Active Hobo

She was a law student at Rhodes University when she drew some cartoons to win a bicycle. That bicycle changed everything.

Tegan Phillips is an adventurer, ultra-endurance cyclist, comic artist, and content creator who has spent the last decade doing the things most people only talk about — cycling through Africa with her family, completing a solo triathlon around New Zealand's South Island, and attempting to set the women's world record for the fastest ride from Cairo to Cape Town. That record attempt nearly killed her. In this conversation, Tegan shares the raw, unfiltered story of what happened in the Egyptian desert — losing her speech, having a seizure, and the moment she had to decide whether to call her parents to say goodbye or fight to stay alive. She also opens up about the quiet years that followed: waitressing, living with her 94-year-old great aunt in a tiny apartment, and rebuilding from nothing. Now based in Spain near Ashleigh Moolman Pasio's Rocacorba Cycling, Tegan reflects on what it means to respect risk, why comics and content creation come from the same creative impulse, and why the conversation around women in cycling needs men to do more than just not exclude.

This is a story about doing hard things, falling apart, and finding a reason to keep going.

🎒 Follow Tegan: @teganphillipscomics

🛒 Get 15% off premium cycling luggage & eyewear at Scicon Sports SA → https://theactivehobo.short.gy/sciconsports-discount

00:00:00 — "My Favourite Person in the World"

00:04:03 — A Spinning Assistant Discovers Cycling

00:06:38 — 1,400km to the Namibian Border and Back

00:09:00 — The Year That Changed Everything (Family Africa Trip)

00:13:29 — The Sedgefield 500 and Falling in Love with Ultra Endurance

00:16:52 — 10 Ironmans Around New Zealand's South Island

00:22:48 — Writing the Book About All of It

00:29:18 — "I Think I'm Going to Die" (The Cairo to Cape Town Attempt)

00:37:01 — Rebuilding in Spain: Rocacorba and a New Chapter

00:43:38 — Tempering Steel: The Lesson That Stays

00:46:39 — From Comics to Content Creation

00:48:17 — Turning Sexist Comments into Comedy Gold

00:51:42 — Women in Cycling: Why It's Not a Women's Issue

00:59:14 — Exclusion Isn't a Rule — It's Invisible Barriers

This episode opens in a place none of us wanted to go. Another cyclist lost on South African roads. Dave, Cam and Sarah speak honestly about what that means as riders, as parents, as a community — and what actually needs to change for the laws to protect us.

Then: Tadej Pogačar wins the Tour of Flanders and becomes the first rider in history to win four consecutive Monuments. The crew breaks down the race, the Pogačar-Van der Poel-Evenepoel dynamic, the railway crossing controversy, and why the women's race might have been even more exciting, with Demi Vollering putting on a masterclass.

And the heart of this episode: a viewer-suggested deep dive into the psychology of suffering. Sarah breaks down the real difference between pain and suffering, why your pain threshold and pain tolerance are two completely different things, and how the art of distraction might be the most powerful tool you've never used on race day. Cam and Dave share their own dark-place strategies — from breathing resets to finding familiar faces in the crowd.

🔗 Scicon Sports SA — Premium eyewear and luggage for cyclists who take their kit seriously. https://theactivehobo.short.gy/sciconsports-discount

👍 Like, Subscribe, and share this with someone who needs to hear that suffering is temporary.

00:00 — Welcome & Coffee at Active Hobo

00:02:17 — The Conversation We Need to Have: Road Safety in South Africa

00:06:04 — Situational Awareness: What Dave Taught His Son on Their First Road Ride

00:11:11 — Consequences, Laws & What Needs to Change

00:18:22 — Don't Stop Riding — Why the Fight Is Worth It

00:19:36 — Tadej Pogacar Wins Flanders: Four Consecutive Monuments (A First in History)

00:28:07 — The Record Nobody's Broken — Can He Win All Five in One Season?

