RASA 2021 Pietermaritzburg to ….. uhm ….. Romansfontein | By: Tracey Lentin

Day 1 started pretty well. I knew I wasn’t as strong as the rest of the group so I set of at manageable pace with plans to skip the lunch stop and get down to the Umko as early as possible. All went well with only a minor issue involving a bull - until I got down to the river. Having not been there in 4 years and never having done the river crossing before, I first went one way to find the crossing, changed my mind and tried to find the original route only to find myself facing a wall of thick bush with monster thorns. It was getting late and I had no intention of sleeping on the banks of the river so, in frustration, I looked for a cattle crossing and waded into the river heading for the settlement on the other side. The river bottom soon disappeared and I found myself swimming and hanging onto my bike for dear life. Trying to drag the bike through rapids on the other side was quite an exercise but all I could think of was the bitch of a climb to come, up Hela Hela (I’d even dreamt of it). A large owl quietly sitting in the middle of the road cheered me up and I finally arrived at Allendale long after dark and with all my kit soaked. 

A late start on Day 2 to dry kit and recover meant staying at Centocow (interim stop). Good nav and an early start on Day 3 and I arrived at Ntsikeni for a fabulous lunch and good catch-up with Dalo Ngobo. I set off for Glen Edward with plenty of time to get through Politique Kraal with it’s tricky nav. A silly error and I found myself above the kraal with a steep gorge between us. I decided it was best to retrace my steps and was really pleased to see Kemsley and Andrew right where I’d made my mistake. They kindly stayed with me until we were on the jeep track heading off the mountain. I made my way down in the dark and, in my excitement, rode right past the support station. I finally arrived to a warm welcome by Charles and sad news about Sheila’s illness (praying she’s soon home safe). It had been a 16 hour day on the bike but I felt good.

Great weather and a good day’s riding with minor issues in the wattles, no problems finding the farm houses in “my” valley and I arrived at Masakala with light to spare. About half an hour later a rowdy bunch of guys arrived. What a pleasure to have such lekka company after spending most of the first 4 days alone. The next 4 days were a bit of a blur with us battling gale force winds and me desperately trying to match the guys pace.

I arrived at Slaapkranz after dark, completely shattered, and decided to call it a day. I sadly informed race office and my support group that I was heading home. I got up early and said goodbye to the guys promising Richard, John and Steve that I would be there to welcome them in at Diemers. They unfortunately pulled out a few days later due to some serious injuries. A good night’s rest and practical advice from the guru MD and I changed my mind and decided to push on after a day’s rest.

I got an early start on Day 10 but careful navigation through the 2 big portages (my 2014 memories were very sketchy) and I soon realised that I was only going to make Moordenaarspoort that day. I was cruising merrily down the steep, rutted road towards the SS in the dark when I was suddenly launched over the handlebars – my backpack propelling me forward like a guided missile. As I lay on the ground I did what any self-respecting woman does and made sure my face was still intact. Luckily I’d landed head first and my helmet and headlamp took the brunt of the fall. Only after I had confirmed that no facial reconstruction was needed did I noticed the pain in my ankle. Luckily it wasn’t far to the support station and I limped in feeling very sorry for myself. A quick confer with Julia (and FC doc) and I was instructed to ice, ice, ice and that my ankle was going to be unstable for portaging. Regina and Danie were amazing and, after the best shower ever, I was feeling a lot better.

I left early for breakfast at Kranskop where I met Gary and RG then headed to Brosterlea for the night. As the wind departed, the cold arrived and I left a freezing Brosterlea before dawn wondering how my ankle would handle the blockhouse portage. A cold start gave way to a stunning, wind free day and I made good time to Romansfontein after carefully descending the steep portage section. I love the gentle cows and bulls one finds in KZN and EC, so different from the vicious bovines poor unsuspecting cyclists have to deal with in the Cape. They were often my only company for most of the day and we had some interesting conversations as one does on the trail.

I arrived at Romansfontein at about 4.30pm knowing that I would have to head on to Hofmeyer 72kms away if I wanted to make the 6am cut-off. Gary arrived soon after and, nursing an extremely painful abscess in his tooth, said that he couldn’t go on. Three other guys arrived and laughed when I suggested possibly going on. I was then faced with the dilemma of going on alone, in the dark with a sprained ankle to attempt a technical portage that was between me and the cut-off. It was pretty much a no-brainer and I accepted that my ride was done. Being told the following morning that the temp at the farm had dropped to -18deg during the night confirmed that I had made the right decision.

I have had some time to unpack my ride and do the whole woulda, coulda, shoulda thing. I have come to the conclusion that you cannot enter RASA with the only goal being to finish and get a blanket. A blanket is an amazing achievement and I’m pretty disappointed that it has once again eluded me but I had an incredible journey. I met wonderful people, saw places most people never get to see and pushed myself beyond what I ever thought I was capable of. I leave the trail a far richer person. Thank you to all my friends and family for the incredible support xx

"Peaches!" | by: Oliver Greaves

As I pluck the final Hakea thorn out of my finger, I find myself ready to write this. While out on the trail, I kept reminding myself, during the many hard moments, that “This is type two fun”. As each day passes, I find it easier to forget the hard moments and appreciate the value of the adventure.

