This is my tale of the Ride to Rhodes
My name is Niven Thornhill and I am doing the Race 2 Rhodes, this June 2014.
The reason for blogging about it, is to have a bit of fun, to diarise my experiences and to keep my friends and family updated.
It
will also give an insight into how I have approached the "race", things
to consider and the amount of effort required, before lining up at the
start on 12 June.
On
a personal level, it also serves as a motivational tool. Once you have
posted a blog and people know of your intentions, you are committed.
So here goes.
Name: Niven Thornhill
Age: 48
Weight: 102 kg as of 4 May 2014
Height: 1.82 meters (5' 11" or so)
Married: Eileen, the best chick in the world, ever
Children: 2 most talented boys in the world, ever, James and Matthew aged 13 and 16
Address: 2 blocks up from Delta Park in Blairgowrie
Local Pub: Troyville Arms Hotel, the best pub in the world, ever
Riding experience: Very intermittent training for the past 4 years and a few races here and there
Riding philosophy: Just ride
This picture is obviously of me and as you can see, I am pretty partial to beer.
Why did I enter?
Bought 2 of them from thehubsa.co.za, about 8 months ago, with the intention of building a bullet proof wheel set. One that could take the weight of a 110kg rider + riding kit.
One rim was completed just before Christmas with a Rohloff internally geared hub and now, I decided, would be a good time to get the other one done.
Whilst surfing the net for various hubs, I stumbled across a website of a local supplier, selling hub dynamo's.
(Note to wife: Eileeny, this is that clever shiny electrical thingy that sits in the center of the front wheel that turns round and round and generates power for a light or battery pack.)
This, as it turned out, is cheaper than a Chris King hub and will come in handy when bicycle touring aspirations are finally realized.
Ordered one from Lynskey SA and conversed via SMS/email with Anton Maybery. After delivery (April 8, 2014), he asked me whether I was doing the Freedom Challenge.
"No, but hopefully I will use the bicycle to do short tours, some time in the future." I said.
Just for the hell of it, I went to the Freedom Challenge website for a quick squiz and ended up getting carried away by the philosophy of an event masterminded by a certifiable lunatic. Waddilove had me hooked.
An honest event, reasonable cut-off times, devoid of manicured single track, a more "mature" class of rider, a distinct lack of 5 star accommodation, carrying your own kit, fixing your own mechanicals, experiencing parts of the country few will ever have the pleasure of seeing and the rediscovery of a sense of adventure once lost !
It could have been this picture, the 6 Castle Lites, or an innocent question from a stranger. Whatever it was, I am now entered.
A Little about the Race
In short, Race 2 Rhodes, is a subset of the Freedom Challenge RASA.
There are psychotic individuals, some of whom are known to you and I, that do a race across South Africa from Pietermaritzburg to Paarl. A distance of some 2300km or so. On a bicycle!
The first portion of this race is from 'Maritzburg to the town of Rhodes which is situated at the foothills of the Drakensberg, below the Tiffindel Ski Resort. A distance of about 500km.
The organizers have arranged accommodation at some homesteads along the way, where one can refuel, service your bike and bunk down for the night.
Most of what you will need you have to carry and you will have to navigate sans GPS, by way of topo maps and route descriptions in the form of narratives.
You will be allowed to send a "2 liter ice cream" container on ahead, to each of the overnight stops along the way. In my case, this will be five containers.
In these you may put what you wish. Items such as maps, additional nutrition, spare parts, etc are apparently popular. (I dare say, a wee dram of Whiskey will not go amiss.)
Sleeping is not compulsory, but you will want to at least pass through each one of the support stations to replenish food stocks and to collect the contents of your tub.
The Race 2 Rhodes portion of the event is broken down roughly as:
- Day1 - Maritzburg to Allendale Farm - 107 km - 2700m of climb
- Day2 - Allendale Farm to Ntsikeni Nature reserve - 97 km - 2500m of climb
- Day3 - Ntiskeni to Masakala - 91 km - 1600m of climb
- Day4 - Masakala to Hilda Heath - 60km - 1100m of climb
- Day5 - Hilda Heath to Vuvu Village - 54 km - 1000m of climb
- Day6 - Vuvu Village to Rhodes - 53 km - 1600m of climb
Hopefully a bullet proof bicycle
My first bicycle was purchased under duress.
I build staircases and manufacture balustrades for a living and was owed money by a building contractor.
To get the balance of monies owed to us, I agreed to purchase the site agents 3 year old mountain bike. But only once payment was complete.
For the princely sum of R20 000.00 I got a Yeti ASR 26" full suspension. Boutique bike, cult following and a piece of engineering brilliance.
I could never have imagined how this purchase would influence my life and the life of a few others.
My next bicycle was the new format, 29" wheelset, hardtail, Momsen AL329. Besides the price and value for money components, I was attracted by the fact that it was a South African brand. I still have this bike, with its 3x9 drive-train. I love it and am sold on the 29" format.
Next I rode a "plastic" Specialized Epic Comp 29". Lovely bike, but it broke and so did I, at the 2013 Cape Epic. This bicycle was light and sadly, I cannot be mistaken for an anorexia sufferer. Something had to give.
Specialized were excellent and replaced the frame free of charge. This bicycle has now found a loving new home and I have visitation rights. The 2x10 drive-train on it, was the next big thing.
Unfortunately, we have all had issues with either, cracked bicycle frames, temperamental gear shifts, shock absorbers that don't absorb and components that are not durable because of weight constraints.
My next bicycle, I resolved, would have to be, almost, bulletproof and geared towards touring.
And thus, ...the ugliest bike I have ever owned!
The frame is a steel Momsen STR29 with horizontal dropouts.
This would allow for easy conversion to a single speed format.
Another consideration at the time, was to experience the feel of a steel framed ride. (Not sure that I get what the journo's rave about in the magazines.)
I went for a Rohloff Internally geared back hub. No more derailleurs, 14 gears, a single chain-ring, a chain that runs in one plane like a single speed and a solitary twist grip-shift.
Most impressive was that from 1999 to 2008, one of these had done 132 000km and others had done over 100000km, with only scheduled services. Chain wear was reported to be phenomenal. Sold!
I have tried many different saddles and still own 7 of them, including the Graeme Murray Freedom Challenge edition, but the one that suits me the best by far, is the Adamo Full Gel Road model. It allows me to get off the front easily, when needed and allows for the use of a different set of leg muscles, when seated further back.
I have recently gone for a rigid steel Surly 29" fork, in my quest for reliability. My riding style had to be adapted quite radically and there is definitely a loss in control. I feel that the harder ride will also increase fatigue. I am still undecided whether to go back to the air shock or not.
Also noticeable in this picture, is the Supernova Dynamo hub that I got from Anton. Really nice bit of kit and almost essential if one has touring aspirations.
Another upgrade was from the ZTR Crests to ZTR Arch rims. These, although slightly heavier, are certainly much stronger.
All this reliability comes at a cost and that cost is weight. Hopefully, this will not come back to bite me.
I wonder what the other bikes weigh?
Be afraid!
Meet Rory Field.
He is a colleague of mine from way back. Out of the blue, on May 3, I get this e-mail from him.
Hey
Niven,
You racing to
Rhodes? You need to be a good bit under 3 days and know the
route.
Maybe doing a recce
end may to show another madman the way. You interested?
Rory
Rory has completed the 2300km Freedom Challenge Race Across South Africa.
I stumbled upon his name as an entrant to the 2012 RASA after not having had any contact with him for years.
I thought he had lost his marbles!
The Rory Field I knew, smoked Camels by the carton and never shied away from a brew. The profile of an athlete, he was not.
