2024.03.06 - The Freedom Challenge by Sandy Maytham and June Fabian

Not many cyclists take on the iconic Freedom Challenge, a 2,150 km mountain bike race across South Africa which requires proficiency in navigation, fitness, courage, and a real thirst for adventure. Even fewer finish the event, which is held mid-winter and has a completion deadline of 26 days. Sandy Maytham Bailey and June Fabian are two of the 29 people who did so last year - and we are extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to hear their story first hand at our next social on 5 March. “Every day was a challenge beyond what we expected it to be, and every day the challenges just grew bigger and bigger,” Sandy says. “There was always a sting in the tail, and there was always something out of your control - every day.” There were life and death decisions - like who should cross a river in serious flood first! In their case they decided it should be Sandy, as June was the stronger swimmer and would be more capable of rescuing her partner if she was swept away. They ended up cycling an extra 170 kms because of diversions due to other flooding rivers. The race is traditionally solo, but the two women rode it together, finished in less than 24 days, and amazingly enough are still partners and cycling together today. Contrary to what the lay person might think, neither Sandy nor June is a lifelong cyclist and both of them were in their late fifties when they took on the race, which runs from Pietermaritzburg to Wellington. Often seen as more of a pilgrimage than a competition, the scenic and geologically diverse route runs along dirt roads and tracks through seven biomes and includes six mountain ranges, national parks, nature reserves and private farms. The two trained together for just eight months, and although they raised R130,000 for post-graduate medical research, in the end it became just about starting and finishing, Sandy says.