2016 Freedom Challenge RASA & RTR Prep

[The Crazy German]

and dropping down off the high ground..

 

 

yoh! Those two are really taking the 'scenic route'...

 

Lee and Ollie spend some time in the casino. impressive See  you and Raise you needs someone like dirt rider to call there nav bluff

[dirtrider]

Lee and Ollie spend some time in the casino. impressive See  you and Raise you needs someone like dirt rider to call there nav bluff

 

I am coming   

[dirtrider]

I must say that was an impressive detour 

[The Crazy German]

I must say that was an impressive detour 

 

We believe in you, you can beat them

[Sepia]

I am coming

Give it stick Dirt! All the best.

[Slowbee]

Watching you had me in a world of pain last year.... I was like a woman obsessed 

 

Hitting F5 every other minute to see if you'd corrected your course, logging onto my twitter feed to see if there was any news, calculating distances and hours wondering if you would make it or not.

 

This whole FC thing really gets in the way of day to day operations at work and at home 

 

It's very time consuming being an obsessed follower of the event ....

between the FC and the munga I nearly lost my job !

 

[dirtrider]

No new river crossings today ?

[Percyzn]

We had a good day today. Ear popping climbs out of centocow. Some cooler weather but no rain. Light wind. Ntsikeni was awesome. The new stiles are beaut, thanks race office. Chilling at awesome glen Edward in the afternoon sunshine.

[dirtrider]

Lee and Ollie making their own route to somewhere ?

[The Crazy German]

Lee and Ollie making their own route to somewhere ?

They are really upping the challenge for you. how about doing Mordor on the ridgeline?

[dirtrider]

They are really upping the challenge for you. how about doing Mordor on the ridgeline?

At night ?

[The Crazy German]

At night ?

in that case you are allowed to take a friend

[Dusty]

First riders finished R2R. Well done!

[GLuvsMtb]

From their FB page.

Rider disqualified for having GPS

 

Today saw the unfortunate disqualification and exit from the trail of a Race to Rhodes rider, Frank Bradford, for having a GPS with him - a clear violation of Golden Rule #5. The Race Rules are sent to riders prior to the event, so that any questions can be dealt with in advance. The rules are also covered again during the race briefing for each batch, so a rider has no excuse for not have read and understood the Race Rules. The debate about the use of GPS devices on Freedom Challenge events has evolved over the last few years and there are many strong opinions about the topic. The Race Office does not act on opinion but rather on the Race Rules. The Race Director has to ensure a fair and even contest for all participants and the only way to do so is by having one clear set of rules by which all participants must abide. The rules clearly state that you may not have a GPS.

 

An appeal on the grounds of ‘not using it for navigation,’ would be moot, since the violation is for having it in the first place - having the device makes it possible to use it for navigation and even though this rider may not have used it for navigation, another rider with the same or similar device might well attempt to do so if he was allowed to carry it. Allowing such devices onto the trail opens up the possibility of them being used for navigation. On a route of 500km length (over 2000km in the case of RASA), it is virtually impossible to check every rider’s device every day to ensure compliance, so it is left up to spot checks and the integrity of the riders themselves.

 

But what’s the big fuss over GPS anyway? Most other events are actively promoting their use, as an alternative to route marking, so why not the Freedom Challenge too? The answer should be self evident from the previous statement - following an arrow on a GPS screen is a lot like following an arrow on a signboard or an orange sticker on a fencepost - in other words it is easy and does not require the skill, effort, judgement and decision making needed when navigating by map, compass and narratives. Bear in mind the Freedom Trail is intended to be ridden as an unmarked route - riders need to find their way along the route each day. Using a GPS eliminates most of the challenge that is the ‘essence’ of events like the Freedom Challenge - it takes out the adventure and practically guarantees success. What makes the Freedom Challenge what it is, is precisely that element of the unknown, success is not guaranteed. So preparation needs to be thorough and riders need to take responsibility for themselves and make good decisions out on the trail - firstly to give themselves a better chance of success but also to avoid getting themselves into potentially dangerous situations. Engaging with your surroundings by navigating means paying attention to where you are and being more aware - the right attitude to have in a self-supported event. Using a GPS makes one totally dependant on the device - should it fail, you are left stranded, since you don’t know where you are on the map.

 

There is another argument that those ‘not racing’ or ‘touring’ should be given more leeway with regard to the rules, since they are not in any contention for line honours. The fact remains that all participants who willingly enter either the Race to Rhodes or Race Across South Africa sign up as solo entries for a race - and that race can only have one set of rules to keep it fair to those that are in fact racing. With all finishers receiving the same finisher’s item (a Blanket for RASA, a Whip for RTR), it is only reasonable to expect them to all earn it the same way and thus benchmark the value of that item - there are no ‘cheap’ blankets or whips.

 

The other issue with the use of GPS is a more recent development - that of saving track files and sharing them afterwards. Some background to this - more than half of the Freedom Trail currently goes through private land and managed conservation areas - traversing through these areas is governed by specific access agreements between the Freedom Challenge and the affected parties. The perception that it is a public route that follows public roads and public rights of way is outdated - it started out that way but has evolved away from that as the route has developed. Many landowners require prior notification of any riders wanting to come through and some parts of the trail are subject to seasonal closure (e.g. during hunting, fire season) or closed year round, with access only being granted during Freedom Challenge events. So how does track recording and sharing relate to this? It makes it very easy for someone to access the route - they simply download a .gpx file from a public platform like Strava, Endomondo and go out and ride the trail with no respect for the access agreements that are in place - instances of trespassing on private land and leaving gates open on farms are becoming more common and this puts strain on the relations between the Freedom Challenge and the landowners, since any cyclist seen on the trail is assumed to be a Freedom Challenge rider. It has also led to permanent closure of a part of the trail in the Western Cape and the Freedom Trail is definitely poorer for it. Once again it is left up to the integrity of the individual person when it comes to accessing the trail, since it cannot be effectively policed. Currently the only practical course of action to follow is to discourage riders from recording and sharing tracks as it only makes the problem worse. Apart from the already mentioned use for navigation, GPS devices are also banned from events in an attempt to minimise the negative impacts of track recording and sharing.