I had to follow his progress, like watching a train wreck develop, I was hooked.
When his riding partner withdrew, I thought the writing was on the wall. Sitting in front of my laptop I willed him on, every day, hoping that he could just get to the next support station.
Imagine my surprise when he actually got there and received his 2012 finishers Basuto Blanket.
I was well impressed!
So, I was chuffed with his e-mail and the invitation to recce, because this would be invaluable. So I called.
The conversation that followed went something like this and left me questioning my sanity.
"It is fu***** hard! **cking!"
"I left the support station in the dark and arrived at the next one, in the dark!"
"Hope you like your own company, because everyone in your batch is faster than you. You are going to end up riding on your own."
"Some days you will see no-one, not even a shepherd, ...fu** that, some days, you will wish you can see sheep!"
"...and cold! You wake up cold, you ride in the cold, you eat in the cold, you go to bed cold! On your own!"
"...and you will get lost! You will! And navigating at night...God help you!. I've ridden these mountains regularly and I still find it a challenge!"
"You've got 6 weeks left! Six weeks! You're mad! Postpone till the September trip."
"...how much training? Never! You'll never make it on that amount of training! Carrying all that weight! Ha!"
If he were the only person that told me this, I could have shrugged it off, but almost all my friends have subtly or otherwise, tried to tell me the same thing.
And that is why I have to do this and why I need Rory's help.
E-Batch leaving Thursday, 12 June 2014
I have been allocated a starting slot in 'E' Batch. There are 12 of us and we leave on Thursday, 12 June.
Herewith the names:
Dave Bell
Dawn Bell
Kevin Davie
Johan Jansen van Rensburg
Leon Kruger
Nicola Nairn
Jonathan X Peers
Carl Scholtz
Janine Stewart
Niven Thornhill
Brad van der Westhuizen
Mike Woolnough
A point to consider, is although the team starts together the team will almost certainly not all finish together.
Kevin Davie and Mike Woolnough will probably go for a competitive time or even the record, which stands at 2 days, 7hrs and 50 minutes. Not bad for 500km's in brutal territory.
Dave, Dawn, Janine and perhaps Jonathan may attempt a 4.5 day duration.
Carl and I will attempt a 6 day journey.
So, some riders will be caught and some riders will do the catching.
I then went for a Ride with some of my Batched Mates
My new manager, Rory, has taken his job very seriously and organized for me to do a ride, with a few of his friends, this morning. It turns out, that all 6 of us are batched in 'E'. I mean, what are the chances, of this happening!
I welcomed the chance to meet my "teammates" and was curious to see what their levels of fitness is.
What a nice bunch of people. Clearly there was no Roadie DNA present in this bunch. Of them, Dave, Dawn and Janine have all completed the RASA and the Race 2 Rhodes and Jonathan and Kevin have some serious riding pedigree. The passion that they all have for the event, is obvious and contagious.
We left the Breeds Nek Parking at 6h47. Bob, you know how much I struggle on this ride?
Well, I was under pressure immediately and took up my familiar position at the back of the bunch.
That was where I stayed all day.
Strong riders all of them with great resolve. And kind! They waited for me regularly even though I wished they wouldn't. I hate affecting other riders training ride.
The ride gave me an opportunity to ask questions. I asked a lot of questions, all of which were answered:
"Cycling shoes with cleats are the way to go, but get the kind with the softer soles. Good for walking."
"At the support stations there will be enough hot water, food, warm bedding and usually enough electrical outlets for charging phones etc."
"You will be provided with a Tracker so that your progress can be monitored."
"That rigid fork is not a good idea. You will battle to hold on to the handle bars on fast corrugated road sections."
"Additional items can be purchased from Spaza Shops etc"
"You will have to wash your own kit."
"Your "ice cream tub" should contain happy foods such as chocolates."
"Navigate twice and ride once."
"If in doubt, check with race headquarters."
"Some actions, such as changing a frame is allowed, but comes with a daytime penalty."
etc, etc,etc.
At the halfway mark, I passed up the chance to get some refreshments at the SPAR and pushed ahead. The fact that they would not have to wait for me, made me feel a little better. They caught me later, but thankfully they rode there own ride and I did not have to feel guilty for affecting their ride.
My nutritional experiment still continues on these training rides.
I consumed, for breakfast, 3 pork sausages and a glass of full cream milk.
On the bike I had 700ml of milk in my riding bottle, 2 liters of water in my backpack, some butter in a container and finally some U-can mix. I had no carbs, bananas etc. Not a lot really for a 88km ride.
I measured my ketone levels once I got home.
It came in at 2.8. The highest mine has ever been. Despite this I felt good. Very tired, but good.
We did about 88km and it took me 5h48min. The others were much quicker and stronger and I've got a lot of work to do. I need to be able do more than twice the amount of climbing in a similar distance. No mean feat.
Put into perspective, though, I am aiming for 6 days of riding and I will have only that schedule to contend with. I do not have to keep up with stronger riders, although it would be nice if I could. Trying to to keep up at all costs, could be a recipe for disaster.
All in all, today was a worthwhile exercise and I'm thankful for the help.
I might even learn to like Breedts.
...Keytones?
In an earlier blog, I made mention of my keytone reading. What is the significance of it?
Nutrition, during an endurance type of event is obviously very important. For shorter races where more explosive power is required, carbohydrate intake is a good and beneficial necessity. The problem is that your blood can only store a finite amount of glycogen and replenishing it with a food intake, whilst competing, is very difficult. You have anywhere between 2 and 3.5 hours of glycogen resource depending on your work rate and how disciplined your food/supplement intake is.
Your body is then forced to increase its energy supply from the breakdown of fat. Where your body is used to a regular high dose of carbohydrate intake, breaking down of fat is slow and does not come easy.
At this point an athlete feels flat, like he/she has "hit the wall". Sometimes this feeling is mistaken for being unfit.
There is a large following of people that have adopted a LOW CARB HIGH FAT diet(Banting), popularized in this country, by Tim Noakes. Amongst many of the purported advantages of a LCHF diet, the 2 most important to me, are weight loss and energy supply.
Fat is a great source of energy and your body stores almost an unlimited amount. (In my case if I go on a hunger strike, I'm more likely to die of old age than starvation.)
So by consuming almost only meat and fat, you can force your body to become fat adaptive. This is a state in which the speed and efficiency of metabolizing fat, is vastly improved. The rate of energy supply is now linear without the associated drop off experienced in a carbohydrate rich diet. The other benefits are that it speeds up weight loss and you can carry and consume less food whilst exercising.
In short, you can measure how fat adaptive you are, by measuring the level of keytones in your blood. This figure fluctuates with carbohydrate intake and exercise. A figure of between 1.5 and 3 is optimal.
Mine was 2.8 after yesterdays ride and indicates that I got a substantial amount of energy from fat. It also shows the benefit of exercise.
Hopefully the scale will confirm this.
I measured my levels again today and you can see how the intake of carbs from e.g. vegetables at supper, has decreased the value. Nonetheless, any number greater than 0, means fat is being burned and that you are fat adaptive.
The experiment continues and hopefully it will yield the results that I'm expecting!
Weigh-in no. 2
It has been a week since I have started preparations for
the event. At my initial weigh-in, I came in at a lythe 102kg. This past
week I refrained from alcohol, except for the 3 whiskeys I had on
Angie, my sister-in-laws, birthday.
I did a fair amount of riding this week and was quite strict with my LCHF diet. So I hopped on the scale this morning, hoping for positive reults.
I did a fair amount of riding this week and was quite strict with my LCHF diet. So I hopped on the scale this morning, hoping for positive reults.
