Before I can race 750km across the Karoo, I need to know exactly what I’m working with — so I head to the world renowned Sports Science Institute of South Africa in Newlands, Cape Town, for a full physiological baseline test with Reece McDonald and Mark Stevens of Science to Sport. Body composition, lactate accumulation, fat max, VO2 max, peak power — every number gets measured, and not all of them are kind. I’ve been focussed on a dramatic weight cut in the weeks leading up to this (bad idea). What follows is the 20-week countdown: the targets get set, the ego takes a hit, and the training begins.

What is the Nedbank Gravel Burn?

A 7-day, 750km+ international gravel stage race across South Africa's Great Karoo, from the Cape Epic's founder.

What is a lactate accumulation test?

A test that finds the power output where your body starts producing lactate faster than it can clear it — a key marker for endurance training.

Who is Dave training with?

Reece McDonald and Mark Stevens from Science to Sport, based at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA) in Newlands, Cape Town.

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

0:00 — The Fear Before the Numbers

1:33 — The Weight He Already Cut

3:38 — Lactate, Fat Max & the Truth About Fuel

11:24 — Pushed to Failure: The Max Test

18:48 — Setting the Targets for 20 Weeks

20:38 — Why "Underwhelming" Was the Wake-Up Call

23:10 — What's Coming on the Road to Gravel Burn

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

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

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

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

Dave @davlewjenkins

Alec @alec.gates

Regardt @regardt.stander

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

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

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

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

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

South Africa's road cycling calendar is shrinking — and it's not because nobody wants to race. National commissaire

Stephan Aucamp breaks down exactly what it costs to put on a bike race in this country, where the money actually goes,

and why most events run at a loss every single year.

Stephan is a national road commissaire and works at Cycle Lab, giving him a rare view from both sides of South African

road cycling — as an official and as someone selling the sport every day. We get into the real cost of running a

Winter League race, why South African road teams can't pay their riders, what's been lost since cycling clubs started

dying out, and what it would actually take to fix it. Then we shift gears completely for a long, opinionated Tour de

France 2026 preview — Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Tom Pidcock, and a teenage French rider named

Paul Seixas who might just blow the whole thing open.

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

0:00 — Cold Open: The Great Bike Weigh-In

3:17 — Meet Stephan Aucamp: National Commissaire & Cycle Lab

15:36 — Denis Human: SA Cycling's Unsung Hero

21:34 — What It Actually Costs to Run a Road Race

26:15 — Why SA's Top Teams Can't Pay Their Riders

31:54 — What Road Cycling Lost When the Clubs Faded

36:01 — The Fix: Filling the Winter League

50:38 — Building a Town Hall for SA Cycling

57:58 — Tour de France 2026 Predictions Begin

1:00:27 — Is Paul Seixas the Real Deal?

1:07:27 — The Marco Pantani Story

1:11:48 — Why Cycling Needs Its Rugby Moment

# === 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 =========================

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Website: https://activehobo.com/

Instagram: @theactivehobo

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

Dave @davlewjenkins

# === 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 ===============================

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

#ActiveHobo #CyclingPodcast #SouthAfricanCycling

He and his wife sold their dining room table, cancelled their lease, and quit their jobs

in 2023 to chase one goal: getting South Africa onto an Enduro World Cup podium.

[NEWSLETTER / LINK]

Jason Boulle is South Africa's 2024 Enduro National Champion, and one of only a handful

of South Africans who have ever raced a full UCI Enduro World Cup season. In this episode

he tells the story from the beginning — discovering the sport through YouTube highlights

in 2015, qualifying for his first international races through a three-day enduro in

Lesotho, and the decision he and his wife Leslie made to leave stable jobs and a Cape Town

lease behind to give racing in Europe an honest shot.

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

0:00 — The Cape Epic footage that first pulled him into the sport

2:03 — Filling in on the Cape Epic Media E-Bike for Stefan Sahm

2:30 — The vision: getting a South African onto an Enduro World Cup podium

7:27 — Three years at Wild Air Sports, and learning to say yes to everything

9:40 — Meeting his wife Leslie at the Dusi

11:09 — Quitting their jobs in 2023, and qualifying for Europe through a race in Lesotho

15:34 — XCO, downhill, marathon: breaking down mountain biking's disciplines

22:46 — Why Stellenbosch and Cascades aren't enough: South Africa's World Cup gap

31:47 — What Enduro actually is, and why it might be cycling's most adventurous format

38:35 — The Enduro World Cup's post-COVID dip, and signs of a turnaround

39:43 — Jonkershoek, Witfontein, and the case for a South African World Cup round

43:25 — Africa: one percent of the global market, and why that's the opportunity

62:02 — The 2026 season: France in May, World Champs in Liguria in October

65:25 — Why the race vlogs stopped, and the plan to bring them back

69:04 — Where to follow Jason's season

71:29 — Closing thoughts: a duty to tell the story

# === 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

Jason @jasonboulle

# === 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

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