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***

Alex Harris – Brand Ambassador !

We at Sealskinz are privileged to announce that Alex Harris, the world famous mountaineer, is a Brand Ambassador for Sealskinz products.

Alex has been climbing and mountaineering around the world since 1989 and is one of  South Africa’s most experienced and respected high altitude mountaineers.

He has led more than 25 expeditions, which have taken him to all 7 continents and to the furthest corners of the world, from the jungles of Borneo,  through the arid plains of Tibet, to the frozen wastelands of Antarctica.

In June 2005 he completed the 7 summits by conquering the highest mountain on each continent.

Alex recently won the Freedom Challenge (www.freedomchallenge.org.za) Race Across South Africa mountain bike race through some of the harshest terrain in peak Winter.

For more on Alex check out his website on www.alexharris.co.za

Ryan Redman – Brand Ambassador

Sealskinz is proud to announce Ryan Redman as a Brand Ambassador !

Ryan is an up and coming Xterra athlete who has some great achievements under his belt already , most recently being the winner of the Mudman 2010 Series.

Catch up more on this great athlete on www.redmanracing.com/ryan or follow him on Twitter  @ryanredman1985

Enjoy The Weather

At SealSkinz®, we have developed products that are not only comfortable and practical, but feature unique qualities which make them perfect for you, no matter what the activity or weather.

So go on …. Enjoy The Weather !