How do you make the decision to stop, to call it, to accept that you are going no further. The trail is there in front of you. The pull to get on your bike and ride is like an uncontrollable force in your soul. Physically you are strong and fit. You still have the time to get there before the cut-off. We’re just ordinary riders, taking on a challenge way beyond anything we have done before. We are not new to the trail. We’ve ridden almost the entire route since we signed up

FREEDOM CHALLENGE ALLOWS US TO SEE AND EXPERIENCE THINGS THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO DREAM ABOUT. ONCE YOU HAVE RIDDEN FREEDOM CHALLENGE IT WILL DOMINATE YOUR DREAMS FOREVER. In thinking about how to describe what riding Freedom Challenge is like, I realized that the story has already been told - by Dr Seuss - so I started with some extracts from his incredible book 'Oh The Places You'll Go', then searched for more wisdom in the other 60+ books he wrote. I have ma

The last few hundred metres curve around the dam and climb through the tree line to the finish of the Race Across South Africa. Legs pump in a steady rhythm, deliberate but unhurried. No raised arms. Just a quiet easing, the race loosening its grip, pedal stroke by pedal stroke. They cross not with a shout, but with a kind of inward nod. For days and nights the trail has taken them in pieces. Endless climbs with few summits worth marking. The ever present certainty that every

“I’m not a gravel racer.” “I love the Freedom Challenge Support Stations and ice cream tubs.” “The cut-offs are too tight.” These were some of the excuses I made for myself to avoid signing up when I first heard about the inaugural Race Across South Africa (RASA), the GPS-navigated race along the Freedom Trail that would skip some of the most hectic bike-carrying portage sections. Having done the traditional Freedom Challenge event twice before, I was wary of tackling th

In 2022, as we were coming out of COVID, I took part in an ultra endurance bike “race” across South Africa. The event is a Mountain Bike...

Video by Simon Marlin of his and Trevor White's 2024 ride. Including Nick Rizzato RTR.

By Kate Jeffreson: I did not really know what to expect from RASA, being a fit but novice bike rider, this has been a steep learning ...

As per the narrative, the distance from Trouthaven to Diemersfontein is 51km. Only 51km – that is less an average coffee ride for a group...

Preamble The corrugations send ripples through my aching muscles as I roll out of Rhodes. The roadside grass, adorned with predawn frost,...

By the time you reach Prince Albert on the Freedom Challenge RASA pilgrimage, the routine of waking up long before it gets light,...

The violent gust of wind on the tin roof awoke me abruptly. I honestly thought the roof might blow away. I rolled over and looked at my...

Father and son, Craig and Connor Bosenberg are taking on the 2150km Freedom Challenge Race Across South Africa. Craig is an expat and...

Video compiled by Desi Doran from their recent Karoo Meander Ride.

The Karoo Meander last week was about riding the Freedom Trail from the Stormberg Battle site (halfway between Brosterlea and...

Diary of Tim James' reverse Freedom Trail ride before he starts RASA 2024.

Nothing hardly ever goes to plan or the way you would like it to. I wasn’t planning on doing RASA again, but as many people on this...

Eastern Cape, hosted by the Buffalo Herders Main tour 500km (seven days): Klipfontein (Stormberg) – Rietfontein (nr Hofmeyer) –...