[Event] Freedom Challenge 2014

[tubed]

We managed to reach Rhodes in 90 hours starting on 13 June and reaching Rhodes at 12:00 am on 16th June.

 

I took a few photos along the way posted at: https://www.dropbox....pgUtJapjtS6AgZa

 

Eddie

 

Excellent Eddie, well done and thanks for sharing the pics, much appreciated.

 

Enjoy the warm island.

[tubed]

John Loos's blogging provides an excellent update of the sharp end of the race - today should be a cracker.

 

http://glennharrison.co.za/lead-gap-narrows-day-riders-may-back-sleeping-roof-close-john-loos/

[tubed]

Support station strategy:

 

Getting the distances and support stations right takes some planning, the fast guys dont make mistakes and dont find themselves sitting out at night lost near a support station because they cant find it, or sitting at a support station at 2pm not wanting to push on because the next one is too far.

 

Here is either a quandary or safe move:

 

Jill Homer, the Alaskan and Liehaan left early this morn from an emergency overnight at Kleinpoort, ie between support stations, its 8:15 and they are now Bucklands Support Station for breakfast, a great stop.

 

Big question now is do they play it safe and head for Hadley another intermediate support station, and tackle the Osseberg/ Baviaans entrance early tomorrow from there.

 

Or are they brave, get to Hadley at about lunchtime and push on into the Kloof in the fading light......

 

Comment from Bugs and Allen yesterday who left Bucklands very early and got to Cambria/ Kudu Khaya guest lodge:

 

Today (ossewapad) was insane. ... But im still not broken. Arrived kudu kaya 19H10 Bugs and Allen

[running man]

Support station strategy:

 

Getting the distances and support stations right takes some planning, the fast guys dont make mistakes and dont find themselves sitting out at night lost near a support station because they cant find it, or sitting at a support station at 2pm not wanting to push on because the next one is too far.

 

Here is either a quandary or safe move:

 

Jill Homer, the Alaskan and Liehaan left early this morn from an emergency overnight at Kleinpoort, ie between support stations, its 8:15 and they are now Bucklands Support Station for breakfast, a great stop.

 

Big question now is do they play it safe and head for Hadley another intermediate support station, and tackle the Osseberg/ Baviaans entrance early tomorrow from there.

 

Or are they brave, get to Hadley at about lunchtime and push on into the Kloof in the fading light......

 

Comment from Bugs and Allen yesterday who left Bucklands very early and got to Cambria/ Kudu Khaya guest lodge:

 

Today (ossewapad) was insane. ... But im still not broken. Arrived kudu kaya 19H10 Bugs and Allen

 

Well done Bugs & Allen, thats a big milestone. I'm still scarred from that valley a year later! Enjoy the Baviaanskloof now.

 

Update on twitter - "The duet continues: Glenn and Graham are eating breakfast together at Grootdam Arrived 08:30"

 

Would love to know what breakfast conversation is

[Shebeen]

Some sharing to help others understand a bit more about Freedom. I loved this race so please forgive my enthusiasm.

 

- I estimate that I pushed or carried my bike around 40-50% of the time and I did not quite expect this even though I knew there would be some portaging. The hills get too steep to ride, the surface is loose and rocky or cattle tracks too narrow to ride or you are simply just too buggered to ride. If you ride a SS the 40-50% will be 60-70% pushing unless you can ride standing at 30 rpm cadence for extended periods of time.

 

 

 

See you at R2R 2015! Over & Out!

My blanket is getting old(but kept me nice and warm in the very cold Cederberg this past weekend), but I think you're over estimating a bit there on the amount of pushing.

 

Sure there is plenty, but it's still a bike race and most of it is rideable. Sounds like you had a lot more wind, so that would have changed things last week. (We had loads more mud).

[Andrew Steer]

Well done Bugs & Allen, thats a big milestone. I'm still scarred from that valley a year later! Enjoy the Baviaanskloof now.

 

Update on twitter - "The duet continues: Glenn and Graham are eating breakfast together at Grootdam Arrived 08:30"

 

Would love to know what breakfast conversation is

"Sooo... what you doing later?"

[Shebeen]

Well done Bugs & Allen, thats a big milestone. I'm still scarred from that valley a year later! Enjoy the Baviaanskloof now.

 

Update on twitter - "The duet continues: Glenn and Graham are eating breakfast together at Grootdam Arrived 08:30"

 

Would love to know what breakfast conversation is

glenn:howzit

tweet:howzit

glenn:ride together today?

tweet:ok

glenn thinks:"what's his undercover strategy"

tweet thinks:"what's his undercover strategy"

[Shebeen]

so. with Glenn and Tweet now together, what next...hold a truce and ride together or race race race?

The record is probably not going to fall, they're behind the virtual record and it was a real superhuman effort that martin put in from here for a day or two which i don't think we have an indication of either doing looking at their current rate of progress.

 

there is one big speedbump coming up - the osseberg descent into the baviaanskloof is 3 stages away, and you would be much quicker going through the day than at night. if either can get a break and ride throughout tonight they could probably get through during the day tuesday. That would be a gamble maybe worth going for, but it's a big roll of the dice.

[dirtrider]

So I started gathering info . stumbled onto this website :

 

http://www.orienteering.co.za/event-calendar/mountain-bike-orienteering/

[tubed]

Support station strategy:

 

Getting the distances and support stations right takes some planning, the fast guys dont make mistakes and dont find themselves sitting out at night lost near a support station because they cant find it, or sitting at a support station at 2pm not wanting to push on because the next one is too far.

