On 23 January 2027, a bold new marathon mountain bike event will get underway at the Paul Cluver Family Wines estate in Elgin.

The Odyssey is a one-day marathon MTB race with routes that cut through SA’s first UNESCO biosphere, the Kogelberg, so expect relentless climbing, technical descents, flowing singletrack and trails with ominous names like The Sphinx, Cyclops, Scylla, The Sirens, alongside a crack at the iconic Groenlandberg normally only reserved for Absa Cape Epic stages.

Three distinct races will be on offer, and Bicycling readers get 15% off all entry fees (see details below).

The Odyssey: 120km, 2700m
Ride it solo or as a team of two, with a 6:30am start. No e-bikes allowed. Rough terrain, smooth singletrack and off-piste climbs make this a genuine test of endurance and skill.

E Odyssey: 70km, 1800m
Something new for the local calendar: the country’s first dedicated e-bike marathon MTB race. Solo riders set off at 7:00am to tackle most of the main route on a single battery. Managing your power will matter as much as managing your legs.

Lite Odyssey: 40km, 700m
Open to all mountain bikes, e-bikes included, the Lite is the rider-friendly way to experience The Odyssey. It starts at 7:30am, offering exhilarating trails, sweeping views, and plenty of time to soak up the finish-line atmosphere.

The Route
What truly sets The Odyssey apart is where it goes. The route links famed Kogelberg trails – including sections that have never hosted a race – with fresh additions designed to thrill. Think weather-beaten tracks, old mountain passes and sublime singletracks, with Groenlandberg among the highlights. 

The Date
The Odyssey lands in late January, ahead of the Western Cape’s stage racing season, making it an ideal opportunity to put yourself or your team through one massive day of racing.

Use it to gauge your fitness, fine-tune your equipment and nutrition, sharpen your skills and see how you and your partner handle hours of hard riding together. Better to discover a flawed hydration plan in January than halfway through a multi-day race.

With the venue within an hour of Cape Town, there is no need to give up a whole weekend. Drive in, race to your limit and drive home again.

The Route
The Clüver family has cared for De Rust Estate in Elgin since 1896, and today the farm is known for cool-climate wines, apple orchards and a serious commitment to conservation. More than half of the estate is set aside for nature, with vineyards and orchards woven among fynbos, forest and wildlife habitat.

Riders will travel along vineyard roads, orchard tracks, mountain slopes and forest trails before finishing at the iconic Paul Clüver Amphitheatre, where good food, local wines and warm Elgin hospitality await.

The wider Kogelberg Biosphere covers roughly 100 000 hectares, from the mountains above Gordon’s Bay to Hermanus and inland towards Botrivier and Grabouw. Known as the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom, it is home to more than 1880 plant species, 77 of which grow nowhere else on earth.

The Odyssey supports two causes that protect this playground. The Cape Leopard Trust works to conserve leopards and their habitats while promoting coexistence between people and wildlife, and the Kogelberg Biosphere wildlife rescue centre rehabilitates injured animals, from tortoises and owls to porcupines and Blue Cranes, before releasing them back into the wild.

 

Secure your place

The Odyssey is sanctioned by Cycling South Africa, and entries are open now via EntryNinja. Early bird pricing is currently available.
Bicycling readers get a further 15% off entries. Use the code ‘Bicycling15’ when entering.

• The Odyssey (120km): R1500 solo, or R2700 for a team of two 
• E Odyssey (70km): R1000
• Lite Odyssey (40km): R350

Entries close on 14 January 2027 or when the event sells out, so enter early to secure your spot at the best price.

Your challenge awaits. Visit their website HERE for full event details, or head straight to EntryNinja to enter HERE 

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