That is 2.6kg down! Have not weighed less than 100kg in years. Well chuffed! I hope this trend continues.
I
now have exactly 1 month left until I line up at the start line with
the rest of my batch 'E' teammates and I still have tons to do.
Those tough Rides
I have to be careful in my approach to getting through this event. I
am clearly unfit. Trying to fast track my fitness by riding too many
long distances too soon, will not have the desired affect.
So my idea is to try and do a longish ride every second day. This should allow my body the chance to recover, hopefully minimize my chances of saddle sores or bum rashes and give my feet,skin on my hands etc, the chance to harden. I should then get stronger and be able to push harder on the next ride.
Therefore, on Sunday I did not nothing except a 20min gym session on the stationary bike, to get rid of some lactic acid build-up.
Monday's ride was terrible. At 45km, I was finished, but I was on my way to Magaliesburg, and the choices I had was to turn around, head back home and guts it out, of call someone to fetch me. So I rode back.
I had no energy, my bum was sore and my feet were burning. Perhaps my experiment with my nutrition was to blame. I had a handful of fatty biltong before I left and took bacon fat and water only, on the bike.
But then, I have eaten similar quants and similar foodstuffs in the past, without bonking like this.
Eventually, I pulled in to a cafe at Honeydew, bought a Coke and a liter of full cream milk.
A COKE!!! But that's not allowed!! I know, but I did not know what else to do. Sadly, it did not improve my ride. I also started cramping at about the 60km mark and this has not happened for a while.
As a rider, those days are real disappointing. So you just have to let it go and hope that the solution is in nutrition or some other obvious cause, such as a bug, lack of fluids, a headwind that you underestimated, or that you did a fair amount of ascending early on etc.
Anything, but let it go!
I spent the next 2 days on race admin related stuff and stayed off the bike for 2 days. You can say I was in a sulky sort of mood.
I printed all my maps, printed all my narratives and did a service on my suspension fork.
Interesting. I bought a seal replacement kit, open her up and replaced seals and oils and put it back together.
I think I'm done with the rigid fork and will follow the advise of Kevin Davie.
Winters day scene's on Braamies Spruit
.
The ride was good with no physical discomfort issues and the suspension fork makes a huge difference to the comfort factor.
The handling has also improved dramatically. A really worthwhile change.
I managed the ride on about 700ml of milk and some water from the hydration pack. That's more like it.
Hopefully I have now found my nutritional base limit and can adapt the eating plan to suit a multi-day event.
Weigh-in no. 3
Weighed myself this morning. 98.8kg. Only 0.6kg down. Shoot! I was hoping to have lost more than that.
I thought I did a fair amount of riding this week and I was disciplined with my eating. Also, no beer or alcohol.
I was hoping to get to about 95kg by start of race. That would make a reasonable difference to my performance. Just gotta keep trying, I suppose.
Yesterday's training was brutal.
Troyville Patron Motivation
Again, my failure to complete the Cape Epic, was enthusiastically recounted, amongst much laughter and a gross amount of insults. My weight was mentioned, the amount of training that I have done and odds were being offered on my chance of success at the Race to Rhodes. I was allowed a Coke Zero.
I could handle all of that, but when I was promised a picture of my very own for the wall behind the pub,
it was all the motivation that I needed to finish this race.
Riding at Zebula and Rooiberg
So off Bobby and I went to Zebula to do the Rooiberg Race. A tough 75k's with plenty of single track, loose rock and hard climbing. Proper riding!
We met our mate Chester on the start line. He is looking good and as it turns out, fast.
At 30k's I was finished. I was ready to give up. Tim Noakes had let me down. Bob took time off from dictating a letter whilst on the ride and fed me some energy bars and gum drops. Thank goodness!
It took 45minutes to kick in, but without it I would not have finished.
So my mind is now made up. I will be taking carbs on the race.
Face of pain at the 30km mark.
The next day we did a nice 37km ride. Nice and quick and nice scenery. Zebula is a beaut place to ride.
Van Gaalens; what a Ride!
On Saturday, Bob, Lee and I wandered off to Van Gaalens to do a ride with a difference.
Instead of riding the usual, Bob wanted to do the river run first, then up to the Greek Church and some other single track that we only ever get to do when we are tired.
This turned out to be quite an eventful ride!
Halfway up to the church the lads stumbled upon a "berg bok" caught in a snare.
We did not have proper tools, but eventually managed to break it free using a couple of rocks and a bit of ingenuity. Other than loosing a bit of skin it seemed happy enough and bounded off into the distance.
Bob and Lee are strong and hardly appear to build up a sweat, whilst I on the other hand...
That
should have been the end of the days incidents, but that rocky,
technical uphill section, my lack of talent and Bobby obliging as a
safety net, was cause for a photo opportunity that Lee was not going to
let pass by.
The discussion immediately gravitated to the race and related topics. Interesting stuff relating to a possible race record, sleep depravation, tactics, navigation, nutrition, bike touring, you name it. The trip to Maritzburg flew by and we met Dave Waddilove and Meryl for registration around 16h00.
We are staying in Aintree Lodge near the racecourse. My room is comfortable and works well as a mechanics workshop and so it was that a few last minute tweaks were made.
Met an old riding mate from our first multi stage event, the Duzi 'Mfula. He is batched with us. Had a few beers, supper and a double brandy. His girlfriend/riding partner seems a little nervous to leave him alone in my care. Do me a favour!
Ready for the karaoke, but everyone else seems ready for bed, ekse.
I could murder a Tom Jones number right now!
We start at 6 am tomorrow and should be riding in a perfect weather window until the end of the race.
We have been given transponders, so we can be tracked. Have a look at the Freedom Challenge website for more detail.
Day 1: Maritzburg to Allendale Farm via Minerva
Every Friday night they have a Karaoke evening at the Minerva Museum. We were a day early. Pity, 'cos I could have murdered a Tom Jones number. It's Not Unusual for people to leave when I start singing.
From
the museum riding was good and substantially down hill until you make
your way to the Village of Byrne. Quaint little place that probably
deserves a stop over. Waddilove mentioned some pub that was worth a
visit. I was tempted, but being day 1 and not knowing how my riding
partners would react, I decided to push on.
Navigation
was easy and the tracks laid down by others, confirmed that we were
heading in the right direction. Shortly before you see the Umko river,
you pass through a little village, where you pick up on a wide concrete
path. Bizzare that it should exist when all other paths in the area are
gravel. Riding it was heaven, though. The path starts dipping down and
you can see the river in the valley down below. It almost takes your
breath away! This serves to remind us, that were it not for a bicycle,
we would never have come this way.
The concrete path becomes very steep and too dangerous to take on with intent. Don't get me wrong, you can ride it, but it can end your adventure prematurely. Later that day whilst following the race tweets, there was a report of a rider that did his collar bone coming down the concrete strip.
The reason for the concrete was also now obvious. Without it, a car would never make it out of the valley after even a slight rainfall.
From
here we traveled a little further on the district road, which we left
for a bit of single track until we crossed a river and back into
beautiful forest riding
This section included some pretty technical descent just prior to Black Fountain, as can be seen from these pictures.
Along the top of the ridge on the way to Black Fountain the riding was again spectacular and views as good as anywhere in the country.
We came across these guys who use there cattle to drag fire wood from far away and take it back to the villages. Understandably, all the timber surrounding the villages has already been consumed for fuel.
The timber in this case was black wattle, which is an alien invader. At least this was a good thing.
The problem for us was that the dragging of the trees erased all the tire tracks, which was essential for our navigation.
It was then that we decided to call race HQ to ask for help.
