tubed

Thanks Percy - great pics, smiles all around - so glad you got out there

Huge achievement, plus on a single speed

Day 8: Lots of action today out on the trail with the guys who started yesterday and who seem intent on racing finding the legs – Robbie Mac left his unscheduled BnB and has since been tearing up the trail, maybe I was wrong about the those tri bars in an earlier pic, because it seems that when he hits the district roads he really gets the old diesel going. If he can handle the tricky navigation until he is past Rhodes and then even into the Karoo we could sse a massive push for home – can’t wait! Charles, Christo, Gaeren and Francois et al are riding hard and sensibly it seems, certainly they have a race pace going, followed behind by the Marnitz tandem who too are hitting some good rhythm – one thing for sure is that Marnitz knows the route well, although he does go wandering at times. It’s a bit early to see how these guys are tracking – but it seems like there is a lot of resolve there. Up at the front of the race it seems like the pair of John Loos and Paul Erasmus have hit some health issues, with Paul’s tummy causing him some grief and they have slowed to get some rest at Slaapkranz (see pic below of farmer Andre on his lawn at Slaapkranz, continuing the dog theme, these two precious working dogs are out in the morning for a game, the lawn is frozen solid, the hosepipe is like a solid iron pipe, that’s snow in the left of the pic, this is a cold part of the world near Barkley East). On the issue of getting sick – if one takes into account the extreme conditions, the constant overheating and freezing, the lack of sleep etc, it is almost taken for granted that you will get sick – so unless you break something you have to either rest up, self-medicate or carry on. So getting sick is not such a big deal – its more part of the challenge. Glenn Harrison spent some time at Malekholonyane Support Station in the early hours of this morning, then seemed to do a quick double back to where he left the route and started a massive charge today, which included the feared Vuvu Valley and is currently going up and over Lehana’s Pass in the dark on his own – that is one seriously brave guy, he then will have a ridiculously cold descent into his finish at Rhodes. (just for good measure I understand he is on a Cotic SS with a rigid fork). In other related news, the three nutters who did the 80km Duzi trail run today, they start at 6am tomorrow in the last batch to leave which traditionally has the defending champ and the racing contenders. Another feature of the trail tonight is the large number of people still out there pushing/ stretching for another support station or intermediate stop – that’s all well and good until there is some tricky navigation and you have to do what the elder guys Rob and Roy did and you end up sleeping out in the bush. This usually means that you are quite near to a warm bed and a meal, but you have no clue where it is – so you put on everything and wait for first light. Then it is very very difficult to ride a full day the next day as you need to eat and rest, so like they did they ended up spending the day at Vuvu. So Robbie Mac is sleeping at Ntsikeni – a wise move in my books, then give it horns when the sun rises and you are rested with a full stomach. As an indication the general temperature now at night will be anywhere between -5 and-10. Some other pics, (sorry I am not getting rider pics at the moment as they are all – riding and few are posting.), so the pics are some of the features of what one experiences. The shepherd and his three dogs (again) are typical of a Basotho herdsman who is up high somewhere tending a flock or herd, the dogs are working dogs and the blanket is a symbol of his status as a herdsman (from where the blanket wearer community theme comes from). The bed is your accommodation in Vuvu, it is a hut and family would have vacated their home for you to stay in – humble, but warm and all you need (unless you need to pee at night which a walk outside in the freezer). The signpost is the top of Naudes Nek – just to show you don’t need to go to Europe to ride cols, you can get your kicks here in old RSA, note the wire tie downs for the sign, the wind is woes there a lot of the time. (PS: thanks for all the compliments – I am trying to promote the event within the spirit of event – I realise it is ‘fringe’ event, but I think it is a wonderful local story which should be told as it unfolds, so please if you can share/ repost please do.)

