Low down on the Lingo

Race favourites

Day 2 - full season fatigue

Day 4 - French and grapevines

Day 5 - Corrugations and headwinds

Day 6 - Cokegate or not, perhaps!

Day 7 - it's heating up

Thought on yesterday's activities

Day 9 - chocolates and scorpions

Did you Spot it?

Matching the rainbow nation that is South Africa, the local lingo derives it's origins from the many languages that are spoken - eleven offical languages and numerous other dialicts. Getting into 'local mode' is not a key requirement for being a bikepacker, but it will make someone smile.

> __Howzit__ my __Bru__. Don’t hit a __donga__ while you are in a __dwaal__.

  - __Howzit__ - how is it (going)?
  - My __Bru__ - my good buddy.
  - __Donga__ - a large washed away area in soil or on gravel roads.
  - __Dwaal__ - seriously away with the fairies.

We should __woema__. I don’t want to meet a __tokoloshi__ in the __gramadoelas__.

- __Woema__ - get going in a hurry.
- __Tokoloshi__ - a fabled character always up to mischief. Think ‘puncture fairy’ as an equivalent. Putting your bed on bricks is meant to keep them at bay.
- __Gramadoelas__ - far away in the deep bush.

__Eish__! There are way too many __googa’s__ in the __veld__!

- __Eish!__ - an exclamation, used often. “Eish, I’m late”.
- __Googa__ - insects and creepy crawlies.
- __Veld__ - the bush.

My __chommie__, do you want to find a stoep to sleep on __now-now__ or __just-now__?

- __Chommie__ - best buddy who you spend plenty of time with you.
- __Stoep__ - veranda.
- __Now-now__ and __Just-now__ - you’re on African time, so timings are not precise. ‘Now-now’ is sooner than ‘just-now’ but exactly when it is, is anyone’s guess. 

__Chips__! Those __slap-chips__ are hot. You can have some of my __chips__ while you wait.

- __Chips__! Not the ones you eat. It’s a warning - used instead of careful or watch out. But chips can also be something you eat. __Chips__ are actually crisps, if you want french fries then you’ll need to ask for __slap-chips__ (pronounced slup) - direct translation is floppy-chips. Glad we got that cleared up. 

## Some local insight
A race largely taking in the gravel roads of south west South Africa and into Namibia will see riders encountering many gogga’s, watching out for dongas in the dark hours, while scouting for a good stoep from a friendly farmer. And there will be plenty of gramadoelas between them and the finish-line. 

If racers aren’t carrying any bricks along, the chances of the tokoloshi’s causing trouble could be high. And if the tokoloshi’s don’t get them, the thorns certainly will. They’re not called ‘Devil Thorns’ for nothing. Hard tyres and plenty of tyre sealant will be needed to keep those tyres rolling with air in them. While they deal a nasty blow to tyres, dropping a little water on the leaf and rubbing it will make a soap to wash your hands after fixing a puncture. What nature takes with one hand it gives back with the other. 

Semi-arid desert runs up the west coast leading into sandy deserts in Namibia. Heat and wind will feel like riding into a hairdryer all day. While the prevailing winds are southerlies, offering a tailwind, the winds are strong and a headwind will be brutal. Blowing across a flat sea to the left or a flat land to the right, the winds are unencumbered by much in this part of the world. 

Food is a bikepacker’s pleasure with all sorts of dried foods that carry well, from dried sausage (droerwors), dried fish (bokkoms), dried meat (biltong), to dried fruits and dried worms. If you can eat it, it’s been cured and dried, making it last a long time, condensing it for light travel. But that means it needs extra water with consumption.

Water will be a key element in this part of the world. It’s not easy to find fresh streams to pick up water along the way. If you do, it will need serious filtering as the rivers are muddy.  With animals grazing along them and rural communities without sanitation services, the rivers carry all sorts of microscopic critters ready to play havoc on the stomach. The wise racer would carry some serious water purification tabs as an insurance plan. 

Sun and heat stroke are also a risk factor. Southern Hemisphere sun is brutal, burning to a crisp (not chip!) happens really quickly and if the breeze off the cold Benguela current, which runs up the west coast, offers any respite from the heat, being caught out forgetting the sunscreen will turn riders bright red in a matter of a few hours. 

Night time fog can roll in off the cold sea overnight, while night-time temperatures can drop dramatically in the desert, riders will need to take enough clothing for the cold as well as needing something to keep the cold and wet off them when sleeping. The chances of rain are slim, but the fog can deal a pretty good dampening while sleeping. Probably a good idea to also have a bug net to sleep under. I’d also recommend sleeping in their shoes, a pair of warm shoes offers a good shelter to all sorts of nasty critters. Shaking a shoe out in the morning can reveal things like scorpions. Forget Snakes on Planes, it’s Snakes in Sleeping Bags out there.

These critters don’t mess around, some are quite deadly too. 

Without further a-dew, lets wish the riders a safe race and undisturbed sleep.

Humba Kahle. (Go well).

# DotReporter
Your DotReporter for the race is me - *__Peta McSharry__* - longtime bikepacker and bikepacking coach. I grew up in Southern Africa, lived in Cape Town for a few years and know all about Devil Thorns and biking in the Cape Town headwinds.

You can follow me on Instagram where I'll post up in *Stories* when a new article hits the internet.

[Peta McSharry Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/)


What the Rhino Run lacks in numbers, it makes up in quality. Coming later in the bikepacking season and after a delayed launch of two years, it’s attracted a good field of racers. 

32 racers are lined up for the long route, while three take on the shorter route. 

The short route forms the first part of the race, weaving inland from the coast between Plettenburg Bay to Stellenbosch. 

Nipping the southern end of the Little Karoo - a semi-arid dessert - the route heads west where a likely cross wind will buffet riders. Undulating terrain will deliver riders to the crest of the plateau where the vinelands of Stellenbosch will meet the riders. On a clear day, the view of Table Mountain in the distance will be the only obstacle between them and the wild Atlantic Ocean. 

The route weaves through small towns, affording the riders a chance to stock up more regularly. Once they turn north, services will start diminishing the further north they go. 

Sheep and Ostriches are most likely encountered in the Klein Karoo, while the sheep won’t chase you, the Ostriches most certainly will.

Hoping to bring some stats to this article, I gave up trying to work out how many total wins the field have in previous races, lets just say it’s a lot. There’s also an abundance of experience in remote, dry conditions, with a few Race to the Rock veterans, some Altas Mountain Racers and Silk Roaders. 

Local racer __Kevin Benkenstein__ should have the distinct advantage of being a local but also having done the Race to the Rock. But if you’re a betting person, it’s going to be a hard call for odds on this race.

