Highland Trail 550 2015

Thanks Nik. That looks like an ace trip. I did push down a fair bit of the Coire Lair descent, some of it was just too risky on my own or it just became very gnarly very quickly. Great fun though, although this year with a rigid fork I may change my opinion of that…

It’s come round already!

Damn, I haven’t done my training for staying up late watching dots occasionally moving. I’ll end up crosseyed – again.

Good luck to all. 🙂

I’ve been drawing dots on pages and making a flip book for the past 5 months. I’m ready.

Very useful video from Alistair Humphries showing a few of the HT550 bothies and the infamous Fisherfield River Traverse/Swim 😉

http://tv.thebmc.co.uk/video/mountain-bikes-and-bothy-nights

How’s your knee holding up Mark?

No tandem for us for this trip.

If Minipips makes it all the way round, it’ll all be his doing. 😯

Fair play richpips and minipips! That will be a massive achievement if you both make it round. Take it steady, keep eating and rest well is my advice.

I was thinking that tandem would be extremely difficult on the rough/awkward stuff.

Ours is available if you are keen to use one – we were due to ride it that week but plans have changed. Currently set up in touring mode with rigid forks & pannier mounts etc

Rich, what’s not ready with the tandem? If you are short of bits post them here – I will help if I can

I was thinking that tandem would be extremely difficult on the rough/awkward stuff.

It would certainly be time consuming.

Ours is available if you are keen to use one

Tom calls yours the “tandem of doom” probably as it is too big for us and we kept on falling off it. Thanks though Jules. 🙂

Rich, what’s not ready with the tandem?

There has been a delay with the frame.

Knee is much better. I’ll try my best not to pull an all nighter early on in the race this time….

Although I do have a bad habit of starting any race far too fast. Being a competitive type can be a liability at times!

Ours is available if you are keen to use one – we were due to ride it that week but plans have changed. Currently set up in touring mode with rigid forks & pannier mounts etc

Jules, is your tour off? I hope not.

Jane’s not well enough to ride so we’re in the car. Our friends are still cycling, we’ll be the support vehicle

oh heck. sorry to hear that mate.
honk your horn if you pass me and the wife.

44 riders showing for the group start on Trackleaders now – it’s going to be a good one!

Think I’ll go for a wee gear shakedown overnighter in the Pentlands tonight as the forecast is good.

I’m in!

Tom, I met you at WEMBO Scotland, I was with the Catalans.

I’ve been riding part of the course from Torridon to F. Augustus, then up to Contin and 12km later took the road back to Torridon. Weather was very windy on Monday and made some parts very dangerous in Coire Lair. I’m going rigid ss with 650b wheels and I struggle on tech bits a lot. At least bike is very light.

I’m taking a stove, it’s the 8gr one from Bearbones. Plenty of food in zipped bags, undecided tarp or not tarp.

Some parts found a bit dirty water, probably for the amount of rain mainly on Sunday? Still drank (not much) and fine.

Good luck and enjoy!! 😀

Hi Javier – look forward to seeing you again in Tyndrum. Fair play for riding those parts of the route in advance – I’m sure you’ll be sick of them by the time the race is done.

Only a week to go!

That’s what I thought when I rode the hard bits “I’ll have to do it again soon, aargh!!”
Read your blog 4 or 5 times, and also another 5 or 6 blogs ftom the race. Encouraging!! 😆

Just about ready now.

We’re heading up on Thursday, leaving Friday early.

Say Hi as you are passing. 🙂

Post up trail updates please Rich, you’ll be a day ahead of me throughout…

Good luck to you both, hope you enjoy it second time round

AlasdairMc – Member
Post up trail updates please Rich, you’ll be a day ahead of me throughout…

Ahhem, that would probably border on outside assistance… in my books anyway. But hey, why not. It’d be a shame to have an adventure where you don’t know what’s around the next corner.

Edit: Yes, that was my cranky voice.

Does reading the Twitter feed if you’re competing count as outside assistance then? Not that I will – I’m still to work out how to actually tweet

My response was tongue in cheek btw, I know exactly what to expect – like last year but wetter…

Post up trail updates please Rich, you’ll be a day ahead of me throughout…

Good luck to you both, hope you enjoy it second time round

Thanks Alasdair.

Trail updates – puddles then boggy. 🙂

It’ll be an interesting few days for sure, hopefully enjoyable ones.

Good luck to richpips, minipips and Karl.

What an exciting adventure for you Tom.

good luck all 🙂

Team Pips has set off – Pips the Elder has strict instructions to keep the younger one alive as I have promised school that he will be there to start the new term.

Is anyone else having difficulty getting the Tracklogs map to display correctly? I can only get a very small strip showing…

I’ve just been using the BlueDot app on my phone and it looks fine there.

I’m out and about on the bike Saturday and Sunday but will be keeping the guys at Trackleaders updated as and if someone scratches.

So, if someone contacts me to scratch I’ll post it to the @HT_550 Twitter account as soon as I hit signal. I’ll be doing an update of scratches once a day as a post if all works out IT wise while on the move.

Ride well kids.

First ITT riders Rich and Tom are en-route as of 7.05am today.

24 hours to go for the Grand Départ!

Get excited if you’re not already!

Great another one of those threads that makes me feel completely inadequate 🙂
9am and I’m not dressed yet and the pips are already 12miles into a fantastic adventure.

Good luck everyone.

Whooooo!

Sun shines and the motivation very high!
Javi

They are still going. On the miles per year calculation it is 6.1.

They thought they might be caught on the first day after the mass start – good luck!

And the chase (race) is on…

Because the spot trackers are all assumed to start together and Richpips set off a day early, their average speed is showing as 509 mph! 😆

Are we having a sweep on the overtake? I’m guessing Contin.

Tom had beans for breakfast? 😉

The Pips are at Fort Agustus eating pizza so large they don’t fit on the table. Or it could be a cafe with small tables. Either way they are happy.

The boy was a bit tired last night – falling asleep while eating. Today is to be more of a bimble.

The boy was a bit tired last night

Yes, but how’s Tom doing? 😆

In truth, I’m seriously impressed with him even having a go and just as impressed with you and Rich letting him. Too easy to keep saying “Can’t”.