Diverge

In Episode 12 of Season 2, the Diverge Podcast is back after an extended winter break. The mountain biking action has continued through the depths of winter, with the Ford Trailseeker series. On the 1st of August, the racing truly resumed in earnest, though with the Glacier Storms River Traverse, followed by the Trans Baviaans, and the SPAR Swiss Epic over the subsequent 17 days. In this episode, we’ll look back at August’s racing thus far and feature interviews from the 2025 Trans Baviaans winners.

In June, Marco Joubert punctured at the Bosveld leg of the Trailseeker series, losing out on contesting for victory and thereby falling out of contention for a Million Rand performance bonus. With his perfect streak over, Imbuko ChemChamp skipped the Van Gaalen race in July, where Marc Pritzen emerged victorious. The final event of the 2025 series takes place in Wellington on the 13th of September and should see a stacked field of South African talent on the start line.

Also in July, Klimatiza Orbea won their first Epic Series event at the Andorra Epic, where Marc Stutzmann and Sebastian Gesche claimed victory over Singer KTM’s Simon Stiebjahn and Martin Frey. In the UCI Women’s race, Buff Megamo dominated, winning three of the four stages en route to victory.

More recently, the Storms River Traverse mixed socialriding and competitive racing for three days in the Tsitsikamma forests. As ever, there was mud to be avoided and water points that lured riders into remaining for far too long. Travis Rademan-Ludeke and Jordan Boshoff were the speediest of the racers, winning the men’s team event, while Sarah Hill and Steph Wohlters tested their Cape Pioneer partnership in Storms River.  

The following weekend, the Trans Baviaans saw Hill on thestart line again, returning to the Baviaanskloof for the first time since 2019. She was able to win the 2025 title alongside Stacey Paul and Ricci-Lee Brookstone, but they could not challenge Hill’s own course record, which she set with Theresa Ralph in 2018. Insect Science did, however, better their own record, which Arno du Toit and Keagan Bontekoning had set in 2024. Racing aboard gravel bikes, with 2.3-inch mountain bike tyres, they took 3:44 off the previous best.

A busy three weeks of non-stop action wrapped up in Davoson Sunday, 17 August, when the twelfth Swiss Epic reached its conclusion. For Southern African fans, the success of Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda was the highlight of the race. The Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM team won four of the five stages and the overall title. In the men’s race, Swiss XCM Champion Casey South won his first Swiss Epic title and helped Fabian Rabensteiner join Lukas Flückiger on three victories after two stage wins and a mature management of the racing situation.

To read more about the news covered in this episode by Diverge.info:

• Sondela Shakes Up the Series as Ford Trailseeker Enters Final Stretch
• Pritzen and Jacobs Top the Podium at Ford Trailseeker Van Gaalen
• Buff Megamo and Klimatiza Orbea Wrap Up the 2025 Andorra Epic Titles
• Anniversaries Aplenty at the Glacier Storms River Traverse
• Insect Science Better Their Own Trans Baviaans Field Course Record
• Celebrations on the Final Stage of the SPAR Swiss Epic

Follow Diverge on social media: @diverge.info on Instagram, Diverge on Facebook, @Diverge_info on X, and Diverge on YouTube. And subscribe on Spotify.

In this week’s episode of the Diverge Podcast we look back at the 4Islands Epic on the Kvarner Islands, in the Adriatic off Croatia. The race was won by the Buff Megamo and Cannondale ISB Sport teams, both of whom notched up a perfect five-from-five stage victories. Then, we look ahead at the Tankwa Trail, a three-day trail run hosted by Dryland Event Management in the Koue Bokkeveld near Op-Die-Berg.

Last week, we covered the first three stages of 4IslandsEpic and discussed how Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas’s lead of 1 minute and 29 seconds, in the women’s race, over Bianca Haw and Vera Looser appeared in danger. That proved to be completely false, though Kortekaas had struggled on Stage 2, she found her legs in emphatic fashion, on Stages 3 and 4 to secure the overall victory by a dominant margin. The Safari Essence Efficient Insure pair had to settle for second with Cannondale ISB Sport 2 in third.

