The Munga MTB Race

[BMCfan]

This is just unbelievable!

 

Anybody that wants to sponsor me entry fee?? hahaaa

[BlinkFan]

$10,000 entry per team of two... damn that rules me out :-P

[Andrew Steer]

Gotta love this...

 

Here’s the thing.

 

I'm not convinced great ideas spontaneously pop into your head over night and you wake up in the morning with something that’s going to change the world. No. I believe rather that they are the product of a whole bunch of things, like personal experiences, similar but smaller ideas, failed attempts, trials, tribulations, providence and of course hard work. All of these things work seemingly on their own but each towards a common end. When the timing is right, they come together and an idea is born. While that moment is finite and now, its genesis lies back in time.

In 2010 I raced the Freedom Challenge. One of the world's toughest mountain bike races, it winds its way for 2300kms over the high mountains of South Africa, stretching along the length of the country. I raced for 14 days against 30 or 40 other competitors and collapsed in first place across the line. My prize? A blanket. A very nice blanket mind you, but the same blanket that the guy who came last received.

It seemed the prize was internal; the promise of a much higher reward. The knowledge that I had completed one hell of a crazy race. I raced it again in 2011 and 2012, coming first and second, and setting a new course record. But still, only the blanket.

Then in 2013 I raced the Tour Divide, twice as long as the Freedom and stretching along the length of the North American Rockies, all the way to the Mexican border. This time I came third, but no blanket. Just a handshake from the US border police and an ice cream. Yup. You heard me right, an ice cream. Race the world's toughest mountain bike race for 17 days and all you get is an ice cream. It intrigued me that someone would race their heart out for nothing more than the satisfaction of finishing. But what if a race had both? The thrill of finishing something really hard, but also the very real chance of prize money. The kind of money that can really change your life, forever.

Why is it that the toughest races in the world offer no prize money? And the toughest athletes go unnoticed while conventional stage races glorify the few after just 5 or 6 hours on a bike, with podiums and pampered massages. That's not tough. Tough is when you’re not sure where you're going to sleep. Tough is when you've been going for 20 hours and the small shop you hoped would be your resupply has now shut down. Tough is when you have to cover 200 miles on nothing more than a bag of almonds in a drizzle and a soul that's about to go out. That's tough.

The world discounts qualities that really matter, like perseverance and belief and determination. It lavishes praise on pampered pros and blows dirt on the underdog. Well not anymore. The time has come. The time is now. Its time to recognize the racers that have lived largely in the shadows and obscurity while their colleagues bask in the glory. Its time to give back.

Its MUNGA time!

 

Alex Harris

[Andrew Steer]

heck bugger the $1mil. I would do it just for the heck of it !

 

I reckon 3 or 4 days depending on the route, will be the record.

I'd go 2 days 8 hours for the win...

[Gen]

Gotta love this...

 

Here’s the thing.

 

I'm not convinced great ideas spontaneously pop into your head over night and you wake up in the morning with something that’s going to change the world. No. I believe rather that they are the product of a whole bunch of things, like personal experiences, similar but smaller ideas, failed attempts, trials, tribulations, providence and of course hard work. All of these things work seemingly on their own but each towards a common end. When the timing is right, they come together and an idea is born. While that moment is finite and now, its genesis lies back in time.

In 2010 I raced the Freedom Challenge. One of the world's toughest mountain bike races, it winds its way for 2300kms over the high mountains of South Africa, stretching along the length of the country. I raced for 14 days against 30 or 40 other competitors and collapsed in first place across the line. My prize? A blanket. A very nice blanket mind you, but the same blanket that the guy who came last received.

It seemed the prize was internal; the promise of a much higher reward. The knowledge that I had completed one hell of a crazy race. I raced it again in 2011 and 2012, coming first and second, and setting a new course record. But still, only the blanket.

Then in 2013 I raced the Tour Divide, twice as long as the Freedom and stretching along the length of the North American Rockies, all the way to the Mexican border. This time I came third, but no blanket. Just a handshake from the US border police and an ice cream. Yup. You heard me right, an ice cream. Race the world's toughest mountain bike race for 17 days and all you get is an ice cream. It intrigued me that someone would race their heart out for nothing more than the satisfaction of finishing. But what if a race had both? The thrill of finishing something really hard, but also the very real chance of prize money. The kind of money that can really change your life, forever.

Why is it that the toughest races in the world offer no prize money? And the toughest athletes go unnoticed while conventional stage races glorify the few after just 5 or 6 hours on a bike, with podiums and pampered massages. That's not tough. Tough is when you’re not sure where you're going to sleep. Tough is when you've been going for 20 hours and the small shop you hoped would be your resupply has now shut down. Tough is when you have to cover 200 miles on nothing more than a bag of almonds in a drizzle and a soul that's about to go out. That's tough.

The world discounts qualities that really matter, like perseverance and belief and determination. It lavishes praise on pampered pros and blows dirt on the underdog. Well not anymore. The time has come. The time is now. Its time to recognize the racers that have lived largely in the shadows and obscurity while their colleagues bask in the glory. Its time to give back.

Its MUNGA time!

 

Alex Harris

 

I absolutely loved reading this.

 

[Slowbee]

such a mindbender .... create demand and people come .. market it right and charge what you like.

 

Sounds like an epic ride, wait can you say epic ? Or can you say ABSA ?

 

$10 000 to enter? you must be joking ! for unsupported ? sounds like another money scheme.

 

EDIT: interesting that reading his post he is playing on the fact that he raced across the rockies and only got an ice cream.

 

Is this race about money ? or about tough ? tough is doing it for an ice cream or for a blanket. Not money.

[Slowbee]

I'd go 2 days 8 hours for the win...

 

mmmm just under 500km per day ... tricky but doable, route depending. Finishing at Waterford if they start in Bloem means du toits kloof through Jonkers ?

[Andrew Steer]

Do you see a rush of late entries into the Freedom Challenge by some Pro riders?

[Gandalf]

Wow, who has that kind of money

[Slowbee]

Do you see a rush of late entries into the Freedom Challenge by some Pro riders?

 

[DJR]

I love what Alex Harris has to say above.

[DJR]

OK, so how do we (Hubbers) get FRAIL into this?

[davetapson]

such a mindbender .... create demand and people come .. market it right and charge what you like.

 

Sounds like an epic ride, wait can you say epic ? Or can you say ABSA ?

 

$10 000 to enter? you must be joking ! for unsupported ? sounds like another money scheme.

 

EDIT: interesting that reading his post he is playing on the fact that he raced across the rockies and only got an ice cream.

 

Is this race about money ? or about tough ? tough is doing it for an ice cream or for a blanket. Not money.

 

He's got to get his $1bar from somewhere - if 100 teams enter, he's got it?

[eddy]

 

 

I'd love to see Alex and Martin Dreyer take this on as a team, two hard men.

 

Martin and Jeannie, two harder men. ;-)

 

 

[Skubarra]

such a mindbender .... create demand and people come .. market it right and charge what you like.

 

$10 000 to enter? you must be joking ! for unsupported ? sounds like another money scheme.

 

Is this race about money ? or about tough ? tough is doing it for an ice cream or for a blanket. Not money.

 

Must admit I'm a bit sceptical about this... Without a headline sponsor, broadcast rights etc where is the prize money coming from?

 

Or is the massive entry fee supposed to cover the prize money? tbh would not be surprised if this doesn't get off the ground...

[djsam]

Gotta love this...

 

Here’s the thing.

 

I'm not convinced great ideas spontaneously pop into your head over night and you wake up in the morning with something that’s going to change the world. No. I believe rather that they are the product of a whole bunch of things, like personal experiences, similar but smaller ideas, failed attempts, trials, tribulations, providence and of course hard work. All of these things work seemingly on their own but each towards a common end. When the timing is right, they come together and an idea is born. While that moment is finite and now, its genesis lies back in time.

In 2010 I raced the Freedom Challenge. One of the world's toughest mountain bike races, it winds its way for 2300kms over the high mountains of South Africa, stretching along the length of the country. I raced for 14 days against 30 or 40 other competitors and collapsed in first place across the line. My prize? A blanket. A very nice blanket mind you, but the same blanket that the guy who came last received.

It seemed the prize was internal; the promise of a much higher reward. The knowledge that I had completed one hell of a crazy race. I raced it again in 2011 and 2012, coming first and second, and setting a new course record. But still, only the blanket.

Then in 2013 I raced the Tour Divide, twice as long as the Freedom and stretching along the length of the North American Rockies, all the way to the Mexican border. This time I came third, but no blanket. Just a handshake from the US border police and an ice cream. Yup. You heard me right, an ice cream. Race the world's toughest mountain bike race for 17 days and all you get is an ice cream. It intrigued me that someone would race their heart out for nothing more than the satisfaction of finishing. But what if a race had both? The thrill of finishing something really hard, but also the very real chance of prize money. The kind of money that can really change your life, forever.

Why is it that the toughest races in the world offer no prize money? And the toughest athletes go unnoticed while conventional stage races glorify the few after just 5 or 6 hours on a bike, with podiums and pampered massages. That's not tough. Tough is when you’re not sure where you're going to sleep. Tough is when you've been going for 20 hours and the small shop you hoped would be your resupply has now shut down. Tough is when you have to cover 200 miles on nothing more than a bag of almonds in a drizzle and a soul that's about to go out. That's tough.

The world discounts qualities that really matter, like perseverance and belief and determination. It lavishes praise on pampered pros and blows dirt on the underdog. Well not anymore. The time has come. The time is now. Its time to recognize the racers that have lived largely in the shadows and obscurity while their colleagues bask in the glory. Its time to give back.

Its MUNGA time!

 

Alex Harris

Well the Ice Cream and Handshake... was worth more than the entry fee... that much i can tell you.