The Trans Baviaans is one of the pioneer events in its class, which started out as “The Longest Single Stage Race In The World”, this got contested a few years ago and then was dubbed “The Toughest Single Stage Race In The World”, this has not been contested yet and will remain a topic of many more quarrels of the South African mountain bikers. Last year saw the the slogan being updated to; “Where Team Spirit Gets A Whole New Meaning”. The Trans Baviaans is one of the few races that will not allow solo entries due to the challenging nature of the race and allows team sizes up to 4 members in a team. This sets the stage for a challenge where it all comes down to teamwork and sharing the experience with your partners.
The correct training is a critical technique for the whole team to master in preparation for the 230km route through the biggest wilderness area in South Africa. Training and all the other aspects of the unique event has been covered in various ways in the past, but 2016 saw the first series of Trans Talks; a roadshow initiative from EcoBound where they go around the country to the major city centres to share tips and explain important aspects of the event to riders. This has been very well received and experienced riders, total rookies and guys who are still only thinking about the event come to these evenings and share their insights and ask their questions.
In 2017 the Trans Talks will have a more professional look at training with the assistance of Polar.
“Polar is proud to join EcoBound in the Trans Talks for 2017. We enthusiastically support initiatives aimed at increasing riders’ knowledge about training, empowering them to prepare better for events such as the iconic Trans Baviaans. In this day and age training guidelines and technology can be a bit overwhelming and possibly confusing. We hope to simplify things so that riders can train for an enjoyable and successful event.” said Harald Zumpt from Polar SA
“EcoBound is looking forward to increasing the level of knowledge of our riders and ultimately having better prepared cyclist on the start line of the Trans Baviaans 24hr MTB Marathon” said Wikus van der Walt from EcoBound.
The 2017 Trans Talk Schedule has been published as follows:
| Date | City | Venue |
| 2 Feb 2017 | Port Elizabeth | Bike & Brew |
| 3 Feb 2017 | East London | East London Cycles |
| 7 Feb 2017 | Pietermaritzburg | Greg Minnaar Cycles |
| 8 Feb 2017 | Durban | |
| 15 Feb 2017 | Centurion | The Bicycle Company |
| 16 Feb 2017 | Klerksdorp | Tailwind Cycles |
| 22 Feb 2017 | Bloemfontein | Cycle World |
| 7 March 2017 | Stellenbosch | Extreme Lights |
| 9 March 2017 | Cape Town | |
| 15 March 2017 | Knysna | Knysna Cycle Works |
| 16 March 2017 | George | Coimbra Cycle House |
If you have not yet booked your spot at one of these evenings please email carmen@ecobound.co.za as seats are filling up fast at the moment.
| Fast Facts: Trans Baviaans 2017 | |
| Dates: | The Race: 12 August 2017 | The Repeat: 19 August |
| Entries | Both events are sold out but there is a waiting list |
| Distance: | 227km |
| Altitude Gain: | 2 843m |
| Website: | www.transbaviaans.co.za |
| Facebook: | Trans Baviaans |
| Twitter: | @EcoBoundMTB |
| Instagram: | @transbaviaans |
