Diverge Podcast

In August 2020 Jacques Marais, Peter van Kets, Zane Schmahl and Peter Kirk set out on a 9 00km, 9 province, tour of South Africa. The aim was to highlight an adventure travel destination in each province for their Beyond Expeditions trip. The adventure was supported by Isuzu South Africa and Dunlop Tyres South Africa. To find out more about it visit www.beyondexpeditions.co.za. 

A strange podcast for a strange time. The story of the Covid-19 pandemic is still unfolding. Seamus Allardice looks at the effects of the Covid-19 crisis, thus far, on the South African cycling industry where events have been cancelled or postponed, bicycle shops are closed and manufacturers have shut their doors. When they open will the economy be in a fit state to allow racing to resume? That we don't know, but what we do know is that everyone seems to be on Zwift and if the pro athletes, like Sarah Hill, can beat the boredom and complete their workouts they may well be stronger than ever when the lock-down lifts. Read the Lock-down story in the May issue of Full Sus, which will be available online. 

The 11th season of the Spur School's MTB League saw participation records broken in most regions. Following the highly successful 2019 final, to which the best performers from each region were invited, Seamus Allardice sat down with the league's founder Meurant Botha and Oliver Munnik. To find out more about the Spur School's MTB League visit www.spurmtbleague.co.za (https://www.spurmtbleague.co.za/) . 

The Maloti 100 Miler is a mountain bike race between Barkley East and Maclear, in the Eastern Cape. It covers 162km, takes in 2 966m of climbing and ascends South Africa's third highest mountain pass, Naude's Nek. Aside from reaching 2 600m above sea level, where the air is pretty thin, the road surfaces are exceptionally rough. It is definitely not a gravel bike race. But Seamus Allardice didn't bring another bike along and he was set on test riding the Canyon Grail CF SLX 8.0 Di2. The bike, though not the recommended weapon for the race, handled the terrain better than the show's host. Tune in to hear how it went and what to expect for the 2020 Maloti 100, which is set to take place on the 26th of September. Links: Canyon Grail CF SLX 8.0 Di2 Specifications (https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road-bikes/gravel-bikes/grail/grail-cf-slx-8.0-di2/2204.html?dwvar_2204_pv_rahmengroesse=2XL&dwvar_2204_pv_rahmenfarbe=GY%2FBK#all-components-section-tab) Maloti 100 Website (https://www.maloti100.co.za/) Pre-Race Story on Diverge.info (https://diverge.info/2019/09/23/crisis-im-riding-100-miles-this-weekend/)

On the 13th and 14th of September, Diverge Podcast host, Seamus Allardice took part in the Torpedo SwimRun Wild. New to the sport of SwimRun he had no idea of what to expect, but knew it would be an adventure. Tune in to hear all about that adventure and for an interview with Richard McMartin, one of the founders of Torpedo SwimRun South Africa. Want to know more about the sport? Check out Swamble Fun and Adventures in SwimRun (https://diverge.info/2019/09/16/swamble-fun-and-adventures-in-swimrun/) on www.diverge.info or visit www.torpedoswimrun.com (https://torpedoswimrun.com/) .

Nicky Giliomee (Seattle Coffee Co) and Jaco Pelser (Southern Africa Roadtrippers) took part in the 2019 Momentum Health Cape Pioneer Trek, presented by Biogen. They along with their teammates for the 6 day stage race, Cherise Willeit and Oliver Lennard, kept daily audio diaries of the experience for the Diverge Podcast. Here's how the Race With Soul unfolded for the quartet of mountain bikers. 

The route for the 2020 Absa Cape Epic has been announced. It takes in 647 kilometres with 15 550 metres of climbing, over 8 days in March next year. Visiting the towns of Ceres, Tulbagh and Wellington on the trail from Cape Town to Val de Vie. Watch the route launch video here: www.youtube.com (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4j1zb79-a0) And take a look at the route profiles here: www.cape-epic.com/2020-route (https://www.cape-epic.com/riders/the-2020-race/2020-route) (While listening to the latest episode of the Diverge Podcast). 

