2018 Freedom Challenge

[dave303e]

Jacques explaining the Osseberg 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkgBZL5A12C/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=aefrgzciclqo

 

So he did pay attention to Marnitz his wise words and acted as the animals to find the secret tunnel. Well under 4 hours from top gat to bottom gate. Tim james in there now tackeling it at night on purpose takes a special breed do dare an an even more exclusive breed to pull it of smoothly VASTBYT Tim

 

For EA we did all but 2 of the crossings in the dark (opposite direction) and it is not fun, not easy and not recommended, this man is on a mission.

 

That being said dropping into Osseberg from the top gate is a lot nicer than climbing out to the top gate...

[Shebeen]

 

Sometimes it is easier to be the chaser, if Mike can get the gap down to 4 hours, then he has the chance of arriving at a SS before JT leaves it – a huge psychological boost. Does JT keep looking back over his shoulder and push to try and stay ahead or just ride his own race? Both will definitely be going for the win more than the time. The only thing we know for sure, is that we’ll have the answers soon – so stay tuned!

 

I can tell you one truth, JT is racing himself and not competing against any other racers, he just want to better his best. Mike the ordinary cyclist is in racing mode and enjoying every bit of it.

 

The other truth, without mechanical's and bad weather it basically impossible to catch anyone once you turned into the Baviaans home stretch, I have chased a certain James in the past without any success, Alex have chased Martin without any success and the list goes on. It is not impossible but very rarely done.......

 

   

 

 

 

is JacTat just doing his own thing?

When Mike missed the buffalo gate, he then slept 9 hours at damsedrif knowing he couldn't be caught

He had another nice long kip at dennehof/prince albert, and definitely mentioned the oke behind him https://www.instagram.com/p/BkgBHOlAfLI/

[Shebeen]

and whilst we're here - the full vid from yesterday

 

[MTBeer]

and whilst we're here - the full vid from yesterday

 

loving the daily vids.

 

looks like they've had great weather this year, except for some wind as per usual.

[Marnitz Nienaber]

What an excellent ride for Tim James through Osseberg at night, takes a special breed .......

 

JT is racing his personal best firstly, but like myself (not that I could be called a racer) he will race other competitors if it helps himself to succeed in his personal goal.

 

I must say that I enjoyed to chase and race a couple of snakes........

 

   

[The Crazy German]

is JacTat just doing his own thing?

When Mike missed the buffalo gate, he then slept 9 hours at damsedrif knowing he couldn't be caught

He had another nice long kip at dennehof/prince albert, and definitely mentioned the oke behind him https://www.instagram.com/p/BkgBHOlAfLI/

He's got nothing to gain by going faster now or yesterday. The issue is Stettynskloof at the end.

He should I believe sleep tonight at Anysberg or leave very early from Rouxpos and go all the way to Throuthhaven tomorrow. Sleeping less at damsedrif or Dennehof would get him earlier to throuthave but still in the dark or with little light left. He's imporved a lot in navigating but he's not gonna tackle that in the dark. So he needs to be there at 12 am at latestet and that's impossible. So he can as well arrive at 10 in the evening or 2 am in the morning have a nap and get going at 4h30 and finish with getting round the dam by first light. Another option is leaving at 1 am or even midnight from Mc gregor but don't think that's the best strategy. 

[Shebeen]

He's got nothing to gain by going faster now or yesterday. The issue is Stettynskloof at the end.

He should I believe sleep tonight at Anysberg or leave very early from Rouxpos and go all the way to Throuthhaven tomorrow. Sleeping less at damsedrif or Dennehof would get him earlier to throuthave but still in the dark or with little light left. He's imporved a lot in navigating but he's not gonna tackle that in the dark. So he needs to be there at 12 am at latestet and that's impossible. So he can as well arrive at 10 in the evening or 2 am in the morning have a nap and get going at 4h30 and finish with getting round the dam by first light. Another option is leaving at 1 am or even midnight from Mc gregor but don't think that's the best strategy.

makes sense, but I don't think he was planning that far ahead from rondawel!

[The Crazy German]

makes sense, but I don't think he was planning that far ahead from rondawel!

A good racer should plan days ahead. You can actually win a lot of time and energy. Mike is now in trouble again as he's blocked for going on in the morning or leaving early as he's gonna hit the leer in the dark in either option. It can be done but its gonna cost more time. Everyone thinks of mordor and Stettyns but hitting struishoek or the leer or elands at the wrong time, it doable but cost so much more time. Same for the tiger line into tinana as JT had this year(very few like Mike now them well enough to be smooth in the dark).

