SOMETHING FRESH hosted by Doug Bird

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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 believ...

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 nat...

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 – 8...

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...

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 C...

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...

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 m...

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 immer...

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 h...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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. Cap...

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! Li...

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...

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 th...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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 ar...