Race Across South Africa | Across the Generations | 11 April 2026

Mike Roy
3 days ago
5 min read

The inaugural Race Across South Africa (‘RASA”) starts in 2 days at the Oaks Hotel in the small village of Byrne near Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The 2000km race takes place on the legendary Freedom Trail and is an interesting new alternative to the long standing Freedom Challenge (‘FC”) event that has been held (and will continue to be held) on the same trail since 2004.

The differences between the two events, RASA and the FC are as follows:

- For RASA the field starts at the same time (8am on 13 April) whereas for FC the field starts are

staggered in batches over ten or so days (in June/July).

- RASA is slightly shorter (2000km v 2150km).

- The epic portages on FC do not form part of RASA which makes gravel bikes a possibility.

- GPS is permissible for RASA, not so for FC. Maps, a compass and an odometer for the latter.

- On RASA it is up to the riders to organize their own accommodation, bar at three official support

stations. In FC there are over twenty official support stations.

- No ice cream boxes in RASA. Ice cream boxes are an option in FC. If you know, you know.

The Buffalo Herders (volunteer support to Race Director Chris Fisher) are looking forward to what we think will be a somewhat different role that we will be playing during RASA. More manning and hosting riders at the three support stations and less driving through the night to arrange for bike spares and fixes for riders, who are expected to be entirely self-sufficient in RASA. Pierre Singery will be handling Kranskop, Andrew Cromhout and I will be at Bucklands. Elton Prytz will be playing a roving role and Mark Smith, all the way from Maun in Botswana will be the sweep. Tsepo Lesholu, our guy in Matatiele, will be looking after Malekonyane, as he has done for FC in the East Griqualand for so many years now. John and Gill Graaf will, as usual, be at The Oaks helping register riders and making sure that this new event gets off to a cracking start.

Chris Fisher, once he has started the field, will be in a race to get to Cape Town to greet the winner and at the same time making sure that all the constituent parts of the RASA machine are working. Julia Fisher in Cape Town, will be keeping an eye over us all whilst managing her own team of very young cyclists.

Chris alerted me to the fact that amongst the entry list were a grandfather, son and grandson trio, the van Coller. Tim van Coller (74), Brett van Coller (53) and Zach van Coller (22). I remembered Tim from 2009 when we both rode, ultimately unsuccessfully in terms of a blanket but hugely rewarding in terms of life, the 2009 Freedom Challenge event. Tim and I, together with blanket-holder Andy Masters for some of the way, had ten days or so together through the KZN section and up until and just beyond Stuttgart, a support station back in those days before the days of Newlands and Groenfontein. I remember bidding a sad goodbye to Tim just before the split in the road down to Fietskraal. My swing arm was no longer. I unfortunately missed that turn and ended up at Jakkalsfontein, a story which warrants a chapter on its own. Again, if you know you know.

Tim is tough guy. I recall him telling me about his attempt to paddle the Zambezi from source to sea. He made it through to Cahora Bassa dam in Mozambique when, somewhat unexpectedly, his canoe was taken out by crocodile. The canoe sank and Tim had to swim about 1km to get to the shore. As we cycled through the dark on one of the sections in 2009,Tim recalled the abject suspense and terror of that 1km swim, expecting at any stage to be taken out by a croc. 100m from the shore he thought his time had come when he felt a hard knock on his leg. Luckily it was only a tree stump he had bumped into. When he eventually got to the shore he just lay there for what seemed like hours, absolutely shattered, relieved that he had made it. Tim eventually made it out and I seem to recall that he returned at a later date to finish the journey. The Zambezi, source to sea. One of many similar adventures that Tim has had.

After paying his school fees in 2009, blanketless albeit walking away with a Race2Rhodes (‘RTR”) whip and a hatful of memories, Tim returned to earn his two blankets in 2011 and 2012, plus another RTR with his wife Antoinette in a subsequent year. When we chatted a few days ago I mentioned that if Tim were to attempt another FC and get his third blanket he would, at the age of 74 or 75, be the oldest finisher. “That’s interesting” he replied, “why not!”.

“Maybe another grandfather, son, grandson combo?” I suggested. “Not impossible’’ was the response. Watch this space. Tim is a laid back guy, now living in George after having lived up near Malelane on the Kruger Park boundary for many years. Probably to keep an eye on those crocodiles. His son Brett and grandson Zach will be on the Freedom Trail for the first time. Both are very competent cyclists. Brett is a successful geologist, with his firm involved in projects all over the world. He is mainly a road cyclist but was a finisher at the inaugural Gravel Burn event last year. Zach is in the cycling magazine world, tests cycling equipment and is a triathlete. The trio hope to get in under the 15 day cut-off and, if all goes well, to come in around 12-13 days. “I’m managing three or four day 150km daily training rides quite comfortably” Tim told me, so that seems like a reasonable objective.

I wish them the very best for their ride and look forward to hosting them, together with Andrew

Cromhout and Hannes and Rene Horn, at the marvelous farm of Bucklands. Great to see Tim back on the Freedom Trail after a 12 year or so gap, 17 years after he did his first event.

As the lines in the Eagles’ song “Hotel California” tell us:

“You can check out any time you like but you can never leave"

So it is with the Freedom Trail. Always riding the trail, whether in reality or in one’s dreams (sometimes nightmares) or thoughts. If you know, you know.

Best of luck to all the riders for the inaugural RASA.