Covid-19 Update

EcoBound’s plan on the Coronavirus.

Dear Fellow Rider and Runner,

There is no need to elaborate on the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic the world is currently facing together. Our current plan of action is NOT to postpone or cancel any of our main events.  We are up to date with the current situation and will be keeping a close eye on how things unfold. Unfortunately like the rest, we can’t provide a real estimate of how long we will be facing this crisis and we will have to make decisions based on the information we receive and obtain from the Government. We will keep communication open to keep you informed and updated of any changes in our decision.

The challenges we are facing with the fire damage caused last year now seems irrelevant. Non the less we are planning full steam ahead with “Die Hell” this year as we are quite excited with the plans we have implemented for a new and improved To Hell and Back 2020. If nothing else we will host a big party to celebrate life and health, come Hell or Heaven this year!

Jacques Marais Photo Story

If you’ve been to HELL & BACK – that iconic and long-running 2-day MTB Stage Race presented by EcoBound Mountain Events – you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about … it’s no wonder all the old hands refer to it as #TheOriginal.

This is all about gritty and old-skool cranking, with a unique and down-home honesty, stemming from it’s family-run roots and values. Yup, TO HELL & BACK is one of the few events that does not fall into the trap of only caterign for that 10% Elite Rider bracket.

Instead, it is all about the weekend warriors, the quiet guys on their dusty 26Rs, plenty okes with boeps, and no-nonsense Plattelanders who come here not to show off their R180k bike, but instead to praat kak, drink a few dops, and klap that dirt road into Gamkaskloof, hard.

Plus, there’s just enough of a sprinkling of hipsters, hooligans and hotties to make this mix dynamic, and never boring. ANd if you want characters – this has got to be the best event ever.

“This is our annual MTB year-end function”, jokes Jakkals Jacques Herselman and his good mate Sitbok Kevin Eltigre Taljaard. This year, they set up a private wine bar in Eugene Roux‘s Bike Mechanics Tent … well, if I’m honest, it was more a circle of plastic chairs, shared glasses and a constant supply of bottles which magically appeared whenever a glass seemed empty.

The other quote I heard from Zane Schmahl was that this is a ‘tour with medals”. And damn good T-shirts, I might add. In the end, it is all about a real-life MTB Adventure, without gimmicks or bells or whistles. “For real mountain bikers, you know” … That’s the typical comment you get from #HellAndBackers once they bang into the under-belly of Gamkaskloof.

They’re usually saying this with a big-ass #DarlingBrew beer clutched in their paws, and with dust and sweat smeared across their smiling faces. Sometimes they’re too moeg or dors to say anything much, and just stand there, slightly dazed, but you’ll get the same shpiel from them once they’ve dipped into the inflatable pool, or hauled their asses into the shaded bar area.

Bottom line, the EcoBound Mountain Events #ToHellAndBack will always be one of those old-skool classics. No wonder it boasts the distinction of being SA’s first ever MTB Stage Race, notching up its 23rd running last week. What riders can expect is two days of bike adventuring into the remote Gamkaskloof (and of course an op-skop of note)!.

But then, what else would you expect from an event that has become widely known as the ‘Unofficial #MOVEMBER World MTB Champs’  Starting from De Hoek Resort near Oudtshoorn, competitors face one moer-of-a-trap into Gamkaskloof. This valley is colloquially known as Die Hel, for a number of reasons: heat and extreme temperatures, for sure, but also for the dangerously steep gravel strip you need to navigate into this back-of-beyond valley.

Even today, you can get there only via a dead-end pass with vertiginous drop-offs and erosion ruts of legendary proportions. The historic switchback – constructed by none other than master road builder, Thomas Bain – winds through the rugged and inhospitable Swartberg ranges, and it takes guts to get in there on a bike.

Once you’ve survived those deep and dark moments that comes with suffering up the never-ending Heartbreak Hill, or have jettisoned into the very heart of Die Hel, ‘The Warm Place’ turns out to be a rugged little corner of natural heaven … without the flashy brashness of most of your contemporary MTB events, of course.

