Every rider who's done a stage race has seen it: the school kids handing

out water, the local guy who's swept the same piece of singletrack all

year so it's ready for you. James Beers joins The Breakaway to unpack

what actually happens to the money you pay to enter a race — and why it

matters more than most riders realise.

This is a big one. James breaks down the real, direct link between event

entry fees and rural community income in South Africa — school fees paid,

local trail builders employed, families supported through a single race

weekend. It's not corporate box-ticking. It's tangible, and it compounds

year on year.

We also get into the Giro d'Italia GC battle — Jonas Vingegaard's

gearing, Tadej Pogačar's dominance, and what's coming in the next two

weeks. Plus two big pieces of South African cycling news: performance

coach Reece McDonald's move into the WorldTour pipeline with Q36.5 Pro

Cycling, and Daryl Impey's new role as a Sport Director at Ineos

Grenadiers for 2026.

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

0:00 — Intro: Do Races Actually Help Communities?

2:05 — James Beers' Toyota Commercial Stunt Double Story

6:35 — The Philosophy of Riding When the Stoke Is High

15:10 — Cape Epic's UNCO Valley & the Beaded Bracelets

23:14 — Craig Wapnick, go2berg & Community-Powered Events

28:46 — Whose Job Is It to Fix the Trails?

43:48 — The Trail Pass: An Easy Lever Riders Ignore

49:14 — Giro d'Italia: Vingegaard's Gearing Under the Microscope

52:47 — Could Different Gearing Have Changed the Giro?

1:07:28 — Pinarello-Q36.5 & Reece McDonald's Move to the WorldTour Pipeline

1:08:06 — Daryl Impey Joins Ineos Grenadiers as Sport Director

1:14:18 — Wrap-Up & Thanks to James Beers

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

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

Dave @davlewjenkins

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

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

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#ActiveHobo #CyclingPodcast #SouthAfricanCycling

Tristan Nortje and Matt Beers made history in 2026 by becoming the first all South African team to win the worlds biggest mountain bike race - The Cape Epic.

This film tells Tristan's story and how the result was his destiny foretold long before the day arrived.

SPECIAL THANKS to TOYOTA SA, Specialized South Africa, Cape Epic, RideLife George, Matt Beers, Anika Boshoff, Linda Nortje & of course Tristan Nortje for letting us tell this story 🇿🇦

#storiesmatter #capeepic #southafrica

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

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

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

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

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THIRSTI is hosting its inaugural Half Marathon and 10km on the 29th of August 2026. Active Hobo has assembled a super crew to help you get there in tip top shape whether you want to race the event and set PB's or simple achieve something you never thought you could! Weekly runs with Terence Petterson (the influencer) Paige and Lindi (The brains and BIO's) and Alec (the storyteller) will ensure peak vibes and form!

Free entry spot prises, THIRSTI Sports drinks and other cool giveaways weekly!

Join us by simply DM'ing your whatsapp number and we'll add you to the group!

#yourstorymatters #storiesmatter #springmarathon #thirsti