## Favourites 
Sofiane Sehili
Sarah Hammond
Josh Ibbett
Abdullah Zeinab
Angus Young
Peter Wasswa
Florance Nakaggwa 

![Sofiane Sehili](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2feFXc8cbYLRdVYtwhZUZo/15b0ddeba8a3124c45896bab23e8eb58/Screenshot_2022-10-21_at_11.25.53.png)
It’s hard to look past __Sofiane Sehili__ for the win, even when he says he’s tired. Experience in hot, remote conditions and with the ability to sing his way out of even the worst situation, those competing will need to pull a rabbit out the hat to defeat Sofiane.

![Sarah Hammond](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/12cdEU90PIcz8mAwXZ8xGm/fac1a95efb18f30e5c647594bd524f94/Screenshot_2022-10-21_at_11.28.13.png)
Remote, hot and planning for limited services and watering holes is right up __Sarah Hammond__’s street. Touted as the winner of a race no man has finished, she was the sole finisher of the inaugural Race to the Rock. This is her terrain!

![Josh Ibbett](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/24z86tyiuBD1hsEN6zecwJ/97bb4cbc80cf65ebcc3876c94d1c78cd/Screenshot_2022-10-21_at_11.29.38.png)
Fresh off the Altas Mountain Race and no doubt heat adapted, if __Josh Ibbett__ has recovered enough in the short time between the races, he’ll be one to keep an eye on.

![Abdullah Zeinab](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2fUzWDUOZ2G2CZrBisy3wL/fc974ea41e884ddfe2b42ede14f10f69/Screenshot_2022-10-21_at_11.31.31.png)
While not featuring in as many races as others on the favourite list, it would be foolish to leave __Abdullah Zeinab__ off the list. Taking the win in the 2018 India Pacific Wheel Race he followed this up with the 2019 Transam win, taking 10 hours off the record. He’s made a few attempts at the 24 hour record and his last attempt clocked up 904km’s - short of Christoph Strauser’s 1,026.2km record, but still an eye watering distance.

![Angus Young](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4MNQVTAxfie8Tvib7YUg4i/badcd8042e7d8c8496d9f12482fc3894/Screenshot_2022-10-21_at_11.38.49.png)
Blasting onto the scene from triathlon, __Angus Young__ nabbed the 2021 Pan Celtic Race and was on record pace for the GBDuro before his race was terminated by the organisers for taking a wheel from the side of the road. Competing in winter triathlons and taking his win in the notoriously fickle British weather leaves the question of how he’ll adapt to the severe heat. But it would be foolish to discount him from the top contenders given he completed the FKT on the European Divide just over 9 weeks ago. If he's sharpened up his speed after complete that huge 'base of training', everyone else should watch out.

![Peter Wasswa](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7btwS3PJ9GNkRDLpR3mO2S/dffbd9e27586a91cb6725dd52ada4740/Screenshot_2022-10-21_at_11.43.08.png)
With temperatures never dropping below 17°C and climbing well above 35°C, the Namibian heat won’t be too much of a problem for Peter Wasswa from Uganda. Clocking up over 19,000km already this year and racing with fellow Ugandian Paul Kato in the Migration Gravel Race, he is a strong rider with both distance and off-road terrain in his tool box. Plus his kit is by far my favourite - those colours rock!

![Women of Rhino Run](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/32XkVUIUR4HAxO4GPU31Wl/d24cab8d7463872ebc747ccc2b3e00d3/IMG_7707.jpg)
While Florance Nakaggwa is towered over by all the other racers, this little pocket rocket is my insider bet for a good place in the race. A look into the Zwift races she competes in shows some great power numbers, even though her stats are hidden from view - I can see some very good numbers in what is available to view. While the terrain doesn’t have a huge amount of climbing where her power-to-weight ratio would shine, I would put Florance down as a very aerodynamic rider who is able to conserve power and energy by punching a small hole in the air. She’ll get to conserve this for later in the race where, potentially, there may be some headwinds challenging the racers.

Scrolling through the start list shows plenty of well know faces, many with previous podium places, this could be anyone’s race. As a first edition race there is no historical info to draw upon, so who knows what type of set up or racer could win. But one thing is for sure - it’s going to be very exciting to watch backed up by some pretty spectular scenery.

Lets also keep in our thoughts Team Amani racers - Florence, Peter and Paul - who recently lost one of their team, Sule Kangangi, in a crash in the Vermont Overland gravel race.

The entry fee for the Rhino Run goes towards supporting the Masaka Cycling Club and the development of Team Amani riders [Masaka Cycling Club](https://www.masakacyclingclub.com)

As a last note, Lael Wilcox was pinned for a race start, but I saw on social media her wife was down with the flu, so we won’t get to she her cheerful-self on this addition of the race. 

# DotReporter
Your DotReporter for the race is me - *__Peta McSharry__* - longtime bikepacker and bikepacking coach. I grew up in Southern Africa, lived in Cape Town for a few years and know all about Devil Thorns and biking in the Cape Town headwinds.

You can follow me on Instagram where I'll post up in *Stories* when a new article hits the internet.

[Peta McSharry Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/)

All photos from racers' Instagram pages, with feature photo from Sophie Potter and Adrien Liechti.

Taking an early lead, __Abdullah__ was trailed closely by __Kevin ‘Benky’ Benkenfield__. While it will take a day or two for the riders to settle in to the race and hopefully start jostling for positions, it gives us the chance to take a look at some of the other riders in the field.

Hailing from Italy and no stranger to ultras, __Dario Valsesia__ came to bikepacking from an ultra-running background. I first met him on the 2015 Paris Brest Paris and our racing paths didn’t cross until this years Tour Divide where I recognised the Map of the USA with the TransAm route tattooed on one of this calves - they’re quiet substantial to hold a map that detailed. TransAm, TransContinental, NorthCape4000, Paris Brest Paris, Iditarod (a few times), Tour Divide - to mention a few. Dario is not new to bikepacking, but lurking in the midpack leaves him off the radar of many Dotwatchers. 

[Dario Valsesia](https://www.instagram.com/icemanexplorer/)

![Dario](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2ODY6Ra4zUV2s0qcOeRfUc/e66f4c4ef49062f93b83022dd2555d2f/Screenshot_2022-10-22_at_09.15.26.png)

Local Cape Town rider __Jono Both__ comes from an ultra-running background. Jono hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2017, where he met his wife Briony and got into trail running on his return. He onlystarted cycling in lockdown, albeit with a good backing of ultra running and found his groove with the gravel scene. This will be his first big bike packing event but obviously he’s had a lot of mini adventures and he’s raced a lot of the local gravel races. He squeezes in all the fun he can around his day job! (words from Briony).

Jono has been holding up well towards the front of the race and with his background in ultra-running, he should have a good feeding strategy - as they say this is an eating competition on two wheels.

