Alex Harris – Winner of Freedom Challenge 2011

EXCLUSIVE: Interview With New Freedom Challenge Record Breaker

Alexander Harris has set a new record for what has become known as the toughest race in South Africa, the Freedom Challenge. He finished the race in a time of 12 days, 15 hours and 30 minutes. Bicycling caught up with him the morning after he crossed the finish line…

The Freedom Challenge is a 2300 km mountain bike race, non stop and unassisted, which starts in Pietermaritzburg in mid-June every year and ends in Wellington outside Cape Town. The previous record was set by Tim James in 2009 in a time of 13 days, 15 hours and 50 minutes.

Bicycling: Firstly, tell us a bit about the ride itself. Toughest thing you have ever done?

Alex Harris: Definitely the toughest thing I have ever done on the bike. The conditions were insane. The mud and freezing temperatures made it incredibly hard going but it was an amazing experience.

Bicycling: New record – how do you feel about that?
AH: It’s pretty cool. I didn’t really set out to break the record. I had a time in mind and knew that if I stuck to that I might win, so I planned my strategy around that.

Bicycling: How long have you been riding for?
AH: I’ve been involved in expeditions for 20 years. and to train for those I spend a lot of the time cycling. I have also done a lot of adventure racing over the years. I’m not really a competitive mountain biker but have been racing for about 10 years.

Bicycling: Back to the race itself, did you ride mainly on your own?
AH: I was on my own for about a week and then I caught up to Garth and Ugene eight days into the ride, at about Willowmore. We later dropped Garth and Ugene and I carried on together. Company on this race is a bitter sweet thing, but if the company is right and your strategy is the same, you can work well together. And this can be a very lonely race so the companionship was great.

Bicycling: What was your strategy going in to the race?
AH: The plan was to ride 18 hours in one stretch and then get 5 hours sleep. The problem was the conditions so I couldn’t really stick to that. In the end I was only sleeping about one-and-a-half to two hours a night. A bit mad but it’s what you have to do.

Bicycling: What bike were you riding? Did it live up to the challenge? Any mechanicals?
AH: A Giant 29er. It was dropped from fences, washed away, caked in mud. Basically it got HAMMERED. And it was still going strong at the finish. I had no major issues. My shifter broke but got that fixed, had a couple of broken valves and that’s it.

Bicycling: And the gear?
AH: I wore Cape Storm clothes, and Seal Skinz gloves and socks. Everything stood up to the challenge amazingly. I wore Oakley Jawbones with clear to black transition lenses and considering I rode a lot in the dark they were great.

Bicycling: What was the toughest part of the ride for you?
AH: Baviaankskloof – in the dark. It had been recently flooded, so it took me 6 hours to cover 10km. That was a 25hour day. It was a carnage wasteland of debris and you could have easily gotten seriously injured. Was madness.

Bicycling: Any memorable moments?
AH: Too soon to ask. There are so many and I haven’t had time to reflect on it. But having said that, one incident springs to mind. I had a really bad nose bleed at one point and so I stuck a pink Woolies soft gum in my nose to stop the bleeding. It fell out and landed on the ground. It looked like a severed finger lying there next to the fence. I was just imagining what the next rider would think when they saw that!

Bicycling: What was the hospitality like on route?
AH: Fantastic. The farmers welcome the unusual company of riders. A lot of them live in such remote areas and really put on a show. The meals were fantastic.

Bicycling: Where does that drive come from?
AH: My faith as a Christian. This is my purpose in life. To push your boundaries. The things I do are directly linked to my faith.

Bicycling: Will you do it again next year?
AH: No! I’m not allowed to. I’ve got a baby on the way. I will definitely do it again but not next year.

Bicycling: What’s your next challenge?
AH: I’m in the process of planning to cross the Arabian desert on foot. The Freedom Challenge was actually a training ride to get in to shape for the desert expedition in January next year.

Bicycling: What are you going to do today?
AH: Eat and sleep, and then eat and sleep some more.

*** inserted from bicycling.co.za : http://bicycling.co.za/articles/freedom-challenge-interview***