Buff Megamo continued their perfect performance from thePrologue through Stage 2 with two more wins over the weekend to take the title ahead of Nicholas Pettinà and Ramon Vantaggiato, of KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes 2. HEXATRI’s Pierre Billaud andThéo Dupras were third. But the excitement as all in Hans Becking and Wout Alleman’s battle with the two Italian, KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes, teams.  

This coming weekend, trail runners will gather at Kaleo, in the Bokveld, for the Tankwa Trail. The sister event of the Tankwa Trek, it boasts two 21 kilometre stages on Saturday and Sunday after an optional 5 kilometre evening fun-run on Friday. The event is always a fun one with fast and runnable trails forming the majority of the mileage.

To read more about 4Islands Epic and all the othermountain biking news covered by Diverge, visit Diverge.info:

• 4Islands Epic: Cannondale ISB Sport Win a Windy Prologue
• 4Islands Epic: Becking and Alleman complete the Lošinj Double
• 4Islands Epic: A Perfect 3 from 3, Thus Far, for Buff Megamo and Cannondale ISB Sport
• 4Islands Epic: Presents are for Christmas Say Buff Megamo
• 4Islands Epic: Cannondale ISB Sport and Buff Megamo Secure the 2025 Titles
• Tankwa Trek: Fuelling Your Fire to Conquer the Merino Monster

Follow Diverge on social media: @diverge.info on Instagram, Diverge on Facebook, @Diverge_info on X, and Diverge on YouTube. And subscribe on Spotify.

In Episode 10 of Season 2, the Diverge Podcast looks back at Luke Moir’s breakthrough performance at the UCI MTB World Series. During the second race in Araxá, Brazil, the 22-year-old notched up his first top 5 placing and heralded his arrival as a force to be reckoned with on the biggest stage. Candice Lill had a rare off day, finishing 17th, while Tyler Jacobs showed remarkable consistency with an 11th and a 6th place finish in the XCC and XCO. Alongside the cross-country and cross-country eliminator coverage, we also reflected on the first three days of the 4Islands Epic racing in Croatia.

The UCI MTB World Series now takes a hiatus from XCC andXCO racing for nearly 6 weeks before reconvening in Nové Město na Moravě on the 23rd to the 25th of May. The Czech Republic will see the return of World Champion Alan Hatherly to mountain bike racing, after an early season on the road. Before switching to wider tyres, the South African time trial champion will start at the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, 20 April, and the Tour de Romandie from 29 April to 4 May.

Off-road stage racing has already been taking place this week, too. The 10th edition of 4Islands Epic got underway on Tuesday, 15 April. Starting with a Prologue time trial on the island of Lošinj, after the initial Prologue on Unije had to be replanned due to adverse weather. Stayed on Lošinj for Stage 1 before travelling to Cres for Stage 2. Going into the weekend, on Krk, Buff Megamo and Cannondale ISB Sport lead the UCI Men’s and Women’s categories, respectively. Hans Becking and Wout Alleman hold a 6 minute and 37 second advantage over Nicholas Pettinà and Ramon Vantaggiato, of KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes 2. HEXATRI are 3rd, a further 1 minute and 49 seconds back. Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas’s lead is 1 minute and 29 seconds in the women’s race over Bianca Haw and Vera Looser of Safari Essence Efficient Insure. Cannondale ISB Sport 2 are 3rd, 5 minutes behind their teammates.

