Active Hobo

Stage 4 of the Nedbank Gravel Burn 2026: the Merino loop. 61 km, 550 m of climbing, 100% gravel, the shortest stage of the week, and full gas from the gun. We flew the whole route in 3D for you: down past Shepherd's Dog and Grootdam into the Klein-Visrivier valley, up the Toyota Power Climb, through the tech zone and the Red Bull KM, and back to Merino Burn Camp. Race morning at Merino: 5 am coffee at the Vida truck, Manon Lloyd's morning report, Team Toyota's custom jerseys (illustrated by Heather Jenkins, made by Ciovita), and Hayley Preen calling a bunch sprint. Then the plan. Charl and Simon had one, and it worked: Charl went up the road, and when the bunch caught him 5 km from the finish he looked around and... David wasn't there. At the line: GC banter with David's category rival Stephen, Manon Lloyd on her mechanical ("I'm not very good at fixing my own punctures"), David's right of reply ("the entire peloton, pitying this man, letting him go up the road"), and a five-man crash David only just missed. [RESULT: official margin] Behind the Burn: Richard, Operations Director of the Nedbank Gravel Burn, took us on the camp tour for the Burn Pod: the remote finishes, the F1-style paddock, the Specialized service team (Josh: 80 bikes a night, and the rear rotor Charl burnt out on a downhill), the year Merino had to be evacuated (with the bagpipes leading the way), massage, a borehole pumping 20,000 litres an hour, laundry day (#339 packed five sets of kit), and accessible ablutions so riders like Bryce can race the Burn on a handcycle. "The race must add to the terrain, not take from it. Stories matter." Burn Camp after dark: the first (and probably only) donkey longtong fire-starting competition: Charl, the 78 kg speed dealer, Simon, his most loyal client, and David, the Soutie. "The banter between us is absolute, but the love is deep. Iron sharpens iron." CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:42 Race morning at Merino 2:32 The route: the Merino loop in 3D 2:54 Stage 4: full gas from the gun 3:54 The plan 6:47 "Pause the race!" 7:21 Behind the Burn: the camp tour 8:34 A new bike every morning (Specialized) 9:41 The year Merino was evacuated 10:51 Laundry day 11:17 Bryce, and a race for everyone 12:41 Burn Camp: the fire-starting competition 13:13 Iron sharpens iron 13:43 Tomorrow: Stage 5 to Gwanishi TOMORROW: STAGE 5 Merino → Gwanishi · 128 km · 1,050 m of climbing. Thanks to @gravel_burn for the race-day stories, Manon Lloyd's reports and the official Stage 4 photos (Paul Ganse, Sam Clark, James Cameron Heron, Fahwaaz Cornelius); to @charl_kemp for the finish-line taunt, the plan and the Specialized service tour; to @rickottema, @laurapetri and @amacxsportsnutrition for their race footage; and to Richard and the whole Gravel Burn crew for the access. Route data: Nedbank Gravel Burn. 3D imagery: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics; terrain: AWS Terrain Tiles. Huge thanks to Nedbank, Toyota South Africa, Specialized, Herotel and Ciovita. Was it a plan, or did David just let him go? 👇 #GravelBurn #NedbankGravelBurn #GravelCycling #StageRace #ActiveHobo #Karoo #BurnCamp #KindredByGravel #Toyota #Specialized # === 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 ========================= https://linktr.ee/theactivehobo # === PARTNER LINKS =================================== Specialized South Africa www.specialized.com Doolhof Wine Estate https://doolhof.com 🔗 Code: ActiveHobo (20% off wines) RH 77 🔗 https://rh77.co.za 226ERS 🔗 https://226ers.co.za/ Code: ActiveHobo (10% off) SCICON 🔗 https://theactivehobo.short.gy/sciconsports-discount (URL and 