We had the chance to have Thomas Scales on the podcast. A young South African rider making waves in the Hard Enduro World Championship. It was surprising to learn that Tom is relatively new to hard enduro but has strong roots and a foundation racing in SA. For the past few years he has been focused on the Junior World Championship had in 2025 finished the season I 3rd overall. This year it is clear that he’s stepping up his game and focusing his sights on the pro championship class and looking to be amongst the top riders in the world.

This season Tom has been on an upward trajectory with his riding and results and if the trend continues we may see some spectacular results in the upcoming Roof of Africa. We chat to Tom about his expectations for the race which for many young riders from SA is a dream race to place top at. Many refer to Tom as a daring and somewhat crazy rider out on the trails but he is also a confident athlete looking to make his mark in the industry.

We cover a variety of topics in the episode such as life in Europe and what it’s been like as part of the Beta team. Tom shares his training schedule and some of the key things he’s been doing to improve his race performance. We also chat about some more interesting topics like downhill MTB riding and what it would taker to get Greg Minaar to the ROA.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:16 Where it all began

03:27 Teammate, roommate & rival

05:12 Toughest race of the season

06:07 First year on the Beta factory team

07:31 Bike setup

10:05 Life in Andorra

11:07 The downhill MTB question

12:17 Getting Greg Minaar to the Roof of Africa

13:28 Roof of Africa

14:35 What makes South Africans so good at Roof of Africa?

15:18 The fearless riding style

16:00 Format changes at the Roof

18:35 What it takes to beat Mani

19:13 The mindset shift

20:02 The stacked junior class

20:34 South Africans in the HEWC

21:28 Racing as the fastest route to improvement

26:16 Trials bikes in South Africa

27:01 Training schedule

27:27 Best advice for SA kids

33:54 The height debate

38:36 Going back to riding basics

38:49 Nutrition

Tom said it straight, he wants to WIN Roof of Africa, not just finish. With the race just days away ad with a changeup in the format, do you think a South African can once again take the top step this year, and is Tom your pick? Drop your prediction in the comments ↓↓↓

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