This is a men only classic bike run.
That is how it has been since it was conceived way back in 1994 and it isn’t going to change…. EVER…. For anyone! And classic means CLASSIC, not a yuppie retro styled modern bike with a “Classic” badge plakked on it somewhere, if it ain’t 25 to 30 years or older it ain’t welcome on this ride.
Back during the December holidays of 1994, Colin Blackburn, (Swartbrand in Afrikaans), was getting frustrated wandering from one Christmas function to another and not being able to ride his classic bikes and hang out with his riding mates. December holidays with the family are fun, but a man also needs to get out on his bike and reset his soul before heading back to the slog of earning a living for another year.
And that is exactly what he did on the first non holiday weekend of January 1995. Early Saturday morning he rolled out one of his classics, chucked a fresh pair of jocks and a toothbrush in his rucksack, strapped on a tent and hooked up with a few mates at the petrol station where Fourways Mall now stands. They put the rising sun and Jhb at their backs and wandered off towards the horizon with an overnight pass from the family tucked in their breast pockets.
There was no plan, no destination and no idea of what was going to happen, they were on their bikes, riding with mates and that was all they needed. Along the way they found a spot for a hot coffee and a chin wag. A bit further down the road a spot for brekkie, all the while enjoying the sun on their face and the thrumming of their old bikes as they twisted through the mountains and passed Haarties. As the sun hit its zenith it was time for lunch and some hydration, by now they were deep into the western Transvaal and pulled in at the Koster hotel to replenish themselves and have a look over their bikes and find some diggs for the night.
By the next December holidays the word had gotten out and there were a lot more bikes waiting at the Petrol station that first weekend in January, and even more the next year and the year after and all the years after that. 2025 marks 30 years of the Swartbrand Run, and in that time it has seen numbers grow to well over 100 bikes at some points. They have even had international visitors come across the pond just for the ride.
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Over the years Colin has tried to keep a handle on things and keep all the riders moving along as well as sorting out where to stay overnight. This is where Desmond Soekoe of The Soekoe Bicycle Company has stepped up and come to the team.There is no real formal plan or organisation, you just rock up on your old bike, pay your own way and be lekker. Act like a box and you get booted very quickly. Besides the old bike rule and the ‘Be Lekker’ rule the only other rules are you have to be 18 years or older, be able to look after yourself, no ladies, no pets, no kids and no families are allowed.
The ride kicks off at 7am from the Copper Canyon Spur in Wadeville and follows a pre-planned route, stopping in at a motoring museum along the way as well as a couple of cool spots to grab a bite to eat and rehydrate. There is also a quiet piece of abandoned tar where some scientific research is done to determine which of the old girls can go the quickest without blowing up before heading off to the Deneysville Aquatic Club, (DAC), for the evening. DAC puts on a great spread with braai packs, salads, pap & sous. Soekoe Bicycle Co. sponsors an old school rock band, fires are lit and the evening’s festivities begin with fun prizes for the doffest antics on the ride. Along the way, all broken down bikes are assisted as best possible with the means available and those that can’t be resurrected are loaded onto the back up trailer and taken to the campsite at DAC.
The next morning, (Sunday), everybody heads home at their own pace or, as most tend to do, head for the Classic Motorcycle Club gathering at the Kensington Bowls Club to meet up with family and friends for breakfast and a lekker kuier before going home.
What a lekker way to round off your December Hols and reset yourself for the new year at the grindstone. We do hope to see you there!
Look them up right here!