10% Discount code link) Gear Change Bicycle Store 🔗 https://gearchange.co.za/ # === THE CREW =================================== Dave @davlewjenkins # === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ====================== Latest episode: https://youtu.be/vSnCZ6pTguQ?si=4hvAobdbQznnyw10 Full podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc2XIoaiAXafwoZykJM-jg6HnrLkWlJXH Related episode: https://youtu.be/mgogDtiB_vg?si=RBaUt8VItbQisdTd # === WORK WITH US =============================== Sponsorships & collabs: [email protected] Send a question for the show: [email protected]

Stage 3 of the Nedbank Gravel Burn 2026: Blaauwater to Merino, the longest stage of the week. 137 km and 1,550 m of climbing, from a 6 am start with the bagpipes, over the pass behind the clouds, across a long stretch of tar in the crosswinds, and up the Swaershoek to the most remote summit finish in gravel. Race morning at Burn Camp: oats at 5 am, a very specific good morning to Barbara in Australia, a fire-side chat with a rider who'll do the Sedgefield 500 in December, and the race plan over breakfast (get over that last climb, and don't get caught in a crosswind split). Then we got permission to nerd out: chainrings, tyre widths and tyre pressures, with Charl and half of Burn Camp. Up front, Eddy Le Huitouze (The Grip) won from the break on the Swaershoek, Nele Laing took the women's stage and the Ember jersey, Tristan Nortje took his first-ever climber's jersey, and Matt Beers keeps the overall lead. Behind them, David finished 63rd in 4:35:41, beating Charl by 3:55 (Charl says it was "one minute"), and was back on the category podium. Simon came in 137th. Charl's verdict: "David now has 12 minutes on me… but the bro must just know: we don't quit. We're coming." On the Burn Pod: Tebogo Galagala, the Soweto-born cyclist behind Banditz Bicycle Club. From a back room in his mom's yard to a shop that became a place where people come to talk, and a DM that saved a life. "People just need friends. The bicycle comes as an extra." A week before Gravel Burn they had to close their shop at 44 Stanley, but as David says: that location doesn't define you, what you do does. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:24 Race morning at Burn Camp 2:20 The setup: permission to nerd out 3:24 Stage 3: crosswinds to the Swaershoek 5:33 The rivalry (and the official result) 6:23 The Burn Pod: David × Charl 7:25 The helicopter came for the age groupers 8:44 Dedicated to the 40–55 cats 9:38 Burn Camp at Merino 10:49 Charl's nightly message 11:10 Tomorrow: Stage 4, the short one STAGE 3 OFFICIAL RESULT (race app) Pro men: 1 Eddy Le Huitouze (The Grip) 3:45:00 · 2 Simon Pellaud (Cervélo Assos) +0:46 · 3 Jordy Bouts (The Grip) +1:47 · 4 Rick Ottema +1:50. Overall: Matt Beers leads, Filippo Colombo +0:30, Tristan Nortje +0:50 (per Matt Beers) Pro women: stage won by Nele Laing (Ember jersey) Toyota Power Climber jersey: Tristan Nortje Our riders: David Jenkins 63rd, 4:35:41 (M35–39) · Charl Kemp 73rd, 4:39:36 (+3:55, M19–34) · Simon Stofberg 137th, 5:09:46 (M19–34). David is now about 12 minutes up on Charl overall and back on the category podium. TOMORROW: STAGE 4 Merino loop · 61 km · 550 m of climbing. Thanks to @gravel_burn for their race-day stories, the summit-finish footage and the official Stage 3 photos (Sam Clark, James Cameron Heron, Paul Ganse, Fahwaaz Cornelius, Paul Galatis); to @nedbank for the bike-setup feature; to @charl_kemp for the finish-line and nightly updates; to @mattbeers55 for his recap; to @avancinimtb for the chopper ride and the post-race chat; to @rickottema and @bikenotopo for the race footage; to @manonlloyd5 for the 6 am report; and to @banditzbicycleclub and Tebogo Galagala for sharing your story. Huge thanks to Toyota South Africa, Specialized, Herotel and Nedbank Gravel Burn. Can Charl close 12 minutes in four days? #GravelBurn #NedbankGravelBurn #GravelCycling #StageRace #ActiveHobo #Karoo #Swaershoek #KindredByGravel #BanditzBicycleClub #Toyota #Specialized # === 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 ========================= https://linktr.ee/theactivehobo # === PARTNER LINKS =================================== Specialized South Africa www.specialized.com Doolhof Wine Estate https://doolhof.com 🔗 Code: ActiveHobo (20% off wines) RH 77 🔗 https://rh77.co.za 226ERS 🔗 https://226ers.co.za/ Code: ActiveHobo (10% off) SCICON 🔗 https://theactivehobo.short.gy/sciconsports-discount (URL and 10% Discount code link) Gear Change Bicycle Store 🔗 https://gearchange.co.za/ # === THE CREW =================================== Dave @davlewjenkins # === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ====================== Latest episode: https://youtu.be/vSnCZ6pTguQ?si=4hvAobdbQznnyw10 Full podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc2XIoaiAXafwoZykJM-jg6HnrLkWlJXH Related episode: https://youtu.be/mgogDtiB_vg?si=RBaUt8VItbQisdTd # === WORK WITH US =============================== Sponsorships & collabs: [email protected] Send a question for the show: [email protected]

Stage 2 of the Nedbank Gravel Burn 2026: the Blaauwater loop, 105 km and 1,450 m of climbing around the Kompassberg (2,502 m, the Karoo's Matterhorn), past Nieu-Bethesda and back to Burn Camp. Yesterday I won my category by four minutes. Today I felt the pressure of the jersey. I tried to go with the front group, blew up, and spent the day on the wheel of a Japanese Olympian… until Charl came flying past at 60 km and towed the whole group for 20 km. He cramped on the last climb, I got away, and I took another four minutes on him (8 minutes in total now). But the guy second in my age category clawed back more than four minutes on me: my lead in the M35–39 jersey is down from 4:20 to just 10 seconds. Up front, Matt Beers and Filippo Colombo went away on the first climb and stayed away for 100 km; Colombo won the sprint and Beers is in the leader's jersey. Hayley Preen finally got her Gravel Burn stage win with an attack on the Tafelkop climb. At Burn Camp: bike washes, a Burn Pod, a 10-year-old called Logan who phoned from Canada (happy birthday for Thursday, Logan!), and the guys from Herotel who keep "150 up, 150 down" running in the middle of the Karoo. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:30 Race morning at Burn Camp 2:14 Stage 2: around the Kompassberg 4:44 The pros: Beers, Colombo & Preen 5:51 The rivalry: four more minutes 6:56 Burn Camp & the Burn Pod 7:31 Logan Shout out 🇨🇦 8:44 Herotel: internet in the middle of nowhere 9:51 "It ain't over until the fat lady sings" 10:52 Tomorrow: the Queen Stage AFTER STAGE 2 (provisional GC) David Jenkins: 62nd overall, 1st M35–39 (by 10 seconds) Charl Kemp: 71st overall, 2nd M19–34 Simon Stofberg: 150th overall, 12th in his age category Pro men: stage won by Filippo Colombo from Matt Beers (100 km two-man break) Pro women: stage won by Hayley Preen TOMORROW: STAGE 3, THE QUEEN STAGE Blaauwater → Merino · 137 km · 1,550 m of climbing. Thanks to @gravel_burn for their race-day stories, the pro finish footage and the official Stage 2 photos (James Cameron Heron, Sam Clark, Daryan Rowe, Paul Ganse, Fahwaaz Cornelius, Alec Gates); to @charl_kemp for the finish-line update; to @mattbeers55 for his stage recap; to @timovandervyver for the shout-out; to @nadiavanwyk.athlete for the best stage summary on the internet (again); and to Herotel for keeping Burn Camp connected. Huge thanks to Toyota South Africa, Specialized, Herotel and Nedbank Gravel Burn. Who's taking the Queen Stage: David or Charl? 