The Gallows Gravel Race

It was November 2025. I was sitting in the dentist’s waiting room passing the time on my phone when a message pops up on the South Side Cycles WhatsApp group:

“Black Friday Sale if anyone wants to come suffer in the Gallows 2026 with me” - Nic Larsen.

I had a quick look over the entry page to find out it’s a gravel race in McGregor, a little over 100km, something about fast and scenic with a bit of a climb at the end. Sounds doable. 

I’d recently had a go at my first ever gravel races in the months prior, Around the Pot (60 miler) and Canola Roller (80km), and was hooked. So with a Black Friday sale, 6 months to go, and a newly realised fondness for gravel, I do the responsible thing and message my wife:

“Can I book us a weekend away in McGregor for a bike race in May next year?”
“Yes”

Entry secured.

Teeth checked.

Look at my phone again, the sale tickets are now sold out, and the SSC group had been lit up with comments from some very experienced cyclists who had done it before, which did not make me feel confident about my decision.

But who doesn’t like a bit of a challenge?

South Side Cycles x Sarah Maré

Probably the best thing about a community like South Side Cycles is the people you get to meet and ride with (if you haven't had a chance to join one of the SSC group rides, you're missing out!).

One of those people was Sarah Maré, a professional off-road cyclist, coach, and genuinely great person. Sarah was kind enough to put together a 7-week training programme, specifically for The Gallows, and share it with us for free. 

The types of rides in the programme matched the usual SSC weekly group rides (Tue/Thu intervals, Wed Chappies Bliss, weekend long rides, etc) which made the training that much better.

Fast forward through 7 weeks of early mornings, 3 trips to the mast, many more times over Ou Kaapse, and eating everything in sight, we were locked in.

Thank you Sarah and SSC for putting it together for us! 

Race Weekend

Race weekend always feels like it sneaks up on you, so before I knew it, I was en route to McGregor with Natalie and Paige from SSC, my wife Robyn (debut ride still pending), and the weekend's self-proclaimed “Support Bitch”, Mark.

We pull into Lord’s Wines to grab our race packs containing our number board, a bottle of wine, a tool keg, and a Gallows sticker that I know can only be put on my bike if I manage to finish the next day.

Our accommodation was a bit further up the road at the Boesmanskloof-Onverwacht Cottages, between Lord’s Wines and Heaven’s View. Arriving in the dark meant we still hadn’t seen the ominous Galgeberg in person yet. Probably a good thing.

Have a bite to eat, lay out the kit for the morning, check tyre pressures, make sure the nutrition is all sorted (thank you, Natalie, for stocking me up with Cadence bars and gels!) and try to get an early night.

A beautifully still, crisp morning greets us. We roll down the hill, passing some of the pros doing their warm-up at the base of the final climb, and pull into the Lord’s greeted by all the friendly but slightly nervous faces who also decided to enter this thing.

Jackets off, on our bikes, and sucking down a final bit of pre-race carbs we listen to the race briefing.

It’s time.

The Gallows

The first descent was chaotic, in the best kind of way.

You’re hitting 60km/h+ in a ball of dust down a corrugated road. Everyone’s looking for the smoothest line possible, dodging bottles, the odd pump, spare tubes, and anything else remotely loose that was shaken off a bike ahead. 

A gravel thrash, just as they promised.

9km in we turn off the main road and squeeze into single file along “The Hosepipe”. I haven’t done much of it, but single track like that on a gravel bike is so much fun.

Suddenly everyone ahead is slowing down and jumping off their bikes. The first river crossing is 12km in. A brief look around and there’s no way to keep your feet dry. Just pick your bike up and try not to roll an ankle over the rocks in the river bed.

Toes sufficiently frozen, we carry on.

I was lucky enough to have landed in a group with Liam, the Brien Machine himself. The wide open gravel roads just southeast of McGregor were deceivingly steep. Every time the road looked flat, I’d look down at my bike computer and see we were on a 5% gradient.

At one point Liam and I looked at each other and said our heart rates are far too high for how early it is in the race, so we back off a bit, knowing we’ve barely gotten started.

