The Munga 2026 weather: what race week will likely feel like

The Munga is on Wednesday 25 to Monday 30 November 2026: a non-stop mountain bike race of about 1,148 km from Bloemfontein, across the Karoo, to Wellington in the Cape Winelands, with five race villages and a five-day cut-off. Here's what race week has usually felt like, section by section, for a rider who reaches the finish in about four days.

What will the weather be like at The Munga 2026?

Hot afternoons, mild nights and an afternoon headwind. In the records, the afternoons across the Karoo usually reached about 30°, and the nights went down to about 11–16°. Rain was rare. Windline's engine rated most sections Tough on 5 to 6 days in 10, almost all of it from the wind.

The pattern is the same most days. Mornings are light and changeable. From late morning a breeze from the west or south-west builds to about 20 km/h by mid-afternoon, gusting to about 50 km/h, and eases after dark.

Where does the wind usually help, and where does it hurt?

It hurts almost everywhere, because the race heads south-west into it. On the sections across the Karoo, the wind added 15% or more effort on 6 to 9 days in 10, and crosswind gusts of 45 km/h or more came on about 4 to 7.

Start · BloemfonteinRV1 · VanderkloofRV2 · BritstownRV3 · LoxtonRV4 · SutherlandRV5 · CeresFinish · Wellington123456Historic

The route itself isn't public, so this line joins the race villages in straight lines. The real roads wind, so read the colours as a guide to the general heading. The heat, the cold and the rain don't depend on the line.

What is each section likely to feel like?

Each section with its usual day, hour by hour, on the day a four-day rider gets there.

1. Bloemfontein to Vanderkloof

The start is at 12:00, into the hottest part of the day: about 31°, and 30° or more on about 6 days in 10. The westerly usually builds through the first afternoon, and this section had the most rain, a wet day on about 2 in 10.

2. Vanderkloof to Britstown

The likeliest section to hurt. Heading west in the afternoon, the wind added 15% or more effort on about 8 days in 10, and about 46% on the middle day. It was rated Tough on 6 days in 10. The organiser warns that most riders cross the 94 km gap between two water points here in the heat of the day.

3. Britstown to Loxton

Through the night and into the next afternoon for a four-day rider, with nights of about 13°. The afternoon south-westerly still came at the riders on about 7 days in 10.

4. Loxton to Sutherland

The high country towards Sutherland, with the coolest days of the Karoo, about 29°, and nights of about 11°, 8° or colder on 1 night in 10. The wind was in the riders' faces on about 8 days in 10.

5. Sutherland, the Ouberg Pass and the Tankwa to Ceres

Down the Ouberg Pass and across the Tankwa Karoo, the hottest ground of the race. It reached 40° on the hottest day in the records, and 35° or more on about 1 day in 10. It's also the gustiest section, with crosswind gusts of 45 km/h or more on about 7 days in 10.

6. Ceres to Wellington

The short run to the finish, usually on a morning for a four-day rider, with lighter wind and about 25° on the bike. It was rated Good on 5 days in 10.

What should riders pack for the race?

Sun and heat protection, more water than you think, and a warm layer for the nights. The organiser's race page and race preparation document have the compulsory kit and the water points. From the weather records:

• Water capacity for the long gaps. The afternoons usually reached about 30°, and 35° or more on 1 to 2 days in 10.
• Sun protection, all day. The hours on the bike are long and the Karoo is open.
• A warm layer for the nights. Nights were about 11–16°, down to 7–11° on 1 night in 10.
• A plan for the afternoon headwind. Ride the calm mornings and evenings, and expect to be slower after midday.

Supporters following along can expect the same heat at the race villages in the afternoons.

When does the real forecast open?

Ten days before the start, in the Windline app: on 15 November. Load the route with your own speed and stops, and Windline rates each day Good, Fair or Tough from the forecast, with the wind on every stretch at the hour you'll get there. From then on, trust the forecast over this preview.

How did we work this out?

The race was ridden again on every day from a week before to a week after 25 November, in each year from 2015 to 2024: 150 starts. Each ride left Bloemfontein at 12:00 at a steady 12 km/h overall, rests included, which reaches the finish in about four days, on that day's hourly Copernicus ERA5 weather. Windline's engine, the same one the apps use, rated the race and each section. The day's high, the night's low and the rain are for the middle of each section on the day the rider gets there.

The route isn't published, so the line joins the race villages in straight lines and scales them to the official distances. Real riders sleep at different times, and ERA5's grid cells are about 25 km across, so valleys, passes and shelter don't show. Historic weather, not a forecast.

Sources: The Munga's 2026 race preparation document, for the start venue and time, the finish at Festa Restaurant, the race villages and water points with their distances (1,148 km to the finish), the cut-off times and the route notes; and its race page, for the dates. The race page's general description gives the Doolhof wine estate and about 1,130 km, and says the up-to-date distances are in the race preparation document; ERA5 hourly time series (Hersbach et al., 2020). Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026). Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.