2013 Freedom Challenge Updates

[DJR]

Latrinus climbing the ladder, offline, circa 2009 - link to pic

 

This picture gives a good idea of how steep it is, something that is often not obvious in photographs! Great.

[Shebeen]

On the subject of stettynskloof, i have a 0-2 losing record with that valley. the first was in prep for the ride a bunch of us camped at trouthaven, we underestimated how long it would actually take. we turned around at the scree rockgarden when we realised that we could get back to the campsite before our lift left to pick us up on the N1.

 

The second attempt was during the race...we turned around when it became impossible to cross the rivers due to water levels. had to ride all the way around, still got a blanket but it's got an asterisk.

 

There's been some work done there by working on water teams, a fire two/three years back also helped loads. been told now that there's some cairns helping mark the way too. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with robbie mac..he's there now and has been using his phone a lot this race to get unlost. won't work there.

[Shebeen]

I know things are slowing down on the race side, but since there's SO much good stuff going on in this thread, I've got loads to add. I really think this event is one of our treasures...it's been going for 10 years now and actually survives on its own two feet without any sponsors, whilst still doing good for the areas it runs through. 10 plastic eland stickers for the first person who guesses this mystery author

*********************************************************

 

Strangly enough, I'm not at all despondent or depressed about stopping. This race has definitely been about he journey, and not the destination.

 

I have spent 18 days on my bike - something I could only dream of before attempting this - never thought it was vaguely possible to do this. The continuous 12hr+ days are quite strenuous, but the body copes remarkably well with this (to a certain extent in my case). After a while the riding actually became secondary - you forget about the riding, and it becomes more about the whole experience, not just a MTB ride.

 

I have seen the most magnificent and varied scenery that I could imagine - the fact that we want to tour other countries to see fantastic scenery is beyond me - the variation and the grandeur of our country ranges from the rolling green hills of the Natal Midlands, the KZN bush of the Hela Hela pass area, the flood plains with extensive tracks norh west of Matatiele into the southern Maluti mountains. My initial preconception was that the Eastern Cape is flat - far from it, but there were a number of "wow" moments, when you come out of a mountain range to find a dead flat plain in front of you. The mountains eventually gave way to the rolling hills of Stormberg region, back to the Southern Cape mountain ranges with the extensive river valleys and gorges, and then finally to the flat Karoo that everyone knows.

 

The weather was fairly kind to us - good, clear days with no wind on most days. The most notable exceptions were the snowfalls when trying to cross the Drakensburg ( and the subsequent days riding in snow), and the night riding on Day 9, when we got rain and -10deg C temparetures. Trying to cope with frozen waterbottles during the mornings across the Eastern Cape became a daily issue - this area must surely qualify as one of the coldest areas in South Africa.

 

We were exposed to the daily living of a number of different cultures and regional grouping of people across the country - we stayed in their homes with them, ate with them, found out about their communities, economics and problems. This ranged from the Zulu cattle and sheep farmers of KZN, to the Xhosa and Sotho farmers of the Southern Maluti's, the sheep farmer of the eastern cape, the Game Farmer of the Southern cape, and then the produce farmers of the Southern Cape mountains. One thing that really struck me was the number of abandoned farm buildings that we encountered - more land is owned by less people, and apparently a lot of the stock farmers are switching to game / hunting farms, as a result of the better profits.

 

The common thread running through all peoples was generosity - throughout my trip I have been in need of assistance, and each time I though that I was finished, someone turned up to rescue my day. From the young shepherd boys who gave me a blanket, because that's all they had, to the XXXXX family that allowed me to stay with them while I recovered from my first bout of sickness, everyone gave what they could, without a desire for compensation, other than a word of thanks. At some stage every participant in the race spent a night with someone who knew nothing of the race, but were willing to keep us going. The farmers were an absolute menace though - each time you cross their land you've got to stop to chat and have a cup of coffee!

 

This is defintiley a great way to tour the country, and is well within the ability of most people - you can pack a bag with your necessities, work out a route, make your bookings, and go MTB touring. You travel quick enough to make some ground in a day, but slow enough to experience the environment around you. I think this is one of Dave's main objectives with this race, and it has definitely opened my eyes to the possibilities that exist.