👇 #GravelBurn #NedbankGravelBurn #GravelCycling #StageRace #ActiveHobo #Karoo #Kompassberg #NieuBethesda #Herotel #Toyota #Specialized # === 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 ========================= https://linktr.ee/theactivehobo # === PARTNER LINKS =================================== Specialized South Africa www.specialized.com Doolhof Wine Estate https://doolhof.com 🔗 Code: ActiveHobo (20% off wines) RH 77 🔗 https://rh77.co.za 226ERS 🔗 https://226ers.co.za/ Code: ActiveHobo (10% off) SCICON 🔗 https://theactivehobo.short.gy/sciconsports-discount (URL and 10% Discount code link) Gear Change Bicycle Store 🔗 https://gearchange.co.za/ # === THE CREW =================================== Dave @davlewjenkins # === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ====================== Latest episode: https://youtu.be/vSnCZ6pTguQ?si=4hvAobdbQznnyw10 Full podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc2XIoaiAXafwoZykJM-jg6HnrLkWlJXH Related episode: https://youtu.be/mgogDtiB_vg?si=RBaUt8VItbQisdTd # === WORK WITH US =============================== Sponsorships & collabs: [email protected] Send a question for the show: [email protected]

Stage 1 of the Nedbank Gravel Burn 2026: 90 km and 1,450 m of climbing from Graaff-Reinet to Blaauwater, and the day the rivalry finally went from banter to race. Charl and I lined up together, Cammy joined us for day one, and the banter finally became a race. Four months of all-in training, 14 kg lost, 3.6 → 4.2 W/kg… and on day one it paid off: 1st in Men 35–39 in 3:08:07, 66th overall and 4:09 clear of second. Charl crossed the line 3:53 later; Simon 23:03 back (but still smiling). Fun fact: 3:08:07 is exactly the winning time of the women's pro race. Up front it was a road-vs-gravel showdown: Mattia De Marchi (The Grip) won the men's race in 2:36:49, just 13 seconds ahead of Marco Joubert and Travis Stedman (Toyota Specialized Imbuko). Nele Laing (Canyon DT Swiss) won the women's race by 3 seconds from Alexis Skarda (SCOTT-SRAM), with Hayley Preen (ChemChamp) third. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:21 Race morning in Graaff-Reinet 2:58 Stage 1: 90 km of Karoo gravel 6:05 The rivalry: David vs Charl vs Simon 9:26 Burn Camp at Blaauwater 10:49 Tomorrow: Stage 2 & Kom Pass STAGE 1 RESULTS Men 35–39 · 1st David Jenkins 3:08:07 (66th overall) Charl Kemp 3:12:00 (80th) · Simon Stofberg 3:31:10 (128th) Pro Men · 1 Mattia De Marchi 2:36:49 · 2 Marco Joubert +0:13 · 3 Travis Stedman +0:13 Pro Women · 1 Nele Laing 3:08:07 · 2 Alexis Skarda +0:03 · 3 Hayley Preen +1:18 TOMORROW — STAGE 2 Blaauwater loop · 105 km · 1,450 m of climbing · over Kom Pass (1,894 m, the highest point of the race) to a hilltop finish. Thanks to @gravel_burn for the rivalry interview with Manon Lloyd, their race-day stories and the official Stage 1 photos (James Cameron Heron, Fahwaaz Cornelius, Sam Clark); to @charl_kemp for his race-day stories and the Burn pod recap; to @simonstofberg for his on-bike footage; to Cammy for riding day one with us; and to @nadiavanwyk.athlete for the best stage summary on the internet. Huge thanks to Toyota South Africa, Specialized and Nedbank Gravel Burn. Who takes Stage 2: David, Charl or Simon? Drop your call in the comments 👇 #GravelBurn #NedbankGravelBurn #GravelCycling #StageRace #ActiveHobo #Karoo #GraaffReinet #Toyota #Specialized # === 