Freedom Trail Podcast

There may be less dots out there on Freedom Challenge 2026, four after today, but what a year it's been.With Tim Deane surging out of Vuvu to do Lahana's pass at night and keeping his lead, and then needing to chase down Franco Olivier's time to Diemersfontein.As always, Freedom reminds us that this race has never only been about who gets home first. Sometimes the most powerful finish line stories are from the other end of the field. In this case, not measured in days and hours, but in years of showing up, digging deep, and refusing to let go of a dream.This year, John Bowen captivated us all. Eleven years of belief, seven attempts, setbacks, freezing nights, lessons, and unfinished business. And finally, a permanent number 366.John's Freedom journey became something bigger than one rider chasing a personal goal. The entire Freedom family got behind him, and in those last nights on the trail, Riana's timestamps indicating John's safe arrival at support stations were daunting.Donations pouring into the scholarship fund, turning everyone's support of John into something lasting. R60,000. One student's entire high school career has been sponsored It is a beautiful reminder of what this community really is. Yes, we race hard, but we care deeply too.Tonight, we celebrate the winner, the finishers, those that didn't make the full route, and all who make part of this remarkable 2026 freedom story.I'm Julia Fisher, and this is the Freedom Trail Podcast, proudly delivered to you by Igmi's Express.Riders featured:Tim DeaneBrett RightfordSchalk BurgerCraig BosenbergRon RutlandTara BaumAndrew WalkerClaude UngeGill GraafJohn GraafPhilip ErasmusTilla UysJohn BowenSpecial Guest: David Waddilove

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. 

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

One of the remarkable things about the Freedom Challenge is that although it looks like a bike race on the surface, it so often becomes something so much bigger. Spend enough time on or spectating the trail, and you'll begin to realize that there are lessons riders learn out there that rarely stay on the trail. They spill into life. Because in many ways, the Freedom Challenge is a condensed version of life itself. There are moments of joy and flow where everything feels possible. The road opens beautifully before you. There are moments of struggle when progress feels painfully slow. Every step forward has to be purposeful and demands great effort. And there are moments that test us most, the moments we never planned for. Mechanical failures, injury, illness, weather, circumstances beyond our control. Sometimes despite all the preparation, determination, and heart in the world, the journey doesn't unfold the way we hoped, and what might be one of the hardest lessons of all is having to withdraw. Not everything is ours to control, but what always remains ours is how we respond. Today we appreciate that there's great courage in showing up, committing, and getting to the start line. Every rider who arrives at the start line steps willingly into uncertainty. They expose themselves to the possibility of triumph, yes, but also of failure, discomfort, disappointment, and uncertainty. And perhaps that is exactly where the magic lies. Growth rarely happens inside certainty. It happens when we risk falling, when we dare greatly, when we choose to start despite not knowing how the story will end. Just like life And perhaps that helps to explain why one of the very special things that we see on Freedom is the number of family members that ride together, and why so many riders return year after year. The fathers return to the trail, bringing their sons or daughters to share something that is difficult to explain and to share something that is so difficult to explain in words. Because when you know, you know. The lessons the trail teaches cannot simply be told, they have to be lived. You cannot describe hardship, the beauty, the exhaustion, the quiet moments of clarity. But until you've stood on the top of Lehannes Pass, until you've felt physically empty and somehow kept going, you don't truly understand it. Somewhere out there between the struggle and the stillness lies something profound, something capable of shaping character, deepening the connection, and teaching lessons that last a lifetime. Today we hear from trail legend Alex Harris, Gavin Horton, Carlo, and a very special guest. Let's not delay in hearing firsthand from the riders. This is Julia Fischer on the Freedom Trail podcast, proudly delivered to you by Igmi's ExpressRiders featured:Franco OlivierJohn BarrowRoger Fuller-GoodEmma LombardAlex HarrisTim DeaneSteve BurnettGill GraafNigel PayneGavin HortonCarlo GonzagaRon Smith (Rocket Ron)

In carrying on the theme of what makes Freedom what it is, we are gonna hear from Mike Woolnough. He is permanent race number 16, and he has done over 20 Freedom Challenge events. He has guided multiple Freedom Challenge meanders, thank you, Mike. From a distance, the Freedom Challenge appears to be about riding bikes across our country. Distances measured, elevation accumulated. Riders leaving in small groups with the goal and desire of rolling around the dam in Diemersfontein to feel the earned weight of a blanket across their shoulders. That's the visible part. What's less visible, at least initially, is the community it has spawned over the years. Not just riders, but the wider circle that gathers around the event. The hospitality of communities, accommodation providers, and farmers opening their doors at all hours, day and night. Families, friends, dot watchers, and volunteers, people who may never ride a single kilometer of the route, yet feel deeply connected to the event. Evidenced by message groups that pulse day and night for weeks at a time when the race is alive. In the normal course of life, communities form around convenience, shared geography, shared profession, shared background, shared interests. This one forms around something less tangible. The community is unique. Thank you, Mike. We'll hear more from him at the end of this episode. We had Race to Paarl starting this morning and lots of rider updates to share with you. This is Julia Fisher on the Freedom Trail podcast, proudly delivered to you by Igmi's Express.Riders Featured:Mike WoolnoughDevlin FoggTrevor WhiteFranco OlivierRene Horn from BucklandsAndrew Walker, Claude Unge and Tara BaumGreg FisherAndrew Purnell John Barrow and Roger Fuller-GoodCraig BosenbergMargaret Opperman from ElandsbergTim DeaneLeon Erasmus