[Jono Botha](https://www.instagram.com/jonobotha/)

![Jono](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3VIwknMN7XqAwqaUJBOhcs/cfa9123d71eee5978811bee99a28f88f/Screenshot_2022-10-22_at_09.17.48.png)

__April Drage__ has been around bikes her whole life, most in the utility form, before a poster on a wall in a Netherlands bike shop inspired her to take on a 10 bike adventure. The post was from a trail near her home in Adelaide, Australia. A bike, tent and starry sky started her journey into bikepacking, where the pandemic scuppered her plans for a big adventure, the fortune of having the Race to the Rock start in Adelaide during the pandemic brought her a finish in her first bikepacking race. What a race to initiate someone into bikepacking races. April is holding strong in the early part of the race, keeping pace with fellow Race to the Rocker __Sarah Hammond__ and is currently ahead by a few kilometers.

[April Drage](https://www.instagram.com/aprilawol/)

It’s good to see __Bagoly Levente__ holding pace midfield. He reported as being under the weather at the start of the race, so hopefully he’s on the mend and can pull back some places as things improve.
![Bagoly](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6kAATTHtQlqGQaSTHH3Aec/4bf366b2ca93f046271cbf606bf51066/Screenshot_2022-10-22_at_09.13.19.png)

__Florance Nakkagwa’s__ tracker shows her still just outside George, it’s been stationary at a supermarket for 16 hours, we can assume this is a tracking issue and not that she’s still filling up with supplies.

__Sofiane__ is stopped in Riverside, off the track somewhat, there’s a great bakery in Riverside, but I fear the Frenchmen is headed for the large supermarket rather than testing the quality of the South Africa croissants. 

__Steve Halligan__ - you’ll remember his from his third place on this years Silk Road Mountain race - is holding pace with Josh Ibbett, they’re ahead of Sofiane but are trailing of the pace of Abdullah by 80km after just over a day of racing. 

Ugandan’s __Peter and Paul__ (no fly away jokes here please) are holding pace with each other, keeping ahead of Josh and Steve. Benky has dropped off the pace of Abdullah, if he’s gone too deep on day one to hold onto Abdullah’s wheel, he could pay for this later in the race. Jimmy Ashby is mid way between Benky and the Ugandan men.

# DotReporter
Your DotReporter for the race is me - *__Peta McSharry__* - longtime bikepacker and bikepacking coach. I grew up in Southern Africa, lived in Cape Town for a few years and know all about Devil Thorns and biking in the Cape Town headwinds.

You can follow me on Instagram where I'll post up in *Stories* when a new article hits the internet.

[Peta McSharry Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/)

All photos from racers' Instagram pages, with feature photo from __Adrien Liechti__, showing the fog or low cloud.


Day 1 - Rhino Run

We’ve been given the opportunity to see first hand how much a race can take out of a rider. With this late season race drawing in racers who have taken part in more substantial events prior to this, the accumulation of fatigue is showing us the reality of the races. While physical fatigue is easy enough to spot, mental fatigue is less so.

Mental resilience is more than 50% of a bikepacking race, once the head goes the legs aren’t going anywhere in a hurray or anywhere at all. It’s easy to take an antibiotic for an infected toenail, but there ain’t any antibiotic for the brain. Clicking down a notch is what Sofiane is doing as he experiences the mental fatigue from winning two demanding off-road races, both with some gruelling aspects: Tour Divide for it’s unseasonal and challenging weather conditions; and Silk Road Mountain Race where he came into the race under the weather and clawed back his lead. James Hayden didn’t give him an easy win, coming within four minutes of Sofiane towards the end. Max Riese was also on Silk Road Mountain Race and will be suffering some of the late season mental fatigue too.  

South Africa delivers some spectacular views and talking to Sofiane, here’s what he has to say about his decision to switch from racing up front to fast-touring (which for most of us would be full gas). I am paraphrasing his voicemail to me.

He found the course, once he took the decision to switch to fast-touring, much easier to digest and with the beauty around and the incredibly friendly and helpful locals, taking a slower pace allows him to appreciate these aspects of the race. He’s hoping to finish within 11 days, giving him time to catch his flight home. He sounded very upbeat and in no way did it appear that he’d give up. The daylight hours are relatively short compared to the summer Continental races, leaving around 10 hours to cycle without the need for lights. Sofiane is riding as much during the day, then refuelling and getting a longer night's sleep than normal. The off-season is a key time to rest and recharge for the following year, so it’s no surprise mental fatigue can catch out those we always expect to be at the front.

Talking of the front of the race. Abdullah and Benky are playing a game of leap-frog as the lead changes between the two. The route is pretty rough, with large rocks and rough surfaces, add in the additional dark hours and it’s inevitable something will ding a rim. As Abdullah found out. A slight ding in the rim makes it harder to seat a tubeless tyre into the rim where it can form a seal and hold in air. A rider will try and maintain a tubeless setup, this is preferable to putting in an inner-tube, which is at risk of a pinch-puncture. An aluminium rim is a little easier to hammer back into shape, while a carbon rim does not lend itself to any additional force once it’s damaged - which is what Abdullah looks like he is riding. This mechanical and a 45 minute break left him trailing Benky, but he made up the time and the two are exchanging places on a regular basis. 

Behind Steve Halligan and Josh Ibbett, both also coming off big races earlier in the year, they are holding 4th and 5th place respectively, behind Australian Jimmy Ashby. Steve you’ll remember from chasing hard on the tail of Sofiane and James Hayden in Silk Road Mountain Race. With more time to recover, Steve may hold the advantage over Josh, fresh off the Altas Mountain Race. It will be an interesting race to observe between the two.
[Steve Halligan](https://www.instagram.com/halligan.steve/)
[Josh Ibbett](https://www.instagram.com/joshibbett/)

Florence, as predicted, was suffering tracker issues, and popped up doing the same pace as her fellow country men, Paul Kato and Peter Wasswa, putting her in the lead for the women and currently holding joint 6th place as the Ugandan’s hold a similar pace overground.

Jono Both, who is doing his first bikepacking race holds onto 9th position, just ahead of Sofiane and Max Riese, who also comes off a Silk Road Mountain Race finish and is reporting some late season fatigue as well, but he's share enough to spot the warning signs for Leopards. 
[Max Riese](https://www.instagram.com/kleinerriese/)
![Max Riese](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4yO3xQyPaCLjhpJPFyoIc4/f09caa043618b312f64b4acacfbf5c57/Screenshot_2022-10-23_at_19.14.33.png)

April Drage is in 12th position and second lady overall, while strong contender, Sarah Hammond, scratched. It looked like she was suffering with lung issues and the dust roads were adding to the strain on her lungs. 

So far four riders have scratched, all from Australia - changing time zones and travelling for the first time in a while, being exposed to flights and different bugs, could explain the high dropout from down under. 

Our favourite moustached bikepacker is taking the opportunity to soak up the South African hospitality with the French Renault 4 adventurer and mechanic, Sophie Potter. Sporting, by far, the most exciting and vibrant kit between the both of them, they are also in contention for some of the best footage of the race too. 
[Adrien Liechti](https://www.instagram.com/adrien__liechti/)
[Sophie Potter](https://www.instagram.com/potter.sophie/)

## Rider of the Day
### Peter Maritz
Hailing from the east coast town of Balito, a very humid and hot climate. The terrain around Balito is very hilly, so the Rhino Run should feel relatively tame and with a dry heat in the semi-desert, even higher temperatures than in Balito should not hinder Peter too much. While his postings on Instagram are relatively few, he’s got some good races under his belt, so I’d expect to see him make it over the finish-line if the tokoloshi doesn’t cause any trouble.

