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| The toughest cycle race in South Africa has seen its 1st disqualify |
ORGANISERS if the annual Freedom Challenge
regret to announce having had to disqualify and exit from the Race to Rhodes a
rider for having a GPS with him.
Race manager Meryl Glaser told Wheels just having a GPS is clear violation of
Golden Rule #5, which states no GPSes are allowed precisely to make the cycle
race from Pietermaritzburg to Rhodes and for some to Cape Town a real challenge.
“The race director has to ensure a fair and even contest for all participants
and the only way to do so is by having one clear set of rules by which all
participants must abide. The rules clearly state that you may not have a GPS,”
said the organisers on the blog.
The other issue with the use of GPS is a more
recent development, which sees cyclists saving track files and sharing them with
other cyclists who then cycle over land without the consent of land owners.
Glaser told Wheels more than half of the Freedom Trail goes through private land
and managed conservation areas. Traversing through these areas is governed by
specific access agreements between the Freedom Challenge and the affected
parties.
She said most of the landowners require notice
of any riders and some parts of the trail are subject to seasonal closure or
only open for the challenge.
“Instances of trespassing on private land and
leaving gates open on farms are becoming more common and this puts strain on the
relations between the Freedom Challenge and the landowners, since any cyclist
seen on the trail is assumed to be a Freedom Challenge rider,” explained the
organisers.
To ensure that drivers do not bend fences or
leave gates open, the challenge this year erected many cycle bridges over
fences. Casual challenge riders have been departing in small groups for a week,
with the professional racers leaving from the City Hall at dawn on June 13.