David Waddilove listened to our questions for a while and then concluded that we knew where we were on the map, therefore we were not lost and that we did not need his help after all. We had to just figure it out for ourselves. Fair enough.
At
this stage I decided that I was going to stay at the halfway stop,
which was the home of the Head Mistress of the Vuvu school. This school
is the biggest benefactor of the race.
My other team mates were going to push on despite the fact that it was going to be dark within a couple of hours and the navigation was going to be extremely challenging.
Just as we were approaching the footbridge, David called back from race HQ and advised us to stay at the halfway stop. Apparently even the seasoned participants get lost navigating this stretch at night.
That night I had 5 quarts and managed to convince my team mates to have a glass of beer each. The mood lightened a bit. I think they were disappointed with the fact that we had traveled only a short distance and they were desperate to push on. I was unaffected, because I was going to stay all along, but I was a little disappointed that I would not be on my own. I yearned for some solitude and was hoping to do a stretch on my own.
We bathed in galvanized zinc buckets. The warm water was made on the stove. No taps or geysers here. Quite and experience, which I really enjoyed, strangely enough. There was more water on the floor than in the bucket when I had finished. White folk are clueless when it comes to making do with the minimum.
I was woken at about 01h00 by someone shouting outside,wanting to know where the entrance gate was.
And so I met Jack Black(aka Jacques Swart) another R2R celebrity. Top guy! Full of advise and happy to share it.
Him and Leon discussed our route forward and then he jumped into one of our warm beds.
Hot bunking is common practice during the event and no-one thinks anything of it. I struggled with the concept, but when in Rome....
We re-provisioned and left him and his riding partner to sleep.
We crossed the Tina River 3 times on our way through the valley up to the Vuvu School. The views again were spectacular, but the going was quite tough. We finally reached the school, had some lunch and raided our ice cream tubs. Jack Black caught up to us and eventually helped us to the turnoff to the Lehana's portage.
Without his help we would have taken a lot longer. The going was tough, but Tracey managed extremely well. Here you can see her going up a really technical climb. Girls on this race are really capable and need to be, because no guy is going to offer to help carry an additional bicycle.
The wind did not let us down and there were times that one's bicycle became like a kite. There was a very real danger that you could be blown off the mountainside. We managed to clear the border police container just before sunset. Jack and his riding partner had since sped up and cleared the mountain about 30 minutes before us. From their we headed to Rhodes, but we had to pass Tinahead lodge.
I decided to pop in for a beer and invited the other 3, but I had no takers.
It was cold. Very, very cold.
I had to get up at 2h30 to make my 3h00 departure. A certain amount
of remorse had set in. It was cold and dark and I was a little less
enthusiastic than the previous evening.
The ride was wild, down some steep mountain passes and tight hairpins done at speed.
I was very happy when I came into the outskirts of Rhodes just as the sun was rising and felt good as I drove up to the final support station. The end of a great adventure and one that changed my outlook on bike riding forever.
In a short impromptu ceremony outside in the parking lot, I was handed my finishers medal, a traditional cattle whip. Only participants who had previously complete the Freedom Challenge to Diemertsfontain, were allowed to present the finishers medals. I was grateful that it was Dave Bell who did the honours. It meant so much more to me than had it been a stranger. All other finishers had attended the handing over ceremony the night before.
And so we all said our goodbyes and I was in the car on the way home at 0700.
So my idea is to try and do a longish ride every second day. This should allow my body the chance to recover, hopefully minimize my chances of saddle sores or bum rashes and give my feet,skin on my hands etc, the chance to harden. I should then get stronger and be able to push harder on the next ride.
Therefore, on Sunday I did not nothing except a 20min gym session on the stationary bike, to get rid of some lactic acid build-up.
Monday's ride was terrible. At 45km, I was finished, but I was on my way to Magaliesburg, and the choices I had was to turn around, head back home and guts it out, of call someone to fetch me. So I rode back.
I had no energy, my bum was sore and my feet were burning. Perhaps my experiment with my nutrition was to blame. I had a handful of fatty biltong before I left and took bacon fat and water only, on the bike.
But then, I have eaten similar quants and similar foodstuffs in the past, without bonking like this.
Eventually, I pulled in to a cafe at Honeydew, bought a Coke and a liter of full cream milk.
A COKE!!! But that's not allowed!! I know, but I did not know what else to do. Sadly, it did not improve my ride. I also started cramping at about the 60km mark and this has not happened for a while.
As a rider, those days are real disappointing. So you just have to let it go and hope that the solution is in nutrition or some other obvious cause, such as a bug, lack of fluids, a headwind that you underestimated, or that you did a fair amount of ascending early on etc.
Anything, but let it go!
I spent the next 2 days on race admin related stuff and stayed off the bike for 2 days. You can say I was in a sulky sort of mood.
I printed all my maps, printed all my narratives and did a service on my suspension fork.
Interesting. I bought a seal replacement kit, open her up and replaced seals and oils and put it back together.
I think I'm done with the rigid fork and will follow the advise of Kevin Davie.
Winters day scene's on Braamies Spruit
.
The ride was good with no physical discomfort issues and the suspension fork makes a huge difference to the comfort factor.
The handling has also improved dramatically. A really worthwhile change.
I managed the ride on about 700ml of milk and some water from the hydration pack. That's more like it.
Hopefully I have now found my nutritional base limit and can adapt the eating plan to suit a multi-day event.
Weigh-in no. 3
Weighed myself this morning. 98.8kg. Only 0.6kg down. Shoot! I was hoping to have lost more than that.
I thought I did a fair amount of riding this week and I was disciplined with my eating. Also, no beer or alcohol.
I was hoping to get to about 95kg by start of race. That would make a reasonable difference to my performance. Just gotta keep trying, I suppose.
Yesterday's training was brutal.
Troyville Patron Motivation
Again, my failure to complete the Cape Epic, was enthusiastically recounted, amongst much laughter and a gross amount of insults. My weight was mentioned, the amount of training that I have done and odds were being offered on my chance of success at the Race to Rhodes. I was allowed a Coke Zero.
I could handle all of that, but when I was promised a picture of my very own for the wall behind the pub,
it was all the motivation that I needed to finish this race.
Riding at Zebula and Rooiberg
So off Bobby and I went to Zebula to do the Rooiberg Race. A tough 75k's with plenty of single track, loose rock and hard climbing. Proper riding!
We met our mate Chester on the start line. He is looking good and as it turns out, fast.
At 30k's I was finished. I was ready to give up. Tim Noakes had let me down. Bob took time off from dictating a letter whilst on the ride and fed me some energy bars and gum drops. Thank goodness!
It took 45minutes to kick in, but without it I would not have finished.
So my mind is now made up. I will be taking carbs on the race.
Face of pain at the 30km mark.
The next day we did a nice 37km ride. Nice and quick and nice scenery. Zebula is a beaut place to ride.
My new Nutritionist
On Saturday, Bob, Lee and I wandered off to Van Gaalens to do a ride with a difference.
Instead of riding the usual, Bob wanted to do the river run first, then up to the Greek Church and some other single track that we only ever get to do when we are tired.
This turned out to be quite an eventful ride!
Halfway up to the church the lads stumbled upon a "berg bok" caught in a snare.
We did not have proper tools, but eventually managed to break it free using a couple of rocks and a bit of ingenuity. Other than loosing a bit of skin it seemed happy enough and bounded off into the distance.
Bob and Lee are strong and hardly appear to build up a sweat, whilst I on the other hand...
Lee the Aussie
Bob the Safety Net
If not for Bob then it would have been me in the thorn tree. True friend.
The
ride home was quick and exhilarating, all free flowing single track
along the river and well worth the effort to get out to Harties.