 

Last year in race to Rhodes I especially rode faster some stretches to be able to be certain bit just at last light(run into centecow, queens mercy). It changes a lot in the dark its a different nav experience. The climb up to Mparane for example from really easy gets quite hard in the dark.

 

But then these guys have better route knowledge then me who can't really do recce's. I made special notes beforehand for the stretches that I was likely to hit in the dark. With a lot more intervals then the narratives(Malekholonyane exit, Lehana's detour(made it in last light but was planning to hit it a bit later in full darkness to get that sub 3 day) It becomes so much more of different game when you try to go fast. Mike nows for certain stretches that it will take him 45 min in day 55 in dark to ad 10 min for a headwind and 10 min for mud, you got plenty of time to think of this crap.

[Shebeen]

I think we agree to disagree on forward planning from that far out. Sure you keep your eye on the road ahead, but to say you stop short at rondawel because you don't want to do stettyns at night is assuming a lot for 400kms of mtbing. 

 

nother great vid from amafeesh who finally got his drone back from lehana's. He wrote a note on it with a reward and phone number - some maluti shepherd actually found it on the day, but only gets to town on each fri night to watch soccer at the shebeen, so it took that long to get in touch with him.*

 

 

*i might have spiced that one up a bit.

[Shebeen]

What an excellent ride for Tim James through Osseberg at night, takes a special breed .......

 

 

Tim is really an amazing dude.

 

 

I was lucky enough to follow his wheel for a few days - we even sat out a time penalty together at Vuvu(followed garbled instructions from race control incorrectly). This really ruined my holiday as it put me in 2nd place and far into the hurtbox. I did repay him in a little way by picking up one of his gloves he dropped by mistake coming off black fountain - would have been very brrrrrr without them.

 

 

First guy to ride without maps - if you exclude Xolani who couldn't read them

Last guy to win the race on a 26 inch bike

Last guy to win it with V-brakes

fastest ballie* i ever met

 

 

 

*don't tell him I called him that!

[Shebeen]

ok race time is ON!

 

JacTat rode through the night from rouxpos to get to anysberg 4am - this section took him 5 hours in the daylight 2017, but now it was closer to 8. he then rested

He rode to mcgregor in the afternoon and then rested for a 3 hours

JacTat slept at mcgregor last night - 7 hours.

He's now at brandvlei - maybe 3 hours to trouthaven. He will be doing stettyns in the dark.

 

Mike on the otherhand is now just about 8 hours behind on the road. he left anysberg at 3am and shot through montagu in 10 minutes. he was about 19 hours behind, but by not resting at montagu (or it is assumed mcgregor either) he will make up the time.

 

so what does this mean?2 things

Stettyns. the two scariest syllables of the freedom challenge.

JacTat did the stettyns to finish in 9 hours last year, so probably about 5 hours in the kloof itself. But he left at 11am.

 

It is bucketing down in Cape Town currently, it will be very wet in the kloof

 

I don't know if he has been in it when it is wet. I have. It gets proper wet!

This is the river you need to cross. You can cross it higher up, where hopefully there is considerably less water, but then you can't do the Theo/Marnitz sneaky quick tigerline

 

 

Martin set the record last year, was on track for the mythical sub 10 days finish, but started from trouthaven at only 6pm, with 12 hours to what he can do in 8 during daylight. it did not go so well for him...

[Larry King]

Any idea how this weather system is going to affect the back markers? Where are they?

[Shebeen]

Any idea how this weather system is going to affect the back markers? Where are they?

the real backmarkers are heading for mordoer tomorrow. so not sure

 

 

the middle markers will get f#$$%$^%$ cold going up swartberg pass, and maybe snowed on

[Kranswurm]

Chap I know Andrew Walker is doing it for the first time and doing really well.Never knew he could ride so well

[cfish50]

I think we agree to disagree on forward planning from that far out. Sure you keep your eye on the road ahead, but to say you stop short at rondawel because you don't want to do stettyns at night is assuming a lot for 400kms of mtbing. 

 

nother great vid from amafeesh who finally got his drone back from lehana's. He wrote a note on it with a reward and phone number - some maluti shepherd actually found it on the day, but only gets to town on each fri night to watch soccer at the shebeen, so it took that long to get in touch with him.*

 

 

*i might have spiced that one up a bit.

haha... if only that were true. The true story was more like "he took out his credit card and bought the third drone for 2018" then cried. 

[Marnitz Nienaber]

Had been out visisting the Kalahari for a few days enjoying the Freedom of no cellphone, watching the stars, sharing a proper Kameeldoring and wishing I was racing.

 

Look's like the sleep, rain, sleet and snow monsters got the better of some of the snakes.....

 

Their strugglelings are inspiring me to maybe make a comeback next year.....

 

Time will  tell