14/09/2026
Event insight from rider writer David Moseley
Logistically, putting on an event like the go2sea is a puzzle wrapped inside a riddle wrapped inside a mystery wrapped inside a Nutella pancake.
In the beginning, the route needs to be mapped; this is something that needs to take riders from A to B every day, showing them some incredible sights, minimising unnecessary climbs, all while covering a fair bit of distance every day, but with the important caveat that riders finish with smiles and some enthusiasm to hit the local race village pub. In short, it needs to be something that keeps everyone happy - a near-impossible task. Yet they pull it off with aplomb.
To get the route into shape, Chief Planners Jani and Craig send out two hardy souls with heaps of mountain biking experience, gives them each a head torch and a bag of droewors, and asks them to come back to the office seven days later with a rideable route through rural Free State and KwaZulu-Natal. No problem.
Luckily for all riders here, Gary Green and Kemsley Wood - the 2025 Freedom Challenge winner - love nothing more than absconding from civilization and rooting around in the dirt for hours on end. So far, they’ve done an incredible job, taking participants on quiet Free State back roads, around KwaZulu-Natal bushveld trails and then, today, a scenic transition from bushveld to the dairy farms and pine plantations of the Midlands.
For foreign riders and South Africans alike, this is just the most incredible way to see the country. And cresting a hill with stark grassland surroundings one second and suddenly finding yourself in what feels like the middle of the English countryside is total scenery whiplash.
Getting local communities involved in the action is another key component of the event. Every water table is manned by schools, church groups, Rotarians, clubs or wildlife organisations. You end up with strangers force-feeding you toasted cheese and medium-rare rump steak on the edges of a pine plantation while a bagpiper skirls away in the background. It’s totally bonkers. And absolutely wonderful.
📷 Emma Gatland
