This special edition of The Breakaway explores the powerful connection between cycling, community and the lives changed by every race. Do cycling races really make a difference beyond the finish line? We travelled to the heart of rural South Africa to uncover the untold impact that events like Berg & Bush, Oxpecker and G2C have on local communities, speaking to farmers, residents and race organizers to hear their stories firsthand.

What we discovered challenged our assumptions, revealing how cycling creates jobs, builds schools, inspires young people and brings hope to places many riders never see.

These trips have direct costs we struggle to absorb and bicycle rental and car rental didn’t have to be one of them. Thank you to TOYOTA SA, Specialized and Complete Cyclist for helping us and supporting what we do!

#storiesmatter

=== CHAPTERS ===================================

00:00 Introduction

01:01 Why We Flew Across South Africa

03:17 The Question Nobody Is Asking

07:15 Farmer Gary Explains the Real Impact of Racing

22:32 Visiting a School Built Through Cycling

28:28 Asking the Community: Do Races Really Matter?

32:47 A Different Perspective from the Community

36:27 How Local Businesses Benefit

40:00 Our Biggest Takeaway

42:11 Seeing the Impact Firsthand

48:48 The Opinions We Didn't Expect

52:35 The Sponsors Behind These Events

54:17 Do Cycling Races Actually Change Communities?

55:11 Why This Story Matters

57:42 Final Thoughts

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

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

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

=== FOLLOW ACTIVE HOBO =========================

Subscribe: / @activehobo

Website: https://activehobo.com/

Instagram: @theactivehobo

Strava: https://strava.app.link/ciVbx92FJ2b

=== THE CREW ===================================

Dave @davlewjenkins

Alec @alec.gates

=== MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ======================

🔗 Scicon Sports SA — Premium eyewear and luggage for cyclists who take their kit seriously. https://theactivehobo.short.gy/scicon...

=== WORK WITH US ===============================

Sponsorships & collabs: david@activehobo.com

Send a question for the show: noah@activehobo.com

#ActiveHobo #CyclingPodcast #SouthAfricanCycling

Cutting weight for the Nedbank Gravel Burn is only half the fight. The other half is not losing the strength to survive it.

Five weeks ago, Dave couldn't activate some of his own muscles. He didn't know where his body was in space. Now, deep into an 8-week calorie deficit ahead of a 750km gravel stage race across South Africa's Great Karoo, he heads to a biokineticist in Westlake, Cape Town, to build the functional strength his cycling alone can't give him — the kind that keeps a rider upright, pain-free, and strong on day six of seven. It's not about looking strong. It's about not falling apart.

What is a biokineticist?

An exercise-therapy professional who uses movement science to build strength, stability, and resilience — often used by cyclists and endurance athletes to complement on-bike training.

Why does strength training matter for a gravel stage race?

A seven-day event like the Nedbank Gravel Burn demands more than fitness — riders need the core, glute, and postural strength to hold form and avoid injury deep into repeated long days on rough terrain.

# === CHAPTERS ===================================

0:00 — The Weight Cut Wasn't Enough

1:55 — Why Cycling Fitness Isn't the Whole Picture

2:39 — Meeting the Biokineticist Building Him From the Ground Up

3:38 — Cycling First, Strength Second — Or the Other Way Around?

5:23 — Five Weeks In: The Body Awareness Turnaround

6:41 — Training That Complements, Not Competes With, the Bike

9:47 — Protecting Muscle While the Weight Comes Off

10:27 — Next Stop: Fuelling the Fight

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

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

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/active-hobo/id1846864699

# === FOLLOW ACTIVE HOBO =========================

Subscribe: https://youtube.com/@activehobo?sub_confirmation=1

Website: https://activehobo.com/

Instagram: @theactivehobo

Strava: https://strava.app.link/ciVbx92FJ2b

# === THE CREW ===================================

Dave @davlewjenkins

Alec @alec.gates

Regardt @regardt.stander

# === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ======================

Latest episode: https://youtu.be/VRIeP2JYf5U

Full podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc2XIoaiAXafwoZykJM-jg6HnrLkWlJXH

Related episode: https://youtu.be/lGfvanjllXY

🔗 Scicon Sports SA — Premium eyewear and luggage for cyclists who take their kit seriously. https://theactivehobo.short.gy/sciconsports-discount

# === WORK WITH US ===============================

Sponsorships & collabs: david@activehobo.com

Send a question for the show: noah@activehobo.com

#ActiveHobo #CyclingPodcast #podcast #toyota #gravelburn #gravelcyclist #enduranceathletes #mtb