[Peter Maritz](https://www.instagram.com/maritz.peter/)
![Peter Maritz](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4qELxegGylyoTWAQaMUN1J/292af47c61fd15718295d2e796c67162/Screenshot_2022-10-23_at_19.22.00.png)

# DotReporter
Your DotReporter for the race is me - *__Peta McSharry__* - longtime bikepacker and bikepacking coach. I grew up in Southern Africa, lived in Cape Town for a few years and know all about Devil Thorns and biking in the Cape Town headwinds.

You can follow me on Instagram where I'll post up in *Stories* when a new article hits the internet.

[Peta McSharry Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/)

All photos from racers' Instagram pages, with feature photo from __Adrien Liechti__, showing the fog or low cloud.

It’s heartwarming to experience the Dotwatching community spirit but more crucially to know they keep me honest. Yesterday I reported that __Max Riese__ could be fatigued from the Silk Road Mountain Race (SRMR) this year, thanks to __Don Pasquale__ for contacting me to advise Max did TCR this year. He did SRMR last year. My confusion came about because Max reached out to me while I was doing the SRMR coverage with some great insight into the race, the terrain and what riders would be feeling. Wonderful input which always brings a different aspect to the commentary.

![Don](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3EB07kGIINcXGFiQ17EpGe/e6454db414c5500e634d4db7e41339de/IMG_7762.jpg)

Bikes and bike setup is always interesting to observe and without anyone doing a ‘Bikes of the Rhino Run’ allowing me to do some quick research, I’ve been checking out the different set ups riders have brought to the race. Two of the key aspects of the race will be the distances between supplies and the heat as riders head north.

Most riders have gone for half frame bags, with a two bottle set up in the frame and one bottle under the down tube. A few are running 4 bottles, with the potential to put extra bottles in their jersey pockets and feedbags. Some are carrying hydration vests. __Max Riese__ holds 4 bottles on his bike for normal conditions and holds the potential for 7 bottles. Well that was until the saddle unit broke, leaving him with only 5 bottles. He’s resourceful, so no doubt he’ll make a plan. Sofiane is running 3 bottles, but also has a bladder and a fold-flat bottle to add to his volume of water for the later parts of the race. __Sofiane__ reported that there were additional services in between those highlighted by the organisers, so it may not be as big an issue as I first thought. There is always the option to divert off the route a little to a town bypassed in the race. 

The predictable and strong Cape Winds are giving the riders a some help with __Sofiane__ reporting good tail winds so far. He and Max have turned north and still have some favourable winds. Unlike the mountains where winds can change direction throughout the day, the winds here will blow in the same direction for a good few days. A large weather system is sitting south of Cape Town, driving winds up the west coast where those already heading north will face tail and cross winds as the route zig-zags north. A system coming in from the east will see a headwind start to develop towards Windhoek by Wednesday. The leaders are knocking out around 400km per day, with 1,500km left until the finish, they’ll be arriving as the wind turns south while those trailing may face a stronger head wind if the weather system continues to build in the area. I’m not sure how much the race will be affected by the sea breeze, but given the large difference in heat between the desert and ocean, I might expect a sea breeze to impact part of the course where it deviates west towards the ocean. Wind will blow on-shore in the morning where the sea is warmer than the earth and then switches to blow off-shore as the temperatures head up. You can generally note when this happens as the air changes direction and you get hit by a line of insects riding the wind out to sea - well it’s not like they have a choice, they go where the wind takes them. 

__Sofiane and Max__ found themselves riding a similar pace and ended up in the same towns at the end of the day, so they’ve bunked up together to share the costs of hotels, with Sofiane usually arriving a half hour before Max. One of the harder aspects of the race is the solitude, especially when there are few towns on route. I noticed this on Tour Divide and it got me thinking about the front of the race where someone like Sofiane can take an early lead and never see another rider for the entire race. Once you’re in no-mans-land, as many of the faster races tend to find themselves, getting some social time on a race is great for restoring some mental fortitude. I think we can say after Tour Divide, SRMR and TCR, a little social time on an end of year race is just what Max and Sofiane deserve. Riders in the mid-field all bunch up, share hotels and ride together for days on end with anyone worrying too much about them. The winners are held to a higher standard, so it’s nice to see them getting to enjoy some of the aspects of the mere-mortals, thought I suspect still at a fast pace.

__Josh Ibbett__ reported that the fatigue from Atlas Mountain Race is still with him. He’s going to take a longer break tonight to see if it resolves the fatigue. He can’t dilly dally as he has a flight to catch. At this level riders can push through the fatigue, they may not have the top end speed they have when fully recovered, but they can still push on through long hours on the bike to make their target finish time. So I doubt we’ll see Josh drop off the pace too much. 

Further back __Elodie Du Prez__, getting back into the race-scene  this year after deciding to stop early on the Race Around Rwanda to return to a busy schedule that hampered her race efforts.  She’s taken the wise decision to enjoy the route and save her energy for making it to the finish. Who can blame her when the scenery is so rewarding. She’s managing a knee-niggle, so let’s hope that doesn’t hamper her efforts. 

![Elodie](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1gNJNgo23NUNLgjpJiKLsr/9bb47f9376cc47b55c6db1b8ee3eb600/IMG_7752.jpg)

Tomorrow an update from Sophie Potter and Adrien Liechti will be posted up, it was just a bit too late for me to write up tonight.

# DotReporter
Your DotReporter for the race is me - *__Peta McSharry__* - longtime bikepacker and bikepacking coach. I grew up in Southern Africa, lived in Cape Town for a few years and know all about Devil Thorns and biking in the Cape Town headwinds.

You can follow me on Instagram where I'll post up in *Stories* when a new article hits the internet.

[Peta McSharry Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/)

All photos from racers' Instagram pages, with feature photo from __Bagoly Levente__.


Day 3 - community spirit

If you speak French then wine and vines are intertwined into your DNA. So it was an assumption on my part that __Sophie Potter__ (from France) and __Adrien Liechti__ (from French Speaking Switzerland - which has some great wines), would be setting up camp in the vineyards just beyond Franschoek. A huge region for South African wines, but less known than the world famous Stellenbosch valley, Franschoek is a quaint and beautiful region less visited than areas closer to Cape Town. The vines are just coming out of winter, so there’s no sneaking a cheeky midnight snack off the vines overhead. It turns out the trackers mislead me and, after chatting to them, they’ve been staying in accommodation along the way. What France has in miles and miles of vineyards, South Africa competes in the length of their snakes. It’s not unusual, if you live there, to see a 2 metre python slithering along the road, it’s not an everyday occurrence, but you would spot one now and again. 