Sure here you go: http://www.guardian.co.za/login.aspx username: freedom password: password Select the rider you want and select latest position, then click on green arrow and it opens a pop-up which will have a link to a google earth map in a new window just be wary there are all sorts of issues with it - I currently cant refresh it to find my mates en route to Vuvu but generally it does work

Hi Percy All groups leave from under the clock of the Pmb town hall at 6am exactly, they then head out to Bilsey Nature reserve, its a rather low key affair, but the understated nature of it is probably just as it should be. Feel free to ride with the guys out along the route as far as you want and chat to them, although tomorrow has the real race people in the group, it is also the last group to leave. The three guys at the back are likely to be the three who did the 80km Duzi trail run today - their legs wont want any of what is about to happen at 6am tomorrow. Look out for Dr Leon vd Nest an ENT doc he is one of the nicest guys I had the privilege of riding with. Hope you go and please take some pics. Charl PS: I see you ride a Cotic SS, I understand that is what Glenn Harrison is tearing up the course on - SS with rigid fork.

Day 7: Lots of drama today - not all of it race related - some guys just seem full of drama - then you have the softly spoken Glenn Harrison who lets his legs do the talking and is still blazing down the trail - he seems to be sleeping for about an hour at various spots and last I have him is resting up for a bit at the Maria Linden Mission Station, before tackling the Maraphane Ridge and moving on to Malekgalonyane Chalets at the foot of the Drakensberg near Ongeluks Nek. Still 'leading' the race seem to be John Loos and Paul Erasmus who pushed on through Rhodes and made it to the farm Chesneywold where they will be met by farmer Christo and his wife Minki - you don't get away there in a hurry and I suspect Christo's bar and peak cap collection along with some beverages and the rugby have meant that's as far as the race has progressed. Back to the drama - there were some 'big' names in the batches out of Pmb this morn, none bigger than Robbie Macintosh, he went through Allendale SS1 quite well and then the wheels came off so to speak (cramps and crashes) and he has found himself a BnB in Donnybrook - remember what I said about novices? Others in the group include Christo van den Heever and Charles Mansfield, Francois Riekert who have all pushed on to Centacow and perhaps beyond - they all seem fit and strong. Then deserving of a paragraph of their own are Marnitz and Werner Nienaber - Marnitz being the ever chirpy FC veteran on the tandem with his brother - they also only spent an hour at Allendale before pushing on in the late afternoon - its not that often that riders get in late to Allendale and push on - they must have a plan - but they are off the pace right now. As an idea of what the guys are eating - well it varies depending on the host - some of the most humbling experiences in this race are when those who have so little make you a meal - you might not be used to boiled chicken and rice - but you soon realise that you need it and it has been prepared with graciousness - so you keep quiet and eat up. Then there are your prepacked 2litre ice cream boxes waiting for you at the support stations with whatever you packed into them, including your maps and bike spares etc and usually a note of encouragement from your loved ones. See the pic below - usual stuff includes choc, bars, dried fruit, biltong, and anything else snackable. Also drinks and all other sorts of potions and pills permissible. As for the meals - well once you get into the farms past Rhodes these farmers are waiting for you, the pic is of a meal at aforementioned Christo and Minki - the bread is freshly baked mosbolletjie, there are two choices of meats and the veggies are not al dente, usually the veggies have cinnamon and sugar on the top of any starch and the 2l coke is cold. The hospitality I cant describe, but you eat until you realise that you are doing detrimental damage. The third pic is a variation of what you get at a farm mid morning or elsewhere as a snack: fresh vetkoek, jam, cheese, biltong, coffee and cooldrink. Lots of places have homemade soup too.

Many thanks Warren for the encouragement - glad you are enjoying it

The many dogs and the farms/ places you stay at are part of the adventure, my favourite was Jasper, this stoep was his turf, but his best move was through that open gate when an unsuspecting rider left it open and he would dash down the passage of the farmhouse, claws scraping on the wooden floors and out the back door and around the house before he could be reprimanded - a fantastic hound all around!