 

Here is either a quandary or safe move:

 

Jill Homer, the Alaskan and Liehaan left early this morn from an emergency overnight at Kleinpoort, ie between support stations, its 8:15 and they are now Bucklands Support Station for breakfast, a great stop.

 

Big question now is do they play it safe and head for Hadley another intermediate support station, and tackle the Osseberg/ Baviaans entrance early tomorrow from there.

 

Or are they brave, get to Hadley at about lunchtime and push on into the Kloof in the fading light......

 

Comment from Bugs and Allen yesterday who left Bucklands very early and got to Cambria/ Kudu Khaya guest lodge:

 

Today (ossewapad) was insane. ... But im still not broken. Arrived kudu kaya 19H10 Bugs and Allen

 

Jill & Liehann check into Hadley 13:15 - to regroup and ready themselves to tack the Osseberg and river crossings tomorrow

 

Questions answered, but that's half a day lost right there.... of course I am sure they have very good reasons and I am also all for enjoying the scenery - especially there on the edge of the Baviaans Wilderness area it is wild and so beautiful.

 

Hope they savor the day down the Osseberg and into the Kloof, its pretty much only the FC riders that get to see that trail these days as the legendary 4x4 route was abandoned. So its quite a privilege what they are in for tomorrow.

Edited June 23, 2014 by tubed

[tubed]

Marnitz and Tim: self supported to another level.

 

Both Marnitz and Tim James are sleeping out at night, Marntiz because he is crazy and Tim because that's how he rides and its part of his strategy.

 

See pics of both of their bikes.

 

Marnitz, his faithful GT full sus needed to be retired after several FC's, he started last year on a tandem and that ended in tears and he finished last year on a 26er Dale. I see he has another one of those this year, although it seems it has most of the GT's parts. The slaapsak if quite big and by accounts from Deanbeans fellow EC farmers its pretty lightweight, and by that I dont mean it weighs less, but its the type thing you take camping up the coast in summer.

 

Tim is a racer and knows his bikes, he is supported by Scott and that's his full sus XTR machine. See also the sleeping bag/ bedding rolled in front. In the second photo you can see just how small Tims backpack is with a lot of the weight being on the bike.

 

A point to note, both are using bottles - camelbacks are convenient, but is a lot of weight on your body and filling them is tricky.

 

(Correction: as you eagle eyes will see, Tim does indeed have a bladder in that bag)

 

To the guys wanting to go out and buy kit for next year - choose very carefully, ask the question is it necessary and if not, dont waste your money.

Edited June 23, 2014 by tubed

[tubed]

waiting for the comments on Marnitz's saddle - oh boy, I have no words...

[Shebeen]

Freedom Trail ‏@freedom_trail 40mView translation

G+G in Gegun 3pm, out 3:35pm to Toekomst.

so it looks like Glenn Harrison and Graham tweet bird are riding together....at least for today/now.

There's a good chance they will ride each other into the ground over the next 48hours.

[Andrew Steer]

 

Freedom Trail ‏@freedom_trail 40mView translation

G+G in Gegun 3pm, out 3:35pm to Toekomst.

 

so it looks like Glenn Harrison and Graham tweet bird are riding together....at least for today/now.

 

There's a good chance they will ride each other into the ground over the next 48hours.

Long distance game of poker... can only imagine the mind games!

[Shebeen]

Marnitz and Tim: self supported to another level.

 

Both Marnitz and Tim James are sleeping out at night, Marntiz because he is crazy and Tim because that's how he rides and its part of his strategy.

 

ja, not many guys are prepared to sleep out at night.

a)it's a lot of extra weight

b)you don't get good sleep

 

The thing is if you're moertired and need to rest, you need to rest. If you manage to be 5km from the next stop, then great. Otherwise you need to plan your pacing and movements around the SS, and sometimes stop a bit earlier so you don't get stranded in no man's land. That's the raitonale behind Tim's strategy - and it's basically what the guys at Tour divide do...i don't think it's optimum for FC, but that's just me.

 

for the record, here is the ruling on how stops outside of SS work. essentially it's to stop the race becoming a burden on the locals with 'emergencies' becoming frequent.

Golden Rule 4 - A Challenger may not make demands for food and shelter along the route. Part of the goal of the Freedom Challenge is that Challengers should be unsupported and should not receive outside assistance other than that provided for by the Race Organiser. This assistance will be provided at the various official support stations along the route, as well as at certain designated emergency stops. A Challenger will need to notify the race office at least 6 hours in advance if they intend to make use of an emergency stop. In the event of a Challenger encountering difficulties or an emergency situation out on the trail, a challenger will be permitted to use other un-official accommodation on ONLY one occasion during the race. A challenger using such unauthorised accommodation MUST pay to the accommodation provider before leaving the minimum amount set by the Race Organiser prior to the commencement of the event. If a Challenger chooses to camp out or sleep rough, they are free to do so, as long as no requests for food/water/shelter are made of anyone in the immediate vicinity.

[Shebeen]

oh and another quite interesting bit of the rules

 

 

31.1. All Challengers who have completed the Race Across South Africa will be entitled to a pizza sponsored by the race director on arrival at the finish.

I stand corrected, but I'm pretty sure this was put in by Andre Britz - who was one of the early stalwarts....basically the first oke to get geskrikked by the race and go wonderfully stir crazy over it(first moron to try it singlespeed too). He told me that he just salivated for pizza along the way...you get fed so damn well, but it's all regte boerekos and even that needs a change. Anyway, pretty cool that it's still in the rules.