 

To Dave the organiser - I have hated you and admired you, but in the end it has been the most fantastic adventure of my life - I'll probably be back to finish it one day. And thanks to all that followed my story and sent wishes - it was really encouraging to read these at night - maybe you'll all be inspired to stretch your limits a but - it's fun!

 

From me...over and out

[tubed]

I know things are slowing down on the race side, but since there's SO much good stuff going on in this thread, I've got loads to add. I really think this event is one of our treasures...it's been going for 10 years now and actually survives on its own two feet without any sponsors, whilst still doing good for the areas it runs through. 10 plastic eland stickers for the first person who guesses this mystery author

*********************************************************

 

Strangly enough, I'm not at all despondent or depressed about stopping. This race has definitely been about he journey, and not the destination.

 

I have spent 18 days on my bike - something I could only dream of before attempting this - never thought it was vaguely possible to do this. The continuous 12hr+ days are quite strenuous, but the body copes remarkably well with this (to a certain extent in my case). After a while the riding actually became secondary - you forget about the riding, and it becomes more about the whole experience, not just a MTB ride.

 

I have seen the most magnificent and varied scenery that I could imagine - the fact that we want to tour other countries to see fantastic scenery is beyond me - the variation and the grandeur of our country ranges from the rolling green hills of the Natal Midlands, the KZN bush of the Hela Hela pass area, the flood plains with extensive tracks norh west of Matatiele into the southern Maluti mountains. My initial preconception was that the Eastern Cape is flat - far from it, but there were a number of "wow" moments, when you come out of a mountain range to find a dead flat plain in front of you. The mountains eventually gave way to the rolling hills of Stormberg region, back to the Southern Cape mountain ranges with the extensive river valleys and gorges, and then finally to the flat Karoo that everyone knows.

 

The weather was fairly kind to us - good, clear days with no wind on most days. The most notable exceptions were the snowfalls when trying to cross the Drakensburg ( and the subsequent days riding in snow), and the night riding on Day 9, when we got rain and -10deg C temparetures. Trying to cope with frozen waterbottles during the mornings across the Eastern Cape became a daily issue - this area must surely qualify as one of the coldest areas in South Africa.

 

We were exposed to the daily living of a number of different cultures and regional grouping of people across the country - we stayed in their homes with them, ate with them, found out about their communities, economics and problems. This ranged from the Zulu cattle and sheep farmers of KZN, to the Xhosa and Sotho farmers of the Southern Maluti's, the sheep farmer of the eastern cape, the Game Farmer of the Southern cape, and then the produce farmers of the Southern Cape mountains. One thing that really struck me was the number of abandoned farm buildings that we encountered - more land is owned by less people, and apparently a lot of the stock farmers are switching to game / hunting farms, as a result of the better profits.

 

The common thread running through all peoples was generosity - throughout my trip I have been in need of assistance, and each time I though that I was finished, someone turned up to rescue my day. From the young shepherd boys who gave me a blanket, because that's all they had, to the XXXXX family that allowed me to stay with them while I recovered from my first bout of sickness, everyone gave what they could, without a desire for compensation, other than a word of thanks. At some stage every participant in the race spent a night with someone who knew nothing of the race, but were willing to keep us going. The farmers were an absolute menace though - each time you cross their land you've got to stop to chat and have a cup of coffee!

 

This is defintiley a great way to tour the country, and is well within the ability of most people - you can pack a bag with your necessities, work out a route, make your bookings, and go MTB touring. You travel quick enough to make some ground in a day, but slow enough to experience the environment around you. I think this is one of Dave's main objectives with this race, and it has definitely opened my eyes to the possibilities that exist.

 

To Dave the organiser - I have hated you and admired you, but in the end it has been the most fantastic adventure of my life - I'll probably be back to finish it one day. And thanks to all that followed my story and sent wishes - it was really encouraging to read these at night - maybe you'll all be inspired to stretch your limits a but - it's fun!

