RIP Meurant Botha

[Second hand spares]

Guys there are true legends. And my friend EUGENE ROUX that owned cycleworx sedgefield 

[Le Tour]

Very sad day for mountain biking. I still use this mug in the office. Well over 20 years old now and reminds me of good times spent over the Easter weekends in Greyton. Ride on in peace Meurant. 

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Cycling in the WC is in a poorer space after this past weekend. Absolutely devastatingly bad new losing these two icons of our sport 😢 I knew both of them well but spent many hours riding with Meurant, both at Del Vera and later at Muratie and listening to his stories and plans.

The last ride we did together some time ago he still shared with me that he and his old man had bought a barn find Audi and they were working on it together to get it prepped for the Kalahari Speed Week.
He and JP were two very different characters. Where JP was as rough as a bears ass and called a spade a f*&^ shovel, Meurant was more refined, quieter and chose his words a lot more carefully. Yet they were best mates and beyond cycling, both shared a love of vintage muscle cars and making them go fast.

I'm going to miss them both very much, RIP you legends 🙏

[Shebeen]

10 hours ago, Velouria said:

Here's my tribute to Meurant and JP, two legends who shaped our community. 😢

https://www.velotales.com/2025/09/the-day-our-mountain-biking-music-died.html

I think this one will come from many angles, but you nailed it from yours. The only thing that seemed to change at 24Hrs of Oak Valley was the size of the kid one the winner's hips (yours). I've borrowed that chirp - but the other gradual change was the increasing grey and impressiveness of Meurant's beard. I think he liked that event because he had the process nailed, and he would sit late into the night watching the laptop and people really push their limits. sometimes even do a midnight lap himself.

I picked up on mtb as a maties student from the turn of the century. While money was short and Mason's/Flandria were the two shops we'd drool at the latest stuff that we couldn't afford. Dirtopia was the one leading the trails and races as an actual company - the other events were mainly kerkbazaar/charity operations. Lourensford Classic, something at Spier and of course the easter festival at Tarentaalkraal farm near Greyton sit among my distant memories as MTB must do that Dirtopia put on - there were more as the PPA calendar would fill up on the muddy side. We would ride at Pappegaaiberg, Eden/coetzenburg and jonkers when we had more time. Pretty Botmaskop DH was just too steep and rof for my Rincon with Vbrakes and 34mm of elastomer front end squish.

Meurant was already the DUDE back then, a lot of what happened there to make it all possible was his effort. Both lobbying in the offices and spadework on the ground. Arina was the perfect foil though, Dirtopia the business was clearly a true partnership and their skills and passions combined to make things happen.

In this time, I look forward to some great stories and memories from others. I know there are plenty out there..

 

[Shebeen]

 

paywalled https://www.netwerk24.com/nuus/aktueel/ikoon-en-pionier-2-bekende-fietsryers-sterf-in-motorongeluk-20250914-1073

[Hairy]

May you ride endless sweet flowing single track Meurant and JP.

[Hairy]

13 hours ago, Velouria said:

Here's my tribute to Meurant and JP, two legends who shaped our community. 😢

https://www.velotales.com/2025/09/the-day-our-mountain-biking-music-died.html

honoured to have been there and and able to have experience both Meurant (And Arina's) phenomenal hospitality and just plain honest good people through the 24 hour events.

[Velouria]

4 hours ago, Shebeen said:

I think this one will come from many angles, but you nailed it from yours. The only thing that seemed to change at 24Hrs of Oak Valley was the size of the kid one the winner's hips (yours). I've borrowed that chirp - but the other gradual change was the increasing grey and impressiveness of Meurant's beard. I think he liked that event because he had the process nailed, and he would sit late into the night watching the laptop and people really push their limits. sometimes even do a midnight lap himself.

I picked up on mtb as a maties student from the turn of the century. While money was short and Mason's/Flandria were the two shops we'd drool at the latest stuff that we couldn't afford. Dirtopia was the one leading the trails and races as an actual company - the other events were mainly kerkbazaar/charity operations. Lourensford Classic, something at Spier and of course the easter festival at Tarentaalkraal farm near Greyton sit among my distant memories as MTB must do that Dirtopia put on - there were more as the PPA calendar would fill up on the muddy side. We would ride at Pappegaaiberg, Eden/coetzenburg and jonkers when we had more time. Pretty Botmaskop DH was just too steep and rof for my Rincon with Vbrakes and 34mm of elastomer front end squish.

Meurant was already the DUDE back then, a lot of what happened there to make it all possible was his effort. Both lobbying in the offices and spadework on the ground. Arina was the perfect foil though, Dirtopia the business was clearly a true partnership and their skills and passions combined to make things happen.

In this time, I look forward to some great stories and memories from others. I know there are plenty out there..

 

Meurant was Meurant was Meurant - always the same except for the beard...

However, I did saw Meurant angry twice - once at 24hrs Of Oak Valley when some riders were taking a shortcut between the dams. It was anger mixed with disappointment - why would people enter an endurance event and then want to take a shortcut? And the other time was at two in the morning at 24hrs of Wiesenhof, when most people were sleeping and Meurant got to play the good music - Metallica, Rage Against The Machine, Iron Maiden - and someone came to complain that the music was too loud and inappropriate for a family event. He waited 10 minutes and then turned it up even louder!

