SOMETHING FRESH

The Imbuko Big 5 MTB challenge is one of the incredible events that we have been fortunate enough to work with. Theunis Van Zyl and his team are putting in the hard work to create something truly world class with this event in terms of the route, competition, and the overall participant experience.This is an exciting time for single day marathon events in South Africa, and in the world! We believe the Imbuko Big 5 is at the sharp end of the sport's progression locally and could even rise to be a globally recognised event.Doug and Jason discuss some of what it takes to create a world class event, what the Imbuko Big 5 has going for it and what about the future of this race and the sport they find most exciting!Find all the content from the 2023 Imbuko Big 5 here: https://wildairsports.com/tag/imbuko-big-5-mtb-challenge/Visit the event website here:https://imbukobigfivemtbchallenge.co.za/#wildairsports #somethingfresh 

After having the most incredible experiences riding the Karoo Crossing and Cross Cape gravel routes by Cape Cycle Routes, it was time for us to venture into the arid and majestic Cederberg Wilderness Area to ride the journey that is the Cederberg Circuit!Join Doug and J-Dogg as they reminisce on the adventure, share a laugh over some of the funny moments, discuss essentials for a tour of this nature, and what they would do differently next time!Links:WA ExperiencesCape Cycle RoutesWatch The Cederberg Circuit FilmCiovitaRyderCannondaleGiroAll content from the Cederberg Circuit

Jason Van't Slot is a 27 year old cyclist from Cape Town South Africa who recently set a new world record for the fastest 'Everesting' ride by someone with Cystic Fibrosis (a genetic disorder that affects the lungs and digestive system with thick and sticky mucous)."Everesting" is repeating a climb over and over until your cumulative elevation gain is that of Mount Everest – 8848m. Jason took on this challenge with the goal to raise awareness about CF and raise funds for a lifesaving medication called Trikafta that is not readily available to sufferers of the disease in South Africa and completed the climb in 16 hours and 12 minutes.We were blown away by his feat and reached out to sit down for a chat with the man! This is Jason Van't Slot's story.Links:Jason Van't Slot's Everesting VideoThe Everesting PodcastGivenGain Donation Link to support Jason's efforts to make Trikafta reality available in South Africa

This is Alan's second appearance on the something Fresh podcast, you can find the first one here, and this time we're winding back the clock and starting his story from the beginning.We spoke about him growing up in Hillcrest and getting into racing, making the jump from local to international racing, and then we got to talk about the upcoming 2022 World Cup XCO season (Starting 8th of April in Brazil).Alan shares some insights into what keeps the Cannondale Factory Racing team rolling smoothly and fast, interesting training and race preparation insights, developing his race craft and more!Follow Alan on Instagram here: @alanhatherlyFollow the CFR Team on Instagram here: @cannondalemountainCheck out Kenta's skills on a bike here: @kentagallagher#wildairsports #wildairbike #alanhatherly

Undoubtedly one of the toughest one day marathons in the MTB calendar. The Imbuko Big 5 delivered superb racing this year!Get the WILD AIR take on the racing action, what makes this event so tough, and a few stories from out in the field!Join J-Dogg and Grant Hiscock (the race broadcast team from the 2022 event) as they recap all the action and more!Check out the event highlights here: https://wildairsports.com/thrilling-racing-at-the-2022-imbuko-big-5-mtb-challenge/Watch the Race Broadcast Replay here: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17958602944608522/Read the Race Recap here: https://wildairsports.com/thrilling-racing-at-the-2022-imbuko-big-5-mtb-challenge/Podcasts referred to: Matt Beers Wins Cape EpicEvent Website: https://imbukobigfivemtbchallenge.co.za#wildairsports #wildairbike 

A classic XC bike has just received a full on overhaul! It is the Giant Anthem. A bike that many XCO or marathon riders would have spent time on at some point in their lives. For 2022 it has been redesigned with a new suspensions platform, significant geometry changes, wider rims and tires, 35mm bars, and the latest Fox Live Valve suspension!The first two production bikes were raced at the 2021 Cape Epic by two of Imbuko Giant's (@imbukogiant) team riders, Marco Joubert (@marcojoubert) and Tristan De Lange (@tristan_delange). We have Max Sullivan, who played an Intricate part in that operation, as well as Tristan join us on on the podcast to discuss the juicy details on the new bike and the experience of racing it at the limit!Links:2022 Anthem Launch ArticleTech Tuesday on the 2022 AnthemGiant Bicycles Website