 

From me...over and out

 

goosebump stuff that right there

 

as an aside we are up to nearly 20 000 views on this thread - thanks to all who have contributed and continue to do so with such enthusiasm

[tubed]

On the subject of stettynskloof, i have a 0-2 losing record with that valley. the first was in prep for the ride a bunch of us camped at trouthaven, we underestimated how long it would actually take. we turned around at the scree rockgarden when we realised that we could get back to the campsite before our lift left to pick us up on the N1.

 

The second attempt was during the race...we turned around when it became impossible to cross the rivers due to water levels. had to ride all the way around, still got a blanket but it's got an asterisk.

 

There's been some work done there by working on water teams, a fire two/three years back also helped loads. been told now that there's some cairns helping mark the way too. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with robbie mac..he's there now and has been using his phone a lot this race to get unlost. won't work there.

 

In my first year a blizzard forced me to go around and not over Lehanas Pass, this year the guys hardly saw a drop of rain and don't know the meaning of the word mud - at some stage the Leer was in doubt - you play the hand you are dealt in that year - no asterisk needed

 

Stettyns has changed too - early years it was a bushwhack, year before last it was stubble and open, last year someone had been through it with a weedeater of sorts in parts (I kid you not) and another had placed tags on bushes, the cairns are there too - but nowadays the Osseberg and Grootrivier has become a challenge.

 

As for the rock and scree section in Stettyns, I think why waste your time, just stick high and right and I looked at Graham Birds gps tracks in 2011 (cant find them now) and he did that just that, no problem as the hakea is no longer there,( if there is one person I would have nav for me it would probably be him)

[hillbilly]

Can anyone tell me the ratio the single speed bikes run on the PMB to Rhodes section. Thanks Bruce.

 

This year Guy ran a 32x20 and Glenn a 34x20 - both riding 29ers

[tubed]

A nice read from Eric tonight as he reflects on his trip across the Klein Karoo and Breede River Valley and his last day tomorrow.

 

Klein Karoo. The calm before the storm.

 

Most of the riders leave Prince Albert in the very early hours of the morning but having never seen the famous Swartberg pass I opted to leave closer to sunrise so I could see this amazing feat of engineering. It's a long long climb up, with its impressive zig zags and tight turns before finally reaching the turn off west into the Gamkaskloof valley. It was around then that I started realizing the day was anything but simply riding up the pass and dropping into die hell. The road into the valley is neverending, with long climbs and descents before arriving at the very steep switchbacks to drop onto the valley floor. I got stuck on the switchbacks behind a grader that was churning a nice hard packed surface into mud and slush but thankfully the driver saw me in his mirror after a while and stopped, I clambered over the giant earth moving contraption one wheel at a time ( there was no simply going around it, not like road width is in abundance out there) before trying to get as far ahead of him down the zig zags as quickly as possible without having rocks landing on me from above. Not the best timed move in the history of overtaking!

 

A quick ride on the green mossy valley road before arriving at the overnight stop, a rickety old Sprite caravan with a distinct Deliverance feel to it in the campsite, but what it lacked in comforts the hosts more than made up for with food and friendliness. I befriended the campers in the campsite next door that evening and enjoyed their fine company and roaring fire before hitting dreamland.

 

The body has started its own weird ritual now, 7:30 pm it starts yawning, 8 pm it self destructs into a sleepy slumber. 1am wake up drenched in sweat no matter how cold you are (I remember this happening once in a while during peak training for big runs but its a daily occurrence out here) and anything from 3 to 5am is wake up time.

 

The haul the next day out of the Gamkaskloof started with a gentle 10kms along the valley floor, over the Gamka river and enjoying the views of the canyon heading north to the dam just catching the early morning light. A few climbs up and down and then it was time to tackle one of the Freedom's legends, die leer - or the ladder. It's a rocky path that basically leads straight up the mountain to get out of the valley which is effectively a cul-de-sac. Bike on back and hiking up and up and up before eventually reaching the signpost, foolishly pulling the wool over your eyes that you're at the top. The track then continues its rocky way through a good few more valleys before eventually dropping down to the top of the Bosch Luis Kloof pass. This was back in familiar territory having been here a few months back so I took a few minutes to indulge in a long awaited cup of coffee. Nearby the Seweweekspoort peak, dotted with snow, would make brief appearances from under its cloudy blanket before disappearing again. From here it was a wonderful afternoons riding alongside the Klein Swartberg mountains and into the farm Rouxpos, a magic setting in a beautiful valley tucked up right against the mountains. Another good meal and the legendary Rouxpos waffles preceded a good nights sleep.