Definitely one of the best days of riding that I have done, ever.
Day before the R2R
So the day had finally arrived.
Carl swung by my house and collected Kevin and myself. Eileen and I had supper with Kevin and a group of Freedom Challenge Riders last night, but Carl and I had only ever spoken on the phone.The discussion immediately gravitated to the race and related topics. Interesting stuff relating to a possible race record, sleep depravation, tactics, navigation, nutrition, bike touring, you name it. The trip to Maritzburg flew by and we met Dave Waddilove and Meryl for registration around 16h00.
We are staying in Aintree Lodge near the racecourse. My room is comfortable and works well as a mechanics workshop and so it was that a few last minute tweaks were made.
Met an old riding mate from our first multi stage event, the Duzi 'Mfula. He is batched with us. Had a few beers, supper and a double brandy. His girlfriend/riding partner seems a little nervous to leave him alone in my care. Do me a favour!
Ready for the karaoke, but everyone else seems ready for bed, ekse.
I could murder a Tom Jones number right now!
We start at 6 am tomorrow and should be riding in a perfect weather window until the end of the race.
We have been given transponders, so we can be tracked. Have a look at the Freedom Challenge website for more detail.
Kevin, Carl, Niv, Niven and Nivvie having a quiet one.
Remember Brad from Duzi Umfula.
He is also in my batch. Does not drink much any more though.
'Batch E' Pre-Start Supper
Day 1: Maritzburg to Allendale Farm via Minerva
Start: 6:00am
Temp: 5 degrees
Temp: 5 degrees
Maritzburg City Hall
Started
off from the 'Maritzburg City Hall and headed for the Bizley Nature
Reserve gate. This brought back memories of the times that I ran the Comrades with my old man. That was 30 years ago.
He is almost 75 now and can still run a half marathon. What a lad!
Pretty soon I was at the back, huffing and puffing and
just trying to hang in there. If I got separated from the group now it
was going to be a long day.
The
group stretched out pretty quickly. Carl and Kevin disappeared off into
the distance, the Bell Train which numbered about 6 was next. I
befriended the more relaxed athletes, Johan and Leon.
Johan and Leon in the forests neat Baynesfield
Riding
was good and relaxed with my new mates. They were on their way to Cape
Town and thankfully, their pace reflected this. I might just have a
chance if things remain like this.
Pretty soon a strategy for our race developed.
- Follow the tracks of the leading group. This will cut down navigation time dramatically.
- Know where you are on the map, at all times
- Confirm the above two points coincide.
- If not, stop and resolve.
A jet engine, really! and the old flag
A microlite and a sign I have not seen since I was a kid.
Soup for lunch. All halfway stops had soup on their menu. If you're not a soup fan you're in trouble.
Every Friday night they have a Karaoke evening at the Minerva Museum. We were a day early. Pity, 'cos I could have murdered a Tom Jones number. It's Not Unusual for people to leave when I start singing.
The concrete path becomes very steep and too dangerous to take on with intent. Don't get me wrong, you can ride it, but it can end your adventure prematurely. Later that day whilst following the race tweets, there was a report of a rider that did his collar bone coming down the concrete strip.
The reason for the concrete was also now obvious. Without it, a car would never make it out of the valley after even a slight rainfall.
Really spectacular.
We
had lunch at the rivers edge and there was enough time to get to know
my fellow riders a little better. Leon was retired and now owned a water
purifying and distilling concern in the Eastern Cape and by all
accounts it seemed to be going well.
Johan
was a manager at a chemical company on the south coast and had taken
his annual leave in order to ride all the way down to Cape Town. As a
result his holidays with the wife and children would suffer a bit.
I build staircases, balustrades and do architectural steelwork mostly out of steel.
We
decided to take the option of not crossing the river and moved along
the steep embankment to the new single track section that is also
incorporated into the Freedom Challenge running event.
The
single track was nice, but soon became a distant memory once we crossed
the river at the bridge and started climbing Hella Hella.
What a bitch!
I
tried to ride it, but got as far as the first hairpin. My body had had
enough. The seal was broken and walking with intermittent riding became
the order of the day. A dead giveaway of our struggle is that there are
no more pictures of the rest of the day's activity.
Once
over the top it was Ok. We were almost home, but needed another short
stop at McKenzie club to re-fill water bottles. Bums and bodies had
taken a pounding and any excuse for a short stop was welcomed.
Allendale
Farm is just a little past the McKenzie club. We reached it in the
dark, but not before I got separated from my 2 mates and went off on a
little errand of my own, adding a few extra km's.
Supper
was good and the beer was cold. We were reunited again with most of our
starting posse and shared a few tales before crashing.
Total time traveled Day 1: 12 hours 27 minutes
Day 2: Allendale to Ntsikeni
Start time: 04h00 and its obviously dark
If you have not recce'd or done the departure from Allendale, you will get lost!
Fact!
Especially if you leave in the dark.
This morning was a mad rush to get ready to leave with the Bell Express.
This train is piloted by Dave Bell, whose knowledge of the route out of Allendale and through the treacherous Donnybrook forests, is legendary. The remaining Batch E riders new how important it was not to miss this departure. The Bell Express waits for no-one.
Dave did not ask for the gig, but thankfully took us all under his wing and guided us through to a point of relative certainty. From there we could manage the rest of the days navigation, on our own.
I told Leon that I was going to try and stick with the group for as long as possible and that I would wait for him and Johan a little further on up the road. Leon is a very fast and accomplished rider, but he undertook to stick with Johan. They were going all the way to Diemerstfontein. Johan struggled to work to the morning deadlines. He did not do "rush". He had taken his annual leave to do this event and was clearly on holiday.
Left to my own devices, I would not even have know where to start the days route!
Soon we were clambering over fences, running along single path contour lines, along fences, consulting with those who have done the race before, then agreeing on a course before setting off on a slightly more accurate heading. These short stops allowed me to catch up.
Leon and Johan fell off the back of the group shortly after the climb into the Donnybrook forest started. I tried to hang in there, but these were strong riders and eventually I had to rely on the glitter of their headlamps in the distance. These one could just make out through breaks in the tree lines. It was comforting to see the trial of light that they left as they followed the hairpin bends and forestry roads. Soon I lost them altogether. Although still dark, luckily the worst of the mornings navigation was behind me and I managed to make my way to the Donnybrook Petrol station where I stopped for a coke. A little while after having my breakfast, Leon and Johan appeared and we set off together, once again.
Its amazing how ones demeanor changes when the sun is shining. Shortly after Donnybrook we headed into an indigenous forest area, Nxumeni Forest, where the riding was just awesome. Eventually this gave way to SAPPI type forests that stretched on for miles. Still awesome riding with a little single track thrown in.
We got separated again shortly after going down some single track and I had to backtrack to try and get back on the route. I never quite managed, but headed for the Centacow Church that I could see in the distance, where I waited for my mates.
Centacow is the midway stop for Day2.
This church is a beautiful structure and massive. One really should make the effort to go inside, but we only ventured as far as the kitchen. Site seeing moves way down in the order of priorities when you have a deadline to make. Maybe next time!
Lunch comprised of soup, bread, muffins and a nice cup of tea, served by the nuns.
I had done about a km or so after lunch and was feeling quite good really, then I realized why. I had left my backpack at the church. The irritation one feels having to turn back because of an error like this is immense.
From here we progressed along district road that included a fair amount of walking, until we found this little oasis along the side of the road. I remember reading an article written by a crew on a training recce. They mentioned this shebeen, so we were certainly not the first nor will we be the last.
If you have not recce'd or done the departure from Allendale, you will get lost!