To read more about 4Islands Epic and all the other mountain biking news covered by Diverge, visit Diverge.info:

• 5th in Brazil for South African Privateer Luke Moir
• 4Islands Epic: A 5-Day Celebration to Commemorate a Decade of Conquering the Rocks
• 4Islands Epic: Cannondale ISB Sport Win a Windy Prologue
• 4Islands Epic: Becking and Alleman complete the Lošinj Double
• 4Islands Epic: A Perfect 3 from 3, Thus Far, for Buff Megamo and Cannondale ISB Sport

Follow Diverge on social media: @diverge.info on Instagram, Diverge on Facebook, @Diverge_info on X, and Diverge on YouTube. And subscribe on Spotify.

In Episode 9 of Season 2, the Diverge Podcast looks backon the stellar performances of Candice Lill, Tyler Jacobs, and Luke Moir inRound 1 of the UCI MTB World Series. The trio collected 5th, 6th,and 19th, respectively, in Araxá, Brazil. And will go again thisweekend at the same venue. Back home, Marco Joubert and Hayley Preen werecrowned the King and Queen of South African gravel racing in 2025 when they wonthe national titles in a muddy Karkloof.

The opening round of the UCI MTB World Series saw victories for Chris Blevins and Evie Richards in the short-track XCC on Saturday, and for Victor Koretzky and Samara Maxwell in Sunday’s cross country. The win was Maxwell’s first at elite level; while in the men’s race, Specialized Factory Racing swept the top 3 places as Blevins and Martin Vidaurre flanked Koretzky. The best placed South African for the weekend was Lill. She secured a front row start for the XCO with 7th in the XCC before racing for victory for 7 of the 8 laps.

Jacobs had an impressive first outing for Liv Factory Racing, notching up two 6th place finishes, in the XCC and then the XCO. Moir made his elite debut in Brazil and raced with the same aggression that has seen him collect stellar results in the South African early season. 17th in the XCC and 19th in the XCO sets him up well for a second shot at the Top 10 this coming weekend.

Once again, the U23 racing will be broadcast live on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel and the Elite Women’s and Men’s races will be on SuperSport in South Africa. The XCC events will take place on Friday, 11 April, and the XCO on Saturday the 12th. You can view the full schedule below.

XCC: Friday 11 April 2025

• 11:15 Local Time | 16:15 South African Time: Women U23 (YouTube)
• 11:55 Local Time | 16:55 South African Time: Men U23 (YouTube)
• 13:00 Local Time | 18:00 South African Time: Women Elite (SuperSport 199)
• 13:40 Local Time | 18:40 South African Time: Men Elite (SuperSport 199)

XCO: Saturday 12 April 2025

• 9:00 Local Time | 14:00 South African Time: Women U23 (YouTube)
• 10:45 Local Time | 15:45 South African Time: Men U23 (YouTube)
• 12:45 Local Time | 17:45 South African Time:  Women Elite (SuperSport 10)
• 14:45 Local Time | 19:45 South African Time: Men Elite (SuperSport 10)

Joubert and Preen’s South African gravel championships titles were won in wetter conditions than the Brazilian cross-country events were raced in. The mud did not stifle the racing action, though, as event director Kevin Benkenstein explained in his report from the race. Joubert was joined on the podium by his Imbuko ChemChamp teammate Tristan Nortje and Honeycomb 226ers’ Jaco van Dyk. Preen’s nearest rival on the day was Samantha Sanders, while Cherise Willeit fought off Sarah Hill to claim third.

For all the news covered in the Diverge Podcast and more, visit Diverge.info. Follow Diverge on social media: @diverge.info on Instagram, Diverge on Facebook, @Diverge_info on X, and Diverge on YouTube. And subscribe on Spotify.

In Episode 8 of Season 2, the Diverge Podcast looks aheadto the UCI MTB World Series, which gets underway in Brazil on the 5th of April. South Africans Candice Lill, Tyler Jacobs, and Luke Moir will be in action. Then on the gravel front, Nedbank Gravel Burn continues to release information on new partners, which augurs well for the first edition in October this year.

