Dan Loubser (leading) shattered the course record and the 13-hour mark en route to a history making victory at The 36ONE MTB Challenge on Saturday, 24 May 2025. Photo by Oakpics.com.
Dan Loubser not only won the 2025 36ONE MTB Challenge on Saturday, 24 May, but also shattered the course record and the 13-hour mark in the process.
The Freewheel Cycology man’s time for the 356 kilometre course was 42 minutes and 20 seconds faster than Drikus Coetzee’s 2022 benchmark, as well as 25 minutes and 3 seconds quicker than the 13-hour goal. This ensured that he would take home a performance bonus to top up his winner’s prize purse to R36 100. Women’s winner, Yolande de Villiers, also broke the course record, knocking 10 minutes and 59 seconds off her 2021 previous best effort. Sadly, for the Oudtshoorn local, she came up 23 agonising seconds short of claiming R36 100 for breaking the 15-hour barrier.
As the fast times suggested, weather conditions were near perfect throughout the circumnavigation of the Klein Karoo. Temperatures were cool but not as cold as they have been in the early hours of the morning in recent editions, and more importantly, there was no wind to speak of. Road conditions were rough in places, leading to mountain bikes being chosen by many of the contenders to counter the rutted descents of Rooiberg Pass and the Lategansvlei Road. Five of the six podium finishers in the solo men’s and women’s categories opted to race on gravel bikes, and drop bars proved fastest.
Dan Loubser (leading) and his rivals set a blistering pace from the off and were ahead of the 13-hour splits throughout the 356 kilometre course. Photo by Oakpics.com.
“The gravel bikes were just more efficient,” Loubser reflected. “I could see how much harder Pieter [Korkie] was having to work when we rolled from descents straight onto climbs and on the flats too. Over 360 kilometres, those repeated efforts add up and avoiding them helped me stay a bit fresher.”
Loubser was still so fresh, in fact, that he was able to increase his average speed over the final 50 kilometres and finish the race emphatically. What makes this more remarkable is the speed at which the first 100 kilometres were raced. From the gun, the front group was well up on the sub-13-hour splits. Loubser was ever-present at the sharp end. He had Pieter Korkie, Erick Heyns, Bert Verlinde, Dusty Day, Alexander Henning, the defending champion Freddie Visser, and the course record holder, Coetzee, for company initially. Verlinde, Day, and Visser slipped back after 70 kilometres and formed a change group, which soon included Henning too.
Drikus Coetzee’s choice to race a mountain bike was arguably a factor in the Namibian’s inability to challenge for victory into the final 100 kilometres of the route. Photo by Oakpics.com.
Surprisingly, Coetzee could also not live with the pace being set by Loubser, Korkie, and Heyns. The trio flew through the Louvain and Volmoed checkpoints, at 102- and 174-kilometres, together while Coetzee and Visser chased 3 minutes back. Just when it looked like the Namibian had paced his efforts to perfection and started to close the gap on the lower slopes of Rooiberg Pass, Loubser attacked. This snapped the elastic to the men in fourth and fifth on the road, but also put Heyns in difficulty. Korkie dug deep to summit alongside Loubser and then took his time to refuel before starting the descent.
On a mountain bike, Korkie was confident that he would be able to catch the gravel biker on the Rooiberg Pass descent. Despite being able to do so, the 19 kilometre drag to Calitzdorp allowed Loubser to put Korkie back under pressure. In the final checkpoint, with 81 kilometres to race, Loubser had his only significant issue of the event.
Weather conditions were perfect for the 2025 edition, which aided in the production of record breaking times. Photo by Oakpics.com.
While trying to replace the light on his bike his support crew fumbled and this allowed Korkie the opportunity to gain nearly 60 seconds. Rather than let the deficit daunt him Loubser went on the offensive and rode back to the front then surged past. Within 20 kilometres he had established a 5 minute advantage and with the victory all-but secured he could focus on the 13-hour mark.
“This was a step into the unknown for me!” Loubser allowed. “My usual longest race is 245 so part of the reason for riding hard was to reduce the time on the bike as much as possible, so the ultra-guys didn’t outdo me.”
Though it was still cold at times, the Klein Karoo night did not plummet to consistently near-freezing temperatures, as it has in recent years. Photo by Oakpics.com.
“I’m really looking forward to some time off the bike now! I don’t need to ride it for a while,” he laughed on the finish line. “I’ll definitely be back. I already know a few things I’d like to change for next time; the biggest one would be a front light that works throughout!”
Loubser’s winning time was 12 hours, 34 minutes, and 57 seconds. This was 8 minutes and 54 seconds quicker than Korkie, who also broke the 13-hour mark. Heyns was third, 11 seconds over 13-hours. Coetzee, in fourth also went faster than his own previous best time.
Yolande de Villiers fell 23 agonising seconds short of breaking the 15-hour mark. Photo by Oakpics.com.
In the solo women’s race, De Villiers was peerless, despite a brave ride from Chloe Bishop on 36ONE MTB Challenge debut. The defending champion distanced her nearest rival on an early technical section, 30 kilometres into the race, and spent the next 326 kilometres chasing the record.
After nearly 15-hours on the bike De Villiers just needed a reminder to keep pushing the pedals that little bit harder. Crossing the line at 6am after a full night on the bike, she came up 23 seconds short of her goal. Nonetheless, her margin of victory was commanding, and her performance was remarkable. Her thoughts about missing out on the performance bonus, by such a slender margin, understandably included a few colourful adjectives.
Chloe Bishop raced to second on her 36ONE MTB Challenge debut. Photo by Oakpics.com.
Her time was 15 hours and 23 seconds. Bishop was 1 hour and 23 minutes behind in second. Catherine Erasmus [née Pellow-Jarman] was third.
The Half, which featured a 195 kilometre course, was won by Marco van Biljoen and Alma Colyn. Both the solo men’s and women’s champions were victorious by significant margins after powerful rides.
For more reflections from the 2025 36ONE MTB Challenge, follow @the36one on Instagram or like The 36ONE MTB Challenge Facebook page. More information on The Ultimate Race can be found at www.the36one.co.za.
Starting at 15:00 on Friday afternoon, the 36ONE MTB Challenge is unique in South African cycling. Photo by Oakpics.com.
2025 36ONE MTB Challenge Results
Challenge | Solo Men:
- Dan Loubser (12:34:57)
- Pieter Korkie (12:43:51 | +8:54)
- Erick Heyns (13:00:11 | +25:14)
Challenge | Solo Women:
- Yolande de Villiers (15:00:23)
- Chloe Bishop (16:23:42 | +1:23:19)
- Catherine Erasmus (18:26:33 | +3:26:10)
The Half | Solo Men:
- Marco van Biljoen (7:24:20)
- Alewyn Vorster (9:58:04 | +2:33:44
- Ruan Oberholster (10:00:24 | +2:36:04)
The Half | Solo Women:
- Alma Colyn (8:51:03)
- Louwra Slabbert (9:34:15 | +43:12)
The rolling roads, which make up the majority of the course, suited gravel bikes to perfection. Photo by Oakpics.com.
