Active Hobo

Stage 1 of the Nedbank Gravel Burn 2026: 90 km and 1,450 m of climbing from Graaff-Reinet to Blaauwater, and the day the rivalry finally went from banter to race.

Charl and I lined up together, Cammy joined us for day one, and the banter finally became a race. Four months of all-in training, 14 kg lost, 3.6 → 4.2 W/kg… and on day one it paid off: 1st in Men 35–39 in 3:08:07, 66th overall and 4:09 clear of second. Cha...

Day 0 of the Nedbank Gravel Burn 2026 — registration day in Graaff-Reinet.

Tomorrow it starts: 7 stages, 691 km of racing through the Great Karoo. Today is the calm before the burn — the activation ride on the first kilometres of the course, picking up race number 339, carb-loading at the Drostdy, the most incredible bike park we've ever seen, and the race briefing the night before Stage 1.

"I don't even think it's ...

Three years ago, a handful of Joburg women who had ridden every road race and stage race on their own got a phone call: why not get a few of us together and go and have fun at the Double Century? Joanita Simpson of Femmes tells us what happened next.

Femmes arrived at their first Old Mutual Wealth Double Century with ten riders and no sponsors, and crossed the line in Swellendam with eight. Today they're a squad of 14, plus a ben...

Episode 38 of The Breakaway Show is a quick one. No guest, because it’s the last week before Nedbank Gravel Burn and the whole team is flat out. We start with the Prince George 100 Miler, a gravel race that finishes at the top of the Swartberg Pass. Then Derby Dash in the wet, a Namibian race scene with a surprising prize purse, and Hayley Preen taking third at Big Sugar Gravel in Arkansas. We also look at how a South African...

The final pack. Nutrition, gear, the bag, sleep, the bike and the kit: everything I'm taking to the Nedbank Gravel Burn, a 7-day, 750 km gravel stage race through the Great Karoo (25–31 October 2026).

0:00 Intro

0:42 Nutrition

8:29 Gear

10:30 The Bag

13:05 Sleep

14:21 The Bike

19:29 The Kit

# === LISTEN ON THE GO ===========================

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5GselFmeym7YgYXtcyPUXU

Apple Podca...

Four months of training, testing, and hard work come down to one final check-in on the road to Gravel Burn. With the help of coach Reece McDonald and strength coach Paige Goldie, we look at the progress made on and off the bike, and what it really takes to become a stronger athlete. But this journey has become about much more than watts, weight, and performance. It’s about consistency, rebuilding confidence, and changing the ...

We’re setting up the Specialized Crux 5 Expert with upgraded wheels, wider tyres, a new saddle and handlebars before putting the bike fit to the test. Dan Loubser breaks down the differences between the Crux and Diverge, identifying the fit issues affecting comfort, power and riding position. Find out how small adjustments and the right components can make a big difference to your gravel riding experience.

00:03 – Set...

This week on The Breakaway, Tristan McGiven sits down with us to talk about moving to online school, training 10 to 20 hours a week, racing in Belgium against juniors who compete all year, and the one lesson that stuck: stop comparing yourself to others. He also shares what he eats, how he measures a good race, and what next year in Europe looks like.

Before that, the racing. Marianne Vos wins the 2026 Gravel World Championships ...

The Cannondale Scalpel is a lightweight carbon cross-country mountain bike built for riders who want to go fast, and this one came back from the Tokai trails in the south of Cape Town still wearing the dirt. The platform has been out for a few years, so why review it now? Because plenty of riders are staring at a bike that's a few years old and wondering if a step up is real or just marketing. The Scalpel answers that with modern g...

Stage racing isn’t just about what happens on the bike — managing the daily routine, staying organised, and reducing unnecessary stress all play a huge role in recovery and performance. Here’s a look at how one piece of gear can make life on the race circuit easier and give you more time to recover and enjoy the experience.

00:02 – The Hidden Stress of Stage Racing

01:41 – Minimising Race-Day Admin

What does it take to create a truly custom cycling kit? We head inside Ciovita’s factory in Cape Town to explore the craftsmanship, people, and processes behind bringing a unique design to life. Created as a special tribute to the Toyota team heading to Gravel Burn, this project celebrates creativity, collaboration, and local manufacturing. Join us behind the scenes to see what goes into making cycling apparel more than just ...

Choosing the right bike for Gravelburn is about more than just weight and speed. After testing a range of gravel bikes, it’s time to break down the setup, upgrades, tyres, wheels and gearing that matter most for a demanding stage race. In this episode, we look at why the Specialized Crux 5 made the shortlist and how the right components can make a difference over multiple days on rough gravel. Is this the ultimate Gravelburn ...

Episode 36 opens with the SA Schools mountain bike finals in Stellenbosch, and the question every South African cyclist has been asking: is our sport dying, or just getting started? Then Jemaine Jacobs tells us how a school league, a borrowed bike and a job washing bikes led him to sales and social media at Specialized Tygerberg.

We also cover the opening of the Western Cape road season, the first Hobo Thrash group ride near Well...

We take an in-depth look at RH77, a Cape Town cycling brand that has become a familiar name on the local scene. From design and fit to performance, comfort and the details that matter when you're putting serious kilometres into a kit, we put their range under the microscope. But there’s more to this review than just the clothing — we explore what makes RH77 such a distinctive part of the cycling community.

00:00 &ndas...

No script, no plan, no filter: three mates the night before the Nedbank Gravel Burn.

Dave sits down with Simon Stoffberg and Charl Kemp for the most unplanned conversation The Active Hobo has ever filmed. They argue about FTP, VO2 max and who is actually fittest, then get serious about why they're racing seven days across the Karoo. One of them is back for redemption after a brutal first Gravel Burn. Another is racing so his son ...

Cyclists risk their lives every morning, and no political party has told us where it stands. This week on The Breakaway, we ask.

Episode 35 starts with a simple question: why do one million South African cyclists have no voice? Jarryd Haley is back, and together we talk road safety, the muggings that are changing where we ride, and what happens when a community finally speaks up.

Then the racing. Cape Pioneer on 32-inch wheels,...

Dan Loubser, an experienced bike fitter, breaks down what changes when a rider moves from road and gravel riding into mountain biking. From suspension setup and saddle position to bike geometry, power delivery and technical terrain, Dan explains how small adjustments can make a major difference on the trail. Whether you're new to mountain biking or looking to fine-tune your setup, this episode offers practical advice to help you ge...

What does the future of Active Hobo actually look like... and how do you build an independent cycling platform without sacrificing honest storytelling?

In Episode 34 of The Breakaway, Dave goes solo to give an open look behind the scenes of Active Hobo: how the channel is funded, why partnerships matter, and why maintaining editorial independence remains non-negotiable.

Then lets talk Go2Sea.

After seven days of racing, filmi...

Day 7 at Go2Sea brought plenty of rain, some seriously steep trails, and what can only be described as Type 2 fun - it’s only fun once you look back on it!

With the week coming to an end, the media crew sat down to reflect on the journey so far, the challenges we’ve faced, and the moments that have stood out along the way.

Go2Sea has exceeded all of our expectations, and after a week of racing, riding and meeting th...