Something I have come to love about endurance events, is their ability to challenge one. To an extent, you can decide how hard or how easy you want your experience to be. The groups I found myself in, rode hard each day with the intent to have... READ FULL POST HERE

RASA 2021 Daily Voice notes | By: Sandy Inglis

 A collection of daily voice notes as sent by Dr Sandy Inglis to his personal whatsapp followers group during RASA 2021. These wonderfully descriptive narrationstell a beautiful story of his journey accross South Africa. Thanks to Steve Burnett for compiling the voice notes into 4 files (one for each 4-5 day portion) for ease of listening. 

dirtyshebeen · RASA21 SI Daily notes 1

dirtyshebeen · RASA21 SI Daily notes 2

dirtyshebeen · RASA21 SI Daily notes 3

dirtyshebeen · RASA21 SI Daily notes 4

Knowing Your Limits | by: Andrew Cromhout

Knowing Your Limits | RASA 2021

I recently shared Mike Roy’s last report for RASA 2021. It makes some good reading, however I

found the stats most interesting. Needless to say I had some complimentary feedback on my humble

achievement, however one of the comments I received was from a school colleague a year or two

behind me at school. I via return comment suggested that he should be next up for the challenge.

During a conversation at the Rhodes stop over, Mike confirmed that he knew the person from his

East London days, and had also been suggesting to him that he should be doing RASA.

Let me undoubtedly state that the person in question, was, and I am sure still is, a much more

talented or gifted person than I was or will probably ever be. (Physically and intellectually). I was at

best an average sports participant, having achieved some nice milestones, but never really coming

close to the top echelons of my sports activities. I won’t bore you with these; however it is safe to

say I have stretched myself on numerous occasions.

This person’s comment back to me on my suggestion that he participate was “I know my limits”. (I

need to mention he clearly put an emoji next to it with a wink!). That however made me think and

snigger at the same time. The question is this; do we really know our limits? I can quote numerous

sayings that would challenge that statement, however it can also lead to another few discussions. I

will give my humble opinions on two points: -

1. Firstly and most foremost, and it has been stated more than once before in RASA blogs,

RASA is not for everyone. Whether you are racing the event or a tourist, (completely the

wrong description!), RASA is extremely tough. Hard Core tough! Each day is hard, some days

are easier than others, but still tough. A lot of days are extremely challenging and extremely

tough. Forget about the challenging weather we had at times this year. Even on the most

suitable of days to ride your bike, you are going to dig deep, very deep at times. Memories

are short, but you could dig deeper than you have ever done before. Ask the contenders for

the top place finishers how the race went. They will have done meticulous planning and

preparation, but nothing stops your inner demons from testing you. The same for the

tourists such as me. Whilst I am classed as a “tourist”, having completed the adventure in a

little short of 21 days, I consider myself as a racer. Laugh at me if you will, however I tried

my best and beyond every single day out there. I completed the event in the best possible

time I could. For me, I “raced” RASA. Ask me after the event if I would ever do RASA again,

and I don’t have to give you my comments. At 61, I do think my extreme events may have

come to an end; however my awe of this event urges me to suggest that RASA could be a

sort of pinnacle of an adventure cyclist event for a lot of people.

I would strongly advise that anyone considering doing RASA, and even the individual legs of

The Freedom Challenge, think really hard as to the reasons you want to participate in this

challenging but rewarding “adventure”, as someone who is a podium finisher named the

event to a colleague and me. If you are simply looking for some fun and adventure, I can

suggest lots of other alternatives, which are great fun and adventure activities. Yes, amidst

the at sometimes pain, exhaustion and tough times, there are numerous fun moments. You

will see parts of our country that most people will only see snippets of in their life time. Here

you will experience beauty and sometimes poverty and the simple existence of life, like

others will never see. Stetteyns has to be one of the most beautiful and unspoilt areas I have

been to. Some of the fynbos areas outside McGregor have to belong in God’s back yard.

Flowers, sun birds and sugar birds abound in all sorts of colours, shapes, sizes and sounds.

How the young herders towards the top of Lehanas exist leaves me astounded. These are

memories in my head that don’t need photographs to explain or remind me of.

However, the big warning, RASA is not simply a fun adventure. You must think about your

participation more than over a glass of wine. Think hard and deep, and if your innermost

reasons for wanting to do RASA are compelling enough, what are you waiting for?

