Day 19 - Sixteen hours to Prince Albert

Well done to Alexander Harris, winner of the 2011 Freedom Challenge and new record holder. He finished this massive journey in 12 days, 15 hours and 30 minutes. What an awesome achievement. He beat Tim James's 2009 record by 1 day and 10 minutes. Glenn Harrison also beat the previous record by completing the Freedom Challenge in 13 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes. He did this on a single speed. Imaging what he can do with gears? Paul Erasmus, a good friend of the FNB Home Loans team completed the race today in 18 days 8 hours. To them and the rest of the Freedom Challenge 2011 finishers, congrats.

I found this comment on August Carstens' blog Hike-a-Bike: "I count as friends both the FC racing snakes and the puffadders like me. When we are sitting around sipping coffee retelling our trail stories we have a common bond - a blanket The value of that only truly understood by those who have one." - Mike Woolnough

John and Albert got up at 2am in Willomore to start cycling. They hit temperatures of -7 degrees traveling to Prince Albert. Here are some of their comments:

"Lance Armstrong says he only has good days and great days. Using his classification today was definitely only a good day. 175 kms of flattish road from Willowmore to Prince Albert doesn't sound too hectic. But try it against a strong northwesterly wind. We left at 2h00 this morning and arrived in Prince Albert 16 hours later at 18h00."

"But thank goodness it over now. Another 175kms off the total means another big step towards Cape Town. Team FNB has covered 1,788km of the total route and now has only 562km left to cover in a maximum of 7 days."

"But we're not getting over excited yet" says John."There's still a lot of work to be done over the next 2 days, going over Swartberg Pass into Die Hel, followed by the following day's climb out of Die Hel via Die Leer. After that, as we head for Montagu, I think the spirits will be high".

"But it was nevertheless good to arrive in Prince Albert. One can hear in the accents that you're getting into the Western Cape. And you know you're nearing the Mother City because every odd sentence begins with "jou ma.....". Prince Albert looks good. It appears to have remodeled itself as a getaway town. A Clarens. Proof that country town can thrive through reinvention. So on to Die Hel tomorrow, but this will be a different one to the place where many of my friends will possibly go."

A tired Albert approaches Prince Albert

"This is one of the characters that makes the Freedom Challenge special. Johan Rissik, pitched up out of the blue 20kms outside Prince Albert and served us great plunger coffee. He then met us at our lodge in Prince Albert and begun servicing our bikes."

Profiles courtesy www.freedomchallenge.org.za:

Day 16 - All downhill from here, till tomorrow

The FNB Home Loans Team had to navigate some really technical downhill sections to reach Cambria this afternoon. At 101km it was certainly not an easy day.

"Today the tour headed back into the mountains to the Baviaans. Its sort of like our version of the Tour de France heading into the Pyrenees, except without drugs."

John seemed to be a bit slower on the straights, but catch up quickly with the rough stuff. Eleven river crossings later, he was leading the pack.

They are still stuck with intermittent cellphone reception, and John's MTN phone could not send through his photos of the day. Hope to receive and post them tomorrow.

"Yesterday's ride took us past our first shop since Hofmeyr"

Albert, on Vodacom, took a picture of August Carstens as he came speeding by. He doubled up and left them at the support station. Craig and Joan phone them from a couple of kilometers back. They will not make the Support Station by nightfall and decided to camp out in the bush tonight.

The plan for tomorrow is to push through to Willowmore, doubling up on pace to finish a couple of days earlier. Cold weather and strong North Westerly winds could slow them down.