The first event of the 2025 UCI MTB World Series takesplace in Araxá, which is inland and to the north of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It rained heavily on the track on Thursday, and more rain is predicted for Friday as well as for Saturday afternoon. The short track XCC races could take place during a gap in the rain, on Saturday, and it looks like it could dry up for Sunday’s XCO. How the weather affects the racing remains to be seen, but hopefully the track holds up better than the Banyoles track did in February.

South African can watch the Elite Men’s and Women’sracing on SuperSport, while the U23 events, featuring Jacobs and Moir, will be broadcast on the  WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.

XCC: Saturday 5 April 2025

• 10:45 Local Time | 15:45 South African Time: Women U23
• 11:25 Local Time | 16:25 South African Time: Men U23
• 12:45 Local Time | 17:45 South African Time: Women Elite (SuperSport 6)
• 13:25 Local Time | 18:25 South African Time: Men Elite (SuperSport 6)

XCO: Sunday 6 April 2025

• 9:00 Local Time | 14:00 South African Time: Women U23
• 11:00 Local Time | 16:00 South African Time: Men U23
• 13:30 Local Time | 18:30 South African Time:  Women Elite (SuperSport 10)
• 15:30 Local Time | 20:30 South African Time: Men Elite (SuperSport 10)

In the Eastern Cape the building of Burn Camps isunderway as the Grave Burn team work to prepare the remote race villages for 800 gravelistas taking on the inaugural event. Behind the scenes the sponsorship announcement press releases keep rolling out as Vida e Caffé, Disc-O-Bed, and Meerendal Wine Estate have all been announced as partners this week, joining Nedbank, Assos, and Amacx in the event’s sponsorship portfolio. This might not be the most interesting of news for riders, but it shows two things to the industry: the first being the general interest in gravel events from businesses, even those not affiliated directly with cycling; and secondly, the power of Gravel Burn founder, Kevin Vermaark, to seal deals.

For all the news covered in the Diverge Podcast and more, visit Diverge.info:

• Vida e caffe Set to Power Gravel Burn
• Gravel Burn Elevates Rider Experience with Meerendal Wine Estate Partnership
• Disc-O-Bed Joins Gravel Burn to Redefine Event Sleep in the Karoo
• Amacx to Fuel Gravel Burn Riders as Official Nutrition Partner
• Gravel Burn Welcomes Assos as Official Cycling Apparel Partner

Follow Diverge on social media: @diverge.info on Instagram, Diverge on Facebook, @Diverge_info on X and, Diverge on YouTube. And subscribe on Spotify.

In Episode 7 of Season 2 the Diverge Podcast is back toregular weekly programming after super micro daily pods from the Absa Cape Epic. And as you can expect we are looking back at the 21st edition of the race, chatting about how Scott SRAM and Toyota Specialized secured their victories. Then we dive into the cold waters of Table Bay to discuss the 2025 Groot Swem, a 7.5 kilometre Robben Island crossing to raise funds for the StartWell Foundation’s bid to prevent childhood stunting.

Starting with the Cape Epic the race was the closest ever in the UCI Men’s category with just 92 seconds separating Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo, of Scott SRAM, from their Wilier-Vittoria rivals, Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto. In the UCI Women’s race Toyota Specialized victory was achieved at a canter, despite a dramatic crash for Annika Langvad on Stage 3. The great Dane and her Argentinian partner, Sofia Gomez Villafane won by 22:32 over Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda, of Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM. In both the men’s and women’s races all-South African teams secured the 3rd podium position. Tristan Nortje and Marco Joubert won a stage en route to third and the red Absa African jerseys for Imbuko ChemChamp, while Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen had to dig deep to hold of Cannondale ISB Sport on the final stage to secure red for Titan Racing SE Honeycomb.

In the ocean, Seamus Allardice joined the StartWell Foundation’s Groot Swem on Monday, 24 March. This 20 swimmer strong group set out to cross from Robben Island to Big Bay and if you’ve ever wondered about undertaking a crossing then tune in for the story. Or read more about the experience on Diverge.info.