The BMT Fairtree mountain biking academy team of Luyanda Thobigunya and Zola Ngxakeni won an entry to the Swiss Epic, in the south eastern canton of Graubünden, by winning the Exxaro Development category at the 2018 FNB Wines2Whales. This is their story from the five day Swiss stage race. For more information on the BMT Fairtree academy please visit www.bmtsa.co.za/social-responsibility (https://bmtsa.co.za/social-responsibility/) . To find out more about the Swiss Epic and to view all the photos and videos from the race visit www.swiss-epic.com (http://www.swiss-epic.com/) . 

Gravel is growing in South Africa and 6 local event organisers have combined to establish a 7 event gravel/mountain bike 100 Miler Series. The series will visit 3 provinces in it's inaugural year, starting with Ride the Karoo in February and ending with Race to the Sea in October 2020. For all the details click here: https://diverge.info/2019/07/30/introducting-a-100-miler-series-across-south-africa/ Also featured in the show is a brief recap on the Stellenbosch MTB Challenge and a look ahead at the 2019 Trans Baviaans. 

The South African XCO Championships, at Thaba Trails in Johannesburg, saw Candice Lill win her first senior national title. Alan Hatherley meanwhile won his third. In the Western Cape the Chas Everitt Around The Pot Overberg 100-Miler, presented by SEESA, was held in sub 10 degree weather conditions. And two new gravel races were launched, including one from a brewery to a brewery. 

Join host Seamus Allardice as he starts to provide more regular, or that's the plan at least, programming by focusing on weekly news round-ups from the world of cycling, trail running and other adventure sports. This week he kicks off with a look back at the Andorra and Les Gets rounds of the UCI MTB World Cup, catches up with Robyn de Groot and previews the South African XCO Championships, which take place in Johannesburg on Saturday 20 July. Also on Saturday is the 3rd edition of the Chas Everitt Around the Pot Overberg 100 Miler, presented by SEESA. And Seamus has FOMO already, as he's missing this year's race. For more on these events and more visit www.diverge.info (https://diverge.info/) . 

In this episode of the Diverge Podcast Seamus Allardice chats to, 6 time South African Mountain Biking Marathon Champion, Robyn de Groot. De Groot is recovering from surgery to rectify iliac artery endofibrosis, which is the narrowing of one of the main arteries transporting blood to one's legs. Her recovery has come at a better than expected rate as she notched up her first post-operation win alongside Samantha Sanders at the 2019 KAP sani2c in May. Since then she has also won the Knysna MTB Challenge and will line up to defend her SA XCM title on the 29th of June at the Nissan TrailSeeker in Buffelsdrift, Gauteng. To find out more about Robyn you can visit her website: www.robyndegroot.com (http://robyndegroot.com/) . Or follow here on Instagram (@robyn_de_groot (https://www.instagram.com/robyn_de_groot/) ) and Twitter (@robyndegroot (https://twitter.com/robyndegroot) ). 

Join host Seamus Allardice as he chats to the Discovery George Mountain Ultra Trail's Zane Schmahl and Jacques Mouton, initially atop George Peak and then later over lunch at the Ground Zero Bike and Trail Park. Zane is the race director for the ultra trail running event, which also features a Vertical 1K challenge, from the outskirts of the Southern Cape city to the summit of the region's second highest peak. To find out more about the Discovery MUT please visit www.georgetrailrun.co.za. 

In this episode of the Diverge Podcast Seamus Allardice spoke to Summit Fin's Candice Lill. The former Junior Cross-Country Bronze medalist and London 2012 Olympian had recently returned from a European racing block where she fought her way to two top twenty results in the opening rounds of the UCI MTB World Cup. These results come off the back of her second position at the Absa Cape Epic in March alongside German Adelheid Morath.  For more information on Candice you can follow her on Instagram or Twitter @Candice_MTB (https://twitter.com/Candice_MTB) . 

Following her joBerg2c victory, alongside Mike Posthumus, Seamus Allardice caught up with Amy McDougall. The dormakaba rider is a two time world single speed champion, the winner of the inaugural Absa African Women's jersey in the Absa Cape Epic last year. 2019 though has been difficult for the former hairdresser, turned professional mountain biker. But after her big win at South Africa's longest stage race she's feeling confident and is once again happy to be on the bike.

