Dear Family and Friends
This is my first post, hopefully of many, on what’s
happening in 2013. As you will have noticed, I have just recently launched a
blog site and facebook page that will be covering my Freedom Challenge
training/preparation and then the event itself. There are still sections on the
blog page that need to be completed, such as sponsorship process etc. these
details should all be available shortly.
In November last year my application to participate in
the 2013 Freedom Challenge was accepted. More information on the Freedom
Challenge in a minute.
As many of you will know, I competed in the 2012 ABSA Cape
Epic thanks to the very generous sponsorship from Lancers Inn, Maseru.
Partnering up with Malcolm Heathfield, team Lancers Inn managed to finish just
inside the top 100 out of 600 teams on grand classification, not a bad result
considering this being our first Cape Epic, the intensity and difficulty of
this event!
The Freedom Challenge is an event of a very different
nature. Unlike the ABSA Cape Epic which is a fully supported multi-stage team
event, the Freedom Challenge is a non-stop, solo and unsupported event,
starting in Pietermaritzburg and finishing 2300 kilomters later just outside
Paarl in the western cape. Over and above the distance and difficulty of the
route, the event is held in the heart of winter with competitors facing extreme
weather conditions, especially while crossing the southern Drakensburg/Maluti
mountain ranges, where temperatures will be plummeting deep into the sub-zero
numbers. Each rider will need to carry all clothing and spares in a back-pack,
while food and other items can be sent forward in 2 litre containers to the
checkpoints that the rider will be passing. Participants will be starting in
batches between the 9th and 19th of June 2013, depending on the estimated pace
of the rider. Slower riders start first with the faster competing riders
starting last. To make it just that bit more fun, competitors are not permitted
to make use of GPS devices for navigation. A pre-defined route needs to be
navigated by 1:50000 topographical maps and compass only! The rider will pass
25 stations along the route where food and beds are on offer. For riders
attempting to complete the route as quickly as possible, most of these stations
are merely places to check in, grab food and keep moving. Therefore much of the
recovery and rest happens on the bike and outside on the trail where average
daily rest barely exceeds 3-4 hours....unfortunately I will be in this category
of competitor..."whoop whoop!!" As for the route itself, if one could
imagine a line looping down from Pietermaritzburg, crossing the southern
drakensburg, moving under the shadow of the escarpment passing below Lesotho,
through the eastern cape and on into the Karoo, through the Baviaans kloof,
then along and over the Groot Swartberg mountains, leading into the western
cape and finally crossing over the DuToits kloof pass down into Paarl. The full
Freedom Challenge Race Across South Africa will generally see a 50% success
rate amongst competitors. The prize? a complementary pizza and a finishers
Basotho blanket.
Essentially the Freedom Challenge is not about lights and
glamor, but more the very humbling experience of crossing this beautiful
country of ours on a mountain bike while completing South Africa's toughest
ultra-endurance event.
With regards to funding, my thinking for the Freedom Challenge
is to involve as many of you as I can in tackling this event full-on. I have
gained permission from the event organizers to compete on behalf of the Project
Rhino KZN, under the African Wildlife Trust. The aim is obviously to assist in
raising what I can to donate funds in helping fight this dreadful scourge of
Rhino poaching that has infested this breath-taking country of ours.
My request is a simple one: who would like to be involved in
the form of sponsoring per kilometre or even just making a random contribution?
Any donation will make a massive difference and will be appreciated so much.
Cost for participation which includes entry, food and gear is in the region of
R20 000,00 all excess funds will be donated to Project Rhino KZN, which is
managed under the African Conservation Trust. For those of you keen to support,
please encourage friends and businesses alike to get involved.
I will certainly welcome any comments or ideas from anyone
at this stage, but for now, I would like to measure the level of participation
following this email. I would really appreciate a reply from those who might be
keen to support this adventure and ultimately the Rhinos who are facing a MUCH
larger and more serious 'Freedom Challenge' of their own.
I look forward to everyone's response
Kind regards
Charles
