Forum menu
Thought I'd start this since there's just a "Bikes of ..." thread.
Trackleaders link -> http://trackleaders.com/highland21
The start is staggered this year with small groups setting off at short intervals. The fast riders are setting off last. Of those I know about I suspect that fast group will include: Liam Glen; Rich Rothwell; James Hayden & Josh Ibbett.
The weather forecast is OK for the next 36hrs or so but there's a weather system coming in Sunday evening and is currently forecast to sit over the NW highlands on Monday. Guess where the mid-pack riders will be on Monday?
There's a handful of major changes to the route this year.
1. The track on the south side of Loch Lyon is taken rather than that on the northern side.
2. After Ullapool rather than take the Coffin Road over to Dundonnel and then Corrie Hallie to get to Shenevall bothy the route goes towards Corrieshalloch, around Loch a Bhroain and past the foot of the Sgurr Ban slabs.
3. To exit Fisherfield the original route out to Poolewe then the Tollie Path is used rather than the Postman's Path.
Forum bug reply.
And there is a fresh dusting of snow on the mountains this morning.
I wonder how many are properly prepared for the weather and if we'll see a repeat of 2019s early attrition rate?
I was talking to Alex Pilkington (2018's fastest finisher) a month or so after the 2019 edition, he said he was wearing every piece of clothing he had and even at maximum effort he couldn't keep warm so he bailed to a mate's house near Inverness.
Not sure how much rain you've had up there in recent weeks, some of the burns might not take much to flood.
I’d like to give the HT550 a go one day.
just not today…
Not sure how much rain you’ve had up there in recent weeks, s
Could probably shorten that to how much in the last days.....
The answer being too much.
But today at least is pleasent....
👀
They seem to be motoring have they got a tail wind?
The south side of Loch Lyon take it its not as hilly as the north side!
North Easterly here. I can't imagine it's that different at Laggan / Ben Alder.
Due to turn to Westerlies tomorrow with best of the weather in the far North.
Overnight frosts in some places though.
Rich, The weather overlay showed a Northwesterly breeze of maybe 10km/h. Not sure about the south side of Loch Lyon, one or two I know have done it and said it's a bit rougher than the northern side but didn't comment on hillyness. Looks a bit shorter distance wise.
Just compared some times: Phil Clarke is in roughly the same spot as in 2017 when he finished in 4d20hrs but he's on a singlespeed this time. All a bit early to say though, depends how many are pushing to get to the FA Pizza, or more importantly the shop.
It was calm and sunny first thing in Tyndrum, bit of a breeze on top of Buachaille Etive Mor at lunchtime but still a pleasant day to be out and about.
On the replay it looks like James Hayden had a stop on the way down to Culra, wonder if he got bitten by one of the drainage bars?
Yeah, I guess it pays to take them a bit more gingerly on an event of this duration. There's a couple of whoppers too.
FWIW it's currently a lovely evening. The best weather in a few days. I expect most will be cracking on and taking advantage of it.
Front runners certainly didn't hang around in Fort Augustus...
Would love a crack at this but that's easy to say as I sit in the house drinking beer 😉
The staggered start really seems to be working as they - mostly - look nicely spread out.
I think all the fast guys are already through the field.
Good to see Jim Higgins upholding tradition at the pizza shop.
How people can cycle past a pizza place and not stop is a mystery to me 🙂 they even sell beer!!!!
You'd be fine on it Ian, mostly it's like the outer loop of the Cairngorms Loop until you get to Lochinver. Then the fun begins!
Err... Sally's gone south instead of north on the Great Glen Way! Hope she realises soon as she's on a great ride so far.
(edit) ah, she's scratched. That's a shame.
Sally has scratched.
It looks like some folk won't make the pizza place in Fort Augustus before 10!
Hope they stay open a bit later especially for the race.
Grace's write up has been great 👌
Wife says that I can do it next year but refuses to assist in any way as she says the race sounds too crazy.
🤷
Hope they stay open a bit later especially for the race.
