The 2026 Trans Baviaans followed the alternative Langs Baviaans course, along the north-eastern slopes of the Baviaanskloof Mountains, on Saturday 8 August. With the Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve closed due to flood damage, the 2011 route was revisited for just the second time in the race’s 22-edition history. Still measuring 230 kilometres in length, but with 100 metres less accumulated elevation gain, the Langs Baviaans may have seemed easier on paper, but it was widely declared far more difficult by the 2026 finishers.
The fastest of those were Matthew and Raymond van Niekerk. The Van Bros kept their heads when others took a wrong turn and stole a march on their rivals during a pivotal 30-kilometre stretch between Checkpoints 2 and 3. The women’s race winners, Roxanne Kemp and Rethe Mostert, led early before enduring a dark spell in the middle of the race. It was only in the final 15 kilometres that the Saffari Essence Titan Racing combination surged past Team Gutsy to reclaim the lead and seize victory. Newlyweds Chloe Bishop and Dean Hopf won the Mixed Category competition and finished a very impressive fifth overall in the process.
Retha Mostert (left) and Roxanne Kemp (right) surged from second in the closing kilometres to win the 2026 Trans Baviaans. Photo by Peter Kirk.
Where the traditional Trans Baviaans route climbs for the first 30 kilometres, to the “Roof” before descending Nuwekloofpas into the kloof itself, the Langs Baviaans course turned left to follow the foothills of the mountains. This meant less climbing in the first hour of the race, but a few short but steep ascents over the next 100 kilometres. From Checkpoint 2 to 3 the road undulated with increasingly large hills, then descended sharply towards the Grootrivier Crossing at the 144-kilometre mark. 17 brutal kilometres of climbing followed, on the Father of All Climbs to Checkpoint 4. Another steep descent took the teams back into familiar territory and the infamous Neverender, which grinds to within sight of Jeffreys Bay. A final Checkpoint, a handful more climbs, and 230 kilometres after departing Willowmore, the race concluded at Mentors Country Estate, in Jeffreys Bay.
In the opening kilometres, a powerful group of five teams established themselves as the day’s favourites. 2021 champions, Erick Heyns and Wayne van der Walt, were joined in that group by Matthew and Raymond van Niekerk, Jurgens Jacobs and Aaon Budke, Jean-Pierre du Plessis and Victor Olckers, as well as Willem Visagie and Jacobus Marais. “The first hour and a bit was a bit negative, with teams looking at each other and nobody really wanting to take it up,” Van der Walt later explained.
Jean-Pierre du Plessis (leading), of the Stellenboschs Slowest team, was among the group of five teams who established an early lead, along with the #HaveFun, AB&J, and ASAP Cycling squads. Photo by Peter Kirk.
The lack of full gas intensity helped Du Plessis and Olckers get back to the lead group after Du Plessis punctured, 42 kilometres in. 58 kilometres later, leaving Checkpoint 2, confusion caused the five leading teams to turn around, join up with the second group on the road and head back into the checkpoint. Some teams then forged on, following a parallel dual track while others turned around again to follow the correct gravel road. It was during this to and fro that the Van Niekerks kept their heads.
“It’s all down to Raymond,” Matthew van Niekerk praised. “We turned around with the group, went back to the checkpoint, then followed the group down the jeep track for a bit. Raymond quickly realised it couldn’t be right and told me we needed to turn around.”
By the time the Van Bros corrected their mistake, they were second on the road, behind Christopher Graham and Gerhard Botha. Graham and Botha would hold that lead for 20 kilometres, but could not keep the Van Niekerks at bay. Once the Van Bros hit the front, there was no stopping them.
Raymond (leading) and Matthew van Niekerk defended their lead on the Father of All Climbs with a strong ascent on the 17-kilometre-long climb. Photo by Ivana Germishuis.
The pair held a 3-minute advantage over Du Plessis and Olckers at Checkpoint 3, after 133 kilometres, and had a 7-minute buffer to Jacobs and Budke. Try as they may, Du Plessis and Olckers could not close the gap to the Van Bros on the descent to the Grootrivier and on the first 5 kilometres of the 17-kilometre-long Father of All Climbs out of the Grootrivier Poort. A second puncture put pay to Du Plessis and Olckers’ chase on the ascent.
“We don’t have any plugs left,” Olckers sighed as he helped Du Plessis put a tube into the latter’s rear tyre. The pair never managed to get the tube to hold air effectively as thorns and rocks punctured their final hope, and they were forced to withdraw after walking the remainder of the climb to Checkpoint 4.
At the front, the Van Niekerks climbed powerfully, adding another 5 minutes to their advantage over Jacobs and Budke, who had inherited second from Du Plessis and Olckers. By Checkpoint 4 the Van Bros held a 12-minute lead, and victory was all but assured. They ground their way home over the final 70 kilometres.
Victor Olckers and Jean-Pierre du Plessis (behind) had to get creative to make it to an exit point after their second puncture of the day. Photo by Jeandré van Zyl.
“We weren’t sure we’d be here this weekend,” Raymond van Niekerk confessed. “This man [Matthew van Niekerk] had twins on the 1st of August, and his wife is still in hospital with them.” “I must say a massive thanks to my wife for giving me the go-ahead to race Trans Baviaans,” Matthew van Niekerk added. “It’s been an emotional ride!”
