He Lost 40kg. Now He’s Riding 361km Through the Night | The Breakaway EP 16

They couldn't hold Sabastian Sawe's marathon pace for more than 300 metres. That's where this one starts.From there, Episode 16 gets into how good women's cycling actually is, whether Cape Epic made the right call shortening the elite women's route to match TSS rather than distance (the feedback from the elite ladies themselves is unanimous), and why the Femme Series matters to what The Active Hobo is building.Then we get into gravel bikes. A YouTube poll. That opens a conversation about what R90k really buys you in 2026, who the premium market actually serves, and why every rand you spend at a proper bike shop is doing more for the sport than you might think.But the heart of this episode belongs to Timo. A viral Instagram video. A gravel bike from D'VILLE CYCLERY and TITAN RACING. A friend who entered him while he wasn't looking. And in two weeks, the 36ONE — 361km, 5,500m of climbing, riding through the night to the finish. Timo's been training 20 hours a week, up at 4:30am, coached by André Hubert from Training Lab in Durbanville, fuelling on 80–90g of carbs per hour with 226ERS.# === CHAPTERS ===================================0:00 Could you hold sub-2 marathon pace? We tried.1:35 What we're covering today2:27 La Vuelta Femenina Stage 3: Noemi Rüegg out, crashes dominating6:00 How good female cycling actually is — and why people miss it11:53 Cape Epic's call to shorten the elite women's route to match TSS15:18* The Femme Series: KZN's XCO superstars, aged 16 to 1818:08* Compete vs complete — why the distinction matters22:08 YouTube poll results: what actually drives a gravel bike purchase23:41 Inside the Titan Gen2 Switch MX Pro26:12 Is R90k "good value"? Unpacking gravel bike pricing in SA29:00* Why every rand spent at a bike shop matters for the whole sport42:50* Craig Marzuola's legacy and the birthplace of a community49:09 The 36ONE: how Timo went from "no way" to the start line51:31 The viral Instagram video that changed everything53:41* Training for 361km: 20 hours a week and 4:30am starts55:41* Fuelling strategy: 226ERS, 80–90g carbs per hour, and why solids matter1:00:08 What to expect on the 36ONE — advice from someone who's been there1:03:58* Timo's origin story: October 3rd and the toenail moment1:10:09* The next goal: Cape Epic 2027# === LISTEN ON THE GO ===========================Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5GselFmeym7YgYXtcyPUXUApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/active-hobo/id1846864699# === FOLLOW ACTIVE HOBO =========================Subscribe: https://youtube.com/@activehobo?sub_confirmation=1Website: https://activehobo.com/Instagram: @theactivehoboStrava: https://strava.app.link/ciVbx92FJ2b# === THE CREW ===================================Dave @davlewjenkins# === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ======================Latest episode: https://youtu.be/VRIeP2JYf5UFull podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc2XIoaiAXafwoZykJM-jg6HnrLkWlJXHRelated episode: https://youtu.be/lGfvanjllXY# === WORK WITH US ===============================Sponsorships & collabs: david@activehobo.comSend a question for the show: noah@activehobo.com#ActiveHobo #CyclingPodcast #SouthAfricanCycling