Remember, like me a lot of other participants are Mr/Mrs/Miss average, so dare I suggest, if

you have the very strong desire to participate in RASA, you can probably complete it. Yes

you will have to train extremely long hours and hard, (another topic), have a strong mind, be

stubborn at times, tenacious, however the psychological experience you will encounter of

completing it, will only be known to you across the finish line.

The issue of you probably completing RASA does lead to my second opinion though.

    2. Do you really know your limits? REALLY?! I can promise you one thing, I dug deeper than I

have for a long, very long time, and if not the deepest I have ever dug in my life. Yes age is

not my friend anymore, as I stare down my best before and expiry date more regularly. But, I

am unequivocal in my opinion that I grew tremendously during RASA.

I won’t get too religious here, however one of my colleagues during the race suggested that

he knew I my convictions may be slightly religious. That was true, however during and by the

end of RASA, I was way beyond that. There were times on my bike when no one was around,

that I cried with big tears. I shouted into the wind where nobody could hear me. I cried in my

bed. Maybe you don’t relate to the religious part, however I can assure you, at times, your

inner demons will test you beyond measure. If you succumb as many do, as was put to me

by an experienced and podium finisher RASA participant and blogger as I have stated before,

you are possibly normal. (Not judging their personal reasons!) But overcoming those

demons stretches and expands you to new limits. Remember the sayings, you cannot grow

in your comfort zone, and challenge your limits, don’t let your limits challenge you.

The growth I have experienced during RASA is something I could not have imagined. The

growth and bonding my family experienced leaves me speechless. I won’t bore you with the

details, but I can promise you, each and every RASA participant knows what I am talking

about. Not one will challenge my opinion.

So, in closing, I have new limits. Limits I never knew and probably most other people I know,

share the same opinion. They asked why I am doing this. Are you mad? Are you stupid? Have

you forgotten your age? Why? Why, why, why…? You will possibly endure the same

questions, but if like me you have a little rat inside you that needs to be fed with adventure

and adrenalin every now and again, I suggest you strongly check in and see if you really

know your limits? As Nelson Mandela said, “It is impossible until it is done”

(And by the way, does anyone know of a decent rat poison that will sort this rat inside me

out for ever!)

Chasing a Moment - a Freedom Circuit Story by Llewellyn Lloyd

Chasing a Moment is a short film following Adrian Saffy as he takes on the 700km Freedom Circuit. The Freedom Circuit is a self-supported bikepacking race in the Drakensberg mountains of South Africa. 

Riders have 120 hours to complete the exceptionally challenging route. There are 5 checkpoints along the way which riders must visit whilst using GPS to navigate through the harsh terrain including cattle tracks, jeep tracks, gravel roads and foot paths. A truly African MTB experience. 

The soul of mountain biking. Not for the feint hearted.

 More info: www.freedomcircuit.com 

 Film by: Llewellyn Lloyd //Reblex Photography

Freedom Circuit 700km Recce Ride by: Chris Fisher

In February 2021 we test rode the new Freedom Circuit 700km bike-packing route in the Drakensberg , South Africa. This was a reconnaissance ride for the inaugural Freedom Circuit 400km/700km semi-supported bike-packing race taking place 27-30 April 2021. 

We were trying to simulate the average rider experience and the 700km ride took us 100 hours to complete with a little more sleep than you might afford yourself if racing. 

More info : www.freedomcircuit.com 

Special thanks to Carlo Gonzaga for 'first person footage' and Francios Van Vuuren for drone footage. 

Edited by Chris Fisher.

In search of freedom by: Carlo Gonzaga

In February 2021 I got to be part of small four-person team, led by race director Chris Fisher, that did a reconnaissance of the race route for the inaugural edition of the Freedom Circuit scheduled for April.  

Words: Carlo Gonzaga

Good photos: Llewellyn Loyd/Reblex Photography 

Bad photos: Riders

“Kuphi isipaza? Kuphi isipaza!?”  Warm greetings aside this will be the most often asked question of locals during the inaugural Freedom Circuit bike packing race scheduled for April 2021.   This begs the question, ‘why do I need to know the whereabout of a shop for a bike race?’

The last 20 years has seen South African main-stream mountain biking culture grow up on a diet of multi-day stage races.  These are world class events where a riders’ every need is catered for.  I’ve seen inflatable swimming pools and pizza ovens in locations so remote I could barely get my bicycle there.  Riding ranged from damn hard to easy, and almost always on well-maintained routes and tracks.  Stage race fatigue birthed gravel riding events and its favourite tool, the gravel bike.  These events are similarly well organised:  manned waterpoints; 100% ridable routes and large fields.  Great camaraderie and a real test of pure lower limb horsepower.  Given the relatively fast riding speeds and numerous support stations, 100mile (160km) and 150mile (240km) events are within reach of average riders.  

The Freedom Circuit is none of these events. 
 
The Call
I got the call from Chris Fisher in January asking me if I wanted to do a reconnaissance ride of the race route in February.  My reply was simple – “count me in… for whatever”.  

Read full report here…