![Vines](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4E6sA6BGh5hEB9OEzASmFy/710eed4d8133776f32294b519e5f621d/IMG_7766.jpg)

So to find one on the race is pretty special, as Sophie did on day 2. From the video it looked around 1.5m to 2m long. The males can weigh up to 44km and around 4.25m long, while the females are a bit more beefy weighing 55kg and 5m long. Pythons don’t have venom glands but can inflect a nasty bite. They feed on things like cane rats, hares, monkeys and the large ones can swallow very large prey but then they’re immobile for a while and vulnerable to attack. They ambush their prey and then squeeze them to death before swallowing them whole. So I can see how Sofie and Adrien took to indoor shelter. Of course, it also allows them time to get better recovery and there’ll be time to sleep under the stars when services are less frequent. With limited light pollution, the stars dangle just above your bivvy or tent, temptingly close to try and reach out to grab one. So I’d definitely recommend one night under the stars.

South African accents are quite gruff, so it was wonderful to hear the French softness of pronouncing some of the Town names. My Favourite was Ceres. They are heading towards Clanwilliam and will see if they make it into town for another night under a roof or press on and bivvy in the wild. 

__Sophie__ reported the people along the way have been exceptionally friendly and are very curious about the bikes with bags. It’s unusual to see touring cyclists in some of these areas, usually if would be day trippers from the metropole areas. Keeping a stomach happy on a long bike race can some times be a little tricky and find the right fuel can also be a little harder. South Africa have small supermarkets that are well stocked and they have longer opening hours than one would find ion the continent. A firm favourite so far for Sophie are the sandwiches from Spar, nothing exciting, but easy enough to digest. There was a section on the main road on day 2, around 200km of tarmac, the race went on smaller roads but also a very busy main road. It must come as quiet a shock going from the French roads where drivers are obliged to give riders space to being passed by a car doing 130kph not bothering to move into the other lane. It was a part of the race Sophie says was a little scary. But they onto the northern part of the race, so should find the smaller roads a little quieter again.

![Monkeys](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1z4rzTHarLfU7keaXRComJ/84eae7a3a08d96aab8cdb4e99cdcb260/IMG_7768.jpg)

If you’re racing at the front, there is definitely no time for stop for a beer. But in fast-touring mode beers are a welcome rehydration item when you kick your feet up at the end of the day. I have it on good authority that this is a first for __Sofiane__ to get a beer in on a race. Let’s hope that’s not the cause of the stomach issues. Perhaps I should have mentioned the beer in South Africa. It is harmless at night, but kicks you in the head in the morning. Beer fermentation is accelerated by chemical means to increase production and the mass produced ones can leave you with a mean headache in the morning, even if you don’t over consume them.

I thought the ‘best shirt’ of the competition was already a done deal, but the corner of a shirt in one photo has made me reevaluate the contenders. I’m waiting on some proper photographic evidence before I put the nominees to the vote. Keep an eye on out and cast your vote. 

# DotReporter
Your DotReporter for the race is me - *__Peta McSharry__* - longtime bikepacker and bikepacking coach. I grew up in Southern Africa, lived in Cape Town for a few years and know all about Devil Thorns and biking in the Cape Town headwinds.

You can follow me on Instagram where I'll post up in *Stories* when a new article hits the internet.

[Peta McSharry Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/)

All photos from racers' Instagram pages, with feature photo from __Adrien Liechti__.


These teeth chattering, bum pounding features of dirt roads are found the world over. While no grading system is applied, as they do in Skiing, some are worse than others. Is it a black run or can you grade it as a blue?

Lets try grade them (European Ski Run classification):

Black run:
Corrugations reach across the width of the road, leaving no edge to find a smooth surface. The corrugations are wider and deeper, meaning the bike dips and bounces out, even at maximum effort. Sand on the shoulders is possible.

Blue run:
Smooth edges on the road side, or down the centre strip, leaving you with a smooth surface to ride. Corrugations are shallow and closer together, allowing you to surf over the top even at a slow speed.  No soft sand piling up.
![More corrugations](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5a56XLcPerBj6CV4aDjlVw/532c8ac2a0970d0b1be66201dbd0056b/IMG_7799.jpg)
My first encounter with a ‘Black Run’ was off Check Point 1 of the 2018 Silk Road Mountain Race. A descent of around 30km after a brutal climb to the Son Kul Lake, I was looking forward to it immensely. A teeth chattering hour later, I felt like I’d ridden down the longest corrugated roof in the world. 

Like the cobbles of Paris Roubaix (first hand experience of these too), riders will find the thinest strip of smooth surface to avoid the pounding of those cobbles. It’s how I found myself in a two up team time trial, in the gutter on the aerobars descending some of the roads on Silk Road Mountain Race. Sometimes you just have to go fullgas and trust the bike under you. Gravity helps and a headwind hinders.

Which is where the riders find themselves at the moment, riding corrugations into a heavy headwind on the flat. In the last few days, posts of corrugated roads are showing up on riders feeds. They stretch as far as the eye can see. With experience of both Silk Road and Rhino Run corrugations, I asked Sofiane which were worst. By far those on Silk Road, he replied. The ones the riders encounter on the Rhino Run are more of the Blue Run type, with a smooth surface away from the corrugations. Riders may need to switch back and forth between the sides and centre of the road to find the smoothest surface, or to avoid piles of soft sand but at least there is some relief from the pounding. But not from the wind. Update just in from Sofiane, the roads are starting to deteriorate and there’s an increasing amount of sand on the roads. This will put riders back onto the corrugations more if there is a hard-pack surface to ride on, if not it’s going to be slow going and riders may want to take more air out their tyres to increase the surface area, making it easier to ride in the soft sand. 

Bagoly reported a head wind - as I thought from looking at the weather earlier in the week - it’s not a gusting wind, but a constant driving headwind. Also most famously known as the ‘Invisible Climb’. Belgian rider Elodie Deprez will know that all too well. She also has an advantage of understanding the road signs and one of the official languages in South Africa. Afrikaans derives its origins from the Dutch, when the Dutch East India Company started up a supply station in Cape Town. As they say, the rest is history. While the language may have come from the Netherlands, its modern day version is more close to Flemish and someone speaking Afrikaans is more likely to understand Flemish than Dutch and vice versa. Those Belgian beers also give you a good kicking, so perhaps they’ve more in common that you think.

Not much has changed at the front of the race. The leading pair are still neck and neck and appear to be quite relaxed, even taking a joint bike service just over the border in Namibia. They’re entering Windhoek Lager territory, a more gentle style of beer, perhaps coming from the Germanic folk who settled in the region, where you’re bound to hear some German spoken. I mean who can drink whole litres of their local beer and still be standing afterwards. Not the Belgians, that’s for sure. Could we be in for a sprint finish at the end, or do one of the leaders have a sneaky ace up their sleeves.

