800km down... Our Trans Africa Coast to Coast Rat Racers have made it across Namibia and into Botswana. Stage one of four complete!
We checked in with our CEO Jim for an update, who's riding alongside our Rat Racers throughout this epic journey...
"On June 3rd, the 37 riders of the inaugural Rat Race Trans Africa lined up at the water’s edge on the Skeleton Coast of Namibia – staring down 3200km of gravel and road riding to reach the Indian Ocean on the other side of Africa.
Namibia would see us ride for 6 days which, bar the final 100km into the Botswana border, was all pretty much 100% on gravel. The full Coast to Coast route will feature around a 50/50 gravel/ tarmac mix across the board. But for starters, Namibia was all about the gravel: 700km of every surface imaginable. We rode fast-rolling, slip slidy, pick-your-line-sandy, thigh-bustingly-sticky, get-off-and-walk-it’s-so-deep and of course, magnificent hardpack champagne gravel. For those who have ridden gravel bikes a bit, you’ll probably know that there is gravel and there is gravel. And in Namibia, there’s also sand. And a hell of a lot of it.
The Namibian stage was thus characterised by this gargantuan selection of riding types and surfaces, all bound up with unforgettable sunrises and sunsets, desert landscapes, incredible food and accommodation locations and multiple wildlife sightings."
Check out the full day-by-day update from Jim here and if you fancy putting this on your Bucket List for 2027 or 2028, you can check out all the details on the website here.
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