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Axel Sman

@axelsman

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🌍 Giraffes running alongside your bike. A venomous snake on the trail. And a podium battle that goes down to the final day. Welcome to Cape Pioneer! 🦒

🚴 5 days, 392 km and over 7,000 metres of climbing
📍 South Africa’s spectacular Karoo wilderness
🔥 Wild river crossings, rugged trails and unforgettable wildlife
🎯 Second place in the mixed category after five intense stages

Michelle and Axel travelled to South Africa for an MTB stage race. What they experienced went far beyond racing. One moment in particular made them forget all about the results.

Cape Pioneer calls itself a Race with Soul. Now we understand why.

🔗 Full details via link in bio

#CapePioneer #CapePioneer2026 #MTBStageRace #MountainBiking #SouthAfricaMTB by @axelsman

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2 days ago

FINISHED @capepioneer ✅🇿🇦

Racing the Cape Pioneer MTB stage race with your partner is special… but sharing our very first podium together? That was a secret couple goal!❤️🥈

Starting a stage race is one thing.
Finishing is the real challenge😉

Staying fit, keeping the bikes rolling, eating and drinking enough, recovering between stages and staying healthy throughout the race. It’s a proper test for both ourselves and our bikes😅💥

And honestly, I don’t think we’ve ever ridden this well together🤩❤️ I felt strong every single day and recovered surprisingly well between stages💪🏼 Ok we definitely had our moments and a few choice words along the way😜

The route had fewer singletracks than we expected, but the South African landscape more than made up for it. After a wet winter here, everything was incredibly green and full of wildflowers🌿🌸

And then… a snake, wildebeest and giraffes! 🦒🐍 Definitely the biggest highlights of this MTB adventure!

The organisation was fantastic🤩 Everything was so well taken care of and relaxed, from the logistics to the amazing food, which made it so much easier to focus on riding, recovering and enjoying the adventure🍀 The people we met along the way made it even more special. You start as strangers and leave with friends for life 🤩🫶🏻

And yes… even sleeping in a tent wasn’t as bad as Axel expected😂⛺️

What an adventure. What a race. Memories for life 🥹✨

📸 @oakpics

#racewithsoul #mtbstagerace #mtbaddict #mtbforlife karoo taken in Oudtshoorn, Western Cape by @axelsman

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11 days ago

Best day on the bike ever? 🤩 🇿🇦
Racing through the South African Chandelier bush… and suddenly you’re riding alongside giraffes 🦒🤯

Just another day at the @capepioneer MTB Race 😅🇿🇦

I didn’t even know what I was hearing at first — these loud, deep thumping sounds. And then suddenly, they were running right next to me so close on the left! 🦒🤯

Followed by what I think were a few wildebeest… although you can barely see them because I was way too excited trying to film everything😜

Still processing what just happened today 🇿🇦✨
More about the final stage later, but I simply couldn’t wait to share this😍❤️🫶🏻

#chandelier #chandelierchampagne #racewithsoul #mtbrace #oudtshoorn taken in Oudtshoorn, Western Cape by @axelsman

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14 days ago

You signed up for a mountainbike stage race in South Africa… 🇿🇦 But honestly, the @capepioneer is about so much more than racing!❤️

It’s the incredible food, the coffee, the wine, the braai, the beers, the pool, the massages, the beautiful surroundings and, most of all, the people🥰

All those little moments that make a stage race an unforgettable adventure!

And yes… there is some real racing involved too😜

This is exactly why we love MTB stageraces. You don’t just ride through a destination — you really experience it!

Pohhh @capepioneer - What an experience🥰🔥
One day to go! ☺️🙏🏻

#oudtshoorn #wilderniss #mtbrace #memoriesforlife taken in Oudtshoorn, Western Cape by @axelsman

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15 days ago

Here we go @capepioneer 🇿🇦🔥

The past three days have already felt like three weeks. Swipe for the impression ☺️👉🏻
So much has happened, and being back here in South Africa feels even more special than I imagined❤️

We’ve been completely spoiled and relaxed at @yeboguesthouse, and enjoyed the local Lourensford Classic together with locals @ayandawitbooi13 & @barnes.lutho. Such a good start to this adventure🙌

A few years ago, racing here felt like something that was way beyond our reach. And now… I’m actually here! Thnx to @cycloworld.cc 🫶🏻

Off course we ride as a duo / mixed team category. A proper bucket-list adventure as couple 😉

Registration went perfectly, the bikes are ready… so there’s only one thing left to do: ride! 😅

So happy I don’t really get nervous about things like this anymore. I’ll just do what I’m good at: enjoy the moment, embrace the adventure and see what happens🤩❤️

@capepioneer Let’s go! 🇿🇦🔥

#mtbstagerace #wilderniss #gardenroute #racewithsoul taken in Wilderness, Western Cape by @axelsman

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19 days ago

HERE WE GO!✈️🌍

The biggest adventure month of the year is about to begin… and yes, I’m VERY ready for it!😍🙏🏻

