Freedom Trail Podcast

In this episode Steve Burnett and Mike Roy talk to Gill and John Graaf after they made the hardest choice.THE HARDEST CHOICEHow 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 for the very first Freedom Circuit. We have helped run a support station and done some Buffalo Herding. We’re confident with navigation and riding in the dark and potential bad weather. We have been dot-watchers for years. We knew it was going to be hard on an extreme level. We knew that it was realistically going to take us around 24 days. Every day is hard or even harder and long. There’s quite a lot of muttering about life choices at some point every day. There’s another monstrous climb or rocky portage. It’s cold and  dark and there’s an icy wind blowing when the day starts that doesn’t really go away. You’ve been wearing dirty, damp, smelly clothes for 3 days. Your feet are constantly cold and wet. You will make it to the next support station. It’s welcoming and dry and warm and comforting. Things don’t seem so bad, you had a good day, saw beautiful landscapes, remote untouched valleys, rivers and streams, encountered beautiful people and you can go another day. Routines are easier, bike admin, body admin, eat, sleep, ride. The weather has been really kind. It is cold, the odd short rain shower, no snow, mostly sunny.The sunrises and sunsets are glorious. It’s magnificently beautiful out there at the moment. The Karoo is so green. The aloes are blooming, millions of wildflowers everywhere. You can hear the bees and birds and the fynbos is a fragrant sensory overload. An aardwolf crossed the road in front of you. There was a dawn chorus of lions roaring at the safari camp. 

In this episode of the Freedom Trail Podcast, Steve Burnett, one of the great storytellers and long-time students of the Freedom Challenge, unpacks this year’s race and explore how the event has evolved over the years.

Franco Olivier arrived at the Freedom Challenge ready to take on the trail alongside his adventure partner, Clare walker but unfortunately her race was cut short due to injury.Suddenly riding solo, Franco was set loose on the Freedom Trail and made the most of the opportunity. His strong portaging and impressive efficiency meant that when he was on the move, he moved exceptionally well. Riding strong, steady and smart, he reeled in an impressive 15 day, 8 hour finish, leaving him in the clubhouse leader position for now.In this episode, Freedom Fundi Steve Burnett chats to Franco about his race.

We all know how important the mental game is when it comes to endurance challenges.Greg Fisher, who completed both Race Across South Africa and the full Freedom Challenge this year, shares five mental tips and tricks he used to help make it such a successful year on the Freedom Trail for him. They helped in get through the tougher stuff and were very useful in helping ensure things didn't get beyond his capacity.From channeling Batman, or Mike Woolnough to "constantly navigating", Greg gives us a fascinating insight into the mental tools that kept him moving forward when things got tough.In preparation for anything difficult, the mental game is always a big part of it, hopefully this can help you navigate and keep moving forwards through the highs, lows, doubts and dark patches of ultra-endurance racing, or life in general.Listen in to get the full scope.

Steven Burnett (Race No. 35) sits down with Rooi Buffel Mike Roy to unpack the tactics, strategy, and unfolding race dynamics of the 2026 Freedom Challenge.Can Tim overhaul Franco Olivier's benchmark time from the second batch while chasing from the racing batch? What will it take?And how is John Bowen positioning himself as he closes in on Diemersfontein?Join the conversation as they break down the key battles, pivotal decisions, and what to watch for as the race unfolds.

 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.Riders Featured:Franco OlivierDevlin FoggMark BaselWayne CampbellGreg FisherTim DeanePlease support the communities from the Gamkaskloof and the Baviaanskloof and they work hard to restore their road, their lifeline. For Supporting Gamkaskloof click hereFor supporting Baviaanskloof click here