Daily Stories & Podcasts from the Absa Cape Epic:

• Prologue: News Report | Diverge Podcast

• Candice Lill Interview at the Cape Epic

• Stage 1: News Report | Diverge Podcast

• Stage 2: News Report | Diverge Podcast

• Stage 3: News Report | Diverge Podcast
• Stage 4: News Report | Diverge Podcast
• Stage 5: News Report | Diverge Podcast
• Stage 6: News Report | Diverge Podcast

• Stage 7: News Report | Diverge Podcast

Die Groot Swem:

• Just Keep Swimming – A Robben Island Crossing

Follow Diverge on social media: @diverge.info on Instagram, Diverge on Facebook, @Diverge_info on X and Diverge on YouTube. And subscribe on Spotify.

Tune in for daily insights from inside the media team at the2025 Absa Cape Epic with the Diverge Podcast's vlogs. In the Stage 7 episode Seamus Allardice looks ahead at the Grand Finale, with at the time of recording was still set to start at 08:00. Within moments of recording the start had been postponed to 10:30 and the route amended to a 40 kilometre course in Lourensford. The absence of the climb to The Neck and the circumnavigation of the Helderberg will certainly limit the likes of Willier Vittoria and Cannondale ISB Sport’s ability to change the general classification outcome.

The updated stage features just 1 150 metres of climbing.This means that Nino Schurter and Filipo Colombo’s 32 second advantage will be easier, but not easy to defend. The muddy roads of Lourensford will be treacherous and the risk of punctures, dropped chains, and mechanicals will induce significant stress.

In the UCI Women’s race the victory is all-but assured forToyota Specialized. Langvad and Gomez Villafane lead by 23 minutes and 26 seconds going into the final day. Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen will be thankful for the shortened route as their buffer to Cannondale ISB Sport’s Monica Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas had been cut tojust 5:27 on Stage 6. Titan Racing SE Honeycomb will still need to race to their limits on Stage 7 to maintain their spot on the final general classification podium.

Read the daily stories from the race on www.diverge.info.

Tune in for daily insights from inside the media team at the2025 Absa Cape Epic with the Diverge Podcast's vlogs. In the Stage 6 episode Seamus Allardice on the Queen Stage and looks ahead at what could be a very exciting penultimate stage. Going into the 88 kilometre, 2 550 metres of climbing, Stage 6 the general classification battles might be crystalised – but there are opportunities for stage honours.

In the UCI Men’s race Scott SRAM’s stage win, by 1 minute 10,more than doubled their general classification advantage over Willier Vittoria after Stage 5. Having distanced Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto on the final climb, Nino Schurter and Filipo Colombo rode to their biggest victory of the race to seemingly secure the 2025 title. Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje were aggressive throughout the stage and went all in, hunting for stage honours. Sadly, the Imbuko ChemChamp pair came up short, on The Neck climb, but they hung on to finish the day in 3rd and gain time on their rivals for that finalpodium position.

Going into the penultimate day, then, Scott SRAM leadWillier Vittoria by 1:52, with Imbuko ChemChamp at 12:55 in 3rd. Joubert and Nortje’s buffer on Klimatiza ORBEA, in 4th, expanded to 7 minutes and 14 seconds. Buff Megamo are 5th at 22:16.

In the UCI Women’s race the stage saw crashes and implosions, on the final climb which became too muddy to ride as it was churned up by hundreds of tyres. Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM were the team who struggled the most there, when Alexis Skarda’s Santa Cruz bicycle got clogged with mud and her chain repeated got stuck. She and Looser went from fighting for second and chasing Toyota Specialized to losing the sprint for third against Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen. Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane won the day by just 13 seconds over Cannondale ISB Sport’s Monica Calderon Martinez and Tessa Kortekaas.

On the general classification Langvad and Gomez Villafane now lead Looser and Skarda by 22 minutes and 30 seconds. Haw and Preen are 3rd with a 16:57 advantage over Calderon Martinez and Kortekaas. Torpado Kenda FSA are 5 minutes further back.

