[Event] Freedom Challenge 2014

[deanbean]

Thanks for the updates so far Tubed, I see that the weather on Lehana's will be balmy again this year

[tubed]

Quick Hubber Update:

 

Ryanpmb and Percyzn

 

Ryan and Bruce rode into Rhodes at 12:30 to finish their fantastic ride. Huge congrats guys, what a ride!

Given the conditions described at the top of Lehanas Pass today as they hiked over the the Drakensberg (+2900m and +100km/hr winds) these guys finished in style.

Huge respect and soooo chuffed that this thread played a small part in planting a seed over a year ago.

 

Trailwarrior:

 

Clint is showing real guts, it seems between illness and a pretty bad crash he is soldiering on, respect to you Clint. Couple of us online and down in CT watching with great angst as you proceed. We know you can do it!

[Ryanpmb]

Quick Hubber Update:

 

Ryanpmb and Percyzn

 

Ryan and Bruce rode into Rhodes at 12:30 to finish their fantastic ride. Huge congrats guys, what a ride!

Given the conditions described at the top of Lehanas Pass today as they hiked over the the Drakensberg (+2900m and +100km/hr winds) these guys finished in style.

Huge respect and soooo chuffed that this thread played a small part in planting a seed over a year ago.

 

Trailwarrior:

 

Clint is showing real guts, it seems between illness and a pretty bad crash he is soldiering on, respect to you Clint. Couple of us online and down in CT watching with great angst as you proceed. We know you can do it!

 

Percy and I finished up today, getting to Rhodes from PMB in 103hrs. We achieved our goal and are super pleased with our result. Today in particular was a huge day. We felt pretty confident after having a good day through Vuvu yesterday and then a brisk climb up Lehanas (just under 3hrs) this morning, only to be put in place by the wind from Tena Head, home!

 

Tubed - thanks to you for the part you've played in getting us hooked on this crazy Trail. We've spent some massive ups and downs together over the last few days (read months), seen some incredible places and made some super new friends.

 

Will it be a quicker R2R next year or full RASA?...

 

Will post some more info and picks once home.

 

Good luck to those still on the Trail and those riding on.

[tubed]

FC 2014 Day5/6/7 (Fri/ Sat/ Sun Wrap)

 

So much to say, but very difficult to get it into anything coherent as I have found the race to be a bit all over the show – and the ‘contenders’ only start tomorrow. So I will try and make some sense of all of it because I do think finally it has settled down into some sort of pattern.

 

Mike Woolnough:

Have to start with Mike Woolnough’s ride which ended in Rhodes late last night, he rode almost non-stop to Rhodes and finished in a time of 64hrs10mins, which for 505km of the most arduous terrain, cold and howling winds is a phenomenal achievement. The fact that Mike is over 50 and is not a racer by his own admission just goes to show the strength of his will and mind and his body for that matter. Pics of Mike below.

Retireees:

There have been a number of retirees well before Rhodes, these are a result of fatigue, chest worries?, crashes, flu (seems to be a common one, and totally understandable given that any hint of illness is likely to be exacerbated by walking out the door in the dark with a 16kg bike for 12 hours of extreme exercise) and then there are those that just realize that for them this is no fun – nothing wrong with that, kudos for trying.

 

Soldiers:

Clint (trailwarrior) and Fanie seem to be pushing on and Lise and Tracey have found a good group and a decent rhythm – hats off to all of them, still on the trail means you are still in the game.

 

Racers:

Bruce (Percyzn) and Ryan (Ryanpmb) had the ride of their lives, looking forward to some pics and comments when they get back into normal mode. What I personally liked about their ride was that from the start the embraced the FC as it should be, preparation was key, a good partnership and most of all a great attitude.

 

Bugs du Toit and Allen Liversage, an apple farmer from Elgin and a Pretoria Advocate (useful skills for the Leer later) are blazing the trail this year and making deep inroads into the Eastern Cape, I think both are novices, but clearly they have strength, intellect and a good partnership, let’s see how they go through the portages sections, it seems like they got into Slaapkrantz nice and early so they nailed that tough day. Sadly reports are that Mike du Toit a day behind set out from Rhodes probably with a hope of catching them at some stage, but Meryl reports he is back at Rhodes drinking coffee.

 

Then there are a about 3 other biggish groups between Ongeluksnek and Rhodes as I can make out, these groups all have very experienced riders in them and some novices, Dave Bell, Scott James and Steve (he of the clanging coffee pot at most big races) and Di of Daytrippers. These are great groups to be in if you like company, have a plan to get to Rhodes or Paarl, well then these guys are happy to have you along for the ride.