Fact!
Especially if you leave in the dark.
This morning was a mad rush to get ready to leave with the Bell Express.
This train is piloted by Dave Bell, whose knowledge of the route out of Allendale and through the treacherous Donnybrook forests, is legendary. The remaining Batch E riders new how important it was not to miss this departure. The Bell Express waits for no-one.
Dave did not ask for the gig, but thankfully took us all under his wing and guided us through to a point of relative certainty. From there we could manage the rest of the days navigation, on our own.
I told Leon that I was going to try and stick with the group for as long as possible and that I would wait for him and Johan a little further on up the road. Leon is a very fast and accomplished rider, but he undertook to stick with Johan. They were going all the way to Diemerstfontein. Johan struggled to work to the morning deadlines. He did not do "rush". He had taken his annual leave to do this event and was clearly on holiday.
Left to my own devices, I would not even have know where to start the days route!
Soon we were clambering over fences, running along single path contour lines, along fences, consulting with those who have done the race before, then agreeing on a course before setting off on a slightly more accurate heading. These short stops allowed me to catch up.
Leon and Johan fell off the back of the group shortly after the climb into the Donnybrook forest started. I tried to hang in there, but these were strong riders and eventually I had to rely on the glitter of their headlamps in the distance. These one could just make out through breaks in the tree lines. It was comforting to see the trial of light that they left as they followed the hairpin bends and forestry roads. Soon I lost them altogether. Although still dark, luckily the worst of the mornings navigation was behind me and I managed to make my way to the Donnybrook Petrol station where I stopped for a coke. A little while after having my breakfast, Leon and Johan appeared and we set off together, once again.
Its amazing how ones demeanor changes when the sun is shining. Shortly after Donnybrook we headed into an indigenous forest area, Nxumeni Forest, where the riding was just awesome. Eventually this gave way to SAPPI type forests that stretched on for miles. Still awesome riding with a little single track thrown in.
We got separated again shortly after going down some single track and I had to backtrack to try and get back on the route. I never quite managed, but headed for the Centacow Church that I could see in the distance, where I waited for my mates.
Centacow is the midway stop for Day2.
This church is a beautiful structure and massive. One really should make the effort to go inside, but we only ventured as far as the kitchen. Site seeing moves way down in the order of priorities when you have a deadline to make. Maybe next time!
Lunch comprised of soup, bread, muffins and a nice cup of tea, served by the nuns.
I had done about a km or so after lunch and was feeling quite good really, then I realized why. I had left my backpack at the church. The irritation one feels having to turn back because of an error like this is immense.
From here we progressed along district road that included a fair amount of walking, until we found this little oasis along the side of the road. I remember reading an article written by a crew on a training recce. They mentioned this shebeen, so we were certainly not the first nor will we be the last.
By now I felt comfortable enough with the group to suggest that we have a Zamalek
Sadly, I was the only one to take up my offer. This would mean that I could only have one.
The
beer was cold and the owner was a friendly chap. He seemed to take it
all in his stride. You could have sworn that white folk on bicycles in
the middle of nowhere, was a more common site, than the humble rural
goat.
The
riding was good and all the while we managed to spot other bike tracks
which showed us that we were still on the right track.
But you cannot for one moment believe that the nice riding will last forever. This event is designed to test you.
A good walk or a portage is never away and this is when the banter stops. This picture is one of many.
We walked a lot that day.
I
had opted to take a pair of running shoes for use at the support
stations, instead of slops or crocs. The weight difference was
negligible.
I
was glad I did, because although my riding shoes were quite forgiving,
walking in running shoes is far more comfortable. Only issue was that
you waste 5 minutes every time you change and I must have changed shoes
about 6 times.
Had I known that we were to walk this much, I would fitted flat pedals and ridden in comfortable walking/running shoes.
We
got to the stile as it was turning dusk. Up and over with the bicycles
and it was then that I realized that my bicycle was a tad heavier than
my 2 riding buddies. I had to put up with a bit of abuse and threats of
non assistance at future fence portages.
From
the stile we still had a fair way to go. The ground was very wet in
places and even with lights in the pitch blackness of the night, boggy
patches were hard to avoid.
Finally,
the welcome sight of lights. You could hear the cry of "Riders
approaching". Felt like a Spaghetti Western. Its always nice to meet up
with the senior members of the Bell Express. The chirping and banter
that results from a end-of-day-get-together is always in good fun and I
for one, looked forward to these exchanges.
The
lodge was fantastic, comprising a main kitchen, lounge area with
separate sleeping units and as always, the support staff were brilliant.
A hot plate of food and a nice cup of tea goes down a treat, when
you've been sucking syrup and eating energy bars all day.
No
beer this time. One or two of the bastards from the Bell Express had
consumed the lot. They apologized profusely with some added excuse of
the shebeen running dry blah, blah, blah...
After
everyone had gone to bed I went back in to the main lodge to check that
all the batteries for the electronic goodies, etc were being charged
and to replenish food supplies from my ice cream tub.
At about 01h00 I could see lights approaching. The owner turned out to be MikeWoolnough.
He is well know in the Freedom Riding circles and a bit of a Legend.
Impressive chap.
He
had been going from Maritzburg without sleep and I'm sure he was tired
but he was quite happy to chat and to answer my questions. He was not
stingy with his knowledge nor sharing of his experiences. I learnt a lot
from this brief encounter, but it was not long before he saddled up and
rode off into the distance. He must have spent no more than 30minutes
at the support station.
It
struck me how unique the Ride to Rhodes was. The potential for a chance
meeting with a great athlete or a 'celebrity' of the event, was quite
possible. Not many other sporting events offered this opportunity.
Usually, your only chance of seeing them is on the podium when its all done.
Total time traveled Day 2: 16 hours 3 minutes
Day 3: Ntsikeni to Masakala
I
was up early and had a good breakfast. The start of today's stage was
going to be critical to my day and I was expecting it to be tricky. The
organizers had changed the support station to Ntsikeni and I was unsure
that my interpretation of the narratives would get me back on to the
route as originally intended.
Also,
the conversation that Mike had with the manager of the lodge earlier
that morning regarding the route and the obscure single track
y-junction, left me feeling a little uncomfortable.
Turns out, with good reason.
I
left before the Bell Express intending to stay ahead of them at a more
leisurely pace and to then follow them to the tricky y-junction track.
Thus far my mornings had been spent time trialing. I was poked 2 hours
into each day's stage.
I know what a fox feels like with baying hounds on the scent. The lights just kept getting ever closer.
I
managed to stay ahead of them, but in so doing I also went past the
intended turn off. Not by much. Only 150 meters. I realized and waited
for them. Turns out that the executive of the Bell's Express was also a
little unsure and after much deliberating and to'ing and frow'ing, they
eventually found the almost non-existent path.
This allowed Leon to drag Johan back into the picture and we were all united again even if only for a few km's.
Again, our game plan was for me to stick with the Express for as long as I could whilst Leon would follow on with Johan.
Man those okes were fast and the chicks, even faster.
I
was riding my bollocks off, but now the lights just kept getting
further away. Eventually I lost them and waited for Leon and Johan to
catch up.
The
worst of the mornings nav, was behind us and we headed up this hill
towards Politique and the abandoned kraal below. It was via the Twitter
messages that we learnt of the 2 girls that got lost near Politique the
night before. It turns out the one slept out amongst the stars that
night, whilst the other was taken in by a mother and daughter and made
to sleep between the two of them on a bed in a small rondavel. Lovely
compassion. If only we all had more of this. Imagine.
We managed well with our nav and reached the Glen Edward halfway stop without any real fanfare.