 

Another early start and a few hours riding before sunrise to get into the Anysberg where I had hoped to spend the night. Arriving early afternoon it was discovered that there was no bed available (the famous Cape Nature incompetence on its finest form again) but it was early enough and I knew most of the route ahead so quickly sorted my things and headed off again. It was a long days riding but arriving in Montagu by nightfall was a huge boost as I had made up a day and I enjoyed settling into the night at the fine establishment of the Montagu Country Hotel. Dinner in the nice posh restaurant in my orange croc slippers before succumbing to dreamland again. 3 more sleeps.

 

The ride out of Montagu is spent dodging big trucks and cars on the R62 before swinging a left just beyond Ashton to take in some vineyards and the district roads to Mcgregor. It was great riding, the chilly morning air keeping everything nice and crisp with another beautiful sunrise behind me. One unexpected skill I've learnt on this ride is angry-dog-management. You can just see it coming as you approach labourers cottages, one minute everything is nice and peaceful the next you're hauling like there's no tomorrow with a farmyard special gnashing at your pedals. Out comes the water bottle, preferably the one with sticky concentrate juice, and fire away! Those dogs blessed with half a brain cell usually back off after the first shot but some of the more ignorant persistent ones just keep coming back for more, in the face, an eye full of it, up the nose, you name it they get it. All's fair in love and war out there.

 

Arriving in Mcgregor midmorning meant there was time for a quick cup of tea and sandwich before starting up to the mountains. Following the main road through Montagu it climbs up gradually towards the mountains before becoming a dead end at the Greyton Mcgregor hiking trail. Somewhere along this road before the hikers cottages we swing west and go over the mountains and through the farms and veld, basically running parallel for a while to the hiking trail but one valley north, before picking up a farm road running to the farm Kasra which was to be my overnight stop.

 

I had been forewarned about the wonderful hospitality at the Oestervanger, the guest cottage at Kasra, and it was as super as expected. Dinner was one of the best to date and I even savoured a few sips of Robertson red wine (they're patriotic about their wines out this way!) before again succumbing to the night time ritual. With all this wonderful food I do believe I may be one of the few riders arriving home having put on weight!

 

This morning was admittedly a lazy start to the day, the sound of rain falling wasn't helping to get me going any faster but I set off at first light into soft rain that cleared as the morning grew light. Up and over the mountains again following the electric power lines, through fields and meadows, talking to the cows (its been almost two weeks on my own so I'll take whatever conversation I can get) before dropping down to the Brandvlei dam and up the valley to Trouthaven where I am spending tonight. This is a bitter sweet moment as I sit writing this tucked up in this valley with its steep walls on either side. It's difficult to imagine that there is one mountain range separating me from finally putting this journey to rest, but its in these last mountains that lies the sting in the tail of the Freedom Challenge. Stettynskloof. It's a name I've been dreaming of for 23 days and its a place I've been fearing for 2 years. It's a monster with a reputation as hard as they come, and its the Goliath standing tall out there right now. It's going to be one of those one step at a time episodes but I'm looking forward to getting in there and knuckling down to the fight tomorrow. The battle of Stettyns will be brutal without doubt but come hell or high water I'm getting over those mountains and to the finish tomorrow.

 

I've made a good long haul out of this so far but I stand in absolute awe and respect at the people that rode this thing as if they just ride across the country every other week. The likes of the champions Martin and Jeannie that wrap it up in 12 days, Glenn flying over the Black Fountain mountains on his single speed to blitz it to Rhodes in a little over two days is unfathomable, and especially the Freight Train Five that made it look so easy - Guy, Ant, Shaun, Ted, and Martin - you guys are brilliant, very big respect indeed.