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 ========================= https://linktr.ee/theactivehobo # === PARTNER LINKS =================================== Specialized South Africa www.specialized.com Doolhof Wine Estate https://doolhof.com 🔗 Code: ActiveHobo (20% off wines) RH 77 🔗 https://rh77.co.za 226ERS 🔗 https://226ers.co.za/ Code: ActiveHobo (10% off) SCICON 🔗 https://theactivehobo.short.gy/sciconsports-discount (URL and 10% Discount code link) Gear Change Bicycle Store 🔗 https://gearchange.co.za/ # === THE CREW =================================== Dave @davlewjenkins # === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ====================== Latest episode: https://youtu.be/vSnCZ6pTguQ?si=4hvAobdbQznnyw10 Full podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc2XIoaiAXafwoZykJM-jg6HnrLkWlJXH Related episode: https://youtu.be/mgogDtiB_vg?si=RBaUt8VItbQisdTd # === WORK WITH US =============================== Sponsorships & collabs: [email protected] Send a question for the show: [email protected]

Day 0 of the Nedbank Gravel Burn 2026 — registration day in Graaff-Reinet. Tomorrow it starts: 7 stages, 691 km of racing through the Great Karoo. Today is the calm before the burn — the activation ride on the first kilometres of the course, picking up race number 339, carb-loading at the Drostdy, the most incredible bike park we've ever seen, and the race briefing the night before Stage 1. "I don't even think it's this good overseas." Canyon brought a full all-terrain team, the owner of Factor is here, Pinarello, GCN… and yet cycling remains the great equaliser. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:51 The activation ride 3:46 Registration 6:58 Bikes of Gravel Burn 9:56 Race briefing 10:26 Tomorrow: Stage 1 STAGE 1 — TOMORROW Graaff-Reinet → Blaauwater · 90 km · 1,450 m of climbing · 95% gravel THE WEEK AHEAD Stage 1 · Sun 25 Oct · Graaff-Reinet → Blaauwater · 90 km Stage 2 · Mon 26 Oct · Blaauwater loop · 105 km Stage 3 · Tue 27 Oct · Blaauwater → Merino · 137 km Stage 4 · Wed 28 Oct · Merino loop · 61 km Stage 5 · Thu 29 Oct · Merino → Gwanishi · 128 km Stage 6 · Fri 30 Oct · Gwanishi → Shamwari · 76 km Stage 7 · Sat 31 Oct · Shamwari loop · 94 km Spotted your bike in the bike park? Drop a comment with your name, your rig and why you chose that setup — we'd love to hear it. Huge thanks to Toyota South Africa, Specialized, Nedbank Gravel Burn and VIP Bicycle Logistics for getting every bike here. New video every day of race week. See you at the burn. #GravelBurn #NedbankGravelBurn #GravelCycling #StageRace #ActiveHobo #Karoo #GraaffReinet #Toyota #Specialized # === 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 ========================= https://linktr.ee/theactivehobo # === PARTNER LINKS =================================== Specialized South Africa www.specialized.com Doolhof Wine Estate https://doolhof.com 🔗 Code: ActiveHobo (20% off wines) RH 77 🔗 https://rh77.co.za 226ERS 🔗 https://226ers.co.za/ Code: ActiveHobo (10% off) SCICON 🔗 https://theactivehobo.short.gy/sciconsports-discount (URL and 10% Discount code link) Gear Change Bicycle Store 🔗 https://gearchange.co.za/ # === THE CREW =================================== Dave @davlewjenkins # === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ====================== Latest episode: https://youtu.be/vSnCZ6pTguQ?si=4hvAobdbQznnyw10 Full podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc2XIoaiAXafwoZykJM-jg6HnrLkWlJXH Related episode: https://youtu.be/mgogDtiB_vg?si=RBaUt8VItbQisdTd # === WORK WITH US =============================== Sponsorships & collabs: [email protected] Send a question for the show: [email protected]