Sheila's husband greeted me with the words, "I don't have any quarts here for you".
I was a little surprised and told him that I didn't ask for any.
It turns out that Brad and Rowan had put him up to this. These were the same two who I thought had the lion's share of the beer the night before.
They were in stitches the next morning when I told them that their joke was succesfull.
Getting lost is really quite difficult. If you follow the maps and the narratives during daylight hours, together with the tracks left by other riders, then it's almost impossible. You will almost always know where you are on the map. If not, then you are in big gara!
Knowing where you are on the map does not mean, though, that you will be on the thin green dotted line that is affectionately known as the route.
And so it was, early evening, that we knew where we were on the map, but did not know where exactly the thin green line was, nor did we know which set of tire tracks to follow. The little technical Umzimvubu section had us completely flummoxed.
We wasted an hour and forty minutes, because of our obsession with the thin green line, before we finally backtracked far enough to get back en-route. It was now dark and we had changed into warmer kit.
Things went well for a while until the thin green line decided to play hide-and-go-seek again.
To make matters worse, there was a bunch of other riders, whom we had never met before, and who were also thrashing around in the dark. They served to confuse the situation further.
They borrowed our map made a phone call to the Race Ops and then disappeared in to the distance.
They were the only bunch of people that we met on the race that were self absorbed and selfish, who got what they wanted and did not care for other competitors. The one chap is apparently quite well know.
Whilst we were there commenting on these nice fellow who had since disappeared, another rider approached. What a lekker oke!
Werner Nienaber was his name. This oke helped us to get back on the thin green line, but then insisted that he ride with us for a while. This turned out to be a long while and we were clearly holding him back.
I feel real discomfort when I affect someone else's race.
Eventually, we assured him that he should go, but by then we were close to one of the district roads and a relatively easy section of navigation.
It was shortly after this that Hoof Spoorsnyer Kruger, took us to see the Wild Gooses of Magema.
He remembered this part of the route from a previous recce. Unfortunately, not as well as he should of and we followed along blindly, happy in the faith that for once, we were certain of where it was that we were going. Wild Goose Chases are not as much fun as one would imagine.
We managed well with our nav and reached the Glen Edward halfway stop without any real fanfare.
Sheila's husband greeted me with the words, "I don't have any quarts here for you".
I was a little surprised and told him that I didn't ask for any.
It turns out that Brad and Rowan had put him up to this. These were the same two who I thought had the lion's share of the beer the night before.
They were in stitches the next morning when I told them that their joke was succesfull.
Getting lost is really quite difficult. If you follow the maps and the narratives during daylight hours, together with the tracks left by other riders, then it's almost impossible. You will almost always know where you are on the map. If not, then you are in big gara!
Knowing where you are on the map does not mean, though, that you will be on the thin green dotted line that is affectionately known as the route.
And so it was, early evening, that we knew where we were on the map, but did not know where exactly the thin green line was, nor did we know which set of tire tracks to follow. The little technical Umzimvubu section had us completely flummoxed.
We wasted an hour and forty minutes, because of our obsession with the thin green line, before we finally backtracked far enough to get back en-route. It was now dark and we had changed into warmer kit.
Things went well for a while until the thin green line decided to play hide-and-go-seek again.
To make matters worse, there was a bunch of other riders, whom we had never met before, and who were also thrashing around in the dark. They served to confuse the situation further.
They borrowed our map made a phone call to the Race Ops and then disappeared in to the distance.
They were the only bunch of people that we met on the race that were self absorbed and selfish, who got what they wanted and did not care for other competitors. The one chap is apparently quite well know.
Whilst we were there commenting on these nice fellow who had since disappeared, another rider approached. What a lekker oke!
Werner Nienaber was his name. This oke helped us to get back on the thin green line, but then insisted that he ride with us for a while. This turned out to be a long while and we were clearly holding him back.
I feel real discomfort when I affect someone else's race.
Eventually, we assured him that he should go, but by then we were close to one of the district roads and a relatively easy section of navigation.
It was shortly after this that Hoof Spoorsnyer Kruger, took us to see the Wild Gooses of Magema.
He remembered this part of the route from a previous recce. Unfortunately, not as well as he should of and we followed along blindly, happy in the faith that for once, we were certain of where it was that we were going. Wild Goose Chases are not as much fun as one would imagine.
We got in to Masakala 22 hours and fifteen minutes after we had first started the days journey.
This is what I looked like.
A broken man.
I found a quart in the fridge and drank it. It was cold and beautiful.
This is what I looked like.
A broken man.
I found a quart in the fridge and drank it. It was cold and beautiful.
Total time traveled Day 3: 22 hours 15 minutes
Day 4: Masakala to Ongeluksnek
Woke
up a little later than usual. Apparently, today is a short day if you
plan to do the Rhodes Ride in the regular, unabridged, mere mortal type
of way. The lie-in was so welcome and necessary given the previous days
events and the long time spent in the saddle.
At
breakfast most of the riders were surprised to find us there and I
understand that I was given even less chance of making it this far.
The
mischievous twins, Rowan and Brad, said that they had left a beer for
me, on the off chance that I would get there. I told them I found it and
thanked them. One could tell that they enjoyed giving me that beer as
much as I enjoyed drinking it. Nice touch.
The inn was full. There must have been at least 15 riders the previous night, some of whom had already left.
This group was made up as follows; we, from Group E the legitimate overnighters, some riders that had started after us but were flying and had passed us and the 2 girls that had started before us, got lost and had fallen behind.
Tracy and Lize were thankful when we suggested they join us. They, understandably, felt a little unsettled by their experience of camping out a few nights ago.
We agreed to leave at 07h00 hours, but Johan was running a little late and so we left at 7h20. A nice relaxed departure when you are used to a 04h00 hours start.
The inn was full. There must have been at least 15 riders the previous night, some of whom had already left.
This group was made up as follows; we, from Group E the legitimate overnighters, some riders that had started after us but were flying and had passed us and the 2 girls that had started before us, got lost and had fallen behind.
Tracy and Lize were thankful when we suggested they join us. They, understandably, felt a little unsettled by their experience of camping out a few nights ago.
We agreed to leave at 07h00 hours, but Johan was running a little late and so we left at 7h20. A nice relaxed departure when you are used to a 04h00 hours start.
Here are my new team mates and notice how the sun is shining and we have not even left yet.
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Stopping for breakfast.
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The
new group rode well together until we once again became fixated on the
thin green line. The fact that the ladies were now obsessed with not
getting lost, did not help the situation. Again we wasted a significant
amount of time, paying too much attention to detail. The wind had also
picked up substantially and must have gusted 30 knots at times, strong
enough to blow Lize's bike out from under her. This trend continued
throughout most of the morning, but by lunch time we were getting into a
nice rhythm.
We stopped at
the Maria-Linden church for lunch and the pastor had to unlock the taps
from the water tanks, so that we could refill our water bottles. If not,
all the water would be "stolen" by the villagers.
At times like this you realize how we take things for granted.
At times like this you realize how we take things for granted.
Our
next stop was at a local spaza shop, where we bought cold Coke. Those
are some of the nicest Cokes I have ever drank and then we moved on to
Mapharane Ridge where the riding was once again, out of this world.
There are at most only a handful of freedom challenge markers on the route. This is what they look like.
The
problem is that they are extremely difficult to spot and had we not
chatted to Dave and Dawn Bell, we would not have realized that this one
was to be ignored and we were to take the single track off the mountain
to the left only on finding the solo bokkie.
There
was much happiness when we found the true bokkie. Behind Tracey one can
make out the path which leads down the mountain to Gladstone farm. We
cleared the farm just as dusk was breaking.