 

We need to mention Jacques Swart’s army, it’s an interesting one going to Rhodes this year, there doesn’t seem to be the cohesion of the previous years and some may in fact be conscripted, but for sure they will be having fun. A late entry to this group is Marcel Joubert, he doesn’t appear on the rider sheets or in the start lists and is going to Rhodes. (Marci is responsible for all the Aca Joe kit the Sani folk are wearing everywhere right now – bet he wears his FC top with pride by the time the trail is done with him. Also the only Hout Bay entry this years which is strange). Gawie may or may not be in that group on his belt driven single speed – will try and get a pic of that later – Crazy!

 

Complexion of RASA 2014:

Its probably as clear as the non-existent mud on the trail this year as to what is going on, but in essence we have some riders getting to Rhodes now and finishing there, we have the RASA guys pushing on past Rhodes in small groups into the E Cape en route to Paarl and we have quite a few biggish groups making their way to Rhodes at normal sensible race pace. Tomorrow sees the start of the final batch (no group start today) and these have the contenders for the fastest time to Paarl, more about them later, there are some BIG names in there.

 

Finally Marnitz should by rights be in the last group as a contender, but this year he has decided to try and race, but not sleep at the support stations, so the pic below is of Marnitz’s first night out in the Boshilweni forest last night, looks cozy Marnitz, NOT! Remember he’s not the first to sleep there this year, but his is by choice, follow his charity drive here: http://www.afreedome...e.blogspot.com/

 

Enjoy the rest of your Youth Day.

 

Pic 1: Marnitz's sleeping bag on the forest floor

 

Pic 2/3: Mike Woolnough after his epic ride

 

Pic 4: Steve Thomas of Daytrippers fame

Edited June 16, 2014 by tubed

[tubed]

Not much more to add here, super article, follow the link:

 

http://glennharrison.co.za/

[Ryanpmb]

So Percyzn and I arrived home late yesterday afternoon after the most amazing Race 2 Rhodes - the whole drive back we found ourselves scanning the mountainous country side discussing possible routes and options to traverse the mountains that lay in the distance .

 

This race/ ride (however you choose to approach it) is so much more than an MTB ride. It's a soul finding mission, an exploration of yourself, friendships and this beautiful country we live in. In a few days of racing I've dealt with an emotional spectrum that I would normally encounter over weeks, or months in day to day life, I've cemented current friendships and made new ones, I've learned how far you can push your body and mind, I've dragged a partner out of deep, dark "places" and had him do the same for me, we've literally climbed over mountains that we thought were impossible to scale, we've conquered tough sections of the Trail only to have her put us in our place a few hours later. It's been an incredible experience and one which I hope to experience over and over again.

 

I've attached a few photos below and tried to give a little description on each - where it is and how we were feeling or what we were doing at the time. It'll be a tiny window into the Freedom Trail Race to Rhodes for now but I'm sure over the next few days I will post a bit more .

 

Up above Centacow. After a good nights sleep we left Centacow to head through Nstikeni. This is after a massive climbing (mostly ridable) section before we drop back down for the first river crossing.

 

Coffee break after the river crossing. Although we were racing to a specific goal time Percyzn and I had found some great 'coffee' spots during our recce's and stuck to these during the race.

 

One of the best SS on the route. Dalu feeds you properly at Nstikeni and sends you on you way to negotiate the infamous and beautiful Nstikeni/ Politique section.

 

Read twice. Ride once. Attempted Dave's suggested shortcut through Nstikeni. Worked well but if you're a strong rider just go around - not much time saving.

 

Out of Nstikeni and a short ride, climb, ride to Glen Edward farm (another wonderful stop) which we made our second overnight stop. Very difficult to leave Charles and Sheilas incredible hospitality.

 

Masakala lunch stop on our way to Ongeluksnek. This was our second "double up" day at a 120km covering 1.5 stages. Having done the same on day one, we had now made up a full day. Getting lost out of Mariazell at night cost us about 2 hours sleep time. When relating our story that night we got told "If you no longer get lost in the trail, you need to find new routes...". Getting lost is part of the race - realizing it and correcting it is the trick.

 

Having traverse the Queens Mercy vlei's we scrambled over the ridge line heading 'home' for the night. Chasing remaining daylight at this point, knowing we may have a problem right before Ongeluksnek.

Edited June 17, 2014 by Ryanpmb

[Shebeen]

So Percyzn and I arrived home late yesterday afternoon after the most amazing Race 2 Rhodes ...............................

my blanket is getting tatty now, but I can still remember that feeling of self fulfilment in conquering this beast. The biggest take out for me was what you are actually capable of once putting your mind to it.

