Mark van Zyl

The Gallows never disappoints 🤟 @mattie_lennon 📸 Sadly my saddle fell off at the 60km mark leaving me scrambling from there. Still had fun chasing back as many riders as I could after losing 15 or so minutes 💪

The Autumn edition of Mountain Bike mag is on shelf now Africa's biggest off road cycling mag is packed with soulful stoke. The unique, large format glossy mag features deep story telling and powerful images to sit back and soak up in your offline me-time, feeding your chosen passion. Exploring places to ride, speaking to interesting riders, checking out new bikes & tech, plus races to plan — just 3 times annually. A refreshingly stark contrast to the noise of social media. Our cover feature describes a biking holiday across Botswana, possibly the closest you'll ever get to nature outside a game vehicle. It's a short hop from Jozi, warm in our winter, and they are well geared for us fat tyred bush lovers. Read why you should add it to your biking bucket list. Speaking of Jozi, we take a good look at places to ride around Pretoria. There's so much more sweet trail up north than we realised. If the winter weather is getting too much, follow our intrepid bike packer to Europe where he raced the 1000km Alps Divide. Or @jasonboulle European World Cup Series Tour. Or enjoy the story of our global crew who travelled to Chile to ride the wilds of Patagonia. New season, new gear — we feature some cool new stuff. We get to know @capeepic winner @alessandrakeller & SA Champ @marc_pritzen_114 , plus hear how amputee athletes @turbo__trav and @mhle_gwala dealt with mechanical disasters to finish the most iconic stage race on just two legs. Over 40 picture-filled pages of races for the n@_sani2c , @tankwatrek all the high profile gravel races, and a full listing of local MTB races from June to December. We end on a controversial note. Was the shortening of the Cape Epic pro ladies route a high 5 or a slap in the face? Two celebrated pro women share opposing perspectives. Share your opinion on our upcoming reader poll on Instagram and Facebook. All this for less than a hundred bucks. Find a local store on our stockist list at BikeRunTri.co.za If you prefer digital you can download it now at the link in our bio! Note that Pick n Pay have a great 2 edition special if you can find one in time. #mountainbikesouthafrica #mtb #mountainbikelife #mountainbikeracing #mtblife

It isn’t all about the Elite riders at the Absa Cape Epic! The amateur and age group categories are hotly contested as well, not to mention all the tough men and women who are fighting every day to complete the gruelling course 💪 Here is the Open Men’s General Classification Top 10 from 2026👇 1. 605 SAFARI ESSENCE - Mark VAN ZYL (BOT) & William PIAT (MRI) GC: 30:32:53.9 2. 251 ASAP CYCLING - Jean-Pierre DU PLESSIS (RSA) & Cronje BEUKES (RSA) GC: 30:35:08.3 | Split: +2:14.4 3. 259 DANSTE RACING - Tristan DE LANGE (NAM) & Martin FREYER (NAM) GC: 31:32:58.5 | Split: +1:00:04.6 4. 260 HORS CATÉGORIE - TRIBE SPORT GROUP - Emeric TURCAT (FRA) & Alexandre BARBEROUX (FRA) GC: 31:34:03.4 | Split: +1:01:09.5 5. 689 TEAM TITAN FX - Kohei YAMAMOTO (JPN) & Riyadh Hakim BIN LUKMAN (SGP) GC: 31:39:34.9 | Split: +1:06:41.0 6. 599 PORTUGAL - TRES PIÑAS - Christopher PORTUGAL (PER) & Alonso GAMERO (PER) GC: 31:50:01.4 | Split: +1:17:07.5 7. 117 STEVE GREG - Steven BARK (RSA) & Greg HARRUP (RSA) GC: 31:51:42.6 | Split: +1:18:48.7 8. 100 FAIRTREE DP WORLD CANNONDALE 1 - Luyanda THOBIGUNYA (RSA) & Ziandro JORDAAN (RSA) GC: 31:52:03.9 | Split: +1:19:10.0 9. 124 FAIRTREE DP WORLD CANNONDALE 2 - Ethan MICHAELS (RSA) & Damon TERBLANCHE (RSA) GC: 31:57:53.9 | Split: +1:25:00.0 10. 728 RED ZONE RACING - Hugo PARMENTIER (FRA) & Fabien OGEZ (FRA) GC: 32:06:00.7 | Split: +1:33:06.8