The Van Bros’ winning time was 9 hours, 26 minutes, and 7 seconds. Jacobs and Budke came home exactly 12 minutes later, sealing second, while Heyns and Van der Walt completed the podium places in third, nearly 23 minutes down. Times were slower than expected, due largely to the Father of All Climbs. “That was way, way harder than MAC!” Van der Walt emphasised. “It’s probably the toughest climb I’ve ever ridden. It was unrideable in paces. Steep with loose rocks and mud…”
One of the few riders who did not struggle on the Father of All Climbs was Chloe Bishop. Die Bishopfs started the climb well behind the leading Mixed Category Team of Rohan Kennedy, Mellusca Toovey, and Tim Toovey, but Bishop thrived on the steepest sections. “Chloe [Bishop] killed me on that climb,” Dean Hopf puffed. “She was so fast up there!”
The Father of All Climbs will certainly live long in the memories of the riders who conquered it in 2026. Photo by Jeandré van Zyl.
By the summit, Bishop and Hopf led the mixed competition, and they would gain more places on the run to Jeffreys Bay to take fifth overall too. Their nearest rivals, Fish n Snow’s Michael and Jill Pruett, finished 33 minutes down. Capucine Wiroth and Charles Koster rounded out the podium places after Tim Toovey’s withdrawal dropped the GU Energy SA/Electrical Pro squad out of the running.
In the women’s race, a fast start by Roxanne Kemp and Rethe Mostert put them ahead of the chasers, Team Gutsy, Awesome Foursome, and Grl Gngggg. It was looking good for the Safari Essence Titan Racing duo until Kemp started to struggle. “I was sick for the last couple of weeks and only got back on the bike on Wednesday after suffering through last weekend’s Trailseeker,” Kemp recalled. “I didn’t feel great today, generally, but in the middle part of the race I was really suffering. Eventually, in the last 15 kilometres I found my legs again, and we caught Estie and Rozaan [Bekker] right here near the finish.”
Roxanne Kemp (left) and Retha Mostert (right) endured a difficult middle spell after a strong start, before finishing strong to pass Team Gutsy in the closing kilometres. Photo by Ivana Germishuis.
Estie and Rozaan Bekker had ridden an almost perfectly paced race. While their more fancied rivals surged and then faded, Team Gutsy kept a steady pace. If it were not for Kemp’s late charge, that would have been enough. As it was, they had to settle for second, 3 minutes and 48 seconds off the winning time of 10 hours, 51 minutes, and 39 seconds. Theresa Ralph’s Awesome Foursome completed the podium places.
“A four-rider team is way harder to manage,” Ralph noted. “There are just more bonks and more flat spells amongst four riders than two. I think we all had our moments today, but we had fun too. This route is much harder than the traditional route, though. The climbing is all in the last 90 kilometres.”
Beyond the category winners, the war stories from the Langs Baviaans will live on long in the memories of every rider who took on the 2026 edition. Type 2 fun has a way of standing out, like the Father of All Climbs loomed large on the route profile.
Photo by Jeandré van Zyl.
The next opportunity to forge Trans Baviaans memories will be on the 14th of August 2027 when the race celebrates its 23rd anniversary. Entries open on the 1st of September 2026. In the meantime, riders and those who missed out this year alike can take in the highlights of the 22nd edition by following @transbaviaans on Instagram or by liking the Trans Baviaans 24HR MTB Race Facebook page.
2026 Trans Baviaans Results
Overall Teams:
- Van Bros: Matthew and Raymond van Niekerk (9:26:07)
- AB&J: Jurgens Jacobs & Aaon Budke (9:38:07 | + 12:00)
- #HaveFun: Erick Heyns & Wayne van der Walt (9:49:04 | +22:53)
- Bert Fast, Derek Furious: Derek Venter & Bert Verlinde (9:55:51 | +29:44)
- Die Bishopfs: Chloe Bishop & Dean Hopf (10:14:01 | +47:54)
2026 Trans Baviaans Men’s Podium. Photo by Ivana Germishuis.
Women’s Teams:
- Safari Essence Titan Racing: Retha Mostert & Roxanne Kemp (10:51:39)
- Team Gutsy: Estie & Rozaan Bekker (10:55:27 | +3:48)
- Awesome Foursome: Nicolle Weir, Theresa Ralph, Jenny Rönngren, & Janine Muller (11:31:37 | +19:58)
- Grl Gngggg: Sarah Maré, Stacey Paul, Ricci-Lee Brookstone, & Sasha Basson (13:09:44 | +2:18:05)
- Terrible Twins: Lecinda Coetzee & Elda van Dijik (13:26:52 | +2:35:13)
2026 Trans Baviaans Women’s Podium. Photo by Ivana Germishuis.
Mixed Teams:
- Die Bishopfs: Chloe Bishop & Dean Hopf (10:14:01)
- Fish n Snow: Michael & Jill Pruett (10:47:23 | +33:22)
- Team DT: Capucine Wiroth & Charles Koster (11:03:02 | +49:01)
For the full results from the 2026 Trans Baviaans, click here. For more information, visit www.transbaviaans.co.za.