The FNB Wines2Whales is the most iconic 3 day mountain biking stage race in the Western Cape. The route traditionally makes its way from the Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West through Grabouw and the Paul Cluver / Oak Valley wine estates to finish in Onrus. This year is the first ever SwitchBack edition, reversing the route and incorporating a host of new trails!J-Dogg sits down with Sulli (who is currently racing the event with him) and our special guest Johan Kriegler, the founder of the event, to talk about it's inception, evolution, and future. With the SwitchBack has also come the first year of E-Bike racing at the Wines2Whales, or any South African stage race for that matter! Johan, or JK as he is known, shares about his own cycling journey, finding the W2W route, getting the event off the ground, starting Cape Trails, and now the future of E-Bike Racing!To see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildairsports.com or our Instagram page www.instagram.com/wildairsports Links:Wines2Whales - https://wines2whales.com Cape Trails - https://wines2whales.com/involve/cape-trails/E-Bike Content from the event - https://www.instagram.com/tv/CWBjtaHqESc/?utm_medium=copy_link#mountainbiking #wildairsports #wines2whales #wildairbike #capetown #southafrica

The last time a South African rider won the Cape Epic was in 2012; it was the late Burry Stander. 9 years later, Matt Beers writes his name into the history books as he and his team mate, XCO World Champion Jordan Sarrou, arrive at the finish of 8 days with a 9 minute lead in the GC. Matt Beers becomes the second ever South African to win this fabled event!We have Doug, J-Dogg, and Sulli on the mics to chat with Matt about what it took to achieve this immense victory and what it feels like to have won the Cape Epic!We get into team tactics, team support, the stages, details of the racing, who was pushing who, and plenty more juicy detail of Matt and Jordan's performance at the "Race that measures all" !Photo creds: Craig KoleskyLinks:Cape Epic Website

The dust has settled around the 2021 Imbuko Big 5 MTB Challenge and we have some reflections to share on the event that pushed a few of the best riders in the country to their limits.If you're not familiar with the Imbuko Big 5, it is a 1 day solo marathon event that takes place just outside Wellington (about an hour from Cape Town). The event is designed to test riders on a ‘European standard' of physicality, climbing 3020m in its 75km duration, as well as being a pre-Cape Epic measuring stick (as it forms part of the gruelling 8 day route).For more details and the results on the day, click the event recap article or Imbuko Big 5 website below.Links from the show: Beers podcast - Direct Link to MP3Race broadcast Men - https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3OTUyOTc4MTQ1NTExMzI3?story_media_id=2665230268585676519&utm_medium=copy_linkRace broadcast Women - https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3OTY5MjU2ODE0NDQyODQx?story_media_id=2665230268585676519&utm_medium=copy_linkEvent Recap article - https://wildairsports.com/the-wild-air-take-on-the-2021-imbuko-big-5-mtb-challenge/ Imbuko website - https://imbukobigfivemtbchallenge.co.zaImbuko Socials - https://www.instagram.com/imbukobig5mtbchallenge/

We became aware of an upcoming film festival that Damien Schumann was involved in. Doug knew Damien from working with him at UTCT in 2017, just before he made his monumental Cape Fold Traverse. This seemed like a good time to have Damien on the SOMETHING FRESH podcast in the lead up to the Privilege of Movement film festival. Little did we know of the life that Damien has lived up until his immersion in the “alpine running” world, having traveled through Africa on a less-than-shoestring budget with the goal of bringing back a photographic exhibition and a story to share. Needless to say the experience that ensued were rich and diverse among others from trips to Myanmar and Heroine dens in Mexico. Damien shared with us his stories from his time in many facets of the world of social activism.Transitioning his focus to exploring and understanding the land that we live in, Damien's fascination for his backyard (our Cape Fold Mountains) birthed the idea to fast-pack / alpine run the entire 1136km range from Clanwilliam to Uitenhage. Taking bare essentials and regularly topping up supplies so as to keep light and fast. He talks through the 30 day mission sharing some of the toughest and best moments.This lead us on to the Eden to Addo corridor initiative which the Privilege of Movement film festival exists in support of. Damien explained this initiative to open up a migration corridor for elephants and other species. 3 films will be aired at the festival which attempts to harness humankind's privilege of movement to enable other species to share equal opportunity. On of the films aired will be Unfold, the yet unseen story of Damien's Cape Fold traverse. For info about the films and the festival itself, click on the link below.Links from the episode:Privilege of Movement Article - https://wildairsports.com/the-privilege-of-movement-film-festival/ Tickets - Ticket Sales   //   Trailer - Festival trailer Donate - https://www.givengain.com/cc/protect-10-000-hectares-of-land/ Cape Fold Website - www.capefold.co.za Covid ICU ward film - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-ytuuczCiU&feature=emb_imp_woytThe Salt River Morgue - Article - https://mg.co.za/article/2014-05-01-tales-from-the-morgue/  and some more pics - https://www.behance.net/gallery/61157481/Life-is-what-death-leaves-behindMexican Border - https://www.behance.net/gallery/61155935/Juarez and  https://www.behance.net/gallery/1569795/BorderlineStill life - https://www.behance.net/gallery/61156099/IntrospectiveExtremely Drug Resistant TB - https://www.behance.net/gallery/61157299/XDRGeneral portfolio - https://www.behance.net/damienschumann

