When you join the Freedom Challenge community, whether it be a rider or supporter, something changes And as a returning rider, it's not necessarily only the moments on the trail that draw you back, but it's almost like the life you choose is what keeps you connected.
Because when you have got that daunting goal of race to Rhodes or the Full Freedom Challenge, or even race across South Africa it is so much more adventurous than just exercising or doing a more normal sport.
It's like now your training and your lifestyle has to include adventure so you're prepared.
So now the coffee ride maybe has a bit more climbing involved and maybe you actually choose to do a, a Tiger Line and do a hike-a-bike in your training.
And it's one of the beauties of freedom is that it expands your horizons, not just in the race, but in life.
And in so many guys who come back have chose to need to prepare their bodies and their minds and their gear for this massive adventure that is so daunting that it scares you into preparing for it, and you have to prioritize that type of lifestyle that will prepare you for an adventure like this.
And we have seen quite a few riders on the trail this year coming back to complete one of these massive events, Race to Paarl, Race to Roads, or the full Freedom Challenge after a major setback of a major physical injury. Vera Reynolds just over a year ago had fractured neck, and Carlo with his pelvis and his massive injuries came back to ride a Freedom Challenge event.
So it's again using leveraging an event, a race, which can seem quite trivial and why does everyone make such a big deal about doing a race?
It's only a race. But really it's, it's a lifestyle direction. And it does give meaning to life, and it does give fulfilment in the day-to-day because your whole way you live changes when you're preparing for something like this.
And even if you're not doing Freedom that year, your mind space has been changed of having had it as part of your life before.
Like Tim says, when you do hard stuff in a pretend environment like a race, it overflows into hard stuff in the real environment of life.
And so those dot watchers who have been previous blanket wearers or have got a whip for doing Race to Rhodes previously, they still share in the drama of the race because it tops up that adventure tank that they have previously tapped into, and it keeps them connected to that lifestyle that you wanna choose of finding adventure and perhaps more fulfilment.
So it's just so cool to reflect on that and to let that resonate because just means that when we have the event and we're following these dots, we can let it mean so much more, and we can celebrate it, and we can put a ridiculous amount of, of focus and attention on this silly thing of riding your bike and doing these crazy river crossings and navigating your way through the dark because it is fun and it is trivial, and it is, it is a sport, but also it's just so much more.
Thanks for joining me on the Freedom Trail Podcast. I'm Julia Fisher, and this is proudly delivered to you by Igmi's Express.
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