Who needs apples?

PLETTENBERG BAY – The good doctor (or the evil one, depending on how you see him), Leon Evans, also known as Dr Evil, has a better prescription than an apple a day – enter the 2023 Dr Evil Classic.

Now in its 11th year, the event will boast more singletrack than ever, as Plettenberg Bay continues to evolve as a mountain biking Mecca. It will however not lose its ethos as a fun race/ride where every participant goes exactly as fast or slow as they like…

"This year's race will take place from 21 to 23 September, leading into the Karoo to Coast on Sunday the 24th. The stages are relatively short, but are packed with great riding and will continue to showcase some of the best mountain biking on offer around Plettenberg Bay," promised co-founder Zandile Meneses.

The racing starts from Wittedrift High School on Thursday morning. All three the stages have been refreshed for the 2023 race, with the opening day boasting major changes. These include a new point-to-point format on Stage 1.

Stage one

"Stage 1 will remain the longest day at 58km, with the most meters of climbing," route director Erik Klootwyk noted. "But it now starts at Wittedrift High School and finishes at Cairnbrogie." The Stage 1 course begins with a climb from the village to Protea Wilds, making up a chunk of the day's 1 400 metres of climbing. Next, it snakes into the indigenous forests, fynbos and plantations of Petrus se Brand.

There, 20km of stunning jeep track awaits before riders visit the Coffee Pot. After sneaking under the N2, the race heads into Harkerville for more scenic forest riding en route to Cairnbrogie, via two of the famous MTO singletracks – for a taste of what lies ahead on Stage 3.

E-Bikes are welcome in the Dr Evil Classic and the short routes mean that battery management is not a major concern.

Stages two and three

The next two days start and finish at Cairnbrogie.

"Stage 2 will explore the best of the riding in Harkerville," Klootwyk said.

The route for the day is 52km long with 1 050m of climbing. "It begins with the Cairnbrogie Coastal Singletracks, high above on the cliffs with views of the ocean. Exiting the farm, riders will follow the coast into the Harkerville, the home of some of the most famous indigenous forest singletracks in the country. Having looped through those iconic trails, the race heads back into the MTO plantations for another teaser of what's to come, before finishing at Cairnbrogie."

After two days of teasing and sneak peeks in the first two stages, Stage 3 finally takes riders onto the MTO Garden Route Trails. "The route is 40 kilometres long, with 800 meters of climbing, and boasts exceptional, manicured singletrack," Lootwyk explained.

"These trails have been built by a small team of trail builders and were sponsored by private companies, so we are really proud to be able to show them off. The final stage will include trails like The Dummy Run and Cliff Hanger; as well as climbs like Alpe d'Joe and The Crawler."

The manicured MTO Garden Route Trails as well as the singletracks of Cairnbrogie and Harkerville await.