We stuck together for the next 30kms until the next single track. I was very happy for him and his mountain bike to go before me. Now 44km in, we tackled “The Pofadder”. A brief start of fast, flowy singletrack came to an abrupt halt as we suddenly kicked up a steep, rocky climb, and then held on tight down an equally steep, rocky descent.

Very jealous of Liam’s suspension coming down the second rocky descent, I’d lost him. Feeling a little underbiked at this point on my 40mm tyres, I eventually came out the Pofadder only having to put a foot down once - a win in my books.

I found a little group through the dams, and for the next 10km I took my turns on the front when I could and held on for any crumb of draft possible when I couldn’t. Once we hit the tar at 60km I finally sat up to give my lower back a break and eat some food, which unfortunately meant I was dropped and now on my own.

The next 15km were flat-ish until Strykhoogte Pass. What a slog that was. While at the bottom I caught a glimpse of Liam turning the corner at the top of the pass. Head down, this little climb is the least of our worries.

A well-earned descent had us turn into the Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve. I had to remind myself throughout the race to look up and enjoy views.

Getting the chance to ride on private farm roads and in the nature reserve was special.

The perfectly timed first water point was stocked with everything you could ask for, coke, carb drinks, water, sweets, potatoes, you name it. And look who’s stocking up too, Liam. Was I glad to see him!

We roll out together onto the tar, recounting far too recently lived war stories from the Pofadder and everything in between. 10km later we’re shaken awake as we descend towards McGregor and are greeted by a gnarly bit of rocky single track along the outskirts of town.

Another little river crossing lands us back on the road we started, but this time, we point up.

Liam and I slowly drifted apart on the climb up to Lord’s. We put our heads down and began the mental challenge of pushing ourselves over this hill after having just hit the 95km mark of an already tough course.

Lord’s was like an oasis in the desert. Welcomed by a little descent into the estate, the water point was as well stocked as the first. A quick trip through the cellar, down the stairs and out the estate gates, a fun touch to take your mind off what’s ahead, even if just for a brief moment.

The Climb

The final 8km to Heaven’s view took me just under an hour. An absolutely brutal climb of 560m, averaging 7%, up the Galgeberg. 

The winners had finished before I hit that single track alongside McGregor. Looking back at that made me laugh, they’re unreal. This meant quite a few people had conquered this climb by the time I’d started it. The shouts of encouragement as they came screaming down the hill definitely helped.

One of those shouts was from Nic, the reason I was suffering here in the first place. A little nod or lift of my fingers in their direction was all I could muster in the moment.

At this point anything under 7% feels flat. A chance to change up a gear, even if just to feel the slight bit of relief when changing back down.

I turn right onto the start of the tar climb. The final 3km averages over 10%. The longest 3km I’ve ever ridden. I passed a couple of people over the next k’s standing next to their bikes stretching out a cramp. I begged my legs to hold up, getting going again at any point on that climb cannot be easy.

The cheers from the finish slowly start to fade in. The odd finisher flies past, shouting how far I’ve got left.

Gallows banners greet us on the final hairpin to Heaven’s View. A familiar face was waiting here to cheer me on. Thank you Robs, you’re the best.

The last 200m at 12% took far too long until, finally, the summit finish. 

What an absolutely brutal yet incredible experience. 

The beer at the top was cold, as promised, and so was the wind, but the atmosphere was quite the opposite. Everyone at the top was congratulating one another, comparing stories, and cheering on each new finisher as they made their way up the final metres of the Galgeberg. What a way to end an already incredible event.

Liam and Natalie had found each other at Lord’s, conquered the climb, and crossed the line together. More congratulations and stories were shared while we waited to cheer on Paige, whose madness really deserves a post of her own after scoring an entry just 5 days prior, as she crossed the finish line.

We did it. We finished The Gallows.

And you best believe that sticker is going on my bike once I work up the energy to clean it.

Thanks to the guys who put on this race. It was awesome. I love how they lean into how intimidating the climb final is. The branding, messaging, and video content they put out were executed perfectly. Every time I started feeling prepared, they’d drop another video that made me doubt all my training. 

Jared, Carl, and The Gallows team, you guys absolutely crushed it.