Over the Easter long weekend Seamus Allardice joined former pro cyclist Jaco Pelser on a bikepacking adventure through the Western Cape. Their four day trip took in nearly 400km of riding, four iconic towns and over 200km of spectacular gravel roads. The pair were joined on the final day by fellow cycling adventure seeker Mynardt van Pletsen. On the evening of the third day Seamus sat down with Jaco and Mynardt to discuss the trip and bikepacking in general.  To read the full story and see all the photos of the trip visit: https://diverge.info/2019/04/24/diverge-easter-bikepacking-adventure/.

In the middle of the biggest week in the cycling calendar, Seamus Allardice and Oliver Munnik sat down to discuss the 2019 Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix for the Diverge Podcast. The pair spoke about what it's like to ride in the cycling crazy Flanders region of Belgium. Reviewed the 2019 Ronde van Vlaanderen and previewed the Hell of the North. To find out more about the start list and how the favourites are shaping up ahead of Paris Roubaix on Sunday, 14 April, visit: https://diverge.info/2019/04/11/diverge-podcast-episode-6-flanders-review-roubaix-preview/

Oliver Munnik joined Seamus Allardice at Bootleggers in the Cape Town CBD to discuss the inaugural #SpurFest. Organised by Meurant Botha and AmaRider #SpurFest is part of the Spur Schools' Mountain Bike League and is modeled on the Dirtopia Festivals of the early 2000s. To find out more visit www.spurmtbleague.co.za.

Seamus Allardice and Oliver Munnik sat down in Obs after the 2019 Absa Cape Epic to reflect on what, unquestionably was, "a hell of a week".

Join Seamus Allardice and Oliver Munnik as they record live after the Stage 7 – the Grand Finale – of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic. Wow, it’s all over… After eight crazy days of racing the Absa Cape Epic reached its conclusion on the polo fields of Val de Vie. Tune in as Seams and Oli reflect on the racing, the riding and everything else which made the 2019 event the madcap adventure it was.

Join Seamus Allardice and Oliver Munnik as they record live after the Stage 6 of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic. With the race reaching Stellenbosch at the end of Stage 5 the sixth full stage of the race was always going to be a brutal affair. The capital of the Cape Winelands, Stellenbosch, is famous for singletacks and steep vineyard climbs. Tune in to hear what Oli made of them and Seamus’ analysis of the UCI men’s and women’s racing.

Join Seamus Allardice and Oliver Munnik as they record live after the Stage 5 of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic. The Queen Stage was a brutal day on the bike… 100 kilometres and 2 850 metres of ultra-steep climbing, plus a portage down the Gantouw Pass thrown in for good measure. But the end is now in sight, tune in to hear how Seamus and Oli are doing with just two stages to go.

Join Seamus Allardice and Oliver Munnik as they record live after the Stage 4 of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic. The mid-race time trial provided Oli with a bit of a lie in this morning, despite it only being 43 kilometres long it was anything but easy though. Tune in to hear what the guys made of the stage and for an update of how the racing is playing out.

Join Seamus Allardice and Oliver Munnik as they record live after the Stage 3 of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic. Usually when the race goes up Groenlandberg it is on the Queen Stage, but this year with more significant climbs to come the green mountain is but another tough, 100 kilometre/2 000 meter plus of climbing, day. Take a listen to what Seamus and Oli made of it.

Join Seamus Allardice and Oliver Munnik as they record live after the Stage 2 of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic. Dubbed “Enter Sandman” the second marathon stage of the race was also the first moving day. Due to a last minute switch in the route the race went up the old wagon trail rather than the new singletrack but it was still a tough day in the saddle. Take a listen to what Seamus and Oli’s thoughts on the stage were.

Join Seamus Allardice and Oliver Munnik as they record live after the Stage 1 of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic. The first marathon stage of the race the 112 kilometre day up into the Hemel en Aarde Valley was always going to sort those who prepared from those who did not. Tune in to hear what the guys made of it.

