The Mossel Bay Bike Leg: 90 km on Paper, ~1,020 m of Climbing and Wind That Picks Your Wheels for You

What's actually waiting for you

The bike leg is a single out-and-back loop: you leave Mossel Bay on the Louis Fourie R102, continue on the dual-carriageway N2 and turn onto the single-carriageway R327, before heading back on the same route. The official course page measures it at 87.4 km, not a round 90. On elevation, the sources disagree: the official text says around 1,020 m, but other measurements range from 987 to 1,283 m. Use 1,000-1,100 m as your working number. High point 338 m, steepest section around 9.1%.

It's not a technical leg: no specialist descents, no walls. It's a management leg. Long, rideable climbs, an exposed plateau, and a return trip that depends almost entirely on the wind.

The wind is the real opponent

The organizers say it in black and white in the athlete guide: a disc wheel can become hard to handle depending on wind direction and strength. Several race reports mention significant ocean wind, in some cases a headwind for long stretches. That's not a detail: over 87 exposed kilometers, a crosswind with a disc can cost you nervous and muscular energy you'll pay for over the three laps of the run.

What to do: bring two wheelsets if you can — mid-depth (40-60 mm) as your default option, disc only if the 48-hour forecast is clearly favorable. Decide after the briefing, not before leaving home. If you only have one set, mid-depth is the choice that won't let you down.

Gearing and pacing

With ~1,000 m of climbing and gradients up to 9%, the right gearing matters more than bike weight. A compact (50/34) with an 11-30 or 11-32 cassette is the sensible setup for most age groupers. If you're running 53/39 with an 11-25, change something.

On pacing there's one rule: keep margin in the first 45 km. The outbound leg contains most of the climbing, and the temptation to push on the ramps is strong, especially with groups forming on the dual carriageway. Burn watts on the climbs here and you pay twice: on the return if the wind turns, and on the hilly half marathon that follows. For an average athlete, staying under 75-78% of FTP on the long climbs is a good constraint; use the three aid stations (~22.4 / 44 / 60 km) as checkpoints to drink and check your numbers.

Cutoffs: do the math beforehand

The bike cutoff is at 5h30 of total race time, but watch the intermediate cutoffs: Uitkyk at km 43.8 by 10:50 and Reed Valley at km 73 by 12:15 (2024 edition data, check the 2026 guide). If you're a back-of-pack finisher, these times also depend on your start time in the rolling start: calculate your splits using a cautious swim and slow transitions, not the optimistic scenario.

The test to do in training

Simulate the profile: an 85-90 km ride with 1,000 m of climbing spread over rideable climbs, followed by a 20-30 minute run on rolling terrain. Do it at least twice in the last two months, once in wind. If you blow up on the rolling finish of your simulated run, the problem isn't the run: it's how you rode. Better to find out in training than on lap two of the half marathon.

Decision to take home

Three calls to lock in before race day: gearing (compact or wide cassette), wheels (mid-depth by default, disc only with favorable weather after the briefing), a watt ceiling for the outbound climbs. Write them down and stick to them: on this course, the fast bike is the one that lets you run.