Day 6: Part 2 Glenn Harrison completed his haul up to Ntsikeni arriving at 00:30 and left at 01:45 - it seems he didn't sleep and probably just ate and regrouped, he is off the mountain and onto district roads again making good time for the farm Glen Edward and soup for breakfast. A rare small navigation error where he lost about an hour in the hills near Politique farm is probably due to screaming fatigue and the need to sleep. It really is a monumental effort he is putting in and will try and give some stats on distance and ascent by the time he stops (Steve?). Spare a thought for Guy McKechnie who is apparently on a single speed (why oh why Guy!) making it already harder than it needs to be, he got into Masakala at after 3 am on his own. I see he has put a call out to Shebeen for some spokes to be sent to somewhere along the route - that is allowed and what friends are for. He is doing this the hard way. Front runners in the Race for Paarl are Andy Masters and Peter Stephens, they are going great guns and made it into Rhodes last night, (see pic below of them with Owen their riding partner who is stopping at Rhodes). The smiles tell it all they have had a great ride so far and are well set with still more good weather in front of them - although it does sound like there was a lot of wind over the Berg and into Rhodes. The other pic is of Alexander Venter cresting Lehanas Pass, the highest point of the race over the Drakensberg, the delight is clear to see and he rightfully describes it on his blog as "the hardest part of the race", it is about a 3/4 hour portage up to the top of the mountain and in the howling wind it is no mean feat to keep that bike above his head. I do see that the snow is absent. Notable so far is that nobody has quit the race as far as I can ascertain - that might be some sort of record and it bodes well for a high number of finishers this year - the further they get before a hardship, the better their chances of making it to the end. Looking at the weather it seems pretty good for the next week - although a long way off, next weekend sees a decent front approaching. For the guys heading for Rhodes today - they will get the chance to mix with locals at the pub, watch the rugby and share some incredible stories - Rhodes hotel will be the place to be. See also: @freedom_trail, #RASA2013, Facebook/FreedomChallenge

Day 6: Today saw the start of Glenn Harrison and his determined effort to get to Rhodes and beat the record. He has been motoring along and has dropped all of the other pretenders in his group, he passed the first support station this afternoon with barely time for a look at the cricket on TV, but has just tweeted that he has stopped for naartjies at Donnybrook - the craving spoke. He is making good time and will shortly be into the maze of pine plantations and hopefully out before it gets fully dark, he then marches upwards to Ntsikeni. (I got my figures wrong with Tim the other night and if he does stop briefly there it will be just under 200km with 5800m of climbing!!). Question is will he stop at Ntsikeni or push further - that will be a near midnight decision. Elsewhere the first guys have gotten to Rhodes and by now will be bathed and having a beer at the bar, some finishing there and others pushing on tomorrow into the Eastern Cape. There is a small band who pushed through Vuvu this aft and are going over what by all accounts is a very very windy Lehana's pass in the late afternoon, probably to summit the Drakensberg (approx 2900m) in the dark, from where it is very long mostly downhill and undulating road into Rhodes - again a very very cold descent awaits them, but the reward of a hot bath will make it worthwhile. More later.

Day 5: Yesterday saw a pretty normal day in the FC with most riders progressing as per normal, the reason for this is that there are really four types of riders in the FC (as I see it): 1. The racing snakes: they know/ have recced the route - even at night, they have a very clear plan and sadly as we saw with Tim yesterday it is quite often an ‘all or nothing’ approach – go big or go home. There are no novices in this category – some novices may try, but I don’t think it is possible, it’s too hard physically and the navigation to Rhodes too complicated. A novice would have to have a seasoned guide they would be riding coat tails with. 2. The returnees: these guys have finished previously and know what they are in for, they have a strategy and its to finish again - they know that alone will take a huge amount of good fortune, they plug away consistently and try and avoid the obvious pitfalls - they generally have a large amount of fun from day 1 until they finish. 3. The accomplished novices: these are the guys who are fit and strong, but in reality have no idea of what they are in for, they go out hard on day one and then generally settle into a sensible pattern once they realise that they have no idea of where they are going or that 80km can take them 14hrs depending on the terrain. A good snot klap like getting into Ntsikeni in the dark at 2am when it is minus 5 makes them realise that this is a whole different game. Most of them finish comfortably. 4. The novices: make no mistake these guys will have trained and prepared to the max, but they will remain unprepared for the very long days and the harshness of the terrain. But the biggest issue is mental side of this event, when one starts falling off the pace and it gets lonely in a very strange place, the mind does all sorts of things and people ask if this is worth it, hence the fact that families are not allowed near you – in that state you WILL climb in the car and go home. These guys can still comfortably finish – but they will need a strong mind most of all. The support from the race director over the phone is a big plus, he wants everybody to finish, but there still is a near 50% dropout rate each year. So if your mate is out there at the moment and struggling a bit, or falling off the pace, now is the time to tell him to hang tough, that you are following his every move and that coming home early is not an option. Finally besides the drama of Tim’s withdrawal – the other major factor has been the weather – they have had perfect weather and when that changes - and it will – so will the race change dramatically. The pics below are from Alexander Venter – they give an indication of the easy riding conditions – shorts and sun, they were en route to Vuvu yesterday. Today they are batting a howling gale over the top of the Drakensberg at about 2900m, they should get their first glimpse of last weeks snow.