While on the topic of corrugations, one could ask - which is the best bike for the route? Max Riese loves his MTB for this course, Sofiane is really happy with his gravel bike, and I can probably interpret Bagoly’s experience on the Lauf, as I ride the Lauf Fork. Sofiane is running a special seat post, that takes the vibrations out of the saddle, while Max’s MTB and the Lauf will take the vibrations out of the handlebars. But which really is the best bike for the job? The one you have with you. There’s always walking if the bike or the skills are lacking and a little walk is good for the soul, the ass and the hands. Besides the best way to deal with the rough stuff on this race is to just take a little air out of the tyres (if you’re brave enough to risk the thorn punctures).

Dario Valsesia messaged to say he's stopping in Stellenbosch. He posted a photo of a large pyton crossing the road, but I don't think that was the cause for him to stop. 

![Python](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/24IkpmowqMa31aCRH906BV/ce9289e58016f539547d300b7da9b705/C9E2BE7D-CDFE-4A40-A1A9-CF6D559B7A56.JPG)

# DotReporter
Your DotReporter for the race is me - *__Peta McSharry__* - longtime bikepacker and bikepacking coach. I grew up in Southern Africa, lived in Cape Town for a few years and know all about Devil Thorns and biking in the Cape Town headwinds.

You can follow me on Instagram where I'll post up in *Stories* when a new article hits the internet.

[Peta McSharry Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/)

All photos from racers' Instagram pages, with feature photo from __Steve Halligan_.


Rules are rules! Or are they?

As growth in bikepacking races increases and races are run year after year, a style of applying the rules varies from race to race. Some apply to rules to the letter, as in 'Cokegate' on the TCR this year, where novice bikepacker and winner of the TCR, but no stranger to ultra-racing - Christoph Strasser - faced the Spanish Inquisition at the end of the race, needing to provide evidence that the assumed rule infringement was an act of human kindness rather than giving a rider an advantage by helping out. Thankfully is was an act of kindness and Christoph could claim the victory without penalty for shouting fellow racer, Ulrich Bartholomoes, a coke earlier in the race, when his credit card didn't work. Ulrich had just resupplied and genuinely didn't need the coke.

Balance that with the Hope1000, where in 2020 Jochen Böhringer, who was leading the race, broke his bike after crashing into a car. He completed the final leg on a borrowed bike - rim brakes and all. Without penality - I think the retro-bike was pentalty enough - he claimed victory. As is was possibly safer to not continue on a broken bike and thus might not be a real rule infringement. But you get the point.

As races progress, their characteristic-application of rules come to the fore, either strict and to the letter of the rules, or more laissez faire. Normally races take a few years before they need to show their colours on the application of the rules, but the Rhino Run may not have that luxury.

A potential rule infringement was reported to us from a rider on the course, suggesting we look into it. A few more notifications from those following the race have added weight to us doing a little evaluation. Before we do let’s lay some groundwork first. The race rules are always a good place to start:

![rule 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5L5ZS2Bs7SMXD1OMWUXnpl/687908ce50224b3956faa227a56af1c2/IMG_7839_2.jpg)

![Rule 5](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2x4WhE2P4KHw9SZodesB3y/f12c53bfb182c3188502ab3361eabf25/IMG_7846.jpg)

![rule 4](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7tNsqlnA0frrekxLTv9Gde/ccbfac77b470387dcc55aaf49e6b1663/IMG_7847.jpg)

So the rules are pretty clear, easy to understand language, not super long and convoluted. Nice.

In essence riders must stick to the route 100%, returning to the point they left the route no matter what the reason for leaving the route. If trackers are not recording a riders location for longer durations on the race, riders need to provide evidence they stuck to the course. A GPX file would be a 100% proof of the course taken and the time the rider covered the period the tracker isn’t recording. This is useful as you can then compare the time other riders took over the same sector where the rider wasn’t tracking. Photos aren’t recorded as frequently, but with data stamping, proof of time at a junction would be useful to make similar calculations as the GPX file.

## Race Rules
A quick refresher of the organisers race rules before we get to the infringement details.

The rules state the rider will be notified at the end of the race about the infringement, thus providing them the opportunity to present any evidence. This means the race organiser does not mentally imped the rider while they are out on the course. These races are tough as it is, so being whacked mentally with a potential infringement notice may alter the race in it’s own right and should the rider be innocent of the infringement, then their race has been tampered with by outside influence. Therefore, we don’t expect any notice from the organisers until after the race concludes.

## The reported ‘Alleged infringement’.
The section highlighted to us was between Bergsig and Steinkop. The course route is 56km via a gravel road, the suggested alternative taken was the N7 between the two towns, a 46km section via tarmac.

Sector Start
![Sector Comparison start](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/23aG8KSeg0sbZTsaomMzR0/b8cb0b6bf81d4fae851598d3d9c25091/Bersig_start.png)

Sector Finish
![Sector finish](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1DELRsvivibdNIxYVHXMaD/7b12d3edf8b4a27740416bd94cbde859/Steinkop_end.png)

Sector disputed
![Disputed sector](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1Ci7LF1J1E6bKK8fjGPgky/76efdeea94a4a1fabf84b1136c37e248/Disputed_sector_new.png)

Sector Analysis
![Excel comparison](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5NqGyAU4aujEVB4iycLmPS/d291bc96c80755ce5b6be4d3e99bb144/Infringement_comparison.png)

This is what we are seeing on the tracker page. The trackers were switched off for both riders, Paul Kato and Peter Wasswa, for this sector, so we can’t verify where they cycled. This would be up to the organisers to verify using the methods they highlighted in their rules. The trackers for these riders have, for the most part, been switched on for the duration of the race, bar one or two times post sleep where the’ve forgotten to turn them on.

![Rule 3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/afcQqopK3Kg8iWQi1ccIU/00f7f4f3662398a2060c89400149506c/IMG_7848.jpg)

Contrast this with Florance Nakkagwa who looks like she keeps forgetting to turn her tracker on after she’s taken a break - easy enough to do with everything else going on in the race. As a female rider, the tendency to switch off the tracker when sleeping is higher from a safety perspective, so this may be less common in the mens field. But no doubt the organisers, who specially notified riders not to do anything to bring their race into disrepute, may also want to follow this rule themselves and thus may also want validation for the sections where the tracker was not switched on, as this covers significant parts of the course.

![Not switching on tracker](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2UAu1CS65UsaupWKLVk5Hc/67e19f43dfbfb6cfd3571146fbd2073e/Screenshot_2022-10-27_at_12.17.46.png)

## Developing the sport
The organisers have brought in the development riders and are supporting them via the race entry fees. Thus, it puts them between a rock and a hard place. Grant leniency to the development riders, giving them a GC ranking even if the rules were not adhered to or apply the rules across the board. The former condones the rule breaking, doing a disservice to those they are meant to help. Apply the rules fairly and feel guilty for reprimanding those you are bringing into the sport. It is not an easy position to face. By not applying the rules fairly the organisers face two options - keep the rules as they are and face the wrath of those wanting to race according to the rules advertised and to race fairly, or consider changing the rules to a less strict system to allow developement riders the opportunity to cut their teeth in a development race. 

