The Freedom Challenge route spans 2,150 km from Pietermaritzburg to Wellington, carrying riders across some of South Africa’s most remote, beautiful, and demanding landscapes. Along the way, they face a series of iconic sections that have become legendary in Freedom Challenge lore. Early in the race looms Lehana’s Pass, a brutal ascent that requires riders to shoulder their bikes up a steep escarpment into the highlands of Lesotho’s border country. Later, the rugged Stormberg region delivers the notorious Osseberg jeep track, often overgrown and unforgiving, demanding strength and determination just to get through. From there, the trail plunges into the vast and awe-inspiring Baviaanskloof, a World Heritage wilderness reserve where towering cliffs and river crossings test both endurance and resolve. As riders push deeper west, they confront the grandeur of the Swartberg Pass, one of South Africa’s most famous mountain passes, before dropping into the isolated valley of Gamkaskloof, known as “Die Hel.” The only way out is the steep, lung-busting Die Leer, a hike-a-bike section that epitomizes the raw challenge of the route. And finally, with the finish nearly in sight, the Freedom Challenge saves one last sting in the tail: Stettynskloof, a wild, boulder-strewn canyon that forces riders into hours of scrambling and portage, demanding every last ounce of energy and determination before they emerge into the vineyards of the Cape Winelands and the finish at Diemersfontein Wine Estate in Wellington.