 

The GPS debate will no doubt rage on and there will always be strong opinions for or against the use of them. As far as the Freedom Challenge goes, there is no debate - the rules are very clear that GPS devices are not allowed.

[Guest notmyname]

From their FB page.

Rider disqualified for having GPS

 

Today saw the unfortunate disqualification and exit from the trail of a Race to Rhodes rider, Frank Bradford, for having a GPS with him - a clear violation of Golden Rule #5. The Race Rules are sent to riders prior to the event, so that any questions can be dealt with in advance. The rules are also covered again during the race briefing for each batch, so a rider has no excuse for not have read and understood the Race Rules. The debate about the use of GPS devices on Freedom Challenge events has evolved over the last few years and there are many strong opinions about the topic. The Race Office does not act on opinion but rather on the Race Rules. The Race Director has to ensure a fair and even contest for all participants and the only way to do so is by having one clear set of rules by which all participants must abide. The rules clearly state that you may not have a GPS.

 

An appeal on the grounds of ‘not using it for navigation,’ would be moot, since the violation is for having it in the first place - having the device makes it possible to use it for navigation and even though this rider may not have used it for navigation, another rider with the same or similar device might well attempt to do so if he was allowed to carry it. Allowing such devices onto the trail opens up the possibility of them being used for navigation. On a route of 500km length (over 2000km in the case of RASA), it is virtually impossible to check every rider’s device every day to ensure compliance, so it is left up to spot checks and the integrity of the riders themselves.

 

But what’s the big fuss over GPS anyway? Most other events are actively promoting their use, as an alternative to route marking, so why not the Freedom Challenge too? The answer should be self evident from the previous statement - following an arrow on a GPS screen is a lot like following an arrow on a signboard or an orange sticker on a fencepost - in other words it is easy and does not require the skill, effort, judgement and decision making needed when navigating by map, compass and narratives. Bear in mind the Freedom Trail is intended to be ridden as an unmarked route - riders need to find their way along the route each day. Using a GPS eliminates most of the challenge that is the ‘essence’ of events like the Freedom Challenge - it takes out the adventure and practically guarantees success. What makes the Freedom Challenge what it is, is precisely that element of the unknown, success is not guaranteed. So preparation needs to be thorough and riders need to take responsibility for themselves and make good decisions out on the trail - firstly to give themselves a better chance of success but also to avoid getting themselves into potentially dangerous situations. Engaging with your surroundings by navigating means paying attention to where you are and being more aware - the right attitude to have in a self-supported event. Using a GPS makes one totally dependant on the device - should it fail, you are left stranded, since you don’t know where you are on the map.

 

There is another argument that those ‘not racing’ or ‘touring’ should be given more leeway with regard to the rules, since they are not in any contention for line honours. The fact remains that all participants who willingly enter either the Race to Rhodes or Race Across South Africa sign up as solo entries for a race - and that race can only have one set of rules to keep it fair to those that are in fact racing. With all finishers receiving the same finisher’s item (a Blanket for RASA, a Whip for RTR), it is only reasonable to expect them to all earn it the same way and thus benchmark the value of that item - there are no ‘cheap’ blankets or whips.

 

The other issue with the use of GPS is a more recent development - that of saving track files and sharing them afterwards. Some background to this - more than half of the Freedom Trail currently goes through private land and managed conservation areas - traversing through these areas is governed by specific access agreements between the Freedom Challenge and the affected parties. The perception that it is a public route that follows public roads and public rights of way is outdated - it started out that way but has evolved away from that as the route has developed. Many landowners require prior notification of any riders wanting to come through and some parts of the trail are subject to seasonal closure (e.g. during hunting, fire season) or closed year round, with access only being granted during Freedom Challenge events. So how does track recording and sharing relate to this? It makes it very easy for someone to access the route - they simply download a .gpx file from a public platform like Strava, Endomondo and go out and ride the trail with no respect for the access agreements that are in place - instances of trespassing on private land and leaving gates open on farms are becoming more common and this puts strain on the relations between the Freedom Challenge and the landowners, since any cyclist seen on the trail is assumed to be a Freedom Challenge rider. It has also led to permanent closure of a part of the trail in the Western Cape and the Freedom Trail is definitely poorer for it. Once again it is left up to the integrity of the individual person when it comes to accessing the trail, since it cannot be effectively policed. Currently the only practical course of action to follow is to discourage riders from recording and sharing tracks as it only makes the problem worse. Apart from the already mentioned use for navigation, GPS devices are also banned from events in an attempt to minimise the negative impacts of track recording and sharing.

 

The GPS debate will no doubt rage on and there will always be strong opinions for or against the use of them. As far as the Freedom Challenge goes, there is no debate - the rules are very clear that GPS devices are not allowed.

 

Navigation doping. Bottom of the barrel stuff.

[GLuvsMtb]

Navigation doping. Bottom of the barrel stuff.

Innocent mistake perhaps? Its good to see that there is zero tolerance for this. Disappointing never the less when a rider is DQ'd from an event like this.