ShaneCycles.com

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After the extreme trips in recent years where I’ve lived adventure to the bone and cycled/camped in all weather from -45 to +45, touring over 30,000km on 4 continents. Its time to take a step back towards “normal” life. For the coming years I plan to work on my career, new business and all those other boring things we’re supposed to do in life.

Hopefully with some short holidays in Europe (Brompton or Bikepacking), weekend escapes and 5,000km of cycle commuting per year I can still keep my sanity….

Feel free to have a sniff around my site at what I’ve been up to in recent years.
Or burn your modem with this photo journey >>>>CLICK<<<<

Freedom Challenge – pt VIII

Day 14: Kleinpoort – Hadley I woke with sore legs, no surprise there then after the previous couple of days. I took my latest start of the trip, waiting until 7am for the road side cafe to open for breakfast. Then took a gently ride to Bucklands for second breakfast. ” Ohh we were not told people are coming today” as I walke [...]

Freedom Challenge – pt VII The ...

Day 13: Gegun – Kleinpoort Around 1130pm I was startled awake by noises in the house, then I heard the tick, tick, tick of a bike freewheel and the rustle of a waterproof jacket. “I should really go say hello”. I rolled over and went back to sleep. Martin Dreyer is course record holder for the Freedom challenge and probably [...]

Freedom Challenge pt-VI

Day 10: Romansfontein to Hofmeyr I woke with a throbbing headache and feeling like crap despite a good night of sleep. The food the evening before had been too nice and I’d over indulged on the carbs, finishing off with chocolate cake and custard. I’d been walking a tightrope all week with the carbs, just managing to stay low enou [...]

Freedom Challenge – Pt V

Day 7: Rhodes to Slaapkranz “Seems that Shane is not sure there is enough beer at the stations. Being the first one is a good strategy.” ~Sjirk Another day another pre dawn exit, another day chasing the sun. The next few days would be mainly on district dirt roads with the occasional hike over a mountain, making the nav generally [...]

Freedom Challenge- pt IV

Day 5 : Malegonlonyane – Vuvu On the road again at 5am, the 8 hours of sleep had done wonders. Zooming down the concrete road was an absolute pleasure. Well, until I almost crashed avoiding some cows. Things went well all morning. I hit the turn off at 10km at daylight as planned and took a good line off the mountain after Koaring (tak [...]

Freedom Challenge-pt III

Day 4 : Masaka – Malegolonyane ————————————————- “Whilst you are on the spur look westwards towards the mountains. Below you you will see a floodplain. In the distance, on the far side of the flood plain (if your eyesight is good) you w [...]

Freedom Challenge-pt II

Day 2+3: Allendale-Ntsikeni-Masakala —————————————————————– At 4am we were gently woken by Xavier Rudd singing from my phone: This song would wake me daily and remind me that my mission was to chase the sun. Each [...]

My Freedom Challenge. A story about a...

The Race Across South Africa takes place in June/July each year. It is a 2300 km ( with a total cumulative ascent is over 37000 metres), non-stop, self-navigated mountain bike race starting in Pietermaritzburg KwaZulu-Natal and ending in Wellington near Cape Town. Riders are allowed a maximum of 26 days to complete the ride. Blistered sore f [...]

Going long on Low Carb

Almost a year since letting the cat out the bag about my fancy pants Low Carb Health Fat diet (>Maybe read this first<) and with gradually more readers, friends and family asking questions I thought it time to do an update with more info and tips. Once again if low carb doesn’t fit your belief system (nutrition is very close to re [...]

Drenthe 200 : Chasing 16.7

A shot fired at 6am and the first wave of the Drenthe 200 was off. I stood shivering gently for another 20 minutes waiting for wave three to start. My guts churning, toes cold and anticipation rising. I had no idea this racing thing could be so nerve racking, I was apprehesive of my ability to finish this now infamous 200km off road ride with [...]

Shane Cycles the Freedom Challenge?

Pt 2 :Bikepacking the GR 5,Trans Arde...

(Pt.1 of the story can be found >>here<<) I’d heard hikers arrive late in the night so thought I’d make their day by leaving my spare 4 eggs and extra coffee just outside their tent. I know how much it can suck to wake up hungry and still need to find an open shop, even more so when hiking than cycling. My half day res [...]