Early on Monday morning (18th), a local doctor will embark on a quest to cycle 2 300 km across South Africa, starting at Pietermaritzburg and ending in Wellington in the Western Cape. His challenge will be more than just a physical and mental race against time and the elements; it will also be a challenge to collect money for a local cancer charity.

Dr Casper Venter is one of the roughly 50 mountainbikers who entered for this year’s gruelling Freedom Challenge. The Freedom Challenge is considered to be one of the world’s toughest endurance events, where competitors have to find their way through valleys, cross rivers and conquer several mountains to eventually finish in the Boland, some  2 300 kilometres later. No modern navigation equipment such as handheld GPS devices are allowed and they only have maps to help find their way from one overnight point to another. They also have only 26 days in which to finish the route to claim the coveted Basotho blanket handed to all competitors who manage to finish this race.

The overnight points are roughly 100 kilometres apart and riders try and reach these before nightfall. Prior to the race, riders must pack all their extra clothes, spares, food supplements and even medication in 20 two-litre ice cream containers. These containers are then sent ahead and placed at some of the overnight stations. The riders need to carry whatever else they need on their backs or attach it to the bikes. The recordholder is Alex Harris, who finished the race in 12 days and 15 hours.

Dr Casper Venter has been preparing for the challenge for many months now. He is especially worried about the weather conditions the riders are about to encounter on the route. Last week, snow started falling in the mountainous areas and the temperature dropped to -12º Celsius at places. He has no fewer than four pairs of gloves to help protect him against the cold.

During this challenge, Dr Venter is trying to collect more than R100 000 for a local cancer charity, the Makhado Care Group. Several businesses and individuals have already agreed to sponsor him for every kilometre he completes. “This will motivate me and help me to carry on and reach the finish line,” said Casper last week.

The Zoutpansberger has also created a web page where readers can follow his progress. The address is www.zoutpansberger.co.za/node/freedomchallenge, or simply follow the link from the Home Page. The page has a map that will indicate his latest position tracked. All riders have a Netstar tracking device that transmits co-ordinates at certain intervals. Dr Venter will also upload pictures and comments, which will be displayed here. Alternatively, readers can visit his blog site at www.freedomchallenge2012.com.

Individuals or businesses who want to sponsor him can contact members of the Makhado Care Group or call him at (015) 516 4871.