The Freedom Challenge
Battered Riders Battle On
News Release / 01.07.2009
Freedom Challenge extreme triathlete, Andrew Barnes took the lead from early race leader Tim James of Team Squirt riding Scott when James slowed in the Stormberg. Barnes, who started from Pietermaritzburg 4 days ahead of James, then found his progress from Willowmore through the Moordenaars Karoo towards Prince Albert slowed by driving gale-force headwinds. Worn down by the previous day of riding through the Groot Rivier Poort and up the length of the Baviaanskloof, Barnes battled to cover 90 kms of flat riding directly into the wind. After 10 hours of joy less riding he stopped for the day at the farm Rondawel. On Wednesday morning, with a slight break in the weather, he rode on into Prince Albert and up the SwartbergPass. By nightfall he was headed towards the Gamkaskloof in the Swartberg.
James, meanwhile, appears to have recovered from his difficult day in the Stormberg and has made good progress across the catchment of the GreatFishRiver. After stopping for the night at the farm Stuttgart on Tuesday he rode up into the Swaershoek before taking on the Struishoek descent and crossing into the plains of the Camdeboo. The following morning he followed the Voelrivier down to the Toekomst support station on the banks of the Darlington Dam in the Steytlerville District. He left Toekomst in the late morning. This was 5 hours later than Barnes left there 4 days earlier. It must now be seen whether James can maintain his current pace and take advantage of Barnes’s slow day out of Willowmore to wipe out Barnes’s effective 5 hour lead.
Meanwhile, further back in the field, injuries and adverse weather have caused 20% of the riders to withdraw. Those remaining are soldiering on. Mike Roy, who started riding with his bird book and binoculars, cannot have seen much birdlife in the last few days. Most sensible birds have surely sought shelter from the current cold and cloud. He is accompanied by crocodile fighter, Tim van Coller. Tim, who beat off a crocodile attack when paddling alone down the length of the Zambezi River will surely not be daunted by a bit of rain, wind, cold or snow. On Wednesday they rode slowly up the valley of the Sterkspruit River, 2 days behind the rest of the field, but savouring the experience.
Ahead of them “Two bike� Derrick Baard spent the night in the Rossouw police station whilst not-so-fat Ixopo farmer, Eric Egeland, is riding with Esti du Plessis and Andre Eksteen towards Molteno. Fiona Coward, Doug Kennaugh and Gregg Donnagh left their wool bales on the farm Gouevlei to ride through Molteno and on to the next support station at Romansfontein.
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