Lormar Endurance MTB Tour 2018 Report

by Izandi Goosen October 10, 2018

Purebred Arabian Horses, brilliant live music, fading Karoo light & a MTB Night Stage ready to go.

This is the scene at the start of the annual limited-entry Lormar MTB Tour – a unique three-day mountain bike experience in the heart of the Karoo. The Tour entails riding along 200-year-old stone walls, on smooth “sheeptracks” and passing the familiar windpomp scenes along the way. Experience authentic Karoo hospitality with spitbraais, fresh farm bread, condensedmilk coffee, koeksisters & craft beer amidst picturesque sunsets. Lormar is not about crossing the finish line as quick as possible but rather about a riding experience like no other.

Rian Gouws, Urban Goat Event Management:

“We’re thrilled to be partnered with Extreme Lights for the Lormar Endurance MTB Tour. What better way to ride into the Karoo sunset and platteland Milky Way than with Extreme Lights to guide the way. We’re excited to introduce our riders to quality bicycle lights. The dam wall bridge obstacle on stage 1 night ride will be pure indulgence for all Extreme Light owners.”

Extreme Lights Director, Charl du Plessis:

“Being family people ourselves, with a big passion for nature and outdoor sports, we found partnering with Lormar to be the perfect fit. We love being the official light partner for the 2017 & 2018 events. We look forward to brightening up the event by making sure everyone is visible, keeping safety in mind.”

Lormar Route

The Lormar route consists of three stages, covering a three-day period. With a combination on jeeptracks, district roads to smooth "sheep trail" sections.

The Tour kicked off with a 20km Night Stage, where riders ride into the sunset and welcomed to spectacular Karoo night skies.

Day 2 was a tough one, but definitely, the most scenic route of the tour, passing the old farmhouse, G.A. Watermeyer grew up in, and Day 3 consisted of touring through neighboring farms, only available to ride during Lormar Tours.

All in all, the Lormar Endurance MTB Tour is a remarkable experience, packed with activities for the whole family, and with the added benefit of a Mini Route, this makes it the perfect event for new inexperienced riders, looking to build skills and see what it's all about.

View all the 2018 Results here: Time Spent Karoo'ing

2019 Entries

Choose your Karoo weekend. Tours are limited to 230 riders each. Both tours are exactly the same, they’re just split between two weekends so that we can provide participants with the best-personalised experience.

Pre-register for 2019. *Please note this is only a pre-registration list. Final entry fees and details will be made available when entries open for the public. You can stay up to date & register here: How To Enter

Lormar Endurance Giving Back

Lormar is a complete community-driven event, adding to the local feel and vibe.

The tour passes through many rural Karoo areas. Various worthy beneficiaries who reside and/or operate along the route were nominated as such by communities, entrants and the organisers. They were thus offered the opportunity to add value to the tour by helping with the many logistical operations. Activities in this regard include course preparation, bike washing, feed tables, erecting of overnight race villages, catering etc.

The Lormar Endurance policy on community aid is not to issue donations as such, but rather to offer various worthy institutions the opportunity to add value to the event and raise funds (for themselves) at the same time.

In addition, the building of a permanent race village have created job opportunities for the neighboring people in an area, where employment is desperately needed. The projects at Fairview have so far created over 2000 man-days.

More info: Lormar Endurance MTB Tour

Photo Credit: Mardi de Klerk & Kevin Sawyer Photography