Fresh trail fun guaranteed at Berg & Bush Great Midweek

With brand new trails, a new clover-leaf format and upgraded tented accommodation, the Grindrod Bank Berg & Bush Great Midweek continue the MTB event’s ethos of continuously perfecting the rider experience.
Always fine-tuning their trails and forever in the pursuit of innovation and excellence, the team behind the Grindrod Bank Berg & Bush is currently putting the finishing touches on their reimagined midweek event, now known as the Great Midweek.
Riders can expect the same great food, excellent race village atmosphere, craft beer on tap, a special appearance and some boerie rolls from Jan Braai, upgraded tented accommodation and now, thanks to a few tweaks and twists, an all-new trail experience.
With an emphasis on fun, flowing trails, the Great Midweek features a brand new day one, with days two and three retaining the same great bushveld trails that riders have come to know and love at Berg & Bush. Due to the changes, the event now becomes a clover-leaf ride, with participants starting and finishing in the same place for all three days.
“We’ve definitely seen a shift in mountain biking over the last few years where people want to arrive and stay in one area and ride the best trails in that area,” says Berg & Bush founder and organiser, Gary Green.
“For the Great Midweek, we have created an entirely new first day, and a great new trail on the south side of Spioenkop mountain, where we have never been before with the event.”
The Great Midweek now provides simplified travel logistics – arrive at the race village and park your car for three days – and a slightly shorter three-day mountain bike challenge.
One trail connoisseur who has been lucky enough to test the route is celebrity chef, David Higgs. Better known for working up a sweat in the kitchen, Higgs tries to escape to the bushveld as often as possible – preferably to do some riding.
“It was an absolute pleasure to sample some of the new Berg & Bush routes,” says Higgs. “Outside of the trail builders and the Green family, I was one of the first people to ride the new trails.”
Months of work have gone into the tracks; there’s a good flow to the trails, everything is rideable and the paths are nice and wide.”
What makes Berg & Bush special is that you get great trails, great food and a great night’s sleep. For me, it ticks all the boxes for a weekend away.”
Another new innovation at the Great Midweek is the Great Company Challenge. The Company Challenge will be open to companies or corporates who wish to enter between five and 10 riders. Riders in the Company Challenge will compete for the Company Trophy, with the first five riders home from each company counting towards the results.
“We know a lot of companies bring their staff or clients to enjoy the Berg & Bush trails,” says Green. “This just adds an extra element of fun to the event – we encourage these teams to go all out with their rider kit and their company gees over the three days.”
For riders still worried about the distance involved, the Great Midweek is also open to e-bike participants.

Fresh trail fun guaranteed at Berg & Bush Great Midweek https://t.co/96LwAyCOLF #ArriveAlive #FreshTrail #GreatMidweek pic.twitter.com/pOZFOAAeAd

— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) August 8, 2019