I haven't posted anything about this race to the Zia Velo group or bike-racers before, but I promised the ZV people I'd try to send email updates when I can. It looks like there won't be many opportunities, but I'll at least have a post-race write up for everyone. I'll be flying Zia Velo colors for the race.
For you detail nuts: I'll be riding a 2016 Trek Stache 5 rigid (roughly 28lbs) with Maxxis Chronicle tires (7lbs pressure supporting my 168-170lb meat sack) and hope to have a 30 tooth ring pushing an 11-40 cog, using frame bags kindly loaned to me by Smokin' Ray, and a 22L Osprey Talon pack with a 100oz bladder. All together, the gear weighs just shy of 15lbs with water on board.
The terrain and climate are very similar to what we enjoy here in southern NM during winter (late May, early June is early winter in South Africa), but the temperature range for the 2016 Race to Rhodes was between 80 and 14 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on location. The first two days are fairly warm and then we head up. And up. But the overall elevation is lower than southern NM, so I'll enjoy a slight, probably illusory advantage.
The race (http://www.freedomchallenge.org.za) is self-supported with no GPS allowed, only navigation based on compass, maps, and a narrative description of the turns we're probably going to miss. There are six check-in stations, some manned, some not, each one having a 2L container of whatever we wanted, sent ahead this week. We don't need camping gear because there are bunks/showers/laundry/meals/beer/snacks available at intervals along the route. By all reports we are fed really, really well in this race.
We will be sporting SPOT trackers, so if you enjoy navigation mistakes, follow us live on the web site once the race starts. A group of four of us will be departing the start line at 6am, Sunday, May 28th from downtown Pietermaritzburg, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa (8 hours ahead of NM), expected to finish within 6 days (we have 7 days max before disqualification). Our group is: Janene Stewart (women's record holder for this leg at 3 days 11 hours, rumor has it she's slow, but doesn't sleep and doesn't stop, and the other rumor is that she's doing this as a recovery ride after the Race to Craddock, another leg of the RASA she's finishing up soon), Mark Stewart (Janene's brother), my buddy Andrew Pearson (the guy who conned me into doing this race, a story for another time), and me.
Anyway, below is one of my final Facebook updates before I leave for the race.
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T minus 14 days to departure for the 475km Race to Rhodes mountain bike race, first leg of the 2300km Race Across South Africa! I didn't post a link because the web site is down at the moment. I'll post links the SPOT tracking site before we leave the start line so everyone can see our navigation errors and laugh, and laugh.
Training: I would have to be unemployed without kids to train properly for this race, so I'm underprepared. What gives me hope is that I know I don't really know what my limits are, even after all these years. The "Last Chance" weekend ride (last weekend in April) really surprised me when our second 100km ride in a row felt really good. The race will be different, because there is a huge amount of climbing in the first couple days (approximately 18000 feet), but we'll be racing at a lower altitude. At any rate, I'm certain there's going to be a lot of survival mode pedaling and walking.
Concerns: I was recently told cell service is going to be sketchy; we're going through some pretty remote areas. This means we will be dependent on our map navigation skills a lot more than I expected. We have one group member who has done this race several times (Janene Stewart, women's record holder for this leg, 3 days 11 hours), and I hope we'll be able to keep up with her and she has the patience to hang with the rest of us.
Final thoughts: Excitement, nervousness, fears of failure to grasp the enormity of this race, they're all swirling through my head. But there's only one way to find out if you're up for a challenge, and that's to do it.