Jean van der Westhuyzen was born and raised in South Africa where he fell in love with the sport of canoeing (or kayaking as it is known elsewhere in the world) . Humble, friendly, and a natural competitor, he was soon winning races at regional and national events before jumping into the International pond during his high school years.An Olympic dream was sparked at a young age and Jean focused his efforts on the goal of reaching the pinnacle of the sport. Sprint kayaking is the only olympic discipline of canoeing. Races take place over distances of 200, 500, and 1000m. Jean had reached the peak of his potential on local shores where training facilities and support are lacking and made the bold decision to move his life to Australia to pursue the Olympic dream.The Aussie training facilities and staff are world renowned and matched with the immense levels of determination Jean had built within himself, bred a world class athlete.  Jean shares his journey from entry into the sport to the last 250 meters of an Olympic final with his teammate, Tom Green, up against a childhood hero battling for Gold.Links:Jean's Instagram: @jean.vdwestClip of Jean and Tom's race: Video

Craig Kolesky is renowned for being a versatile photographer dedicated to getting the shot and getting the job done. He has shot world class images for Red Bull and other brands on some of their biggest local and global projects. His involvement with adventure sports through working behind the lens has led to him being fully immersed in the sports himself. Now Craig has 8 Cape Epics under the belt and is regularly heading out on hiking or over-landing adventures. Craig has a busy schedule and truly embodies the outdoor lifestyle.In our conversation we range from early beginnings to next adventures, The Big Show Beat Down, his most epic projects, handling curve balls, and balancing family life. Craig has a lot of experience and wisdom to share whether you're an avid adventurer, weekend warrior, or aspiring content creator. Soak it in!Links to projects and event we talked about:Craig's WebsiteMad Mike Drifting Franschoek Pass Story  / VideoDavid Coulthard Races a Taxi Skyrun Craig's advice for athletes working with media4 peaks Mountain ChallengeSmoke That Thunders - Vic Falls Cliff Diving

Many mountain bikers will be familiar with the Morewood bicycle company from the early 2000s and most would have heard of the man Patrick Morewood himself. Starting out tweaking his bikes for better performance and durability in the 90s cross country and downhill scene to now designing progressive enduro, trail, and marathon bikes at Pyga Mountain Bikes. Patrick Morewood is a genius when it comes to bicycle design having been at the forefront of the geometry progression over the last 5-10 years.We ask him about his story and how he fell in love with the weird and wonderful world of bicycles and all the highs and lows along the way. We cover a broad range from the evolution of bikes design to, stripping and replicating suspension forks when they weren't available in South Africa, talking details on the soon-to-be-released Pyga eMTB, manufacturing carbon bikes locally, and more!To see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildairsports.com or our Instagram page www.instagram.com/wildairsports LINKS:Video of Pat's storyhttps://www.pygamountainbikes.com#allrideza #wildairsports

Matt Healy is a 26 year old “mountain runner” from the Western Cape. He isn't very far into his trail running career but he is already making a strong name for himself and has just smashed his personal FKT on the 13 peaks to take the second fastest recorded time on the gruelling 100km 6600m vert route!In this podcast we talk through the starting of his career, playing rugby at the Sharks academy, how he got to where he is today, what went into making this 13 Peaks FKT attempt, and where he's going from here.Links:Watch Matt's 13 Peaks AttemptMatt's Website: https://www.matthewhealyultra.com   /   Instagram: @matthealy01WILD AIR TRAIL: @wildairtrail13 Peaks Website: https://13peaks.co.za  /   Instagram: @13_peaksMax Sullivan PodcastWade Young Podcast

Max Sullivan, or Sulli, is by now a familiar member of the WILD AIR crew! These days he spends a lot of time on his trail bike in the Jonkershoek valley but he has had a fast paced history racing marathons, cross country, and even road bikes to the limit! He has been on both sides of the sponsorship curtain as well as team manger which gives him a holistic view on the world of racing bicycles.We get to know Sulli's cycling  journey as well as some of his thoughts on where the racing scene is at today in South Africa, what is keeping our athletes from performing on the World Stage, what is important in managing sponsorships, and what athletes need to do to really make it!To see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildairsports.com or our Instagram page www.instagram.com/wildairsports Links from the podcast:Coetzenberg Course Preview with J-Dogg and SulliJonkershoek Enduro 2019 Highlights

