GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - George cyclist Cronjé Beukes of Specialized George Coimbra claimed victory in the 2026 Karoo to Coast mountain bike race earlier today, Sunday 27 September, in challenging wet, muddy and windy conditions.
Beukes completed the route from Uniondale to Knysna in 2:52:17, finishing just under three minutes ahead of Johan van Zyl of Insect Science, who crossed the line in 2:55:02. Vickus Boshoff of Coimbra Cycles finished third in 3:20:38.
In the women’s category, Chloé Hopf of Hollard Racing took the win in 3:43:53.
Claire Malik finished second in 4:09:17, followed by Zanlie van Zyl in 4:28:02.
The first batch of cyclists left Uniondale at 07:30 on Sunday morning to tackle the 89.28km mountainous backroads towards Knysna.
The 2026 event marks the 25th edition of the Karoo to Coast, which takes riders through challenging terrain between the two towns.
The Lions Karoo to Coast is an off-road cycling challenge from Uniondale to Knysna, traditionally covering about 100km via the iconic Prince Alfred’s Pass. It attracts mountain-bike, gravel and e-bike riders and is one of the Garden Route’s major cycling events.
For this edition, the route was changed because severe flooding earlier in the year damaged the traditional Wapad section. Riders instead travelled through Die Poort, before rejoining the traditional route at Avontuur. They then continued over Prince Alfred’s Pass and through Kom se Pad before finishing at Knysna High School.
The event is owned by the Lions Clubs of Uniondale and Knysna, with proceeds supporting community initiatives, including SightFirst and the South African Guide-Dogs Association. The 2026 event was also a CSA-sanctioned event.
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