day is yours.
Distance: | 66km |
|---|---|
Elevation: | 1300m |
Surface: | 60% Gravel 40% Paved |
Start Time: | 07:30AM |
Cut Off: | 4:00PM for anyone entering the Climb to the Valley of Desolation |
Refuel: | 36km |
’24 Results
Done and dusted.
Thanks to everyone making this race a memorable day out. See the results below.
Rules
Important: Please read the rules.
§1.1 You will ride across some fragile Ecosystems and protected areas, leave nature unchanged.
§2.1 As the event uses roads open to traffic you must always know, obeserve and comply with local laws.
§2.2 Helmet and front+rear lights are mandatory.
The organisation strongly recommends you to make sure you are prepared for cold in the morning and high heat during the event.
§3.1 Just use your bike, that’s all
§4.1 This is a semi self supported event. We will have depending on the route one or four water points.
§4.2 You must bring the following documents for the accreditation: ID document and the signed official rider agreement and the following gear: helmet, rear and front lights, Race number board on the seat post, Tools and spares, Nutrition and hydration, survival blanket.
The Organisation strongly reccomends you always bring, SOS kit, food for at least 6 hours of riding, sunscreen, leg/arm warmers and gloves
§5.1 You must follow and complete the full official route. You can temporarily leave it (to find food, rest etc.) but you must return to the same point you left off to continue the ride.
§5.2 The Organisation will send you the handbook and the track files some weeks before the start. You must strongly prepare and study it.
§6.1 You will be punctual at the accreditation, the briefing and the start.
§6.2 After the official time limit you can’t expect any official service or support, but although the event ends your ride can go on… so just relax and enjoy the route.
§7.1 You must have liability, death and health insurance valid during the event, covering emergency extraction and repatriation insurance.
§7.2 Be aware that all liability rests on you. The organization won’t provide you any kind of insurance for the ride and will not held liable for any damage whatsoever that may occur directly or indirectly to you or other parties.
§8.1 This project is possible thanks to the enthusiasm and commitment of all our volunteers. Please be nice to them, they have been working hard spending their time and effort to support this ride.
§8.2 follow the crew indications, they just will do it just for your safety and the good progress of the event.
§9.1 The Organisation can impose time penalties for violations which will be decided once the event is finished. But this shouldn’t happen.
Ride Safe and nice. Let this be a fair event.
All participants must hold a current Cycling South Africa (CSA) license. Proof of this license must be presented at race registration. The ROAD TO DESOLATION is a CSA-sanctioned race.
Faq
25 September (Friday) 2pm – 7pm at Te Waterhouse in Graaff-Reinet
Desolation – 180km – The course is approximately 85% on unpaved gravel surfaces. The surface varies from hard-packed and fast to loose and rocky. There are several river and stream crossings that can be tricky. Water can be ankle high in places. The first 1/4 of the course constitutes more than 1/3 of the climbing. There are three climbs amongst the gradually rolling terrain. The last 1/3 is more downhill than uphill but finishes with a very steep tar climb to the Valley of Desolation.
Desolation – 130km – This course is approximately 65% unpaved gravel, featuring a surface that varies dramatically from fast, hard-packed sections to loose, relentless rock. Be warned: The opening climb is more severe than any single ascent on the 180km route. The final 25km is shared with the main route; otherwise, this is an entirely unique and punishing course.
Yes! There is Prize money available and we will announce the amounts soon.
Yes, team vehicles are allowed at the feed zones. You can access the route from two directions, but the first water point involves a significant gravel section with some rocky low-water bridges. Team vehicles accessing this point will need good ground clearance.
The remaining water points (second, third, and fourth) are much easier to reach, with primarily tar roads and some smooth, high-quality gravel sections.
Graaff-Reinet offers beautiful spring weather in September, characterized by low rainfall and warm afternoons averaging 23°C. However, the Karoo climate can be unpredictable. As the sun sets, the heat dissipates quickly, bringing crisp, cool evenings of around 8°C. It is a season of comfortable days and refreshing nights.
While water points are provided along the route, riders are responsible for their own nutrition and mechanical repairs. Therefore, we encourage all participants to prepare as if this were a self-supported challenge.
Please note that entry is at your own risk. However, your safety remains paramount; a medical support vehicle and ambulance will be en route for emergencies. Ensure you have saved the necessary emergency contact numbers provided via email and at registration.
Yes. The course will be marked, however it’s important to load the route onto your cycling computer if possible as we’ll be riding on remote roads.
For the 180km route, there will be three feed zones. The 130km and 66km routes will share one water point, with 130km riders visiting it twice and 66km riders visiting it once. We strongly recommend you bring your own preferred nutrition. However, please note that all water points and feed zones will be stocked with fluids, gels, and a variety of foods. Additionally, be prepared to fix your own mechanical failures on the course. We recommend carrying essential items like extra tubes, plugs, a pump, and hex keys.
For the 180KM – In keeping with the nature of an elite race, outside mechanical assistance is only permitted within the designated feed zones. These zones will provide minimal provisions, including water and soft drinks, as it is expected that elite riders will carry their own nutrition.
Reception in the Sneeuberg Mountains is sparse. However, we insist that all riders carry their cellphones and keep them on at all times. Should something happen out on course, it’s important to be able to ask a rider to call course staff at the next available spot.
Riders will finish at the summit of the valley of desolaiton where their times will be recorded. Here they can grab their warm clothes (drop off spot will be at the start),a beer, snack and cheer on the remaining riders battling the climb. We might as well enjoy sunset since we are already up here. Once riders are ready to head down, we ask them to cautiously descend back down to Graaff-Reinet (keep left, go slow and be aware of riders coming up.) Cowbells welcome.
The best way will be by car but Graaff-Reinet has a private Airport as well. The closest commercial Airport is Port Elizabeth about 2.5hrs away. Please contact us to arrange a shuttle.
If you are travelling from Joburg contact James from Icyle.co.za he is offering a shuttle from Cycle Lab 4 Ways to Graafies and back to Cycle Lab james@icycle.co.za
Graaff-Reinet, surrounded by Camdeboo National Park, is classified as a malaria-free area. It is, however, recommended that guests contact their local travel clinic for advice on the necessary precautionary measures for visits to this region.
Graaff-Reinet is a small town and unfortunately lacks a dedicated bike shop. You can find some limited spare parts at Botha’s Garage in town, but it’s best to come prepared. There are convenience stores, gas stations, and restaurants around, but be mindful of their opening hours. Most stores won’t be open before the race starts, so make sure you have everything you need beforehand.
Graaff-Reinet offers a wide range of accommodations to fit any budget, from five-star hotels to campgrounds. Everything in town is just a five-minute bike ride from the start line.
- We recommend spectating in Nieu Bethesda as well as up to the finish on top of the Valley of Desolation.
- We will offer a shuttle to the top of the valley for all-day guests on race day free of charge.
- Since we are welcome in a national park, all you will have to cover is the conservation fee on the day.
- If they don’t care about the race – The town has great opportunities for walking and running, and numerous other interesting things to do, from museums to shops and restaurants.
Still got questions? Drop us a message here
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