KAP sani2c nonstop 2026 – built for those who don’t stop

 

“It's hard to sum up an experience like this. For most people, just finishing sani2c is a feat. So to do it all in one day is a challenge with so many exciting moments. To ride that proper single track at night, with your light only metres in front to guide you, and the view of other lights ahead of you, is mesmerizing, and unique in all the best possible ways.” - Jess Wilkinson

 

The KAP sani2c nonstop sits in a category of its own. This is not a stage race broken neatly into days, nor a standard endurance event on long gravel roads. It is a single, relentless push from the foothills of Sani Pass in Underberg to the Indian Ocean at Scottburgh, on largely mountain bike trails that will test stamina, strategy and resolve.

 

The 2026 event takes place from 29-31 May, covering over 250 km of demanding terrain. The nonstop follows much of the iconic KAP sani2c route, normally spread across three days, compressed into one continuous effort. Riders start at Glencairn Farm at 2am and ride deep into the night, navigating flowing singletrack, farm roads and technical descents by torchlight. Supported only by their crew and their ability to keep moving forward, teams have 24 hours to reach the finish on Scottburgh beach.

 

Teams must meet up, grab the team selfie, refuel, and be on their way again

 

Crews meet riders at designated access points to complete the team selfie requirement, resupply food and fluids, assist with clothing changes, and get riders moving again. Unsupported teams may also compete.

 

The race invites a particular kind of rider: those drawn to endurance not as a novelty, but as a personal proving ground. Success here depends as much on mental discipline and teamwork as it does on physical conditioning. The nonstop is not about racing the clock alone -  it is about managing yourself, your team and the night, on one of South Africa’s most storied mountain bike routes.

 

Jess and Isaac Wilkinson are a formidable mixed racing team who take part in both Gravel and MTB races in SA and worldwide. Jess had previously done sani2c with her father so was looking forward to sharing the trails with her fiance, now husband. But at Glencairn Farm ahead of the start, Jess was unwell and was worried she’d have to pull out. She decided to start and see how it went, and she managed to get into the flow for a very solid ride. 

 

She says: “To ride the Umko drop at sunrise is just amazing - something you just can't experience anywhere else. You just HAVE to experience this. This is not a gravel race - it's a MTB experience through some of the best trails and landscapes in South Africa. You ride from the mountains to the ocean - in one day.”

 

The Umko Drop, knowing it's just you and your mates on this incredible descent

 

A team effort - the supporters’ role

 

Jess and Isaac made it a family affair with Jess’s mother Tracy as the support driver, along with Tracy’s friend Fiona, who was chief navigator.  “They were amazing, and a crucial part of our experience. They greeted us at every stop with warm coffee, snacks and smiles, and they lifted our spirits every time. For them it was just as much of a race as it was for us - they needed to meet us at each check point and it was exciting to know they'd be waiting there for us.” 

 

She explains the supporter role clearly: “There is no other race that gives you this same experience, other than the Dusi maybe. Our supporters have as much influence and input in our training and riding as we do - and to give them the opportunity to feel a part of the race is so exciting. This is an amazing way to include more people in the sport and cycling community.”

 

Choose your support team wisely: sandwich skills, navigation and good vibes required

 

sani2c founder ‘Farmer Glen’ Haw developed the nonstop experience exactly as Jess describes: “Our family has always done Dusi where the seconders are so important in the whole event - I wanted that for nonstop, for family or friends to have a team experience of getting from Underberg to Scottburgh as a unified group. I am so encouraged that the riders love it,” he says. 

 

While support drivers bring the vibes and the snacks, the sani2c race villages of Mackenzie Club and Jolivet Farm, usually day one and two stopovers respectively in the three-day sani2c, are very well stocked with hot food and other provisions to get you replenished, before you hit the road again. Unsupported teams access their black boxes at the race village stops to get their supplies. 

 

Jess says: “A standout stop was Mckenzie Club, it was so nice to arrive to hot food and coffee; a real treat. As with any Glencairn event the hosting is so well considered and they really have the best interests of the riders at heart. Food was abundant, and the perfect drinks were served at the right time.”

 

Every year gets faster 

 

The 2024 winning team of Owen Gandar, Andrew Houston and Damon Duncan Stamp (with support driver Cass Stamp) finished in a then-record time of 12:12:23, just 6 seconds faster than the 2023 winners. In 2025, Travis Stedman and Warren Moolman, Team Toyota Specialized Melon Mobile, covered the 256.9kms in 11 hours, 25 Minutes and fourteen seconds, taking 47 minutes and 9 seconds off the previous fastest time. Some serious racing teams are taking an interest in the sani2c nonstop and while sub-11 hours may seem impossible, the competition may just be fierce enough for it to happen.

 

‘Don’t be scared’

 

Ryan Brooke has done the KAP sani2c Adventure five times, with colleagues and customers from Unitrans, a KAP company. He suggested to Unitrans that they field a team for nonstop and Ryan enthusiastically put together a team when they agreed. He says: “People mustn't be scared of tackling the nonstop, thinking that hitting 250+ kms  in one day is too much. It actually is not that bad - the first part when you are riding at night goes so quickly that you don't realize you've already done day 1 of the sani2c. As long as you've done good training and time in the saddle. Your enemy is your backside on that saddle”, he laughs. 

 

“I encourage anybody that is wanting to challenge themselves to do this. It's worth every minute on the bike, and there's nothing better than being on a bike with your mates for 14 to 20 hours.” 

 

It is ‘properly cold’ at the start, and for the first few hours of riding

 

After a cold 2 am start, wearing three layers of kit, Ryan says the magic started when they turned off into the forest: “It was about half past two in the morning, it was cold and the ground was all frosted. As we were riding, all the ice below our wheels was cracking - such an amazing sound. That forest section riding in the dark was absolutely mind-blowing, with our lights on the front. It was such a unique experience going through those forests at night, and then arriving at Mackenzie Club as the sun started to come up, for coffee and an egg and bacon roll. As usual, that drop through Umko was breathtaking, and it was wonderful not having as many riders as you do during the Adventure - we flew down the Umko, with the freedom to just cruise down.” 

 

Meeting their support driver at the bottom of the Umko Valley, Ryan says they took off some of the layers as temperatures rose in order to tackle the climb out of the valley. The Unitrans Iconic Climb is not included on the nonstop route - the support driver accompanies their team up a 20 km jeep track climb, and this is where moral support, and perhaps some tunes from the support vehicle, can come in handy. 

 

Teamwork means having a support vehicle cheerlead you up the climb

 

“I loved running along the sand into the finish, with Farmer Glen waiting for us to give us a big hug at the end, and then we spent the night at the hotel, which I highly recommended - some of the guys packed up and left, but I think staying at that hotel was a great idea.”

 

The best feeling ever is the sand underfoot on Scottburgh beach, knowing you have arrived

 

John Kettlewell, Ryan’s teammate, said it was the hardest thing he's done in his life, but the most rewarding challenge he's had too. “He suffered plenty on that ride, and we all carried each other along the way. I think each one of us had moments where we were bleeding and had to rely on our partners to pull us along. That is what makes it a special ride,” says Ryan. 

 

Join the KAP sani2c nonstop team on the start line at Glencairn Farm: registration and dinner at Glencairn Farm on 29 May, then hopefully get some sleep before the 2am start on 30 May. Cut-off is 2am on 31 May, with prize-giving at the Cutty Sark Hotel later that Sunday morning.

 

After a Glencairn welcome dinner, get yourself a few hours sleep before the 2am start

Enter now: https://entries.sani2c.co.za