Read the daily stories from the race on www.diverge.info.

Tune in for daily insights from inside the media team at the2025 Absa Cape Epic with the Diverge Podcast's vlogs. In the Stage 5 episode Seamus Allardice reflects on a day when the race reset, paused, and prepared for the Queen Stage. Stage 4 followed the searing heat of Stage 3 and preceded the 2 850 metres of climbing in 98 kilometres on Stage 5. As such there was a little lull in the action.

For the UCI Men this allowed 4 teams to head into the finalewith chances of a stage victory, but as on Stage 3 Marco Joubert and Tristan Nortje were outboxed by Scott SRAM and Willier Vittoria. Nino Schurter, Filipo Colombo, Luca Braidot, and Simone Avondetto charged to the line head-to-head with Wout Alleman and Martin Stošek also in the mix. The Italians won it in a photo finish, but Schurter was content with 2nd and not ceding any time on the general classification. Buff Megamo and Imbuko ChemChamp will have to try again on Stage 5 to secure that coveted stage win, though Alleman and Stošek did of course notch up a win on the Stage 2 time trial.

Going into the Queen Stage, then, Scott SRAM lead WillierVittoria by 42 seconds, with Imbuko ChemChamp at 9:52 in third. Joubert and Nortje’s buffer on Klimatiza ORBEA, in 4th, is 3 minutes and 38 seconds. Buff Megamo are 5th at 15:24.

In the UCI Women’s race the stage was closer than any other,since the Prologue. Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM went on the offensive on the early singletrack climb, but when the route widened to gravel roads on the Paarl Mountain Toyota Specialized surged back and into the lead. By the end of the day Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafane added 50 seconds to their general classification lead, taking it to 14:49 over Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda. Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen finished 3rd on the day to further cement their 3rd spot on the overall standings, they are at 27:30 and hold a 19 minute advantage over Torpado Kenda FSA and 24 minutes over Cannondale ISB Sport.

Read the daily stories from the race on www.diverge.info.

Tune in for daily insights from inside the media team at the2025 Absa Cape Epic with the Diverge Podcast's vlogs. In the Stage 4 episode Seamus Allardice reflects on a day when the sun blazed down and the heat affected the event. At the sharp end; even the UCI Men, who started at 06:45 on Stage 3, were exposed to extreme heat. The stage winners, Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto held off Nino Schurter and Filipo Colombo in a sprint finish, but the tale of the day for the South Africans was the 3rd place and stellar performance of Imbuko ChemChamp.

This made up for the difficulties Matt Beers continued tohave as his teammate Keegan Swenson. The Outride Toyota songo team lost 14 minutes on the day, while ORBEA Leatt Speed Company lost 15. The South African former winner is now 23 minutes back on the general classification while the Germans are 20 minutes down in 8th. Both teams will have to pivot to stage hunting now.

At the sharp end Scott SRAM lead Willier Vittoria by 43seconds, with Nortje and Joubert in 3rd, at 9:49. Klimatiza ORBEA are 4th, at 12:38, with Torpado x Singer 5th, at 12:58.

In the UCI Women’s race Annika Langvad Sofia and GomezVillafane, of Toyota Specialized, won their fourth successive stage. But were less assured on Stage 3, due to two crashes for Langvad. The second was particularly hard and thereafter the Dane’s confidence in the trails was shaken. Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda ceded 4:37 on the day, and start Stage 4 13:59 down. As in the men’s race the highlight of the day for local fans was the Absa African jersey team’s performance. Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen of Titan Racing SE Honeycomb had their best day of the race, finishing 3rd on the stage and gaining a general classification position. A tough day for Cannondale ISB Sport means that Haw and Preen’s nearest rivals are the Torpado Kenda FSA team of Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Claudia Peretti.

Read the daily stories from the race on www.diverge.info.