Bike Run Tri Stoke Bike Run Tri

Some call climbing over 8000m the ultimate adventure, others say it's a gamble with death.

Our various endurance magazine readers are incredibly passionate about active life outside, so we spent time with 3 of the country's most successful high altitude climbers to find out why, and if so how.

Listen to our conversation Remy Kloos, the first ever South African to scale both Mount Everest and Lhotse within 24 hours, and John Black & Warren Eva who just became the first Saffas to scale the daunting K2.

We ask them why and how they achieved the unthinkable, whether anyone can, and what it would take for you to experience the unique view from on top of the world, at least once in your life.

Most conversations about competitive cycling that go on long enough will sooner or later get to the controversial subject of performance enhancing drugs.

In the midst of the Tour de France you have likely very recently had one just like it. The times Pogacar and Vingegaard posted up the Col de la Croix on stage 13 were faster than Lance rode it, almost as fast as Pantani, once again raising speculation.

Doping has been synonymous with professional bike riding for decades, with several documented cases of riders and teams being bust, some even dying in races, loaded with dangerous substances.

Cynics would argue that racing for 3 weeks, nearly 200km per day, at 40km/h, let alone winning, isn't humanly possible without drugs.

In the last 20 years there have also been numerous cases of amateurs being caught out and banned, and this is not unique to cycling. 7 of the 8 sprinters in the crazy fast Seoul Olympics 100m were caught and banned. Even ball sports have been affected. Sport is too competitive and lucrative to expect athletes not to seek marginal gains, especially if like so many they believe their competitors are doing the same.

There was a time when those who accused flamboyant, seemingly insanely driven and talented riders like Pantani or the American hero Armstrong of being dopers, were branded as negative cynics. Then, after the most sensational sporting drama in history, that played out over a decade, even the most committed sports fans realized that doping was very real and in need of policing. Runners, rugby players, swimmers and all forms of sports people were caught and banned in an era where even teams from entire nations like Russia were denied access from competing in the Olympics by the IOC.

It's been a decade since Lance finally confessed to his disgraceful career on the Oprah show. He lost all 7 of his TDF winner jerseys. The fact that nobody else was awarded any of those wins says a lot about how widespread drug abuse was in the pro peloton. Raw emotional stories shared by high profile riders in the aftermath gave us all deeper insight into the dark underbelly of sport that was almost impossible to escape for anyone with career aspirations. It's hard to imagine how anyone clean could have competed successfully in those times.

Sponsors dropped teams for fear of repercussions and still today aspiring pro's and amateurs struggle to secure endorsements. Blood passports and out of competition testing has been ramped up in efforts to reduce the influence of drugs in all forms of sport.

Wada (world anti doping association) and the likes have far greater insight on steroids, human growth hormone, testosterone, blood rinsing and EPO among the many scientific formulations they knew too little about. In recent years cycling has in fact led the way among sporting codes for cracking down on cheating. Let's not even Let's not even start with concealed engines.

So where are we now we wonder? Riders are still climbing the legendary alpine ascents at the mind boggling speeds they were back then, and world records continue to fall despite stricter controls than ever. Sporting teams and individuals earn millions making untraceable doping affordable and a lucrative gamble for those who dare to venture into the grey space.

Kirsty Weir is no longer a household name, but we think she will be again by Paris 2024.

The Knysna local was one of SA's most promising up and comers in the running world who fell victim to anorexia in a time when mental and medical illness was far less understood.

Through sheer will, Kirsty pulled herself out of a very dark place to focus on her wellness and athletic career, only to be dealt another bad hand in the form of partial paralysis which she has gutsed out for a decade. 

What most would see as a career-ending diagnosis, Kirst saw as an opportunity and now has her eyes set on 2024 Paris Paralympics.

Take a listen to this gripping, emotional chat with Kirsty Weir. We're sure you'll want to support and follow her journey.

It's not often that us Saffa mega fans gets the opportunity to ride and shoot the breeze with the greatest mountain biker of all time. We ditched the studio and headed to the UCI World Cup track in Stellies to hang out with the undisputed king of MTB.

Sit back and soak up the wise words of none other than Nino Shurter as we discuss his love of SA, what gets him up in the morning, who he's watching and how he keeps performing at the highest level, plus much more in the latest episode of the BikeRunTri Stoke podcast, powered by Zwift.

With a rollercoaster build up plagued by injuries and some bad luck, Flora Duffy is right up there with the Wellington, Newby Frasers and Ryfs of ladies tri.

WTS titles, Xterra World Champ, 70.3 wins, and winning Bermuda's first ever ladies Olympic Gold Medal - earning a Bermudan public holiday in her name! The accolades keep rolling in for Dame Flora Duffy after years and years of elite levels of commitment.

Poster boy Dan Hugo's hero and wife took some time out to chat with us about her at times rocky journey, some of the greatest athletes of all time, who's on the rise in tri, and much more for this bumper episode of BikeRunTri Stoke.

Plug in and get ready for an hour of entertainment, inspiration, and insight!

The growth of trail running has been explosive, so fresh after the insane UTCT trail bomb we chatted to the cream of SA's trail runners.

Trail nomad Meg Mackenzie dominated the local scene, including 4 African X titles, before heading for the French Alps where she is currently based.

Girl next door with a big engine Toni McCann, who discovered running later on in life, has fallen in love while with off-road collecting titles and course records around the country.

Johardt Van Heerden, of the freakish Van Heerden clan carries the family athletics mantle and is fast on the rise, recently going back 2 back a week apart at Otter and the Cape Town Trail Marathon.

Last but definitely not least, the bearded bush bomber Kane Reilly is a household name within the trail community, who embodies everything that is trail running.

Plug in and enjoy these mountain goats sharing their stories of how they got into trail running, the advancements in tech, their love of the outdoors, and much more.