00:29:10 — Women's Flanders: Demi Vollering's Decisive Move

00:36:28 — Same Day, Different Races — Should Women's Classics Be Separate?

00:41:27 — The Railway Crossing Controversy

00:45:00 — Paris-Roubaix Preview

00:46:28 — Mental Health for Athletes: The Psychology of Suffering

00:47:51 — Pain vs Suffering — What's the Difference?

00:54:30 — Pain Threshold vs Pain Tolerance (And Why It Matters for Everyone)

00:58:08 — The Art of Distraction: Your Most Powerful Tool in a Dark Place

01:02:11 — Breathing Resets, Small Wins & Marginal Gains for the Mind

01:04:12 — Chappies Update: Easter Weekend Edition

01:04:37 — Garden Rijero Preview: Live Daily Podcasts From the Race

He failed most of his subjects, raced mountain bikes on three different pro teams, and still never had the breakthrough he dreamed of. So at 23 years old, with R15,000 and a plan scribbled after six months of marketing studies, Jurgens Uys walked away from everything he knew — and started making socks.

Ten years later, Versus Socks has sold over 6 million pairs, employs more than 50 people, and runs community events that draw 20,000 signups. But this isn't really a story about socks. It's about what happens when a farm kid from Lourensford with ADHD, a competitive fire, and zero backup plan decides to build something that matters — one brick in the wall, every single day.

In this conversation, Jurgens sits down with David Jenkins to trace the full arc: growing up watching the Cape Epic roll past his front door, the heartbreak of never quite making the podium, the moment his business partner said "let's go 50/50," and the wild ride from a parents' garage in Stellenbosch to a world-class production facility in Kuils River. He talks about running a business like a sports team, why there are no side hustles allowed, the viral banana socks moment, and why he still believes the best is yet to come.

🔗 Versus Socks: https://www.versussocks.com

📲 Jurgens on Instagram: @jurgensuys1

🧦 Support our friends at Scicon Sports SA — get 15% off with code ACTIVEHOBO at https://theactivehobo.short.gy/sciconsports-discount

If this story inspired you, subscribe, share it with someone building something of their own, and leave a comment — what would you build if there was no backup plan?

00:00:00 — Welcome to The Active Hobo

00:01:20 — Growing Up on a Farm Where Cape Epic Rolled Past

00:02:05 — ADHD, Ritalin, and Finding Identity on a Bike

00:02:49 — First Pro Contract: A Small Salary and a Dream

00:05:02 — "There Was a Monopoly" — Spotting the Gap

00:07:48 — Going 50/50 with Hanno: No Side Hustles, No Backup Plan

00:09:26 — 260 Orders Before They Had a Product

00:12:34 — The Sportsman's Warehouse Breakthrough

00:17:00 — "The Most Loved Sports Sock Brand in the World"

00:19:01 — How Paul Roos Shaped the Man Behind the Brand

00:23:03 — 50% Motivated, 50% Scared of Losing

00:25:06 — Kevin Evans, David George, and the Heroes on the Doorstep

00:29:52 — Choosing Business Over the Yellow Jersey

00:32:40 — "We're Not a Family — We're a Sports Team"

00:39:05 — When Cycling Saves the Leader

00:41:02 — R15,000 Each and a Boot Full of Socks

00:46:27 — The Swiss Knife Partner and Learning to Let Go

00:51:57 — Knowing When to Fire Yourself as CEO

00:55:57 — Banana Socks and the Moment Versus Went Viral

01:03:19 — Nerdy Sock Tech: 200 Needles and Seamless Machines

01:06:42 — The AI Sock Designer That Changed Everything

01:07:24 — 4,000 Pairs a Day: Inside the New Kuils River Facility

01:17:18 — Why They'll Never Be an Events Company (But Run the Best Events)

01:22:05 — Back to Base: 20,000 People, 50K in 10 Days

01:24:02 — The Versus Road Run Party: 7,500 Runners in Stellenbosch

01:25:51 — "What If There's No Ceiling?"

