Mountain bikers approach half way on Freedom Challenge - Veterans

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Wednesday, 23 June 2010 14:22

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Arriving in Rhodes, the Crous “commando” met up with Freedom Challenge veterans Mark Mtichell and Allen Sharpe as well as Travis Saunders, who started a day ahead of them and had spent the night before at the Tinana Mission station before heading through Vuvu to Rhodes.  Also at Rhodes were Australians Tim James (no relation) and woman rider Bec Caskie as well as Paddy Veenstra, all of who are riding consistently from one support station to the next. On Tuesday morning this group of riders went from Rhodes through to the next support station at the farm Slaapkranz in the Vaalhoek valley.  Crous and company may have plans of pushing further but were clearly fatigued by their efforts of the previous evening – the three were reportedly seen around midday asleep in a roadside hayloft.

At Slaapkranz this large group met up with Capetownian Blackie Swart who made steady progress through to Malekhlonyane. However, a knee injury then slowed his progress. The following day he rode past the Tinana Mission around midday and into the valley of the Vuvu river. Unable to find his way through the head high grass and up to the support station by nightfall he opted to bed down for the night, making a small fire and good use of the space blanket that all riders are obliged to carry. Speaking afterwards of his experience Blackie said “it was just the river, the grass, the stars and me. Life at its most basic and most beautiful”.  Blackie battled on through Rhodes to sleep the next night with young farmer Christo Swart on the farm Kapokkraal, trying to establish their common ancestry. 
Also making good progress along the trail are women riders Estelle Labuschagne and Gerda Gruner who arrived in Rhodes on Tuesday night with local farmer, Ray Sephton and Freedom Challenge veteran Errol Derrick. Following a day behind them are the other two women riders still in the race, Ingrid Avidnon and Nicole du Toit and their partners, Anthony Avidnon and Jannie Gerber.   

The last group approaching Rhodes, which they will reach on Thursday, includes Justin Bouwer and extreme triathletes Leon van der Nest and Keith Little who, with Barnes did the trail run.

With the race moving out of the mountains of the Drakensberg much of the hard climbing, difficult navigation and portaging comes to an end. Passing through the Karoo, the Baviaanskloof, the Swartberg and the Breede River, those riders looking to win the race will be helped by the good weather window and full moon as they start riding deep into the night. Those other riders just looking to complete the race will need to maintain a regular pattern of riding from before sunrise until sunset if they are to reach Diemersfontein before the 26-day cut off.