It was an Epic final stage in the white jersey 🤍🏆

Cape Epic 2026 etched itself into my memory. One filled with blood, sweat, dust, mud and tears. To bring home the white jersey after 8 days of relentless fighting made this one extra special! @williampiat ,my partner, I can not thank you enough for pushing me and motivating me to keep fighting till the end. Completely emptying my tank every day. You are a champ. A special shout out to @rossouwbekker , @nixfreitas and @ianpienaar from the immense support not just through the race but the build up as well. I could not have gotten through this without you. From the hospital bed to the podium only a week later. Thanks to all my family and friends shout and support every step of the way it gave me that extra drive to push all the way to the end. A special shout out to my mom and dad who were on every corner of the route cheering us on! Lastly I want to dedicate this one to a fellow rider @patrictinner you have been fighting a much harder fight. I missed having you and @simeonniederer on the start line with us. I pray you keep the fight up and that you can get back on the bike and ride with us again. After what has been a rollercoaster of emotions over the last two weeks. This goal is finally ticked off. I will forever be grateful to be able to ride my bike and do what I love. @capeepic thanks for building a race that allows dreams to come true.

Stage 2 of the @tankwatrek in the open men leaders jersey. 🏆 @williampiat thanks for making it fast one 💪 @oakpics 📸

W2W 2025 we left it all out there. 🥈Jaco and I pushed ourselves to the max to try stay with @erikkleinhans and @jasperstuyven they were world class,congrats guys very impressive. We had immense fun racing with two top shelf sportsman. 🤝

Day 1 of @wines_2_whales in the bank with @markvanzyl 🚀. 📸 @jacquesinthepark

The Lack Ngami Classic turned into a 123km solo breakaway TT. With winds gusting and the Botswana heat burning down it made for a tough day out. Great effort from Abang and Gontse who tried to chase me down making the last 20km of the race particularly hard for me to stay away. 3rd photo of them coming in strong for a well deserved 2nd and 3rd spot. Chris and James thanks for being the best support team I could have asked for, spot on! Thanks to the event organisers and sponsors it was an amazing event as usual.

It was Epic! 🇨🇭 …. Next stop Cape Epic 2026 🇿🇦 Thanks @flightfilmproductions 📸

The Swiss Epic is more than just a mountain bike race; it’s a five-day battle against the Alps, a test of endurance, and a challenge that pushes you to your absolute limits. This year, my teammate @rossouwbekker and I took on this beast of a race, and we emerged with a story to tell. We pushed ourselves to the edge in every conceivable way to conquer the treacherous climbs and thrilling descents, ultimately finishing 3rd in the Open Men’s division and tasting the sweet victory of a stage win. A major highlight of our race was winning a stage. To cross the finish line first, to stand on the top step of the podium, even for a day, was an incredible feeling. It was a validation of all the hard work, the sacrifices, and the relentless training that went into preparing for this race. After five grueling days of racing, we crossed the final finish line in Davos, securing our 3rd place in the Open Men’s division. To stand on the overall podium, knowing that we had given it our all and left everything out on the trails, was an unforgettable experience. Conquering the Alps was a dream, and to do it in such a spectacular fashion is something we will cherish forever. 🇨🇭 Most importantly a shoutout to @kylebasson and @pieter_du_toit_ For the amazing support, champs! 💪 Well done to @daniellev_dt and @ev_i with their amazing effort. 🙌

Two stages down three to go🇨🇭 Stage one had me fighting to survive Rossouw looked after me and we fought to the line. Stage two! We are back firing on all cylinders riding back four position on GC and finish 3rd in the sprint finish with the leaders 🔥 Currently in 4th on GC with three days to go lets see what we can do 🏔️ Tomorrow is TT day full gas 💪 Thanks @flightfilmproductions for the sick footage 📸