Hi SwissVan, they are cages/toeclips and straps, Eric is an accomplished trail runner, so he is in his trail shoes, he tried clipless pedals but for the amount of walking he will be doing its a good option. btw thats the first time I have ever seen him in lycra - he is scared things show and doesn't want to be embarrassed. PS: as a tougher puffer winner Eric could run to Paarl with the bike on his back

Just heard Tim James has withdrawn - that is sad - it is becoming a bit of a feature with the guys who go out very very hard from the start - illness, knee problems etc. He was certainly fit enough - but as I mentioned yesterday - to go from a full sweat to freezing cold in a matter of minutes as the sun goes down and added to that the body is extremely fatigued is not a good recipe. Hope he is still able to ride on to Rhodes.

Day 4 (yesterday) Sorry the update is a bit late - trying to work. As mentioned above Tim James on route to Rhodes shot off and ended up at Ntsikeni for the night, that's about 200km in one day, I am not sure on the total ascent but it is probably in the region of about 4000m. So a huge day, but then he went to sleep and as far as I can ascertain hasn't been seen on a tracker since - the battery has probably died, but the chatter on twitter is that he slept late. Last year Martin Dreyer did a similar move, but even though he was in at Support Station 2 after midnight he only slept for a couple of hours and was on the move again at about 5am - so either something is up with Tim or he has a different strategy - whatever the case he has time to make up as far as I can see if he wants to break Martins record into Rhodes. The other notable events were two groups either falling off the day to day pace or taking a rest day at a support station - it is very early to be doing that and it may indicate a miscalculation of just how tough the event is. It is not nice to see guys struggle in this event as their is a real sense of camaraderie between the riders who try and help each other out through the tough times - but it remains an individual event and one has to carry on or fall behind yourself. John Loos (FNB's economist - he is probably more useful out in the bush on his bike than he is trying to predict the rand right now), and his riding partner Paul Erasmus continued their charge for Paarl, but again the info is a bit scarce today, but it does seem that they have split up with Paul continuing and John dropping back. The attached pic is of Eric Tollner on day one picking his way along the Umkomaas banks before he finds a place to cross. Another update on day 5 a bit later.

It is a light thingy

Tim James setting the Race to Rhodes alight - he is headed for Support Station2 tonight and probably through the night until he has to sleep - he is known for finding a hole next to the side of the road. Will try and update a bit later. This 50+ gentleman is doing something special. This was probably taken earlier today by Martin Dreyer while Tim was climbing out of the Umkomaas Valley in the heat of the day, by now it will be well close to freezing and he will be riding by light, it is going to be a very cold long night en route to Ntsikeni and beyond.

