Gravel racing has grown and matured in recent years, stand alone events and series have gained popularity, and now the time has come for a truly world-class gravel stage race. The Garden Route Giro promises to be that and more. A six-day stage race through the stunning Southern Cape region, featuring ascents of some of South Africa’s most iconic gravel passes, and Dryland Event Management’s famous hospitality.
The inagural edition will take place in Summer 2026, with entries opening in Summer 2025. “We have been planning and working behind the scenes for two years now, waiting for the right opportunity to launch this event,” Henco Rademeyer of Dryland Event Management said. “We have a lot of experience hosting mountain bike stage races and will be bringing that expertise to gravel, then mixing it with some of the most exciting elements of road racing. The Garden Route Giro will feature special jerseys for not only the race’s general classification leaders, but will also reward the best climbers and sprinters, as well as the top age category contenders.”
In the inagural edition the race will start in the Garden Route capital: George. From there it will traverse the coastal plains to Riversdale, conquer the Langeberg mountains to Calitzdorp and take on the famous Swartberg Pass to Prince Albert. A second successive showdown over the Swartberg sets the race up for a challening Queen Stage from De Rust to Knysna, before a rolling final stage concludes preceedings in George. In total the six-day event will feature a roughly 700 kilometre long route.
“The routes will mix asphalt and gravel, with roughly 25% of the first edition taking place on tarmac,” Rademeyer explained. “The key climbs will all be on gravel though! We are very fortunate in the Garden Route, Hessequa and Klein Karoo to have excellent municipalities which take great pride in maintaining their gravel roads. Anyone who has ridden our Prince George 100 Miler will know, the gravel here is incredible.”
Along with the great gravel riding the event is set to feature hospitality like only rural South Africa can produce. Dryland are famous for their water points, which with the aid of Biogen Sports Nutrition, will certainly be the case at the Garden Route Giro too. Entrants will also have a variety of entry options. “Riders will be able to top up their standard entry – which includes six days of riding, official race apparel, support on course, medical services, lunches after each stage and VIP after-party access – with a variety of optional extras,” Rademeyer stated. “Riders who take up the standard entry option will be able to source their own accommodation and meals in the race towns, but we will also be setting up a race village and providing breakfasts for riders who book a camping upgrade. Luxury upgrades will include bed and breakfast or hotel accommodation packages, a driver/sports massage therapist to support a group of riders throughout the race, and all-inclusive packages which cater for everything from arrival at George Airport to departure.” Auxilary services – like mechanics in the race village and sports massage treatments – can also be booked through the event website upon securing an entry.
“Dryland and our partners are really excited to offer South African and international gravel racers a superb experience,” Rademeyer promised. “It will not only show off a beautiful region of our country but also create a route that’s challenging enough to provide exciting racing for the elites while being achievable with some serious training for the amateurs.
Creating the Garden Route Giro has taken us back, in many ways, to the early days of mountain bike stage racing; but with the benefit of 20 years of experience. We’re confident that the first edition will already be a cracker.”
To stay updated with news from the Garden Route Giro visit www.gardenroutegiro.co.za and sign up for the newsletter.