Straight off the back of a mega 5 day adventure exploring the Cross Cape route, Doug and J-Dogg sit down to catch up on their highlights from the trip and talk about gravel riding and bike packing in the Western Cape. The Cross Cape is a 742 km route that is part of the Cape Cycle Routes portfolio of 5 Western Cape gravel rides that are open for anyone to to ride and explore! Show notes below.Cape Cycle Routes websiteInstagram Photo Highlights ReelTourism offices:KnynsaOyster FestivalOudtshoornGreytonOverbergTo see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildairsports.com or our Instagram page www.instagram.com/wildairsports #allrideza #wildairsports

We had to speak with Alan Hatherly ahead of the much anticipated Tokyo Olympics! Alan is on great form and has been lighting things up at the World Cup XCO circuit this year with a recent podium finish in Les Gets.We speak to Alan about his switch to Cannondale Factory Racing from Specialized, racing strategy, riding motorbikes on the off-season, E-Bike racing and the build up to the olympics!Listen to the brightest star in South African mountain biking talk you through his 2021 racing season!Catch our ride with Alan on his new Cannondale here.To see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildairsports.com or our Instagram page www.instagram.com/wildairsports #allrideza #wildairtv

Gravel riding is making a name for itself in South African and Kevin Benky is well known for being at the front of any pack of gravel grinders, with a smile (or grimace) on his face.We sit down in out outdoor studio to chat with Kev about his adventures in gravel across our beautiful country and beyond! There is much to talk about when it comes to what he's done and the discipline of riding in general so sit back and enjoy!Follow Kev on his adventures @kevinbenky and see more of what he does @benkyrides !To see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildairtv.co.za or our Instagram page www.instagram.com/wildairsports#allrideza #wildairtv

The eMTB has now quite firmly established itself in the modern world of mountain biking and for good reason! The bikes are just so much fun to ride. If you have ever suffered up a hill on a mountain bike, swinging a leg over an eMTB can radically change the experience, but they're not for everyone. Or are they?Doug and J-Dogg get to chatting about the good and bad (what could be bad about them?) of the eMTB and where its place in the sport is. They also touch on an eBike that we got to spend some time on, the Cannondale Habit Neo. For more on that bike, check out the link below!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFcQRYUyRFw&t=30sTo see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildair.co.za or our Instagram page www.instagram.com/wildairtv #allrideza #wildairtv

Boy are we excited for the 2021 Enduro World Series season! It kicks off this week with a double header in Canazei, Italy! Spectacular scenery and tough racing awaits!The Val Di Fassa EWS in gorgeous Canazei had its debut in 2019 and this will be its second feature on the World Series. The stages were characterised by their highly technical corners and intense physicality.Find out all about the location, course, stages, riders and more! To see more more race content click here!Links to content we referenced:Loic Bruni interviews Martin MaesKasper Woolley's bone density conditionRocky Mountain Race Face Enduro Team Jank Files seriesEnduro Western Cape InfoDiscovery Inc Invests in Enduro World SeriesTo see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildair.co.za or our Instagram page www.instagram.com/wildairtv #allrideza #wildairtv

The mountain biking industry can be a strange beast. We have someone from the inside on the podcast to speak about the inner workings and the finished products that emerge from it.Dayle Holmes is a well known character around Cape Town riding circles. He, along with his dad, is a co-founder of Lyne Components. They are a proudly South African mountain bike components company that work to produce high quality mountain bike products at a fair price for consumers. You can check out their products at the link below.We talk about Dayle's time designing bikes at Silverback, leaving to go full time at Lyne with his dad, the behind the scenes of bike design and product design, innovation, brand building, customer service, and more!Lyne Website: https://www.on-lynecomponents.com To see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildairsports.com or our Instagram page www.instagram.com/wildairsports 

The Enduro racing scene is growing in popularity in South African as more and more riders realise that it takes the shape of the trail riding that they are already doing and enjoy so much! Dan Dobinson is a rider who has been a part of the movement from many moons ago and is one of the people who have made the Enduro Western Cape series into what it is today. We talk with him about what Enduro is, some of his best races and moments in the sport, what is holding people back from giving it a bash, how the Enduro Western Cape series came to be and where it's going.Check out what Dan is up to at www.irideafrica.com .Enduro Western Cape site page: wildairsports.com/enduro-western-cape/To see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildair.co.za or our Instagram page www.instagram.com/wildairtv 