 

Now more stories from those Pygas please!

[Ryanpmb]

On our way to Vuvu via Tinana. Soon after this we met up with Steve and Di Thomas (Daytrippers) and Liehann Loots and Jill Homer. Liehann was attempting is second RASA after mechanicals ruled him out last year, riding a MOOTS softail with Rohloff hub and a blown fork! Jill is a quiet, unassuming, Alaska hiking, Tour Divide competitor... say no more.

 

The six of us navigated through the Vuvu Valley within hours and were soon climbing the 'tiger line' upto the Vuvu tower... Myself selfie, Percyzn bombing the photo and Di and Steve below. These two are such great company - Percy and I had an absolute blast tripping with them while we could. Di, properly accomplished having completed a few Epics and RASA's herself. Steve the most layed back chap you could find - never gets phased and just pressed on - a perfect Freedom Trail attitude. "It is what it is" is a quote he used often and quickly got adopted by Percy and I.

 

Steve taking in the day with Liehann climbing below.

 

Getting bikes up the tiger line was not easy but team work got us there.

 

All the bikes up top - now just to head down the road for some Vuvu chicken... At Vuvu we caught up with groups that has left a day or two prior to us. A good nights rest and then we all left for Lehanas in the morning. Sleeping in a local home, the wind picked up to such a point that Percyzn and I were sitting in our beds waiting for the roof to blow off. This wind accompanied us all the way up the pass #fear.

 

Percyzn, myself and one other FC'er got away from the big group and got up Lehanas in sub 3 hours. It was probably one of the most frightening experiences of my life. UNBELIEVABLE wind threatening to blow bikes (and yourself) off the mountain side. Getting to the container was a huge relief and we stopped at Tena Head for a coffee and a break from the wind. This was short lived as we worked extremely hard to get down the pass to Rhodes. At times we were pedaling as hard as we could and not moving forward. All three of us got blown right off our bikes as the wind gusted through the valleys.

 

Percyzn and I relieved, excited, exhausted at Rhodes. 103hrs PMB-Rhodes. Mission accomplished!

Edited June 17, 2014 by Ryanpmb

[Chro Mo]

Full race next year!!!

 

Go for it!

[deanbean]

Well done Ryan and Percy, what an adventure.

What is the old Freedom Challenge participants opinion on doing the RASA first time sight unseen. Is it possible, or should one trip the difficult navigation sections beforehand. And what are the difficult sections where people get lost.

[Ryanpmb]

Well done Ryan and Percy, what an adventure.

What is the old Freedom Challenge participants opinion on doing the RASA first time sight unseen. Is it possible, or should one trip the difficult navigation sections beforehand. And what are the difficult sections where people get lost.

Many people do the RASA having not seen the route. Logistically it's not always possible to do this. Spend a lot of time on Google Maps with the race maps and narratives and get in touch with previous riders (there'll be a few here on the hub and I can put you in touch with some very clued up competitors). Most of the people we met were racing/ riding slower than us and figuring the route out as they went (obviously having studied the narratives etc before hand). Many also gang up with previous riders on the route - you cannot bank on this but it often happens that you will trip with a knowledgable rider for a few days and then move on or drop off and then bump into the next bunch...

 

Go for it!

[Ryanpmb]

Full race next year!!!

 

Go for it!

Or quicker R2R...

[Chro Mo]

Or quicker R2R...

Or the full race next year.....(we can do this all day...)

 

Seriously, very well done!

[Shebeen]

Well done Ryan and Percy, what an adventure.

What is the old Freedom Challenge participants opinion on doing the RASA first time sight unseen. Is it possible, or should one trip the difficult navigation sections beforehand. And what are the difficult sections where people get lost.

Not a problem...this whole thing of needing to trip the race comes from the guys trying to win it. I'm an adventure racer(as well as a race organiser), so am quite used to navigation - but still got lost here and there.

If you don't know how to read a map, you will have to learn pretty quickly. I did do two days on the trail just as part of training - the last two, what better experience than getting used to to the format of maps/narratives.

 

What's really a huge improvement is the maps being totally overhauled this year(by Cgris fisher, who starts today). I can't say enough how much of an improvement this will make for first timers.

[Shebeen]

OK...the big guns are out now!

 

they are now lining up nicely on the hella hella pass after crossing the umkomaas river.

 

the current order is

Glenn Harrison..

Tim James...

Tweet/smelly....probably about 10minutes apart each.

 

the fishers are chilling on the other side of the river still

[Ryanpmb]

According to JumperTrax:

 

Glenn

Graham/ Hano

Tim

 

All out of Hella Valley...