![Rule of integrity](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3I5uWfOH24wCIKgGKHVtX9/b73780c859b2753f7a58aaba4dd19dcd/IMG_7850.jpg)

In conclusion, the application of the rules is the prerogative of the race organiser, what this does for the wider community is give an indication of the style of race. Riders looking to compete in a fair environment where the rules are applied and applied evenly across the board, can judge whether it’s a race they want to do if integrity is essential. While this may not appeal to everyone, others may want to take on a race where the rules are a little more lax and they don’t need to fear a ‘Cokegate’ incident and if someone bends the rules and comes in ahead of them, that’s ok. It’s a growing sport and without a governing body, organisers can do as they please. However, a rider signs up to a race expecting the organisers to apply the rules they’ve advertised, so it is a bit of a Catch-22.

An addendum. Many Dotwatchers are noting the twins, Paul Kato and Peter Wasswa, who have riden together for the duration of the race, even though there are no pairs category in the race. It is understood one of the twins is illiterate and thus the race organisers are allowing them to ride together given they are their development riders. A fairer approach for the riders would be to have advertised this upfront rather than leaving the riders facing critisism from those following the race. Where this leaves the rules and the General Classification is anyones guess. 

# DotReporter
Your DotReporter for the race is me - *__Peta McSharry__* - longtime bikepacker and bikepacking coach. I grew up in Southern Africa, lived in Cape Town for a few years and know all about Devil Thorns and biking in the Cape Town headwinds.

You can follow me on Instagram where I'll post up in *Stories* when a new article hits the internet.

[Peta McSharry Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/)

Apologies I can't remember where I nabbed the featured photo from. Let me know if was yours and I'll update the article.


It’s hotting up out there. Temperatures appear to be much higher than the weather forecasts are suggesting. A cycle computer can show a higher temperature than it actually is as the enclosed box sits in the sun, but that won’t stop it playing with a riders mental state. Compound that with the accumulated hours in the heat adding in the heat generated by their muscles, it’s going to feel pretty uncomfortable out there. The further north the riders go, the less vegetation is available, little shade available means stopping for any reason takes away the only thing keeping a rider cool - the wind - even if it feels like hairdryer it still offers a little relief from the heat. Road signs will be a welcome relief, offering up some shade.

![signs of shade](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3ru2VC0hTiMLpR7JU1SFlu/160dd3de54937e03d2e656bd6f86e00a/IMG_7899.jpg)
Signs of Shade!

Weather app predicts 34°C in Windhoek, with a real feel of 36°C and shade offering only 33°C. UV is very high, winds are predicted to be North Westerlies, making it a cross head wind of 13kpm but with gusts up to 40kph. With so much sand, there are chances of being sand blasted in the gusts. Down in the valley where the riders spend much of their time in Namibia, will be much hotter. The valley sits around 700-800m above sea level, while Windhoek is at 1,700m above sea level. Riders face an alpine style climb up to the escarpment where the race finishes in the Capital of Windhoek. The higher altitude gives Windhoek a cooler climate than down in the valleys.

Looking at the photos and just how barren it looks, it is unlikely the riders will encounter any coastal fog, which offers up water to plants and animals and you’d see signs of life along the way. So far it is not showing much in the way of any form of life along side the road. The route follows the edge of the large sand dunes that make Namibia famous, what comes with that are roads covered in sand, even if they are tarmac. It looks like riders won’t get to see the crazy Welwitscia plant, a giant green ‘Octopus’ that only ever produces two leathery leaves, they are split into several strands by the strong winds in the region. 

[Welwitschia plant](https://www.namibian.com.na/149087/archive-read/Welwitschia-%28Welwitschia-mirabilis%29-Part-1)

Upfront things are heating up too. With services very limited, riders will be stopping at the same places, giving them the opportunity to eye out the competition to see how they are looking but also the emotional support found when meeting other riders on route. This often happens further into the race, where riders are travelling at a similar pace. How much of a mental boost this is relative to a pair riding the whole way together is not something that’s been studied, but from personal experience just seeing someone who you can share a moment with is a huge relief. 

__Benky__ looks like he is marginally faster than __Abdullah__ on the climbs, while Abdullah looks faster on the descents. Abdullah took a longer rest at the 500km to go point and his stops after that were a little longer. If he’s using the stops to recharge before the final push to the finish, then we’re likely to see him stop less towards the end. This leaves a question for Benky to answer, can his strategy to rest less towards the end pay off by staying ahead of Abdullah. There is 1,000m elevation gain to the escarpment, giving Benky the slight climbing advantage over Adbullah. The course drags slightly uphill before a descent into the finish-line. An opportunity to make up any loss to Benky on the climb. What every happens, it will be exciting as neither rider seems willing to give up the battle for the first over the line.

Just behind, __Steve Halligan__ moved ahead of __Jimmy Ashby__ into 3rd spot, he's  been holding 3rd spot for sometime. Steve held his distance to the leading riders, suggesting Jimmy lost pace on the leaders and is drifting back through the field and is now riding with the Amani pairing who are followed closely by Sofiane and Max. Sofiane made up ground on the short cut taken by the Amani pair - he reported back saying he’d not seen their tracks in the sandy road to Steinkop, so assumed they must have taken the tarmac road.  His loss of two hours on the pair were made up when the __Amani team__ were held up at the border for 1.5 hours, arranging visas which could only be obtained through an airport. The group of Amani twins, __Sofiane__, __Max__ and Jimmy are riding within a few kilometres of each other. The Amani pair are strong on the climbs, riding away from those with them. Unfortunately, it looks like they’ve made a navigational error, taking the tarmac road heading east out of Khaubeb, rather than the road north east out of town. They’ve posted up screen grabs of their group chat, so I guess it’s ok to say someone will, no doubt, alert them to the fact they have gone wrong. Navigation on these races takes some experience and you have to hope that the software you’ve used to transfer the route to your device is showing the correct route.

I don’t think anyone will forget the 2016 TransAm Bike Race, where Sarah Hammond was leading the race. A wrong turn lead her off-course by a 100km or so. She chased hard to make up the lost time but the race lead was gone and she went on to finish 6th. Let’s hope the Amani guys realise sooner rather than later as there is no shortcut back onto the route where they are headed. It’s a circuitous route to get back on track.

Update: a rider alerted me that the Amani rider was clocked at 77kph on their tracker - that sounds like one of the riders may have suffered a mechanical and they have jumped in a vehicle to go and get a repair done. Let’s see where they pop out at the end of this - back to where they left the track hopefully. If not then serious questions will start to be asked and some are already being asked - with the trackers of these riders being switched off more often than compared to other riders in the field it’s hard to know what’s happening. Riders on the ground are getting a little annoyed and are messaging to ask what’s going on - I don’t have an answer to this, but hopefully the organisers are able to verify their ride by other means and can placate fellow racers through their verification process and make it transparent to those taking part.