Trying to buy yourself a mountain bike, or any bike for that matter, can be a mine field of bad advice and sketchy decisions. Doug and J-Dogg have heard their fair share of bad advice, and made a few poor decisions, and now they're here to offer some pointers that will hopefully land you on bike that works for you!We talk about hardtail versus full suspension bikes, second hand or new, and how to figure out which bike is the best for you and your intentions!Links to other content we mentioned:How to Buy a Second Hand Bike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F05NQR9ooXg&list=PL5l74XO7-x3CiHlsTYTIeHvHl3BT2DFH_&index=3 Where to Save on your Mountain Bike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soRYop4DN2c&t=68s Where to Spend on your Mountain Bike: https://wildair.co.za/where-to-spend-on-your-mtb/ Karoo Crossing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe9R6-gBCBI&t=5s https://wildair.co.za/the-all-ride-crew-takes-on-the-karoo-crossing-how-gravel-can-we-go/ To see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildair.co.za or our Instagram page www.instagram.com/wildairtv 

The Wintergreen Barrier Breakers (WGBB) are somewhat new kids on the block. A group of girls passionate about riding bikes who are making efforts to make the sport of cycling feel easier to access for other women who may share the same passions but aren't sure how to make it happen!In a world where there is often a lot of talk and not a lot of action, these ladies aren't just sitting around. They're out there putting in the effort, getting their hands dirty, leading the way, making mistakes, learning their lessons, and sharing them.We chat with 2 members of the group, Elrika Harmzen-Pretorius and Renata Bossi about their entry to the sport they love, how the WGBB came to be, where they've been, and where they're going.To see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildair.co.za or our Instagram page @wildairtv 

The landscape for professional athletes continually changes over the years. Sponsorships, sport broadcasts, social media, and now a global pandemic have shifted the perceptions of value and added or subtracted required skillsets. We speak with Tyrone Rawlins, a professional Kite Boarder turned athlete manager (with a few other stops along the way), about how the covid pandemic has changed the game for professional and aspiring athletes.The behind the scenes world of being a professional athlete is not often understood clearly from those outside of it. How do you make the "dream" become a reality? What are the common mistakes that athletes are making? How do I understand my value to a brand and make sure I'm not over or underselling myself? These are some of the few questions we try and get to the bottom of in our conversation with Tyrone. For the ALL RIDE episode we mentioned with Alan Hatherly on switching teams: https://youtu.be/hBV8LhdPc8I To see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildair.co.za or our Instagram page @wildairtv 

Off the back of hard lockdown in South Africa and mountain bike races opening back up again, we chatted to Matt Beers (the freshly crowned SA Marathon Champ), about how he managed to not only get through the hard lockdowns, event cancellations, and sponsorship uncertainty but emerge on the other side even stronger. One thing is for certain, Matt is a ruthless competitor who races to win! He makes no bones about that fact which is a refreshing change from the norm of "we are here to do the best we can".Training discipline, trying to make it internationally, mongrel mentality, racing strategy, sharing your power stats on strava, answering questions from Instagram, and giving his coach kak from overtraining - there is plenty to talk about when 'Bees' is in the outdoor podcast studio and so we got to chatting!To see more of what are about and what we get up to, head over to our website www.wildair.co.za or our Instagram page www.instagram.com/wildairtv Link to the previous Episode with Matt: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1086545/episodes/3862322 

The ALL RIDE crew may not strike you as a bunch of gravel grinders, and we are not (aside from Mr Lamond), but that didn't stop us from launching headfirst into a 3 day epic that was the Cape Cycle Routes' Karoo Crossing! This episode is a slightly different style from how we normally do things, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!350+ km. 7000m vertical. 3 days. Negligible training done. This was our experience. Settle in for the journey!We hope that after listening to this you will be keen to do your own bike tour! We loved the experience and are sure that you will as well. To watch our journey, head over to: https://youtu.be/oe9R6-gBCBIFor free information on this route and more like it, to start panning your own adventure, head over to: https://www.capecycleroutes.co.za​ 

Not only is Kelvin Trautman fast becoming a household name in the adventure photography and filmmaking space in South Africa but he is a man that finds himself gravitating towards work that serves a bigger purpose. This has translated into Kelvin travelling to some of the most remote and wild locations on the planet to practice his craft in extreme and unpredictable environments. His purpose? To tell those all important environmental stories that the world needs to hear. But his journey didn't start there. In this podcast we chat with Kelvin about how his career has developed to the point that it has, his sportive pursuits as a younger man, his love for the great outdoors and the lessons he has learned along the way. From sailing to swimming the greek islands to escaping Leopard Seal attacks, Kelvin has a fascinating story to tell. After wrapping up this podcast, we quickly realised that this will have to be part 1 of many conversations with Kelvin as we didn't event scratch the surface. Enjoy! You can check out his Instagram handle here - https://www.instagram.com/kelvintrautman/