 

Well, little else to do now but lie in wait for tomorrow. Sort bike. Sort pack. Sort mind. Then we tackle those last steps and bring this home.

[TrailWarrior]

A nice read from Eric tonight as he reflects on his trip across the Klein Karoo and Breede River Valley and his last day tomorrow.

 

Klein Karoo. The calm before the storm.

 

Most of the riders leave Prince Albert in the very early hours of the morning but having never seen the famous Swartberg pass I opted to leave closer to sunrise so I could see this amazing feat of engineering. It's a long long climb up, with its impressive zig zags and tight turns before finally reaching the turn off west into the Gamkaskloof valley. It was around then that I started realizing the day was anything but simply riding up the pass and dropping into die hell. The road into the valley is neverending, with long climbs and descents before arriving at the very steep switchbacks to drop onto the valley floor. I got stuck on the switchbacks behind a grader that was churning a nice hard packed surface into mud and slush but thankfully the driver saw me in his mirror after a while and stopped, I clambered over the giant earth moving contraption one wheel at a time ( there was no simply going around it, not like road width is in abundance out there) before trying to get as far ahead of him down the zig zags as quickly as possible without having rocks landing on me from above. Not the best timed move in the history of overtaking!

 

A quick ride on the green mossy valley road before arriving at the overnight stop, a rickety old Sprite caravan with a distinct Deliverance feel to it in the campsite, but what it lacked in comforts the hosts more than made up for with food and friendliness. I befriended the campers in the campsite next door that evening and enjoyed their fine company and roaring fire before hitting dreamland.

 

The body has started its own weird ritual now, 7:30 pm it starts yawning, 8 pm it self destructs into a sleepy slumber. 1am wake up drenched in sweat no matter how cold you are (I remember this happening once in a while during peak training for big runs but its a daily occurrence out here) and anything from 3 to 5am is wake up time.

 

The haul the next day out of the Gamkaskloof started with a gentle 10kms along the valley floor, over the Gamka river and enjoying the views of the canyon heading north to the dam just catching the early morning light. A few climbs up and down and then it was time to tackle one of the Freedom's legends, die leer - or the ladder. It's a rocky path that basically leads straight up the mountain to get out of the valley which is effectively a cul-de-sac. Bike on back and hiking up and up and up before eventually reaching the signpost, foolishly pulling the wool over your eyes that you're at the top. The track then continues its rocky way through a good few more valleys before eventually dropping down to the top of the Bosch Luis Kloof pass. This was back in familiar territory having been here a few months back so I took a few minutes to indulge in a long awaited cup of coffee. Nearby the Seweweekspoort peak, dotted with snow, would make brief appearances from under its cloudy blanket before disappearing again. From here it was a wonderful afternoons riding alongside the Klein Swartberg mountains and into the farm Rouxpos, a magic setting in a beautiful valley tucked up right against the mountains. Another good meal and the legendary Rouxpos waffles preceded a good nights sleep.

 

Another early start and a few hours riding before sunrise to get into the Anysberg where I had hoped to spend the night. Arriving early afternoon it was discovered that there was no bed available (the famous Cape Nature incompetence on its finest form again) but it was early enough and I knew most of the route ahead so quickly sorted my things and headed off again. It was a long days riding but arriving in Montagu by nightfall was a huge boost as I had made up a day and I enjoyed settling into the night at the fine establishment of the Montagu Country Hotel. Dinner in the nice posh restaurant in my orange croc slippers before succumbing to dreamland again. 3 more sleeps.

 

The ride out of Montagu is spent dodging big trucks and cars on the R62 before swinging a left just beyond Ashton to take in some vineyards and the district roads to Mcgregor. It was great riding, the chilly morning air keeping everything nice and crisp with another beautiful sunrise behind me. One unexpected skill I've learnt on this ride is angry-dog-management. You can just see it coming as you approach labourers cottages, one minute everything is nice and peaceful the next you're hauling like there's no tomorrow with a farmyard special gnashing at your pedals. Out comes the water bottle, preferably the one with sticky concentrate juice, and fire away! Those dogs blessed with half a brain cell usually back off after the first shot but some of the more ignorant persistent ones just keep coming back for more, in the face, an eye full of it, up the nose, you name it they get it. All's fair in love and war out there.

