Press Release: Shorter. Tougher. And More Exhilarating. Pioneering MTB Stage Race Rebirth

The Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, will continue to showcase the best riding in the Garden Route and Klein Karoo following the trails of the pioneers, across the coastal plains and through the mountains. Photo by Oakpics.com.

The Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer Trek, presented by Biogen, celebrated its fifteenth anniversary in 2023. Over the decade and a half, the seven-day stage race took riders through the Klein Karoo and across the Garden Route. It traversed high mountains and fertile plains, challenging and rewarding by turns. It grew with the sport of mountain biking, maturing with 29ers into a mainstay of the South African cycling calendar.

Yet one of the only constants in life is change. And 2024 is the year for change. For rebirth and reimagination. For regrowth and renewal. As such the race will become the Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen. A five-day, UCI S1, stage race; complete with longer and more challenging stages, but maintaining the same “race with soul” ethos which made the original Pioneer famous.

Singletracks through deep indigenous forests begin the 2024 edition. Photo by Oakpics.com.

“It was always our intention to pay homage to the pioneers of old, who trekked the ancient game paths along the coastal plains and through the mountains into the Klein Karoo,” Henco Rademeyer of Dryland Event Management explained. “They were not only the founders of our home town of Oudtshoorn, but also the spiritual guides of the pioneering spirit upon which the race was founded. Our desire was to share the landscapes with as many people as possible, to immerse them deeply in nature, so that they too can share in this unique countryside and develop a love for it.”

“We initially envisioned a race from Heidelberg, in the west, to Louvain, in the east, following the historic pioneer wagon trails. The dual desire to include geological and man-made features, like the Swartberg and Kammanassie Mountains as well as the Montagu Pass meant we soon diverted from a pure point-to-point layout,” Rademeyer continued. “We thus added an exploration element, as the pioneers would have done themselves, to allow for the taking in of specific sights and challenges.”

“After fifteen years of developing the race’s route, we felt it was time for a change. An evolution and a refresh,” Rademeyer noted. “The 2024 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, will be a five-day event. It will maintain its UCI S1 grading, which means that elite riders will earn UCI marathon and stage race points by taking part, and it will continue to be built around the Race with Soul ethos which made the first Pioneer famous.”

Stage 3 will take riders into some of the most remote reaches of the Western Cape Province. Photo by Oakpics.com.

The race will be more than a celebration of the best mountain biking in the region. It will showcase the Klein Karoo hospitality, share the love of the landscape which the founders hold dear, and treat every participant like the VIP they are. Each individual is sure to emerge emotionally revitalised from the experience, even if they are physically tired after the challenging riding the punchier route serves up. 

The 2024 event will take in 380 kilometres of racing with 8 950 metres of climbing. “Starting in George, from Glenwood House School, on the 1st of October the race will begin with a forest and fynbos packed singletrack day in the Jonkersberg Reserve within the greater Outeniqua Mountain Range. It is a tough introduction to the race, with a route that seems easier on paper than it is in reality,” Rademeyer warned. “Stage 2 will take riders over the Outeniqua, via a new and thrilling route which approaches Louvain from the south rather than the west. Stage 3 traverses the foothills of the Kammanassie to Oudtshoorn, through a beautifully wide series of farms and private nature reserves. The Queen Stage then boasts the signature mountain-top finish, with Swartberg Pass providing the decisive test of the day. The grand finale races through the rocky but magnificent Chandelier Game Reserve, where wildlife close encounters are virtually guaranteed, before finishing in luxury at the Queens Hotel in the heart of Oudtshoorn.” 

South African mountain biking’s only summit finish, atop the Swartberg Pass, awaits on the Queen Stage. Photo by Oakpics.com.

The Race with Soul ethos will further be amplified by a finishers’ celebration with a gala dinner on Saturday evening, after the final stage. Prize giving and a final taste of the warm Klein Karoo hospitality as well as the hearty regional cuisine will kick off an evening of revelry. Riders can expect to dance nearly as hard as they rode as the night hots up for an afterparty like the Cape Pioneer used to throw in 2009…

Entries to the 2024 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen, opened on 4 December 2023 with a special offer on a limited number of entries for the month of December, commemorating the rediscovery of the #RaceWithSoul. 

The race wraps up with a finish-line in the heart of Oudtshoorn, in front of the Queens Hotel. Photo by Oakpics.com.

Dryland have expanded their entry package offerings, with solo riders and two person teams being able to choose between ride only, standard tented accommodation, and luxury tented accommodation, as well as formal accommodation packages in two tiers, namely gold and platinum.

To find out more and to secure your spot in 2024 visit www.capepioneer.co.za.

Riders can expect challenging yet rewarding riding throughout the 2024 Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer, presented by Biogen. Photo by Oakpics.com.