This is a throwback (it sounds strange saying that) to the very early lockdown days here in South Africa where Doug  caught up with one of the most focused and talent young athletes he has met to date."From the moment I met Wade Young I knew that he would rise to become an icon on the Hard Enduro world not just in South Africa but on a global level too. He was extremely focused, approached his training and nutrition seriously and had that "killer" instinct when it came to being competitive."For this EP of SOMETHING FRESH, we talk about Wade's journey and how he has developed his recipe to WIN! Enjoy!Check out his bio below courtesy of Red Bull Media House:"This KwaZulu-Natal phenom first burst onto the scene in November 2012 when he became the youngest ever winner or the Roof of Africa in Lesotho.Some would say that winning one of toughest hard Enduro races on the planet so early on in your career is a fluke. But the manner in which he did it, beating second place by a full eleven minutes and finishing ahead of former winners such as 2011 victor Graham Jarvis (third) and three-time winner Chris Birch, speaks of a rider of class way beyond his years.In 2013, (then aged 17) he won the South African Championship in the Senior Off-Road class and took the title in the under-21 class. He also put in credible finishes at Harescramble and Romaniacs and was runner-up in the iconic King of The Hill event.Then in 2014 he took the big step up from heir apparent to main contender in the world of Hard Enduro. Not only did he win his second Roof of Africa title, but he also claimed both Ukupachu and King of the Hill Hard Enduro's and stood on the podium at Red Bull Romainiacs and Sea to Sky.On South African soil he successfully defended his overall South African Enduro championship title.2015 saw him once again focused on the World Hard Enduro circuit with a fourth place at Romaniacs (he was on course for a much higher finish until he drowned his bike on the final stage) a third place at Sea to Sky and a second at The Roof of Africa.In 2016 he signed with Factory Sherco and started the year with a big win at Hell's Gate. A crash at Sea To Sky (where he won the Forest Stage) saw him break a bone in his hand and put an unfortunate end to his season.He bounced back in 2017 however, and so far has won the German Wiesel-X extreme enduro, King of the Hill Hard Enduro in Romania and the XL Lagares.He followed this up with an epic 2018 winning three of the major global hard enduro events this year, taking out Red Bull Romaniacs, Red Bull Megawatt 111 in Poland and Sea to Sky in Turkey, among a string of other podium results. He then capped the year off by successfully defending his Roof of Africa title.2019 saw him start strong with a runner up finish at the Extreme XL Lagares in Portugal. Unfortunately he spent some time on the sidelines during the middle of the season after having to withdraw from Red Bull Romaniacs due to a crash. He came back strong during the latter part however, winning the American Hard Enduro Series (AHES) series as well as stringing together a host of big results around the globe, including second place at Sea to Sky, winning the Uncle Hard Enduro in South Borneo, Indonesia in late November and claiming the one-day Wildwood Rock Extreme earlier the same month. He also chalked up yet another Roof of Africa title - his fifth (and his third in a row). With that victory, Young cemented second place in the all-time Roof of Africa hall of fame ahead of Graham Jarvis (four victories) but getting closer to the legendary Alfie Cox, who has nine.."

Richard Murray has made a statement through his performances in both duathlon and triathlon from an early age. He has gone on to becoming one of the most successful South African triathletes of all time. But it has not all been plain sailing! Biography:Richard Murray won the Junior Duathlon World Championships in 2007 and 2008 and the U23 African Championships in both triathlon and duathlon in 2010, firmly establishing himself as a name to watch. Then, in 2012, Richard scored his first WTS win in Hamburg and went on to podium twice more that same season.During 2016, after winning the World Cup series race in New Zealand and finishing second at WTS Abu Dhabi, Richard broke his collarbone during the WTS Gold Coast race. After three months out, Richard came back to win the Duathlon World Championships, the Island House Invitational and finish 4th at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.Ranked in the top five triathletes globally for the past five years, Richard finished fourth overall in the 2018 WTS standings, thanks in part to a superb first Olympic-distance World Series win in Leeds and third-placed finishes at WTS Hamburg and the Gold Coast Grand Final. The South African's goal is now to win the World Triathlon Series and the gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.Recent Highlights- 3rd place at the 2018 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Gold Coast- 4th place at the 2018 ITU World Triathlon Montreal- 3rd place at the 2018 ITU World Triathlon Hamburg- 1st place at the 2018 ITU World Triathlon Leeds- Winner of the 2018 Cape Town ITU Triathlon World Cup- Winner of the 2018 Mooloolaba ITU Triathlon World Cup- 4th place at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games