A rudimentary tent village, crackling braai fires, loads of #DarlingBrew craft beer, red wine and the classy delicacies of ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ … dancing with the devil does not seem to be such a bad gig. Until you realise there’s a shiteload of ‘up’, and it lurks just a few metres beyond the startline in the form of Elands Pass.

It takes serious guts to crank these 26 switchbacks on morning-after legs, but you have no choice, bru. Ask me: I’ve done it on a few occasions, and there’s bound to be some serious suffering involved in the calf department.

Beyond Elands it gets easier, but not by much, until you eventually bleed onto Die Top. Wrestle your way through high winds, dense fog and wintry temperatures, and you will be home and dry as you zigg the more than 20km of downhill back down to De Hoek.

There will always be blood, sweat and tears, but with it comes huge dollops of satisfaction, and war stories which are sure to last you for a life-time. These are some of my images from Day 1, and I will be loading lots more during the rest of the week – enjoy, and shot for the laughs, guys.

I once again shot on my kickass PENTAX SOUTH AFRICADSLR system, and I put the #K1, #K3 and #K70 to the test in non-stop dust, rocky river crossings with lashings of spray, hectic roads and constantly changing light … the cameras did not falter even once. Over the past couple of years, the #Pentax system has proved to be unbreakable. Shot Brett Skolmen – I am one happy shooter!

More info at www.ecobound.co.za

To download Jacques Marais’s photos free of charge, mahala for Nada please follow this link: Dropbox Folder

To Hell and Back 2017 – Thank You – Newsletter

Mountain bikers take part in the HELL & BACK 2016 MTB Challenge from Oudtshoorn to Gamkaskloof or Die Hel, near Oudtshoorn in the Swartberg Karoo, Western Cape, RSA

To Hell and Back 2017 Huge Success!

Baie dankie aan al ons deelnemers van die jaar se To Hell and Back MTB wedren. Ons vertrou julle almal het dit baie geniet.

Make sure to check out the following on the race:
Facebook, with the latest pics and banter on the race
Ride Report on the race! Read about the fires and the snow leading up to the 2017 edition of the event.
Photos, download all the pics shot by Jacques Marais for free!
Results, you can view it on our website

Stories:
Send us your stories of the event, we have heard a few interesting ones already some of which may include shoes and baboons…

Special Thanks:
We would like to extend a special thank you to our sponsors and partners, please support them as they support you!

Darling Brew
Spur Steak Ranches
Safari Braai
Squirt Lube
Momsen Bikes
Ormonde Wines
Two Wheels Trading
Ride Farr
Cape Nature

2018:
Entries will open 1 June 2018
Race Dates will be 17 & 18 November 2018

We wish you all a happy festive season and hope to see you back in #DieHell come 2018.

Team Ecobound

To Hell and Back MTB Stage Race Entries Open 2017

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Entries Open 1 June 2017 08:00am

The To Hell and Back 2017, that is scheduled to take place on 18 and 19 November 2017 will open for entries this Thursday 1 June 2017 at 08:00am.

The To Hell and Back is the oldest stage race in South Africa with its first event taking place in 1995. This year will mark the 23rd edition of mountain bikers taking on the 60km (not to be taken lightly) route also known as the longest pass in SA, into “Die Hell”, spend the night there and share the war stories of the day. Sunday morning they will take on the 60km route back out of “Die Hell” with Elandspass as a rude awakening!

Event Details:

  • 18 & 19 November 2017
  • Hell Race Camp – R2250pp (Only 250 spots)
  • Own Accommodation – R1850pp
  • Entries open 1 June 2017 08:00am
  • Website for more info

Own Accommodation:
This means that you will need to book accommodation for Saturday night either with Cape Nature or Die Fontein Gasteplaas. You won’t be able to book any other accommodation outside of “Die Hell”.

We are excited to welcome you into #DieHel come November this year!

Team Ecobound

2015 RESULTS now available

CLICK HERE TO VIEW 2015 RESULTS

Online Entries open 01 July!

Online Entries open 01 July! Remember to REGISTER before you can ENTER. Also take note that NO ENTRY WILL BE ACCEPTED without a CSA licence. These can be obtained from Cycling SA.