Have you ever been there? 😨
Good chance that the lead riders will ride through the night to get as much done before any bad weather hits.
Running the replay, it looks like Liam took a nap near Inchbae Lodge as there's a two hour gap between pings. Josh and Chris passed him then about half an hour later Liam was back riding. They are now either side of Achness Hotel, looked like Josh and Chris stopped there for a bit, maybe breakfast, as the ten mile gap is now only three.
They are certainly shifting, they are only about an hour behind Neil Beltchenko's 2017 pace. Liam actually kipped at the same point Neil did.
Easy going now until Gobernuisgach Lodge, there's a good road up Glen Cassley, a bit of gravel to get to the power station dam then more tarmac to Merkland and then estate track to the lodge.
Five scratches so far, a variety of reasons.
Quick piccie as I was at the FA shop about half an hour ago.
[url= https://i.ibb.co/g9vLPJh/5-F9-DA780-3-D93-4984-AC93-BEF2335200-BC.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.ibb.co/g9vLPJh/5-F9-DA780-3-D93-4984-AC93-BEF2335200-BC.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
It's Alan's birthday! 🎂
That's my mate Martin!
Dot watching would be more fun if folk didn't play games with their trackers.....
Dot watching would be more fun if folk didn’t play games with their trackers…..
As someone who hasn’t “dot watched before”, how do they play games?
Dot watching would be more fun if folk didn’t play games with their trackers…..
I don't think they are "playing games", sometimes the trackers just don't connect to send the ping. Josh Ibbett's stopped this morning but he was obviously riding with Chris and with Liam just behind, hardly going into dark mode.
As someone who hasn’t “dot watched before”, how do they play games?
You could choose to switch off your tracker if you didn't want another rider to know where you were. Particularly relevant when thinking about overnight stops.
Indeed all good points but some riders do have a history of having the world's flakiest spot trackers....
Watching Annie Le - looks like she's the leading female? 😊
Sadly looks like Huw Oliver (her partner) has scratched 😔
Looks like a small gap of a mile or so has formed between the leaders Liam and Josh
Looks like a small gap of a mile or so has formed between the leaders Liam and Josh
Due to potential time differences in when each tracker sends a signal you can't really infer anything unless they are more than about ten minutes' riding apart. Josh's tracker pings four minutes before Liam's.
Josh looks to have taken the wrong route at Achmelvich, causing a backtrack. At least he noticed and won't suffer the same fate as Lee Craigie did
Wonder how that happened as it looked like he was riding with Liam up until that point.
Perhaps Liam made Josh take a pull on the front “keep following the road mate” whilst he slipped away down the trail...
You could choose to switch off your tracker if you didn’t want another rider to know where you were. Particularly relevant when thinking about overnight stops.
Ah! Cheers. I assumed they had to keep them on at all times.
Has Josh scratched? I can't see his DOT tracker, it was stationery at about 11 last night.
Liam is up again and flying along. Impressive.
I love my singlespeed Stooge but don't think I'd want to ride it for 550miles straight 😳
No, he's approaching Ullapool. From his history it looks like he bivvied just after Ledmore Junction for about five hours, not surprising since he didn't stop during the first night. Looks like Liam dossed somewhere in Ullapool for about four hours.
Liam's on or around record pace but the way in and out of Fisherfield are different from 2017, no-one's quite sure if it's quicker or slower than that year's route.
From the rain radar it looks like they are just on the edge of a deluge - it reached Ullapool about an hour ago, those between Bealach Horn and Lochinver are currently dry, everyone else will be getting very, very wet. Hope the burns don't get too high.
Good to see Jim Higgins upholding tradition at the pizza shop.
Jim's done some pretty impressive solo rides in the last year, be interesting to see how he goes in this.
Cheers for the update. 👍
It'd be good to get some more info on the people who have scratched. Seems quite sad considering how much training and planning they would have put in, I suppose there is always another year.
Compelling watching!
I notice that Alan has also scratched. Huge achievement to complete the full round. Are there cut-off points/times?