Brian Capper is a household name when it comes to South African two and four wheeled motorsport and for good reason!Here is a little taste of what he has managed to achieve in his career:11 x National Champion9 x National SuperMoto Championwinner of the Red Bull Cross Choice EnduroX Race In São Paulo BrazilSA MX long-jump Record Holder over 21 CarsAustralian MX long-jump Record Holder over 20 carsNational Cross Country off-road Racing Champion (Cars)1st and only person to successfully ride a motorcycle up and over the Moses Mabhida Soccer World Cup Stadium in KZN South Africa1st Person to backflip a trials bike at Travis Pastrana's house in Maryland USA. In achieving what he has, he has spearheaded the sport in an athletic, performance and professional way and he is not done yet!He now own's and runs BCR (Brian Capper Racing) where he coaches the next generation of up coming talent. Not only that but he still races as a full blown professional racking up race wins on a regular basis! In this EP of SOMETHING FRESH, we chat to Brian about his grand career, his new found passion for finding his next level through adaptive training and smart eating choices, how he has managed and developed such a strong brand of himself as well as how he has successfully managed a string of top end sponsors for over two decades! If there is one man that can tell you how it's done, it's BC!Enjoy!#SOMETHINGFRESH #WILDAIR

Back in April, we were privileged enough to chat with one of South Africa's most decorated coaches across cycling and motocross, John Wakefield. The success he has achieved throughout his coaching career speaks volumes about his ability to connect with athletes in a way that delivers results. John is known for his no bullshit approach. He has no problem telling you how it is and what you need to do. Those athletes prepared to stick to the process reach the top of their game. Those that don't, go fly fishing. John dedicates his time between coaching and increasing his knowledge of Sports Performance.  He works with individual athletes both locally and Internationally and is the Head of Coaching and Performance Co-ordinator at UAE Team Emirates World Tour Cycling Team. This has propelled him to become one of South Africas' most successful and leading coaches.His attention to detail and support of all athletes he works with throughout the season and years has lead to World Championships, Multiple National and African Championships and World Tour success Internationally. This is testament to the understanding of training prescription, monitoring and dedicated support needed for an athlete to progress and achieve personal goals. Additionally, John has a long history with motocross (MX) and has helped develop and guide many of South Africa's top MX riders to National and International success through coaching and management of athletes.In this EP we talk to him about his journey, the athletes he has worked along the way, his approach to coaching, managing personalities and what it takes to work with a world tour team like UAE Emirates. Enjoy! 

Cannondale is without doubt a global icon of the cycling world! From sponsoring Division 1 road racing teams in the late 1990s (team Saeco) to the current world renowned Cannondale Factory Racing team, they have essentially done it all!How do some brands manage to build such a strong legacy? Through smart people who are fiercely passionate about what they do! Introducing Dan Hespeler!Dan has always enjoyed competitive sports! He was a ski racer turned bicycle racer by the age 14. He made the national German team in cyclocross and mountain biking from 16 to 23 years of age. Dan went on to compete in international road, cyclocross and mountain bike races till 25 years of age. Sadly a “career ending” knee injury from ski accident meant that Dan had to explore other opportunities. In terms of his professional career, Dan has a University degree in Economics specialising in Sports Marketing and Energy Supply Management. He has worked as a professional race mechanic at a mountain bike world Cup level with Team T Mobile. He then moved across to working for Cannondale where he has been for the last 15 years filling various roles for the Cycling Sports Group (Cannondale's holding company) Dan is the current Global Senior Sports Marketing Manager of mountain biking and is also the Team Manager for Cannondale Factory Racing.When asked what is career highlights are, he noted them as follows:Making my dream come true to work in professional sports and have an influence to it.Running the longest lasting racing program inside Cannondale from day 1. Creating his dream team in 2010 with Fumic and Fontana, a marketing mega machine with lots of racing success.Transferring the mega marketing machine into a performance machine, while still being relevant media wise.All the wins on paper and also the ones against ourselves not on paper over these years… world champions, world cup winners… across disciplines.In this EP of SOMETHING FRESH, we talk to Dan about his journey, the highs, the lows, the team, managing the corporate aspect of the team, what he looks for in an athlete and how he has managed to bring together a collective of talented, focused and motivated people to form one of the strongest mountain biking assets in history! Enjoy!

"Pottie" is one of South Africa's most well liked and respected Downhill mountain bikers! He is friendly, happy to chat to anyone, has loads of useful advice and is a great ambassador for the sport! Put him onto a start line though, and all of that changes! The red mist descends and its race on! Pottie's love for Downhill mountain biking started at an early age. From the outset, he had his heart set on becoming a professional athlete. Through hard work and dedication, Pottie is a 5 x national champion, has placed second in the IXS Downhill Cup ( a European based series) and is one of the lead riders for Team Racing Dude's, a team which races the UCI World Cup season. When Pottie is not racing, he finds himself in South Africa hosting skills and training camps, running his recently launch coffee label "Pottie's Coffee" and putting in those all important off-season training miles!In this EP of "SOMETHING FRESH" we talk to Pottie about where it all began, his journey to becoming one of the most well liked riders on the global DH scene, his views on the sport locally, the next batch of SA talent and how he has managed his career from a sponsorship, brand and financial point of view!Enjoy! 