01:27:06 — The Floodgates Are Open

This week's Breakaway hits a nerve. Dave opens up about something a lot of cyclists won't say out loud — the moment a week off the bike becomes two, then a month, then you're not sure how to come back. Sarah breaks down the coaching side: patience, accountability, and why consistency beats intensity every time. It's the conversation you didn't know you needed.

From there, the crew recaps Sarah's first full Savage ride and her sub-10 Chappies attempt on a gravel bike, dives deep into the Garden Route Giro stage breakdown as Dave prepares for six day stage race, relives the electric sprint finish at the inaugural Red Hill road race, and gets into a proper GOAT debate — Pogačar, Van der Poel, or Pidcock?

Plus: Jonas Vingegaard is back firing, Ryan Gibbons is coming to Cape Town for a Scicon-supported group ride and feature, and the crew tries Moodhouse adaptogens live on air.

🔗 Scicon Sports SA — Premium eyewear and luggage for cyclists who take their kit seriously. https://theactivehobo.short.gy/sciconsports-discount

📩 Got a story? A question? A wager idea for Dave vs Cam at Garden Rijero? Drop it in the comments, DM us, or email — we read everything.

👍 Like, Subscribe, and share this with someone who needs a reason to get back on the bike.

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 — Something Different This Week

00:02:14 — Sarah's First Full Savage & Chappies on a Gravel Bike

00:10:00 — The Savage Ride Breakdown: Ben Tables, Sprints & Secret Segments

00:15:58 — The Conversation Nobody Has: Getting Back on the Bike

00:19:08 — Patience, Accountability & Consistency (Sarah's Coaching Take)

00:23:40 — Post-Epic Blues: "What's Next?" Isn't Always the Right Question

00:25:38 — Upcoming Races: Sondela, Berg en Busch & Cape Pioneer Trek

00:30:01 — Garden Route Giro Stage-by-Stage Breakdown

00:45:30 — The Active Hobo Is Going to Garden Route Giro (Daily Podcasts, Come Say Hi)

00:48:30 — The Dave vs Cam Wager: Suggestions Welcome

00:50:29 — Red Hill Is Back: The Inaugural Road Race That Gave Us Chills

00:57:39 — Jonas Vingegaard Returns & The Classics Are Heating Up

01:00:00 — Tour de France Predictions & The Alpecin Problem

01:04:07 — The GOAT Debate: Pogačar vs Van der Poel vs Pidcock

01:11:10 — Ryan Gibbons Group Ride & Feature (Thursday 9th, Scicon x Active Hobo)

01:18:09 — Moodhouse Adaptogens: A Wine Replacement?

01:23:00 — Wrap Up: Keep the Feedback Coming

He was given a 10-year life expectancy at eight months old. At 19, Jason van't Slot became the first person with cystic fibrosis to finish the Absa Cape Epic — the toughest mountain bike stage race on the planet.

But this isn't just a story about cycling. It's about what it means to live inside a body that fights you every single day — chains around your chest, breathing like you're pulling air through a straw, eating 8,000 calories just to keep up — and still choosing to line up at the start.

When a miracle drug called Trikafta finally reached South Africa after years of fighting, fundraising, and a community that refused to give up, Jason took his first unrestricted breath at 28 years old. He describes it as "mental chewing gum" — no pain, no caging, no chains. For the first time in his life, he was free.

Now he's got his sights set on something nobody with cystic fibrosis has ever done: representing South Africa at the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Japan. The road there runs through the Cape Town Cycle Tour, a top 25% finish, and rebuilding the fitness he set aside while he was busy doing something he'd never been able to do before — just living.

This is Jason van't Slot. And he's not done yet.

SCICON x Active Hobo Discount Code: https://za.sciconsports.com/discount/ACTIVEHOBO