Am I surprised there's no thread on this yet?
HT550 starts tomorrow (9th May) from Tyndrum
Live Tracker:
Start List :
Maybe we've passed peak bikepacking? Once upon a time I'd have known/known of most of the riders. Now I only recognise a few names. It is great that it is attracting a more international contingent, perhaps in recognition of the seriousness of the challenge, but there used to be more excitement on this forum when early May popped around and we got the chance to follow dots on a map 😂
Week before The Gralloch which has a 300km ultra race this year. I'm wondering if some may have opted for that instead?
Thanks for the reminder. Will definitely do a bit of do****ching
Forecast looks good. Chilly but non-biblical. Ground conditions / river crossings are relatively dry too.
Saw Kerry's bike during the week as it was getting its pre-race prep.
Nice and light pre-production carbon frame with bling wheels. Freshly cabled too rather than that Di2 nonsense.
Good luck all.
Riders' Bikes & Kit here ...
I've only had a couple of very minor dabbles in longer off-road events, and a small part of my brain does think ... "One day ..." I probably won't ever do it as the race event, but a 7-10 day tour in settled weather would definitely appeal!
Hats off to those who do it 'properly', and good luck!
Will be cheering on Kerry and Ashley!
Mental event.
Thanks for the do****ching link. I can’t believe someone’s doing it on a cyclocross bike. That seems crazy to me but I suppose I’m not very good at the bumpy/techy trails she may be a female Danny MacAskill.
It’ll be easier to carry and more efficient on the tarmac. I can’t think of any other positives!
Thanks for the link 👌 The buckled wheel had taken a fair bash. I think the track at the bottom of Loch Ericht is a bit gnarly. I’ve never ventured south of Ben Alder lodge.
I was running on the track out of Lochinver today. Many of the bigger holes on the way to Suilven have been filled in but the big rocks used will make it a bumpy old ride!
A lot of DNFs for a Sunday. I know the weather hasn't been great but is this folk giving up because they're behind a target time they've set themselves and don't see the point of continuing?
Coincidentally I watched a Youtuber riding the route yesterday, he spent a lot of time debating just sacking it in as he was so demotivated by all the hike-a-bike.
Also it was COLD yesterday in the morning 🥶
Suspect it's a combination of things. Looking at some of the bike / kit lists they are very minimalist given how cold it is out. I think there will have been some miserable nights. I had the winter bag and full down kit when I did the badger a few weeks ago in similar temps and it was very much needed.
I've seen some reports of injury, and some terminal mechanicals. The slightly odd desperation for the headline of a 50:50 gender split startline meant some female riders there just to make up numbers too.
I've seen some reports of injury, and some terminal mechanicals.
Any electric drivetrains out there? I've seen a few Youtube vids of gravel races/ ultras where people have had malfunctioning or just depleted electric drivetrains result in DNFs. Baffles me that you would go electric for these sorts of events but I don't use it myself so perhaps don't appreciate the other benefits.
Baffles me that you would go electric for these sorts of events
Baffles me that you would go with gears at all for these sort of events.
Tom (completed HT550 on singlespeed twice)
It has been a bloody cold weekend out there for minimalists.
I slept in everything. I had with me on Saturday night in a pipedream 200 and woke up to a frozen tarp /bike/nose. - very thankful for the meth stove coffee in the morning.
And I've got more random bags strapped to my bike than most of the ht550 bikes I viewed.......but I did view the forecast and plan accordingly - yes I could have taken a warmer bag but the rest of the week looks good.
Coincidentally I watched a Youtuber riding the route yesterday, he spent a lot of time debating just sacking it in as he was so demotivated by all the hike-a-bike.
It's not exactly a secret is it ?
It's not exactly a secret is it ?
No of course, I just wonder if first-timers convince themselves it won't be too bad or is more rideable than everyone says etc. I've certainly fallen into that trap myself in the past but now avoid known hike-a-bike routes on principle 😂
Lee Craigie, Philippa Batye and Alice Lemkes all scratched after day 1. None of them are novices when it comes to the HT550 (or are there to "make up the numbers") hence my comment about it perhaps being a choice not to continue if the FKT/PB is already in doubt. I guess it would be disappointing if other applicants had been knocked back in their favour if this is the case, but maybe there's not now that much of a demand for places anyway.