So… what’s on the agenda? 👀

🇿🇦 19 September — @mtb_at_lourensford classic
🇿🇦 22–26 September — @capepioneer / @cycloworld.cc
🇿🇦 Days with @mtb.southafrica to prepare our 2027 trip
🇦🇼 9–11 October — @laleyendamtb.aruba
🇳🇱 18 October — @hammerstone.mtb

A little crazy😅 Just looking at this list makes me so excited🤩

The discipline was always there. Not because I’m particularly good at being disciplined… but simply because moving my body, being outside and riding my bike makes me just so happy❤️

But amongst all the traininghours and adventures, there’s one thing I want to keep doing: listening carefully to my body and enjoy every moment 🙏🏻

I feel no pressure to make every ride perfect. Just ride, explore, laugh, get dirty, eat cake and enjoy the ride🫶🏻

I’m super grateful for everything that’s coming our way!
Stay tuned… 🫶🏻🥳

#cyclingadventures #mountainbiking #gravelcycling #mtblife #mtbrace taken in Loonse en Drunense Duinen by @axelsman

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22 days ago

Not every day in the mountains comes with blue skies😇

📍 Bernina 🇨🇭/ Forcola 🇮🇹 🏔️

During our time in Livigno, we did some amazing tours with so many alpine trails — and even with a little rain, this scenery was absolutely incredible🤩

This rain was a complete surprise, because we started in the morning with a clear blue sky! Luckily, we always bring a rain jacket when heading high up into the mountains. 🌧️😅 Still, we saw so many people riding up without one…🙈

But when the trail looks like this, who needs sunshine? 😉 Just sharing some good memories 🫶🏻
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#livigno #livignomtb #mountainbiking #mtblife #cyclingadventure taken in Livigno Alps by @axelsman

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a month ago

Our Livigno MTB Collection is LIVE ☺️🇮🇹🥳

We love coming back to Livigno and over the years we’ve collected so many favourite rides❤️

We get so many questions and messages every time, asking for MTB tips, GPX files and our favourite places in Livigno. So this time, I decided to put it all together in one Komoot collection😃

15 MTB routes, mainly aimed for Cross Country riders (XC or E-MTB): from short to full-day alpine adventures😎🔥

I’ve put quite a lot of time into making the routes, descriptions and tips, so if you find the collection useful, it would mean a lot if you could follow me @mieskuh and @erkerlivigno as a little thank you for the work that went into it 😇💚🙏🏻

And if you’re planning a stay in Livigno, you might find a little something from Erker in the collection description too… 😉

Want the collection?
Comment “LIVIGNO” below and I’ll send you the link in some days😇

Now it’s time to plan your next Livigno adventure!😜🇮🇹

#livignoismagic #mtbtrail #carosello3000livigno #mtblifestyle #stelviooffroad taken in Livigno by @axelsman

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a month ago

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2 months ago

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2 months ago

Back in Livigno… and honestly, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been here. ❤️🇮🇹

Some places never lose their magic ✨ We’re once again staying with our favorite family @erkerlivigno 🥰 where every visit feels like coming home. And of course, it was so good to see Bjorn again 🐶 (Last year he was still a playful little puppy… now he’s all grown up and still the sweetest welcome committee❤️)

The first rides are in the books😎 For the one who follow me for a long time: the first photo might remind you of last year’s post… only this time, a different cow decided to join the picture😜🐄

Maybe that’s why we keep coming back. The riding, the mountains, the amazing pizza, Italian coffee, gelato and just a few too many cake stops 🍕☕🍦🍰

The weather has been a little unpredictable 🌦️—typical mountain weather. Sunny mornings, with a chance of rain or thunderstorms later in the day, so we’re taking it one day at a time and making the most of every ride🫶🏻

I already know this won’t be our last visit. And yes… there are plenty more Livigno - photos, videos and more about the tracks we ride - coming😇☺️

Do you have a place that keeps calling you back?

#livignoismagic #mountainbiking #bernina #mtbtrails #cyclinglife taken in Livigno by @axelsman

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2 months ago

No ‘hike-a-bike’, no glory 😅🥳

Sometimes you just have to work a little harder for the fun part😇

Col de Mille was one of our favourite rides in Verbier🇨🇭🤩 Together with @mtbverbier, we started with a shuttle and climbed the final 600 vertical meters. It’s a steep climb with a few short hike-a-bike sections… but honestly, we didn’t care😄 The views….AMAZING🤩

Then came the reward…🥹

☕ Coffee & cake at the mountainhut 2,470 m
🚵 Nearly 14 km of flowing singletrack
⬇️ Around 1800 meters of descending
🩵 A ‘bib’dip 😇
🏔️ Unreal views of the surrounding 4000-meter peaks

If you’d rather earn every meter yourself, you can skip the shuttle and climb around 1000 vertical meters extra😜💪

Thanks @mtbverbier for this unforgettable day on the bike🇨🇭🫶🏻

Would you take the shuttle or ride all the way from the valley? 😎👇
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#coldemille #swissmountain #swissalps #scottbikes #mtbaddict taken in Verbier, Switzerland by @axelsman

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3 months ago