Now
it was my turn to make a navigational error, which added 2.5km's to our
route. It does not sound like much, but believe me it feels like hours
when you have to retrace your bike tracks.
I felt like a tonsil.
Finally, we managed the 69km's in just under 13 hours.
Had supper with the members of the Bell's Express, a cold quart, a few jokes, nice bath and slept well.
I felt like a tonsil.
Finally, we managed the 69km's in just under 13 hours.
Had supper with the members of the Bell's Express, a cold quart, a few jokes, nice bath and slept well.
Total time traveled Day 4: 12 hours 45 minutes
Day 5: Ongeluksnek to Tinana Mission
It was business as usual the following
day. Up for breakfast. Find damp washing, re-stock biltong, energy
drinks, energy bars, peanut brittle, nougat, make sandwiches, check on
team mates and get out ahead of the Bell Express.
It was going to be a challenging day in terms of navigation.
Our day was almost a non-starter, because we were waiting for Lize and only found out at the 11th hour that she was going no further.
She had hurt her foot the day she got lost and was hoping that it would improve whilst she spent the day riding with us. Unfortunately, it got a bit worse.
Again I started ahead of the Express and followed them once they passed me until they disappeared and I waited for Leon, Tracey and Johan.
It was going to be a challenging day in terms of navigation.
Our day was almost a non-starter, because we were waiting for Lize and only found out at the 11th hour that she was going no further.
She had hurt her foot the day she got lost and was hoping that it would improve whilst she spent the day riding with us. Unfortunately, it got a bit worse.
Again I started ahead of the Express and followed them once they passed me until they disappeared and I waited for Leon, Tracey and Johan.
This section included some pretty technical descent just prior to Black Fountain, as can be seen from these pictures.
Along the top of the ridge on the way to Black Fountain the riding was again spectacular and views as good as anywhere in the country.
We came across these guys who use there cattle to drag fire wood from far away and take it back to the villages. Understandably, all the timber surrounding the villages has already been consumed for fuel.
The timber in this case was black wattle, which is an alien invader. At least this was a good thing.
The problem for us was that the dragging of the trees erased all the tire tracks, which was essential for our navigation.
As it turns out this
section of navigation was easy until we came down Black Fountain when
the tracks suddenly disappeared. It was like they were snatched up by
some alien spaceship. Gone!
We wasted a lot of time looking for the thin green line.It was then that we decided to call race HQ to ask for help.
David Waddilove listened to our questions for a while and then concluded that we knew where we were on the map, therefore we were not lost and that we did not need his help after all. We had to just figure it out for ourselves. Fair enough.
Eventually, it was just a question of using some common sense and a bit a bit more rock climbing ...
and we managed to find our way down the mountain to the...
Suspended foot bridge near the Tinana Mission.
My other team mates were going to push on despite the fact that it was going to be dark within a couple of hours and the navigation was going to be extremely challenging.
Just as we were approaching the footbridge, David called back from race HQ and advised us to stay at the halfway stop. Apparently even the seasoned participants get lost navigating this stretch at night.
That night I had 5 quarts and managed to convince my team mates to have a glass of beer each. The mood lightened a bit. I think they were disappointed with the fact that we had traveled only a short distance and they were desperate to push on. I was unaffected, because I was going to stay all along, but I was a little disappointed that I would not be on my own. I yearned for some solitude and was hoping to do a stretch on my own.
We bathed in galvanized zinc buckets. The warm water was made on the stove. No taps or geysers here. Quite and experience, which I really enjoyed, strangely enough. There was more water on the floor than in the bucket when I had finished. White folk are clueless when it comes to making do with the minimum.
This
is Ms Zibi, the headmistresses daughter and granddaughter. This little
girl was completely enthralled by our antics and gladly posed for this
picture.
I was woken at about 01h00 by someone shouting outside,wanting to know where the entrance gate was.
And so I met Jack Black(aka Jacques Swart) another R2R celebrity. Top guy! Full of advise and happy to share it.
Him and Leon discussed our route forward and then he jumped into one of our warm beds.
Hot bunking is common practice during the event and no-one thinks anything of it. I struggled with the concept, but when in Rome....
We re-provisioned and left him and his riding partner to sleep.
Total time traveled Day 5: 10 hours 28 minutes
Day 6: Tinana Mission to Tinahead Lodge
Today was going to be a little
different from the usual. Because we had overnighted at the halfway
station at Tinana Mission, we would first have to finish the leg by
heading for the support station at Vuvu School and then we would push on
through Lehana's and on to Rhodes. This would constitute one-and-a-half
legs and was going to test our resolve. Lehana's is a mountain portage
that involves about 4 hours of carrying your bicycle, ascending a 1000m.
A howling wind was forecast to make matters a little more trying.
The directions and tips given to us by Jack Black were spot on and we made good time in the early hours of the morning.
The directions and tips given to us by Jack Black were spot on and we made good time in the early hours of the morning.
We crossed the Tina River 3 times on our way through the valley up to the Vuvu School. The views again were spectacular, but the going was quite tough. We finally reached the school, had some lunch and raided our ice cream tubs. Jack Black caught up to us and eventually helped us to the turnoff to the Lehana's portage.
Without his help we would have taken a lot longer. The going was tough, but Tracey managed extremely well. Here you can see her going up a really technical climb. Girls on this race are really capable and need to be, because no guy is going to offer to help carry an additional bicycle.
The wind did not let us down and there were times that one's bicycle became like a kite. There was a very real danger that you could be blown off the mountainside. We managed to clear the border police container just before sunset. Jack and his riding partner had since sped up and cleared the mountain about 30 minutes before us. From their we headed to Rhodes, but we had to pass Tinahead lodge.
I decided to pop in for a beer and invited the other 3, but I had no takers.
It was cold. Very, very cold.
Tinahead is luxurious, well appointed and tasteful. I had to see inside.
I
walked in and met this guy you can see in the picture and his buddy and
asked if I could have a beer. His reply was: "They serve beer here, but
you can't have any."
Just
before I could take offense, they told me that Brad and Rowan had been
through at midday and had told them that I probably would stop over for a
beer. These guys were instructed to mess with me and they did a good
job. Don't you just hate being that predictable!
I
forget this guys name, but his wife asked me to stay and have a beer
with him. He needed some male company. Lovely old lady and nice to see
how she cared for the old man.
They were on there way to Johannesburg and he was getting a little bored.
I joined them for supper where I must have had 8 beers and 4 double whiskeys.
The
hotel staff called Race HQ via sat phone and they agreed I could stay,
but my lift was leaving Rhodes early the next morning and I would have
to clear it with. All good I just had to leave at 3h00 hours to get
there in time.
The shower was
great, good pressure and hot. The fire was lit in my bedroom and you
could smell the fresh linen. Man, I slept well!
Total time traveled Day 6: 14 hours 56 minutes
Day 7: Final Short Push
The ride was wild, down some steep mountain passes and tight hairpins done at speed.
I was very happy when I came into the outskirts of Rhodes just as the sun was rising and felt good as I drove up to the final support station. The end of a great adventure and one that changed my outlook on bike riding forever.
In a short impromptu ceremony outside in the parking lot, I was handed my finishers medal, a traditional cattle whip. Only participants who had previously complete the Freedom Challenge to Diemertsfontain, were allowed to present the finishers medals. I was grateful that it was Dave Bell who did the honours. It meant so much more to me than had it been a stranger. All other finishers had attended the handing over ceremony the night before.
And so we all said our goodbyes and I was in the car on the way home at 0700.
Total time traveled Day 7: 3 hours 04 minutes for the final 36 km's