Good luck Dusty - hope you find lots of dust,, because mud sure aint your friend. This was my kit in 2011, in 2012 I wised up and left more out - it really helps to have less. Always some interesting kit variations - the bivvy bag Steve refers to - eish I am not so sure of that - it is bloody cold at night and a poor nights sleep in some hole is not a good way to recover - for unplanned stops ok - but then you are already in for a very uncomfortable couple of hours before the sun comes up - planning to sleep out is brave

the tracker story is a bit of a mystery to me too - I will see if I can get some sort of idea from the race office whats going on, for now the only two that are racing are John Loos and Paul Erasmus, Tim James will also be one to watch today

Day 3: Day 3 was certainly the day when the action started, Batch C included some strong riders with two in particular, John Loos and Paul Erasmus making it clear that they were racing, they shot past Allendale support station in the late afternoon and headed into the forestry plantations with fading light. The significance of this is that they knew what they were doing – because even in the daytime one forestry road looks like another and one can spend hours wandering around those logging roads – in the pitch dark it’s a whole different story with shadows chasing you… They had obviously done their homework and were through the forests and on to the mission station at Centacow. Centacow is an intermediate support station for those who decide to skip one and look for some sort of in between shelter for the night, in this case it is a great option with some superb accommodation (interior has a sort of art deco, pastel colour scheme – yes in a mission station). But given their intention, this is not what they are after – they will want food and a couple of hours of necessary sleep before they are off again. The second thing was that two guys, Rob and Roy in Batch B who did the 14 hour day on day one, they also stopped at Centacow for the night, ie they didn’t make support station 2 at Ntsikeni. Why this is notable is that they have had one 14 hr day and one shorter day and they are now behind the race. It may be technical issues, but it is likely to be that they are on a different pace and have different expectations. What is sure is that they are still in the race and they have every chance still of making Paarl, but they are going to have to be mentally strong and show a lot of resolve as any setback in this event is really tough as it plays on you mentally when you are already at your physical limits. Added to this is that you have to deal with it on your own – if you have mechanical issues, you need to find a solution quickly, if you have navigation issues, you need to hang onto those who know where they are going and if you are just physically battling – well its 3 weeks long, if you can hang in, you will be fit by week 3! So let’s see their resolve. Finally, today sees the start of multiple previous winner and mtb legend Tim James, who is only going as far as Rhodes this year, but a new addition to the race is the Race to Rhodes and it looks like Tim is after that record. Last year Martin Dreyer set a new record in blitzing through to Rhodes in 2 days, 7hours and 50 mins, bear in mind most sensible riders take 6 days to get there. So if there are any riders in Batch D looking for a very fast guide – they could try and hang on to Tim, just bear in mind he finished third in the 50-59 age cat at the recent SA marathon champs. As an aside – good luck to my mate Eric Tollner starting today – he is a very accomplished trail runner who is learning to ride an mtb, if he could only stop taking photos he might be quite fast. Follow him here (https://www.facebook...reedomChallenge he racing for Cows – raising funds for children with cancer. Another interesting one was the start of Barry Futter yesterday – a big wave surfer of note from Hout Bay – more adept at Dungeons, but going well at this stage. Last thing – check out another SA cycling legend Robbie Mac’s bike – he is apparently in great form – not sure if those TT bars are to time trial to Paarl or too hook every wattle tree he passes – time will tell. Rigid forks seem to be getting popular – weight and speed – I still need to be convinced.

Day 2: Still no drama unfolded yesterday on Day 2 at this stage with Batch B having left Pmb and Batch A headed off from Allendale to Ntsikini – they spent most of the day climbing to get there. Rob and Roy in Batch B arrived at Allendale at 21h40, that’s a nearly 14 hr day for Day 1, apparently they had some tyre issues – hope its all sorted last night and they have an easier day today. In Batch A Bruce Hughes has some racing pedigree, but appears to be riding with his dad Charles, who seems to be no slouch either, they have Peter Stephens with them who also looks very determined this year after his disappointment at not finishing last year. Batch A moved on to Ntsikeni which is a world heritage site high up in the foothills of the Drakensberg, it is well known for two things, the rare bird species which breed there and the cold – last night the riders would have had their first real taste of the hardship that the cold can be. Trying to function and get moving at 5am in the cold is a whole new routine. But as the sun comes up, it all changes and you see grown men who have been sniveling and moaning start to enjoy life and the freedom they have to ride their bike the whole day. In terms of the race, there are no contenders on the route at this stage, with everybody following the plan, which is often the case as guys play it safe for this part of the race and stick to reaching the support stations at night and staying over, reason being that the navigation can be tricky up until Rhodes and it’s a waste of energy and time to wander around plantations at night unless you really know where you are going. (see also www.freedomchallenge.org.za or freedomchallenge on facebook) Photo is of Ntsikeni communal hall, (the main feature is the lack of anything green or leafy – its just too cold there most of the time for that).