At the beginning of lockdown here in South Africa, we launched our Instagram LIVE series, SOMETHING FRESH. This ultimately evolved into our podcast series. This recording was taken from our LIVE session with Greg so please excuse the audio quality and references to items you cannot see.  The GOAT, Fresh Prince of Big Air or Puzzler. Who are we talking about? We are talking about the Pietermaritzburg born and bread, greatest of all time downhill mountain biker Greg Minnaar!Greg has had an incredible journey to becoming the best and most consistent performer at a world cup and world champs level. From his early days (1999) of racing internationally as a junior, he has repeatedly strung together performances that have found him on the podium. These performances have lead to Greg becoming the greatest downhill mountain biker of all time. Through that he enjoys some of strongest sponsorship partnerships the sport has seen between an athlete and brands.Not only that but Greg has played an active role in one of the most progressive times in the sports history from a bike development point of view. From racing 26", 27.5" and now 29" bikes, he has mastered his craft across all platforms showcasing his strength and diversity as an athlete. Beyond his racing career, Greg has always taken a keen interest in the business world and is involved in several projects and businesses in South Africa as well as abroad.The combination of his riding and business savvy has positioned him very nicely from life after professional sport. This is not entirely common amongst athletes especially in the non mainstream sports space. Was all of this by design or did it simply fall in to place? In this EP of "SOMETHING FRESH" we talk to Greg about his journey, lessons he has learned along the way and how he has managed to build the empire he has around himself as a brand all the while performing at the highest level! At just 38 years old, Greg is still at the top of his professional game after 20 years of racing at the highest level and is set to keep on going!We hope that you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!#somethingfresh #wildair #wildairexperience 

Beast mode, the wattage cottage, ripped my legs off! These are just some of the common phrases you will hear from anyone who has had to race Matt Beers on a bicycle!Matt hasn't always been a cyclist. His initial love for two wheels came in the form of MotoCross and it was only through severe injury that Matt was forced to swing his leg off  of one bike and onto another. Matt has had a short career in the sport of pro cycling. In that short space of time he has managed to become one of the countries most respected athletes. Not only that, but Matt has found his winning recipe. Now that he has had a taste, he is VERY hard to beat! Having won almost every major stage race in South Africa, posting some incredible results on the world marathon stage, racing for the would tour team of UAE Emirates and winning the African Leader Jersey at the Cape Epic, one gets the feeling that Matt is just getting started. For this episode, we start at the beginning of Matt's career and talk with him about his journey, learnings, injuries, recovery, processes and other interesting insights that he has picked up along the way. From racing MX in America to becoming one of South Africa's most respected competitors with global potential, we cover it all. Since the recording of this podcast, the professional cycling team that Matt formed part of has sadly been closed down due to Covid-19. Through this, Matt is "back on the market". Matt would do any brand that he represents proud be it on or off the bike. If you are interested in contacting Matt, send me an email directly - doug@wildair.co.za.Enjoy!Adios for now,Doug

Kirsten Landman has a never say die attitude and its that attitude that has seen her rise to global success in the off road two wheel motorsports space! With the sport being male dominated, Kirsten grew up racing the boys and has moved on to racing the men in the senior ranks. It is this level of competition from an early age that has enabled her to develop into the world class rider she is today. Kirsten is the only female in the world to finish the Gold Class at the Roof of Africa as well as the Sea to Sky and has most recently taken on and completed the ultimate test of human endurance in the motorsport world, the mighty Dakar Rally. For this episode, we Kirsten takes us back to where it all started. She tells about how she developed a love for the sport, how she has managed to progress as a rider, her training approach and how she developed the mental fortitude to get the job done. She takes us through how she has managed to recover from a near death crash and the process she followed to get back onto her bike well as what it takes to ride the infamous Dakar Rally.We hope that you enjoy! #somethingfresh #wildairmediahouse #kirstenlandman

Ryan Sandes is without doubt one of the hardest men on the planet! From running the Great Himalayan Trail, setting the FKT (Fastest Known Time) across the majestic Drakensberg Mountain Range in South Africa to being the only man to win a ultra distance trail running race on every continent of the world, there is not much that scares him! Parallel to all of that, Ryan has managed the professional and commercial aspect of his career exceptionally well and as a result, enjoys the support of some of the biggest brands in the world namely Red Bull, Salomon, Suunto and Oakley. In this episode, we speak to Ryan about his racing and adventure career but also delve into the details of how he has developed such a successful brand of himself all the while raising a family. If you are an aspiring athlete or someone who enjoys a good story then this one is for you!Enjoy!#somethingfresh #wildair #wildairmediahouse