[DJR]

10 minutes ago, Velouria said:

Meurant was Meurant was Meurant - always the same except for the beard..................

............and I don't think he ever put on a race where the true distance didn't turn out to be a few kilometres longer than what my bike computer told me...........just when you thought you survived the day, it became clear that you still had an undisclosed few kms to the real finish line. 😉

[Shebeen]

44 minutes ago, DJR said:

............and I don't think he ever put on a race where the true distance didn't turn out to be a few kilometres longer than what my bike computer told me...........just when you thought you survived the day, it became clear that you still had an undisclosed few kms to the real finish line. 😉

the old bring them close to hearing the finish doef doef and send down another cloverleaf for a bit more suffering! in the days before gps and kml you only knew you were done when you hit the finish straight!

[DieselnDust]

11 hours ago, Second hand spares said:

Guys there are true legends. And my friend EUGENE ROUX that owned cycleworx sedgefield 

What happened to Eugene!!???

[Second hand spares]

Eugene and the time keeper from chain gang events went for a ride on Sunday afternoon and Eugene had a hart attack. He passed away doing what he enjoyed 

[DieselnDust]

1 minute ago, Second hand spares said:

Eugene and the time keeper from chain gang events went for a ride on Sunday afternoon and Eugene had a hart attack. He passed away doing what he enjoyed 

Argh no man

second one. Danie Nel met a similar fate last week 😢

[ChrisF]

As a Giant bike owner I met JP at Recycles.

 

It was a few months later when I truly met the man behind the beard.

 

Trans Augrabies 2023.  Day one started as bad as ones worst dreams .... first water crossing after the pace vehicle pulled over my e-bike cut out.  Bit a of Q20 and I could get going again, now well and truly way behind any other cyclists.

 

 

We all know that adrenaline rush, when you just go full taps .... coming around a corner I saw a lone cyclist idling along.  I thought this was the Tiger, the title of the sweeper.  Turns out he was not the Tiger, just a fellow rider who stopped for a nature break and was also slowly catching up to the group.

 

Now you need to understand that Tans Augrabies starts at about 4 degrees celcius, before any wind chill .... we were all layered up like eskimos at this stage.

 

I slow down just a bit and chat to this unkown rider.  Nice long gravel section before the days trails.  Perfect to dial down the adrenaline and to get to know this fellow rider.  And then reality dropped ... this is JP, the man that serviced my bike for this event (or at least his shop).  We had a good laugh about not recogising each other under the buffs....  And then we agreed it was time to catch up and lifted the pace.  We caught up to a the back of the pack, he noted that his lady was further up and we kept the pace and steadily moved up the grid.  Strange how life long friendships are forged in these situations.

 

Later in the day I got this pic of them.

 

JP starting day 2 ....

 

Event tent .... what happens in the tent stays in the tent .... and those that knew JP KNOWS he was PART of the vibe until early in the morning 

 

The eagle eyes may spot that JP was riding a Spez bike.  As a Giant dealer he rode the Spez with all the branding removed. 

 

 

Back in Bellville .... I had the opportunity to see him living out his passion of fixing classic cars.  True enthusiast !!

 

Our last brief chat was at the 2025 CTCT Expo.  He was so busy, yet made time to try and help the Potch train with something they needed.

 

 

My innige simpatie aan sy familie en geliefdes.

 

 

 

EDIT - 

I never met Meurant.  By the looks of it he was part of the driving force behind the SPUR MTB series (would like to hear more of this).  2017 / 18 and 19 we participated in this series.  WOW !!  Such a positive influence for so many kids !  And the number of parents who's eyes opened to the realities of cyclists via this was inspiring.

Edited September 15, 2025 by ChrisF

[Skubarra]

17 hours ago, Velouria said:

Here's my tribute to Meurant and JP, two legends who shaped our community. 😢

https://www.velotales.com/2025/09/the-day-our-mountain-biking-music-died.html

Great tribute - I started cycling/mtb'ing in the early 2010's and Dirtopia was HUGE in WC mtbing

Thinking back the Amarider 100 Miler you mentioned was also one of THE original gravel races, think I did one in 2011, Meurant was more than a decade ahead of the curve with the format. Pity it didn't really caught on at the time....

My condolences to Meurant's and JP's families.

 

[TitusTi]

3 hours ago, Velouria said:

Meurant was Meurant was Meurant - always the same except for the beard...

However, I did saw Meurant angry twice - once at 24hrs Of Oak Valley when some riders were taking a shortcut between the dams. It was anger mixed with disappointment - why would people enter an endurance event and then want to take a shortcut? And the other time was at two in the morning at 24hrs of Wiesenhof, when most people were sleeping and Meurant got to play the good music - Metallica, Rage Against The Machine, Iron Maiden - and someone came to complain that the music was too loud and inappropriate for a family event. He waited 10 minutes and then turned it up even louder!

I can proudly say that I was there for that! Hanging with that man at early hours talking poo was the best.