Iron horses will roar this weekend when about 15 hardcore bikers take on the 2026 Southern Cross Endurance Challenge (SCEC), a gruelling ride aimed at raising funds for fellow bikers in need of medical assistance.
The challenge started four years ago with nine riders tackling a route outlining the Southern Cross.
The riders will leave the Shell Service Station training centre in Lafrenz at 06h00 on Saturday and are expected back at the same venue at 15h00 the following day.
Riders can participate individually, in pairs or in teams of four, covering a total distance of 2 030km.
Holger Sircoulomb, who started the initiative, says the Southern Cross was born from a desire to unite the biker community while supporting riders facing medical difficulties.
“Having done it myself, I can most certainly say it is a challenge.
It is not an easy ride but is doable and the whole concept is to raise funds for the Southern Cross Fund (SCF), that is for the bikers to assist them when they are in an accident when the medical fund is depleted,” Sircoulomb says.
The fund also assists bikers who find themselves in need of financial support.
Sircoulomb says bikers who require assistance can approach the fund, which will assess how it can help within its means. The fund is administered by a trust to ensure transparency.
He says the initiative is not limited to Harley-Davidson owners and is open to bikers regardless of the motorcycle brand they ride.
SCF president Janine Hearne says the initiative was Sircoulomb’s dream after he recognised the need to assist bikers who do not have adequate medical cover following an accident or incident.
“On application we are there to assist as far as possible,” Hearne says.
The route requires riders to leave the Shell Lafrenz site and head in different directions, with Mariental to the south, Otjiwarongo to the north, Karibib to the west and Gobabis to the east.
All riders must ultimately travel to Dordabis before returning to Windhoek to complete the SCEC route.
Participants have 33 hours to complete the challenge.
To monitor their progress, route and times, riders must photograph their fuel receipt next to their motorcycle’s tachometer. This serves as their “proof of ride”.
The rules allow riders to tackle the route in any direction according to their strategy, with one exception: the Windhoek-Dordabis section must be completed as the final leg.
Teams of two or four riders must “tag” each other at the designated “hub” before the next rider can continue.
Only one rider is allowed on a motorcycle at any given time, and pillions are not permitted.
Riders may be accompanied by a support vehicle, but no outside assistance is allowed and passengers may not be carried on the motorcycles.