![by car](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2XVpYZK1ZnBL3GOKwhJ3EJ/166b1307e9371f0241aabaf61b95d062/IMG_7920.jpg)

## Best shirt of the race

Pre-race photos indicated this could be a hotly contested competition, but alas the contenders were reduced to just one rider, when the race kit came out at the start. This does not diminish the award by any means as the shirt may just become the unofficial shirt of the race. It also is a good choice given the temperatures out on course. Less aero than others, but with the wafting fabric not clinging to the skin, it will no doubt feel a little cooler than the skin tight lycra of a regular cycling jersey. 

I present __Bagoly Levente__ with the coveted ‘Best Shirt’ prize. 

![Bagoly](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5YynCTxnBCv3ruuwzKs091/b0cba6c80b6bbb701992ca47a88b8fc8/IMG_7858.jpg)

## Best head gear

The heat of the South African and Namibian desert brought out the head gear, some riders seemingly pre-organised their head gear, others innovating along the way. I am gathering photo evidence to present a newly created ‘head gear’ award. More on that tomorrow.

## Lantern Rouge

The Lantern Rouge changed hands when a few riders stopped short in Stellenbosch.  Local rider, __Tim van Coller__ from George in the Western Cape (the race went through his home town), holds the cherished Lantern Rouge. He’s 150km behind the rider ahead, so if he’s able to carry it all the way to Windhoek, it will be his to take home and keep. (I'm still searching for him on Social Media - message if you can point me in the right direction).

## Rider of the Day
__Greg Birss, Australia, 53 years old__
Sneaking under the radar by not linking his race profile to his social media, we finally caught up to Greg Birss. His Insta posts are great and it looks like he’s have fun out there. If every there was a Crocodile Dundee on a bike, this would be him. Great choice of hat and he comes on a stead worthy of the terrain he is riding - the trusted Salsa Cutthroat, the choice of many a Tour Divider for good reason.
![Birss](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/73QVVZwnyVfrTqQkvAuZDz/a516436cc02ce586167bcd1f63a53e01/IMG_7911.jpg)

[Greg Birss](https://www.instagram.com/birssy/)

## Best Race Face so far

__Sophie Potter__ - you crack us up!!

![Sophie P](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/mXq2ph5P49bAPgjqPfENB/802b2591200ec94a9a674f8e44564945/IMG_7872.jpg)


Apologies for the radio silence yesterday. I’d penned an article but was waiting to hear back from the organiser and the Masaka Club before hitting the publish button. I spent the day analysing tracker data and didn’t want to hit send without comments from either party. The organisers didn’t respond, but I did receive the update from Masaka, the same one they have now published on their Instagram Page.

[Masaka Cycle Club](https://www.instagram.com/masakacyclingclub/)

It’s worth pointing out a few things, it’s pretty remote out there, phone coverage will be intermittent. Getting hold of someone can take a while, I’ve been without mobile coverage for over 12 hours in some races. It’s only when you come near a town that services kick in again and if you’ve forgotten to top up your data when you were connected to wifi, you find yourself trying to flag down drivers at midnight in the pouring rain, with your rain hood up and no one will stop to help. All they see is this crazy hooded person running around a big junction waving their hands frantically. Would you stop at midnight?

There’s a lot going on when racing, getting everything working smoothly takes experience and even then, some times things go wrong. In these conditions things can go wrong quite quickly. The biggest concern I had prior to the race start, was the large stretches without services and in the heat riders were experiencing. Dehydration was my main cause for riders to suffer and this can deteriorate rapidly into heat exhaustion, where the symptoms that show up are not what you expect - chills when it’s 40°C. Lack of salt and drinking too much water can make your skin look like there are ants running under the skin and that symptom needs urgent medical assistance.

We’ve got development riders taking on a very tough race. They’ve been thrust into the spotlight, compare this with riders who win a race and then only get into the spot light, they’ve done races prior to their win and often have been able to make their mistakes without the view public scrutinising their every move. 

The last point to make. These dots have human’s attached at the other end. Every rider is suffering out there, fatigue and heat exhaustion will be high. Neither lends itself to always making the best decisions. We’ve received an update from the team, which explains the event and I was commenting this morning that if the medical emergency was dehydration related, recovering from this is hard. At the Silk Road Mountain Race, my partner was suffering - any water he drank he threw up, I was unaware of this - just before bed I noticed the ants running under his skin. I woke him up and made him drink a double does of electrolytes as this is an early symptom of hyponatremia. I’m paranoid enough about medical emergencies, that I tend to carry a little more than is normally needed. But that one slip-up in maintaining homeostasis in the body can impact a race further down the line.

So the Club have answered our queries about the Masaka men. Let’s hope they recover well. Others have also been asking questions about Florence. I spent the day yesterday analysing the tracker data available and comparing it to other riders around her. I’ve not found any anomalies in what I was able to analyse, obviously I don’t have sleep data to be able to make a more accurate calculation, but from what I can see the data looks consistant with how I’d expect the race to flow and the varying sleeping patterns for the riders. The organisers have noted that they will look at other means of verifying the missing data.

I understand from the Club that Florence has had problems with her tracker. This can happen, not very commonly, but even in races like the TransCon, riders need to swap out a tracker. The TransCon offer this as part of their race service, but other races don’t, so there’s no way of getting a new tracker to Florence. Let’s allow her to continue on the race without harsh judgement and let the organisers verify the ride afterwards. This is, after all, a 21 year old female, riding alone in a remote area without those close to her knowing exactly where she is.

It seems rather timely that Dotwatcher have just published an article on Demystifying the Tracker, so it may be not every understands this little safety device and what all the buttons mean.

[Demystifying the tracker](https://dotwatcher.cc/feature/demystifying-the-tracker)

I’ve will have my normal race report to follow, scorpions will be involved. 

# DotReporter
Your DotReporter for the race is me - *__Peta McSharry__* - longtime bikepacker and bikepacking coach. I grew up in Southern Africa, lived in Cape Town for a few years and know all about Devil Thorns and biking in the Cape Town headwinds.

You can follow me on Instagram where I'll post up in *Stories* when a new article hits the internet.

[Peta McSharry Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/)

Peta McSharry

Rhino Run Tracking 2022: Race tracking and commentary for Rhino Run 2022 + Rhino Run describes itself as an immersive ultra-endurance expedition with a mandatory donation to the Masaka Cycling Club in Uganda. An all-star cast are set to race this inaugural event.

Rhino Run Tracking 2022

RHINO RUN TRACKING: Rhino Run describes itself as an immersive ultra-endurance expedition with a mandatory donation to the Masaka Cycling Club in Uganda. An all-star cast are set to race this inaugural event.

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