Maybe there's just a difference in the "racing" mindset but I'm struggling to think of other events/sports, where folk pull out when it becomes clear they're not going to win, perhaps because sponsorship and advertising is driving them more than the independent participants we see at the likes of the HT550?
Anyway, Justinas has managed the Fisherfield loch crossing, which I'd been concerned about given yesterdays rain.
I think that counts as making up the numbers.
Shame, when there's 200 odd folks out there who'd love to give the group start a bash.
The limiting factor isn't the 50/50 split - it's the arbitrary number Alan has decided is enough for the group start.
Alan has decided that the 50/50 split is a point of principle and fair enough I think it makes a good symbolic gesture.
There's nothing to stop those 200 odd folks starting at another time. If a few of them got together they could even do a mini group start.
Any electric drivetrains out there? I've seen a few Youtube vids of gravel races/ ultras where people have had malfunctioning or just depleted electric drivetrains result in DNFs. Baffles me that you would go electric for these sorts of events but I don't use it myself so perhaps don't appreciate the other benefits.
Amazed that they could run out of battery during one of these events, how much are they shifting gears!?
Amazed that they could run out of battery during one of these events, how much are they shifting gears!?
Forgot to charge it. ? Easy done when you have something that needs charged so infrequently.
@bedmaker - I hadn't seen that. I guess it's fair enough that Lee and Philippa weren't taking up a place that another woman would have got but I also take your point about it all being a bit of a show. I guess that just seeing them on the starting line would be encouragement and inspiration for others too.
The slightly odd desperation for the headline of a 50:50 gender split startline meant some female riders there just to make up numbers too.
By my count there are currently 7 male DNF and and 8 female at the moment. So your speculation doesn't seem to be backed up by the facts.
I'm not speculating anything, merely pointing out the fact that at least two starters had no intention of riding past Sunday.
If you read Lee's post it's in that.
Of the genuine starters, I don't think that gender has any bearing on whether they scratch, as illustrated in the almost equal split so far. If you read the scratch reports it's generally injury or terminal mechanical.
2 finishers so far, first lady almost finished. 25 folk scratched so far, various reasons crashes, sore knees, tendons ankles etc. No electric drivetrain issues as far as I can gather, one exploding rear mech (mechanical drivetrain). Super tough event this year with the challenging weather conditions.
Amazing effort as always from those at the sharp end, Kerry is an absolute beast and seems to keep getting stronger. I've been working just a few miles from the course the past few days and the weather has been grim, yet another hailshower has just passed through.
I saw Ashley report that he reckoned he had a total of four hours sleep. Takes some mental fortitude to willingly endure that torture.
And on the electric drivetrain, not a chance I'd want one on this event or any other.
Aside from the fact that my bike is my increasingly rare analogue safe space, the leccy stuff fails more often in my limited experince.
I've seen -
1. getting stuck in one gear because the watch battery in the shifter is flat without a spare, twice. User error, but easily done.
2. shifter suddenly failing while on a tour. Internal electronic fault, warranty job.
3. mech ramming the chain into the spokes, breaking two of them. AFAIK there's no manual limit adjustment.
4. Battery going flat in transit because it's constantly sensing movement and connecting or something along those lines.
Yes, a mechanical drivetrain can fail, but not in any of those ways.
Rare, but failure 2 has happened to me, shifter internals shat themselves.
It’s going to take a few days for the rest to finish. They’re all hard as nails. Interesting how significantly worse the weather is up there. In Fife it’s been a bit chilly, but trail conditions are superb, dry and dusty.
Point number 3 on SRAM AXS rear mechs there are mechanical limit screws. Labelled H and L just like mechanical rear mechs.
For battery issues on the SRAM AXS stuff it’s easy to carry spare coin cells and a 2p coin to unscrew the cover. Quick job to change that. I have also recently bought a spare battery, £45, for the mechs. I would carry that in my pack on a big ride or tour. Must admit on Shimano Di2 I don’t have a spare seat tube battery.