Nope not on TV I am afraid, best way to follow is on twitter (@freedom_trail) or facebook: freedom challenge.

On the entry fee story - yes it has increased fairly substantially, but so have the costs of running this event, it really is a logistical feat of note - and there is currently no headline sponsor. I have never met anybody who didn't feel that they got their monies worth and a whole lot more - its actually quite difficult to describe the experience you go through - its hard to buy that sort of therapy........

The start at the Pmb Townhall at 6 am, clock stops at Diemersfontein Day 1: Pmb to Allendale Farm, 109km Batch A are probably by now all fast asleep at Allendale and by all accounts (twitter: @freedom_trail) it all went according to plan. The day is marked by two main features, crossing the Umkomaas and the climb out of the valley on the Hella Hella pass. Day 1 is essentially about getting going - its months and months (for some years) of dreaming about this event and then before you know it you are not only doing it but you have completed day 1. So there will be some very relieved people enjoying the hospitality of the Waddilove family farm. It sounds like the Umkomaas is full, so there should be some stories (and hopefully photos) of some people swimming rather than wading - once you are in, there is not a lot of turning back and it can flow strongly - with a bike weighing 13kg a backpack another 10kg or so and very rocky underfoot - it gets very tricky. There is the longer way around, but it is getting quite overgrown, but its not dangerous. After the river its pretty much up up and up, the Hella Hella climb goes on for ever and its will be the first taste of walking - yes that's right walking up a road alongside your bike, very soon you lose any semblance of embarrassment and you push when you need to. It undulates toward the end and the overnight is not far from Mckenzie club, recent host to Sani2c. Probably the brewing story is the weather and conditions ahead, Batch A are on to Ntsekeni Nature Reserve tomorrow night - they will know by now that it has been snowing there today and for good measure there has been snow in Rhodes and Molteno. So it seems like they are going to test their cold weather gear early this year and maybe for a long time. Well done to all in Batch A (see also www.freedomchallenge.org.za or freedomchallenge on facebook)

Have been chatting to the race office and I will with their help try and do a daily update of the developments in the 2013 race. As mentioned above, the first batch is off this Sunday and thereafter daily, (except for Sun the 16th when the 80km Duzi trail run takes place, which the triathletes will be doing as their first leg, the FC being the bike leg and the Berg River Canoe Marathon the third leg). The final batch, including the triathletes, and the race snakes will leave on Monday the 17th. Looking at the field this year, there is no Alex Harris (Great Divide this year) and defending champ Martin Dreyer is doing it as a belated honeymoon with his wife Jeannie who has been recently putting in some impressive mtb performances – hope Martin can keep up. Glenn Harrison and Tim James are also only riding as far as Rhodes this year – although I suspect someone is going to lay down a serious marker in being the quickest to Rhodes. Without these contenders one may think it might be a boring race in 2013 – highly unlikely, as the Dreyers will probably go for the womens records held by Tatum Loftus and there are sure to be some other dark horses in the field which we can chat about in the coming days. Sure to provide loads of entertainment will be Marnitz Nienaber who on his own is a real card, but this year he will be carrying a tandem across the country having roped in his unsuspecting brother – as they say hkgk! If all of the above does not go according to plan – well then the weather is sure to liven things up at some stage. PS: Steve, looking forward to your contribution too. (*hier kom groot ***)

Darren Lill, winner of Tour of Rwanda - mole snale handler guess thats how they raise them in the south peninsula - tough