 

Arriving in Mcgregor midmorning meant there was time for a quick cup of tea and sandwich before starting up to the mountains. Following the main road through Montagu it climbs up gradually towards the mountains before becoming a dead end at the Greyton Mcgregor hiking trail. Somewhere along this road before the hikers cottages we swing west and go over the mountains and through the farms and veld, basically running parallel for a while to the hiking trail but one valley north, before picking up a farm road running to the farm Kasra which was to be my overnight stop.

 

I had been forewarned about the wonderful hospitality at the Oestervanger, the guest cottage at Kasra, and it was as super as expected. Dinner was one of the best to date and I even savoured a few sips of Robertson red wine (they're patriotic about their wines out this way!) before again succumbing to the night time ritual. With all this wonderful food I do believe I may be one of the few riders arriving home having put on weight!

 

This morning was admittedly a lazy start to the day, the sound of rain falling wasn't helping to get me going any faster but I set off at first light into soft rain that cleared as the morning grew light. Up and over the mountains again following the electric power lines, through fields and meadows, talking to the cows (its been almost two weeks on my own so I'll take whatever conversation I can get) before dropping down to the Brandvlei dam and up the valley to Trouthaven where I am spending tonight. This is a bitter sweet moment as I sit writing this tucked up in this valley with its steep walls on either side. It's difficult to imagine that there is one mountain range separating me from finally putting this journey to rest, but its in these last mountains that lies the sting in the tail of the Freedom Challenge. Stettynskloof. It's a name I've been dreaming of for 23 days and its a place I've been fearing for 2 years. It's a monster with a reputation as hard as they come, and its the Goliath standing tall out there right now. It's going to be one of those one step at a time episodes but I'm looking forward to getting in there and knuckling down to the fight tomorrow. The battle of Stettyns will be brutal without doubt but come hell or high water I'm getting over those mountains and to the finish tomorrow.

 

I've made a good long haul out of this so far but I stand in absolute awe and respect at the people that rode this thing as if they just ride across the country every other week. The likes of the champions Martin and Jeannie that wrap it up in 12 days, Glenn flying over the Black Fountain mountains on his single speed to blitz it to Rhodes in a little over two days is unfathomable, and especially the Freight Train Five that made it look so easy - Guy, Ant, Shaun, Ted, and Martin - you guys are brilliant, very big respect indeed.

 

Well, little else to do now but lie in wait for tomorrow. Sort bike. Sort pack. Sort mind. Then we tackle those last steps and bring this home.

 

This is just such friggin awesome reading and putting this journey into perspective! Awesome stuff Eric!

[tubed]

Stettyns:

 

the approximately 50km that was the final stage for Eric and Gaeren took them about 12 hours, they are now blanket wearers - they have both paid their dues to finish, hopefully the pics tell the story, see more here:

 

http://glennharrisonsa.blogspot.com/

[tubed]

All riders home: mission accomplished Race Office

 

All told a very successful Race Across South Africa concluded yesterday with the two Extreme Triathletes finishing and Chris and Julia Fisher ending this part of their honeymoon. Smiles all around at Diemersfontein yesterday as the race office can relax a bit and the last riders head home.

 

A bit about the race office – it comprises the race director and founder Dave Waddilove, Meryl Glaser the ‘CEO’ and Glenn Harrison (from Rhodes onwards) and Ben de Lange (to about Rhodes). One of the distinguishing features of stage races in South Africa seems to be the personalities behind the races, for Sani2C its about the personal touch from Farmer Glen and his team, the guys from Dryland have made a name for their traditional South African hospitality along their routes.

 

For the Freedom Challenge, the race office is also very unique, it is your contact with the outside world and a ‘form’ of support, why I say that is I heard the comment recently that Dave should be known as Dave Waddi, cause there’s no ‘love’ in that man, not with that route and not with his ‘support’ during the race.

