Road Safety Blog

Biking is blissful in the bush

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To connect with nature, or enjoy a fully realised city break, it’s best to do it on the back of a bike.

South Africa is blessed with some of the finest mountain bike stage races in the world.

What makes them unique is the same thing that makes South Africa unique – the wide diversity of our country.

From lush, green farmlands to wine farms and vineyards, to rocky outcrops and blue sky Karoo, every race you do in South Africa could easily be taking place in another country.

Another welcoming aspect of local MTB events is that each appears to be run by a small team that is truly passionate about the ride, the route and what the riders want.

One such event is the Grindrod Bank Berg & Bush, which takes place every October just outside the small farming town of Winterton. This year the Descent and 2 Day is already sold out. With a few spots left on the new Great Midweek

For many mountain bikers, the Berg & Bush is or has been a bucket list event, and for good reason. For over a decade, city slickers have been making the great trek to the event to enjoy a weekend of bushveld bliss. And this is what makes the Berg & bush a special ride.

A trip to Emseni, the event’s base camp, just 10 minutes from Winterton, is the start of a three day holiday that dirties the bike but cleans the mind.

First, though, you must decide your plan of attack. There are three options open to you, the Descent, the great Midweek and the original 2 Day.

The Descent starts at Windmill Farm on Sterkfontein Dam. Here, your first day of riding is the 94km ride to Em’seni. The Great Midweek, on the other hand, starts and finishes each day at Emseni – as does the 2 Day.

Sights and sounds of Berg & Bush

While the riding is undoubtedly the main reason for entering Berg & Bush – the trails are a combination of berms, bushveld paths, cattle paths, thrilling descents and sweeping singletrack – it’s the overall package that makes Berg & Bush one of a kind.

Sights – the scenery

Spioenkop mountain, the Tugela River, gentle giraffe, Spioenkop Dam, Drakensberg backdrops, thorny bushveld, green cattle farms – all of this makes Berg & Bush a uniquely picturesque pedal. It’s one reason why the ride times are so slow at this event because people stop so often to take photos of their surroundings.

Sounds – the laughter

You’ve never heard so many whoops of delight and excited laughs as you have when riding downhill at the Berg & Bush – particularly the grin-inducing Longdrop Pass. This is a ride that makes you smile, on the bike and afterwards when you’re recalling the highlights of your daily ride.

Sights – the relaxed riders

The cosy race village at Em;seni is more comfortable and inviting than your own living room. Honestly. With bean bags scattered beneath leafy trees on the banks of the river, you’re practically invited to nod off after your day on the trails. A fully-stocked snack bar with tea and coffee, rusks, biscuits and other baked goods puts your own kitchen to shame. No wonder, then, that riders are totally relaxed at the inviting “home” of the Berg & Bush.

Sounds – the hum of celebration

Glasses clink, people cheer and conversations babble away excitedly like the fast-flowing Tugela river that acts as the race village’s border on one side. This is the contented hum of mountain bikers who have returned to familiar territory or experienced the thrill of the Berg & Bush for the first time. With the local birdlife peacefully chirping away and a soft breeze whistling through the campsite, the only intrusion comes from riders who are too relaxed – the unashamed snorers of the event, who are so comfortable in their chill lounge surroundings that they gently nod off mid-conversation.

If you need to relax, unwind and reconnect to nature, you could probably find a spa that offers a similar package. But hands down the most refreshed you’ll ever feel is after riding through truly iconic South African landscapes and wandering around a bush camp without a care in the world for three days.

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