Join Seamus Allardice and Oliver Munnik as they record live after the Prologue of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic. The short and steep 21 kilometre course, which took in 600 metres of climbing, on Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain set the scene for the week to come. Tune in to hear what the guys made of it…

Join Seamus Allardice and Oliver Munnik as they record live from the Amabubesi Breakfast ahead of the 2019 Absa Cape Epic. The Amabubesi finisher’s club is for all riders who have completed three or more races and every year on the day before the race they stage an informal gathering. With lots of famous mountain biking faces and plenty of pre-race nerves gathered around the croissant table it is the perfect opportunity for a final pre-view of what to expect from the Untamed African Mountain Bike Race this year.

Tune in to Episode 4 of the Diverge Podcast with host Seamus Allardice as he talks through the Absa Cape Epic route and the form of the UCI men's and women's category riders 10 days out from the 2019 race. Coming hot on the revaluation that Howard Grotts has withdrawn from his title defense bid, due to illness, and that Samuel Gaze will now partner Jaroslav Kulhavy for Investec-songo-Specialized the show details the form of all the main contenders. Focusing on the South African hopefuls Alan Hatherly and Matthew Beers who will now team up for the Specialized Foundation-NAD.  In the women's race the form of Anna van der Breggen and Annika Langvad is ominously formidable, as the pair raced to a 1-2 finish at the Cyprus Sunshine Cup. Van der Breggen who finished second was 6 minutes and 30 seconds ahead of the third placed rider - former Junior World Champion Sina Frei.  But first we delve into the 2019 route in more detail.  If you would like to purchase a copy of the Mountain Bike Magazine 2019 Absa Cape Epic Event Guide you can do so at any good newsagents or online here: https://joom.ag/87ua Music Credit: White Water by Apache Tomcat / Freemusicarchive.org

For Episode 3 of the Diverge Podcast Seamus Allardice sat down with the Director of the Cycle Tour Trust, Dave Bellairs. Dave and his team organise the world largest individually timed bicycle race, the Cape Town Cycle Tour which has for years set the benchmark for mass participation cycling events around the world. But organising the event is no easy feat; given water shortages, fires, gale force winds and delays to construction across the city of Cape Town. Take a listen to what goes into ensuring the fun rider world championships go off without a hitch on the second Sunday in March annually.  Music Credit: White Water by Apache Tomcat / Freemusicarchive.org

In this episode of the Diverge Podcast, host, Seamus Allardice spoke to 15 time South African champion Mariske Strauss. Strauss had returned the previous day from a victorious campaign, alongside her Silverback Fairtree teammate Jennie Stenerhag, at the Tankwa Trek - a UCI S1 stage race in the Koue Bokkeveld region of South Africa.  They discussed her early season form, her approach to the 2019 Absa Cape Epic, the upcoming World Cup season and the difficulties of being a South African racing a mountain bike around the world.  To find out more about Mariske Stauss please visit www.mariskestrauss.com. Music Credit: White Water by Apache Tomcat / Freemusicarchive.org

Join host Seamus Allardice and guest Oliver Munnik - the former full time rider, 9 time Absa Cape Epic finisher, jounalist and Rush Sports Marketing Manager - as they discuss the elite line-ups for the 2019 Absa Cape Epic.  The big race kicks off on the 17th of March from the University in Cape Town in South Africa and attracts the world's best mountain bikers to do battle over the eight days of racing. In 2019 riders will have to conquer 624km of challenging terrain and 16 650m of climbing - more meters of elevation gain per kilometre covered than in any of the previous fifteen editions of the race. The elite field includes World Champions Nino Schurter, Jaroslav Kulhavy, Annika Langvad, Anna van der Breggen, Henrique Avanchini and Alban Lakata to name but a few. To view the full list of elite riders taking part in the 2019 Absa Cape Epic click here: https://diverge.info/2019/02/05/stellar-elite-field-preparing-for-2019-absa-cape-epic/ Music Credit: White Water by Apache Tomcat / Freemusicarchive.org