 

My comment was a sharp response: 'love’ you get from home and the ‘support’ to finish you get from Dave. If Dave were to show any softness during the race I would peg the finishers at about 30% each year, you don’t get through this race on soft feely support, you get support from a guy who realises that he has year after year put people in positions where they are very very far outside their comfort zones, where they are at times in potentially life threatening situations if they don’t think clearly and trust their preparation. If he were soft and accommodating people would start looking for support they don’t need and support they are not going to get.

 

When I was trying my best to encourage a friend from quitting this year, he had already begun arranging to be picked up, my clear message to him was that right then he had everything he needed to get him home, that the advice and love from the outside world when he got a signal was all well and good – but just him, his bike and his backpack was all he needed. So before anyone doubts the intentions of the race office – just think that their primary objective as far as you are concerned is to make sure that you get to the finish, because that alone is your objective, especially when you are no longer rationalising things properly.

 

Meryl on the other hand will make sure you have everything you need and that your family and the rest of the world know where you are – it is no coincidence that when you arrive frozen, tired and near hypothermic at some very remote farm, that the soup is hot and someone is home and ready to welcome you, Meryl knows where you are and what you need.

 

Ben de Lange – he is also the eyes and ears of the riders in the early part of the race when you are settling in to your routine and figuring things out, especially when the navigation is tricky, Ben will be able to tell David exactly where you are. He is also the tireless link to the Freedom Challenge Scholarship Fund and won’t miss out on an opportunity to raise funds for this worthy cause.

 

Glenn Harrison – Glenn is first and foremost a very accomplished rider, as you will have seen he writes well too, he provides insight into the race which few can, he also has begun providing spares to riders over the last couple of years as riders strip his race machine and kit down the route – in an attempt to stop this he seems to be riding with an increasingly minimalist approach – that didn’t stop Guy from relieving him of his shoes this year – where will it stop?

[tubed]

Thank You:

 

All that remains from my side is to say a huge thanks to everyone who read, contributed to (especially Shebeen), liked and posted messages of appreciation. I had no idea there were so many people who were interested in the race, I had two objectives in trying to regularly contribute:

 

1. To promote the race and trail to an interested audience, but who might not see the race via its traditional channels (see below), this is a very unique South African event which as the slogan says embodies ’the essence of mountain biking’ and as such it occupies a unique place in our offering of trails – long may it last.

 

2. To restore my faith in the power and reach of social media as a useful tool – I think the fact that nearly 22 000 views in three weeks was achieved says something about how a forum can be a very useful and powerful tool.

 

I sincerely hope that some more people have been inspired to take on either the Race to Rhodes, the various Rides to Rhodes or the Freedom Challenge: Race Across South Africa – I can almost guarantee you a life changing experience if you do. For those that want to tour parts of the trail – come on now: Just Do It!

 

Finally, I will try and link, post the various trip reports, blogs and facebook pages as the racers settle back home and begin their writing – there are sure to be some good stories, pictures and videos.

 

Thanks again

 

Charl

 

www.freedomchallenge.org.za

www.facebook.com/freedomchallenge

http://glennharrisonsa.blogspot.com

[SwissVan]

Charl

 

THANK YOU for all your updates and feedback, same goes to the others who contributed (Shebeen) and apologies to anyone I missed

[mtbee]

To Charl, Glenn and all those who posted; thank you for the awesome reporting of the 2013 FC. Gonna miss my daily dosage of updates, goose bumps, watery eyes and laughing at the posts.

To every finisher well done and enjoy the blanket. FC just moved up a few places on my bucket list. See you all one day on the trail.

[Warren911]

+10000

Big thanks to all the contributors on this thread. Great coverage of a super awesome event. Best thread going to miss my daily feed.

Edited July 9, 2013 by Warren911

[suzieQ]

Best. Thread. Ever!!!

 

Thanks to all the contributors, really enjoyed all the news, stories and pictures. Have followed the FC for a few years now and this thread has really given us some brilliant daily coverage.

 

Thank you!!!

 

P.S. Even with all this wonderful inspiration, I will NEVER ride my bike from one side of South Africa to the other over the largest mountains we have in the middle of winter!!! Well done to all the participants!!

[Thug]

Thanks for the great updates.