Standard Bank Berg & Bush, live.

Two Drakensberg stage races on the Tugela River

Berg & Bush is a pair of mountain bike stage races in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg, based at the Em'seni race village on the banks of the Tugela River near Winterton.

The 2027 Standard Bank Berg & Bush 2 Day is on 29 and 30 May, and the 3 Day runs from 4 to 6 June. Berg & Bush turned 20 in 2026, and it was founded by Gary Green. Solo riders and teams of two can enter both races.

The 2 Day covers 110 km and both stages start and finish at the race village. Day one climbs past the historic Spionkop Lodge, descends Big Red into St Anton's and takes on the short, sharp Mike's Pass above the Tugela. Day two climbs Spioenkop mountain by the Boer route, 4 km and 180 m with 50 switchbacks, before a 15 km descent back to the village. Riders aged 15 and over are welcome, and there are fun team categories for families.

The 3 Day covers 180 km. It starts at Cathedral Peak Wine Estate, and day one rides off the Central Drakensberg into the bushveld on new singletrack, with the Insane Descent and a final climb up Lantana Pass, to the camp on the Tugela. Days two and three follow hand built singletrack along the river and go up and over Spioenkop Mountain. Registration is at Em'seni on Thursday 3 June.

Everyone stays at the one race village, where entry includes three meals a day, hot showers, a bike wash and a chill zone, and riders choose a tent or nearby guesthouse. The routes cross game farms where giraffe, eland and other antelope are often seen. Charity run water points along the route offer local treats.

On Livebib you can follow a cyclist who chooses to share their own live position from the phone they carry. This is not the organiser's timing, and the official results come from the organiser.