You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
have pinged a friend near to KLL to see if assistance can be offered.. at least some accomm.
I was at Contin riding the puffer course yesterday and rode briefly with Mark McPhillips. I was amazed how far he'd gone so quickly and he was only in 9th! He seemed tired but in good fettle. Gutted for Andy Toop. That's a tough race that, huge respect to all even thinking about attempting it.
Alan Parkinson (not Partridge) has now scratched.
He had a crash two days ago, took a day out, it's not right so he's pulled out.
Is Brian Dawson out? Looks like he is passed Strathpeffer so off route and heading home?
Cheering on Iona......she's a legend even to have just started given that she mashed her ankle up earlier in the year and was off the bike for weeks. GO IONA!!!!!!!!!!! HUGE respect for her.
Think Bryan is out Sanny.
Message via Ken at 7.30 this morning. Conditions/weather proving tough...
Was going well too.
Phil Simcock is a machine!
Confirmed scratch for Bryan Dawson.
I reckon that's 15 of 36 "scratched" so far (though some have shortened the route).
I bumped into Ian Barrington yesterday lunchtime just past Garve (I was on my way to Torridon and saw he was about to pass). He was feeling very tired, not having had much sleep in the bothy on account of arriving late and everyone else getting up early. He had planned a wee bivi in the woods but the midge were horrendous.
I think the fastest guys are getting the best of the weather too. It was drier in the more northerly reaches yesterday and better way out west today
Confirmed scratch for Michael Gruenert
I can confirm the presence of midgies.
From Michael:
[i]I am out, definitly. I am sitting in the train back to Tyndrum. Hope to get there in the evening.
The why question? If I am starting in a race like this I expect to male some progess. First day 100 mies in almost 15 hours. Yesterday 60 miles in just abtut 10 hours in real nasty weather. Fitness for my personal level was quite good. But maybe not good enough for this countless boggy sections. I've got the notion I was more pushing my bike than riding it. And I don't expect any improvement for the next days. My deepest respect all those who are going to finish the race under those really bad conditions.
Michael Gruenert[/i]
Maybe Markus made the right decision to stop half a mile short of Melgarve bothy then! I didn't know if he knew it was there or not, could see the cluster of dots of other people staying in it.
It's pissing down here on the east coast at the moment.
If it's like that over west, the misery quotient will be high...
Very interesting to see how slow Phil was going through the Fisherfield traverse. Does not bode well for others... Got a text from Alan G, it's been raining all day on the top loop as well.
There's a big climb from Strath na Sealga to the high point of the Fisherfield traverse, can't imagine anyone climbing it under any conditions, and the lower section looked like it could be VERY wet if the river was high.
Plus the Strath itself of course, at least one high river crossing and maybe lots of extra saturated bog in between? Lucky guys! (and girl..) 8)
Been there last year 🙂 It's a big push.
I knew Phil Simcock before he was famous 😀
He is smashing it at the moment (as those who know him knew he would), but everyone out there doing it is utterly bonkers and as hard as nails.
Seriously. Awesomeness all over the live tracking website.
(Go Phil. Woo!)
I'm very glad I missed out on a place in this madness now 😯
It's finally dried up here and is a fairly fine evening. Forecast is much better tomorrow for the hardcore still in it.
I missed it because there were 67 iirc entered. From that, 36 started, now down to 21 by the looks of it.
Just getting round this course at all withint the alloted time is a major achievement.
Next year..
IB (Iain Barrington?) appears to have found the Suileag Bothy! 😀
Iona Evans has leapt along the course? Tracker problems? Or have I not been paying attention?
[quote=13thfloormonk ]IB (Iain Barrington?) appears to have found the Suileag Bothy! Midge-free I hope.
Her Tracker has been playing up - or she has it set in a poor position.Iona Evans has leapt along the course? Tracker problems? Or have I not been paying attention?
Mark McPhillips has called it in Ullapool. Weather and riding for 36 hours straight have taken their toll.
Off to bed, I'll update with any more dropouts in the morning.
Go Hutchy! Hope his hands and wrists don't play up and go numb like after the Puffer. Absolutely flying.
martinxyz - Member
Go Hutchy! Hope his hands and wrists don't play up and go numb like after the Puffer. Absolutely flying.
I reckon everything will be numb by now.
Colin is probably wishing he'd done it now. 🙂
Keith looks like he's doing well, but doesn't seem to have started yet this morning.
I wonder if they have the thick morning mist over there as well.
Colin isn't wishing he'd done it, though he's wishing he had the mental fortitude to be able to do it!
Looks like we have three folk with navigation errors this morning. Markus is off down the wrong descent and it'll be heart breaking when he realises. Craig has missed a turn onto some singletrack into Achmelvich and Gunther seems to have turned onto the northbound route at Oykel Bridge (though it looks like he made a mistake in the same place on the way north too). I feel like shouting through the screen at them 🙂
Ahh the joys of watching sleep deprived people try to read a GPS screen 🙂
So, this morning Neil Evans has scratched. He had a bad day on the bike yesterday and is still feeling s**tty so he is out and touring back south under his own speed.
Another scratch from Martin Rutherford:
[i]That's me dropped out - well, I dropped out yesterday but have only just got home now.
I made it to Fort Augustus on Sunday afternoon and headed along the Great Glen, but my knee blew up (not literally). Having had this before I reckoned I'd better head back for Tyndrum rather than push further north. Followed the return route from Fort Augustus - spinning slowly was bearable but I couldn't get any power through my knee - will see what warranty I have in place for it.[/i]
Markus has turned around and is correcting his navigational error.
He could have dropped something, it's happened to me before. Leaving a wallet on a rock in the middle of nowhere...it'll be there, but it is a pain in the ass.
He had taken a wrong turning and headed off down the wrong track. He's back on route now.
Scratch update:
Steve Large is out, knees are gone and he is going to ride back on the road. All well otherwise.
Is it just me or does the tracker website show Phil Simcock going quite a way off route as he makes his way down the west coast?
Not sure if its a glitch in the tracker system or something else wierd
Gutted to say that Ian Barrington from Wildcat is scratching from the HT550 with an inflamed Achilles tendon.
Is it just me or does the tracker website show Phil Simcock going quite a way off route as he makes his way down the west coast?Not sure if its a glitch in the tracker system or something else wierd
It's possibly you. He's on route to Dornie where I'm looking at him
hey greg, do a rewind, 10pm through 1am. Phil Simcock looks way off route to me too. If that isnt a tracker error that will be gutting.
I really hope its an error with the tracking and not a navigational error. It would be awful!
don't know how these trackers / plotters work but that's just a straight line error? couldn't cover that ground at that speed in the dark...
There are no actual plots in between Poolewe and Torridon YH, just an after the event interpolation..
madness - the though of doing 5 or 6 BB200's back to back makes me feel odd 😳
madness - the though of doing 5 or 6 BB200's back to back makes me feel odd 😳
after making it 149 miles into the Welsh c2c before scratching due to weather (but no bugs / beasties), I have soooooooo much respect for these dudes!
would love to say next year but I think a big audax style event beckons first!
Looking at the track again it seems to be very much a straight line, going directly across ridgelines etc, rather than round them. There then seems to be a pause before continuing along the correct route. This may add weight to it being a tracking glitch
At "lochinver larder" with alasdair at the moment. Weather now fabulous sun and gentle breeze. Feel good slept like a baby at wee old lady b+b near kylesku , she even washed and dried my clothes!
The SPOT sometimes has a habit of dropping signal. If (When) they do it will just update and ping the next time it does, then the mapping tool just draws a straight line. Image below will give an idea, going South to North, my SPOT dropped out near the top then gave big gaps:
[img] 
[/img]
Thus you get straight lines. Phil will have to send a GPX anyway to make sure the route completion is a real one. I don't doubt it is.
Nikk and I met up again today - at the pie shop in Lochinver now just refuelling for the afternoon.
The top loop was brutal yesterday - hoping to get to Ullapool today for my weekly wash.
Scratch Update:
Martin Rutherford has scratched with Knee issues.
Nothing but massive respect for all you peeps still out there, the weather's been brutal the last few days. Hopefully it'll ease up a bit for you all!! 8)
Yeah, the course the tracker has sent to the map is bonkers. I'm pretty sure that if I was expecting a nice road section down Loch Maree I'd have turned back before making an ascent of Liathach across it's summit ridge. Mind you, having seen the effort that's been put in so far....
love this. bonkers.
love this. bonkers.
Wait till next month. Then the big one starts the [url= http://trackleaders.com/tourdivide14 ]Tour Divide[/url]. I was supposed to be there this year, but am not due to too many things.
The TD is very different to HT550, less technical, but much -much -much longer days in the saddle.
Phil is about to hit one of the steepest pushes in the race -then into some of the best riding in the race as well. It looked like this last year:
[img] 
[/img]
Who knew that watching dots move slowly across Scotland could be so compulsive?
Just had an email from Rich... apparently the weather is lovely, but this could just be in comparison to yesterday. No mention of sore knees so I think he mmust have sold them on eBay.
I know he is checking in on this thread occasionally, as are others. I guess that they could all do with words of encouragement at this stage. So for the stubborn sods at the back.
Rich - doing well for a grumpy old man. Minipips wants to follow in your pedal strokes.
IONA - what an incredible effort. Keep it up girl.
Markus - what has possesed you to do it with one gear????
do****cher - Member
Who knew that watching dots move slowly across Scotland could be so compulsive?...
It's compulsive all right. Stayed up late watching the crawling dots, then up early to watch them. And in between I dreamt I was doing it - woke up exhausted.
So I hate to think how the real racers are feeling.
Keep it up lads & lass. 🙂
Seriously impressed by everyone in the HTR.. looks really tough going. The chances of a really wet few days would by my biggest concern there so hats off to everyone who started out.
Is anyone doing this at a resonable/human pace, like 70 mile days and 8 hours sleep per night rather than total?
Can you do the Highland Trail anytime? and does it have a time limit?
I have been wiling Iona up the hill to CP4 all morning and nearly cried at Markus' wrong turning. That must have been heartbreaking. It is good to see that he has recovered.
As for Rich, I got up at 5:15 on Sunday to make him a cup of coffee before realising delivery from our kitchen in Hayfield could be a little problematic. I know it was Simon Barnes' comment up thread that made him go on when he stopped in Strathpeffer. He had sounded really spent on the phone a couple of minutes earlier.
Is anyone doing this at a resonable/human pace, like 70 mile days and 8 hours sleep per night rather than total?
Al. I think richpipps is doing it at a more sensible pace......hats off to him still.
these blokes deserve to big respect.
Can you do the Highland Trail anytime? and does it have a time limit?
It's an open course - you can do it whenever. There is no time limit. However, remember you have to carry what you eat and there are BIG sections wth 100+ miles with no food stops. So moving faster is easier in a perverse way.
More info here: [url= http://www.highlandtrail.net/ ]http://www.highlandtrail.net/[/url]
Should also add the 'other' UK rides that are out there: [url= http://selfsupporteduk.net/ ]http://selfsupporteduk.net/[/url]
Please note, these are not official races, just suggested routes. You're on your own out there. Please, realise this before you do anything rash.
I think richpipps is doing it at a more sensible pace
I think he is timing it so that the kids will be back at school when he finishes...... so very sensible pace.
Scratch Update:
Michael Cleveland has left and is in Switzerland somehow!
Scratch Update:Michael Cleveland has left and is in Switzerland somehow!
That's a fair navigation error!
Went to the start and there were a lot of midges about this year. Gary Thomsett had forgotten all his riding kit including helmet. So my socks are travelling quicker than ever before! He got sorted with the rest of his kit as well, including a helmet.
Sunday morning was unpleasant where I was. Saw the Singletrack mag van North of Moffat as it came past me. Gave me plenty of room but I really needed a 'sticky bottle' 😉
Just catching up as I toured back to England.
Some pics here of the start:
[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/12617230@N03/sets/72157644457186738/ ]HTR550[/url]
GregMay - Member
...Please note, these are not official races, just suggested routes. You're on your own out there. Please, realise this before you do anything rash.
Don't worry. I live up here and I've seen what can happen to the overconfident and unwary. 🙂
Gary Thomsett had forgotten all his riding kit including helmet.
Bit of an oversight. 😀
Following this with lots of interest, after the Selkirk marathon a few weeks ago (ok I was ill as well but it felt like a survival task) can imagine how hard it is. Pretty awesome people! Can't work out how anyone can forget their kit AND helmet though 🙂 Even I couldn't do that!
Gary had put all his riding kit in one box and then forgot to pick the box up before leaving home.
Ah well good for him getting it sorted, must've been pretty annoying with so much to organise for it!
More important - who had a spare helmet with them and why?
At the last count there were 3 helmets, 1 bent derailleur, a couple of pumps, 2 bob the builder hats and 19 (that is no typo) pairs of shoes. On this occasion it was not me with the spares, so it is good to see that someone else has a skip masquerading as a car.
For Gary to do that and forget stuff... Not like him at all...
FWIW, there is an 8 day "cut off" period to get an official time. I've been looking at Ionas track and she is on schedule to make it.
scotroutes - Member
FWIW, there is an 8 day "cut off" period to get an official time. I've been looking at Ionas track and she is on schedule to make it.
That's good.
Do you reckon the leaders will waste time sleeping tonight? They're getting close.
Markus must almost be able to smell the pies! Hope the Lochinver Larder is serving... 8)
At the other culinary extreme, Phil should make it into Fort Bill in time for a Big Mac 🙂
Gary T's missing box: might have been my fault.... 🙁
He came round to see me just before leaving, and I kept him gassing about all the stuff he was taking. I even got some shots of the bulk of the kit. I think I distracted him.
Sorry Gaz.
The ITT attempt was 8 days last year when the distance was 'only' 400 miles. Not sure if Alan has forgotten to add a bit of time for the extra distance or just making it tougher.
Gary T just shouted out at the cafe if anybody had a spare helmet and some guy next to him just handed him one. Whose second bottomed chamois is he riding in though? He wasn't trying to blame anyone for his oversight. Not met him before but seemed a nice guy - if occasionally forgetful;-)
[quote=Blackhound ]The ITT attempt was 8 days last year when the distance was 'only' 400 miles. Not sure if Alan has forgotten to add a bit of time for the extra distance or just making it tougher.His reckoning was that everyone that completed last year did it in 6 days, so 8 was just fine now 🙂
Willing Markus on to Suileag at least, mostly straightforward quad track although wouldn't fancy the singlespeed up a couple of those steep scrabbly bits...
[quote=13thfloormonk ]Willing Markus on to Suileag at least, mostly straightforward quad track although wouldn't fancy the singlespeed up a couple of those steep scrabbly bits...
Iona to Achmelvich
Markus to Suileag
Richpips - dunno. Elphin is close but then there's an easy road section to Oykel Bridge (but he'll likely miss opening hours)
Alasdair and Nik to Ullapool
Johann and Craig must have started out again by now?
Think Gunther will stop at Shenavall (with Dave)?
Keith to Carnmore (to meet up with Alan?)
Gary to Kinlochewe
Tom and Steve have a bit of no-mans land coming up though there's a bothy available.
Andrew to Tomich
Phil to, well, who knows?
I'd assumed Richpips was already pitched up, there are some nice spots by the lochside there if I remember.
Dave's past Shenavall and just forded the river! Wonder if he's aiming for the locked bothy across the way (Lochivraon, is there a shelter round the back of it?). Maybe he saw Keiths lights and has given chase (is it dark at 10pm? I'm on Vancouver time, dark by 9ish).
Think Lichd house had an unlocked shelter for Tom and Steve, doubt you could fit two lying down in it though 😀 Camban would be a good 2 hours off at least.
This is great fun, already trying to figure out how to find the time next year or following... (and the training, and the equipment, and the complete M-ingTFU which would be required, 50km days probably don't cut it here!)
Rich is definitely on the move (slowly)
Lochivraon is the wrong way 🙂
Not dark yet either Ian, remember how far north they are 🙂
Good luck if you attempt it next year.
Phil - still moving, I can't imagine he will stop now unless he falls asleep on the bike.
Gunter has turned around and is going backwards. I wonder if he has had enough or has had a mechanical. Alan mentioned that he was cooked when he rode into Ullapool with him.