I used one of these trackers last year on the YD300 but it was more for my wife and others to track me than any safety mechanism. Can’t remember now if there were any blackspots in its coverage. SPOTs started out as a safety system and have become used for tracking events like this.

Ultimately the SPOT tracker is more reliable in remoter locations but the annual cost is a bit off putting for those who might only use it occasionally for ITTs and the like. There’s a place that hires them but I suspect that the HTR might have used up their supplies.

Chris Hope is attempting a record attempt on the Cairngorm Loop today.

How does it work with all these records now? I wouldn’t imagine Cheryl Baker is there on the finish line with a stopwatch. Are they just managed as a community with gpx files and the such? And you just dig around forums and news articles to find who holds the record and what the routes are?

There’s a place that hires them but I suspect that the HTR might have used up their supplies.

These come from Scott and Matt at Trackleaders in the USA – they have more than enough considdering they are also fielding the ones for the Tour Divide…

@bigmandh – very much an honour system but usually these days a GPX and/or a SPOT trace is required. For the UK the routes and fastest times are noted at selfsupported.net but this doesn’t usually name the holder. Some ITTs have their own webpage (the Cairngorm Loop does) and you need to find the info there.

@Greg – I thought the SPOT hire was UK based (maybe there is one as well as the TrackLeaders), fairly sure I looked last year for the YD300 and they had none available.

Chris Hope is attempting a record attempt on the Cairngorm Loop today.

I’d not realised until just now that the Cairngorm Loop goes right past my sister’s old house. That explains why I kept seeing people with bike packing gear 🙂

I’m glad that this has come round again as it gives me a weekend off from being smashed round the Peak District by Steve Heading 😀
He’s not taking it ‘seriously’ this year but his idea of seriously and everyone else’s tend to be slightly different.

@bigmandh – very much an honour system but usually these days a GPX and/or a SPOT trace is required. For the UK the routes and fastest times are noted at selfsupported.net but this doesn’t usually name the holder. Some ITTs have their own webpage (the Cairngorm Loop does) and you need to find the info there.

Brilliant thanks for that. More routes to add to the must do list now (though maybe at a more leisurely pace!)

Is there anything similar for road biking routes?

Probably Audaxes are the nearest thing.

Is there anything similar for road biking routes?

North coast 500

Strava link

I do actually feel like I’m missing out this year.

Using that N. American thing as excuse does feel a bit lame, but I don’t think a week would be enough time to recover.

Slightly tempted to head up to Tyndrum tonight to see Howard finish and the rest start tomorrow morning. Anyone up for a pint in the Tyndrum Inn tonight?

Is there anything similar for road biking routes? North coast 500

Sorry I meant more like a register of all the rides and routes that people do road ITT style things on.

like a register of all the rides and routes that people do road ITT style things on

Audax

Plenty of stuff to keep you occupied

fasthaggis – Member
‘Is there anything similar for road biking routes?’

North coast 500

Some of our local girls knocked that off in 36 hours the other weekend (on road).

now i might be wrong but that was a team time trial – still impressive but not an ITT.

jimmy mac (james maccalums) having a go shortly on an ITT, could be interesting.

That’s good going epicyclo.
I am having a go at it this summer ,in 48hrs (weather permitting) 😉

now i might be wrong but that was a team time trial – still impressive but not an ITT

Yes, it was a group ride with support vehicles. I think 3 women rode the whole distance, and the others rode various sections as support.

There aren’t formal rules for something like the NC500, so you are comparing apples and oranges. Mark Beaumont was nominally riding solo and unsupported, but he mentions various people joining him on the road as support in his blog.

Things like the TD and HT have stricter rules about self support, but I guess you can still ride with other people, which could make a big difference mentally and physically, compared to a true individual TT.

I mentioned the NC500 ride because regardless of how they did it, it was a very challenging undertaking. I’d want a week to do it, or at best 5 days.

They call themselves the Adventure Syndicate and Lee Craigie who was part of it is doing the HT550.

I’m aware it was different. 🙂

On the group starts to ITTs you end up riding with others for a bit then you find you are on your own for a while until you either catch someone up or someone catches you up. There’s definitely a difference psychologically but you do need to be prepared to be on your own for a considerable length of time – one guy in the HT550 didn’t see another competitor for four days!

Sharing equipment is against “the rules” as is any motorised help.

chris hopes going great guns. Just exited burn o brown heading for tomintoul.

He was hoping for just under 22 hours, looks like he’ll do it well under. Legend!

Coming form more of a road-ey background I’m a bit surprised that I’m a more excited to see how these ultra endurance events (HT550, Tour Divide, TCR, Trans Am) go than I am some of the grand tours this year!

Chris Hope finished just before 2200 in a time of 16hrs59 according to the tracking site. Bloomin’ well done!

I saw him on the way to Tomintoul. He wasn’t hanging about!

Well they’re off and the pace is pretty high at the front, 100 miles in 12 hours is good going by anyone’s standards. Fair few have reached Fort Augustus already and several have pushed on (some by a fair distance). Slightly concerned that my mate Karl has been in town for an hour now though, hope he’s OK

Probably a massive que if he made the pizza place – if not, he’s maybe made the pub and persuaded them for food, or he’s drinking a beer.

Refresh rate is 10mins on the SPOTs if they have signal – don’t worry yet.

Also – I am the other end of the twitter feed if you’re not following it: @ht_550

Karl knows the score. He will rest up then leave 4-5am for a big day tomorrow

Greg – it’s dark now 😉

Looks like Lee Craigie is making a good go of it.

The men are flaking

Slightly weird how sitting in my warm living room with a curry, a beer and a film I’m actually jealous of the folks out there on the trail….

In two weeks time it will be my turn!

Hope you’ve been doing lot’s of training. Long way to go to mince about. I’ve already laid down some coin at the bookies so no pressure 😀

Looks like Lee Craigie is doing a Beryl Burton.

Awesome. 🙂

I hope the wee shop in Contin was pre-warned. By the time the first 15-20 folk are through the shelves will be bare and there’s no restock until Lochinver.

They’re hurtling through some pretty country.

The leaders are about here right now.

Scotroutes, you probably have photos of most of the route. How about posting them round about the time the leaders reach those spots?

My mate IanB was quite far down the field las night but has had a short night and is going well this morning, pleased to see.

Today will be the first day of real racing as normal – we shall see who has actually had some recovery in their “sleep” last night.

Example – I “slept” for 6 hrs on the first night in 2013 – I actually slept for about 2 of those. Day two was my worst day. After that, there was no such thing as insomnia.

Lee is going strong, I’d love to see her destroy most of the field 🙂

GregMay – Member
…Lee is going strong, I’d love to see her destroy most of the field

Me too. She’s local, and I’ve been a fan for many years after watching her on the SXC.

I’m hoping her efforts in the recent NC500 don’t have a bad effect.

anyone got a GPX of the route they are doing this year ?

The one on http://www.highlandtrail.net/map.html appears to be an old/original route.

I see Lee ‘rested’ for about 4 hours lats night. I’m pleased about that, I had a a horrible feeling she was just going to keep going!

Ian B also got some rest and is doing really well.

I say this every year but really inspiring stuff out there. I’m sure most will have seen it but I really enjoyed Ian’s film of it from 2014 :

HT550 2014

Looks like the leaders are fuelling up at Oykel Bridge.