On Saturday as a freezing cold front crossed South Africa the first batch of riders set off from Pietermarizburg to Diemersfontein on the Freedom Challenge. Ahead of them 2300km of essentially unsupported mountain biking. For the racers it's a race against time and the one who can ride the fastest and sleep the least is the one who arrives first in Diemersfontein. The record currently stands at 12 days 15 hours for the whole ride, that is an average of 191km per day! This amazing record was set last year in 2011 by Alex Harris, shattering the previous record set by Tim James by something like 2 whole days. This year legendary adventure racer and multiple Duzi winner Martin Dreyer will take another stab at the event as he races to win.
The survivors of this event will be aiming to make the overnight stations every day and not miss one or at best see if they can skip one, they will have 27 days to finish. This ride is not for the faint hearted, the riders will be tested by extreme weather conditions in the mountains including rain, wind and snow. Their bikes will be tested and mechanical failure is always possible. They will ride their bikes over every imaginable surface including long unrideable sections that require several hours of portage and carrying their bikes. But as all of them will claim, it is a journey second to none as they race across South Africa on a mountain bike for an experience of a lifetime. More info on the Freedom Challenge website on the race and the Freedom trail which is open to ride all year round on a touring basis as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment