Highland Trail 550

Guess the question is whether or not Philip carries on to the end or stops for some sleep?!

Rich isn’t carrying bike lights after a last minute forks not arriving back / dynamo not fitting 2nd bike / wheel fiasco. So I hope sense will kick in and he doesn’t attempt the road if it is dark. He did stop about 7ish at the pie shop and has his tent & sleeping bag so a bothy/b&b isn’t essential.

Having said that I am not sure sense is the strong point of any of them doing this.

Lochivraon is the wrong way

Bugger, meant Larachantivore, that’s my favourite name for a bothy as well, can’t believe I forgot it! Definitely looks like he’s paused at it for a moment… Edit: Nope, he’s off again, bet it was locked 8)
Edit edit: Debaser beat me to it.

And yeah, Rich is proving me wrong also.

Good luck if you attempt it next year.

I’m all talk Colin, I’ve done half the route already and doubt I’d want to spend the time and money equipping myself to do it again just to attempt it three times faster!

Still cannot believe the pace these folk are traveling at. Incredible.

There is a wee emergency shelter behind the locked bothy at Larachantivore, but you wouldn’t want to unless you really had too. Room for two gently weeping adults at a push. Makes Carnmore look like a palace.

I’ve not had a scratch report in a few hours…so this is a good sign!

Phil is on the fastest section now, down the canal. He may end up in the canal, but at least he can smash along.

What has happened to Riccardo Alessi? His track looks like the Strictly foot chart for the Hokey Kokey.

Looking forward to some good stories when these people get back

Markus is staying in a hostel in Lochinver for the night.

Ha, just thought he was enjoying a slap up feed at Mrs Miggin’s Pie Shop Lochinver Larder..

Gunther heading for the Fisherfield bypass? That’s the one allowed route change (if you don’t fancy the river crossing when you get there you can opt to go back to the road and take that to Poolewe). I hope he’s not expecting it to be flat 🙂

Does the Fisherfield Bypass take in Destitution Road or is my geography off?

I can’t believe these guys are still rolling at this time of night.

The other way. Destitution Road is the one that takes you from Dundonnell to Corrieshalloch. He’s on the coast road that goes through Laide and Aultbea.

Some still moving by the look of it.

Probably not going to see this but go on Bucky and GT. It’s got to be mostly downhill from where you are now……
Andy Will.

After 1am, and Phil SImcock is still going.

My eyelids can’t keep up, must go to bed. 🙂

In tent at ullapool. Hard slow day route out of lochinver is a bitch basically 12 miles of bog and rock ridable for 20 metres at a time. Topermost section yesterday was epic as all heck regarding scenery and scale. Blisters on both feet and have tweaked right foot muscle at rear not fancying fisjerfield tomorrow we’ll see… Annoying as feeling strong apart from that. Now sleep…

Hope David Buckden is alright, that’s an odd place to have stopped for so long (long relatively straight fast descent with some waterbars?). Hoping its just a GPS quirk.

Ten to four in the morning, Phil Simcock still going, looks like he’s gunning it for the finish.

David Buckden proves me wrong again, safely across the causeway at 5am, closely followed by Alan Goldsmith who must have sneaked out of Carnmore ‘bothy’ very quietly, he’s given Keith Bremner the slip!

Quick shot of the carnmore interior for anyone not acquainted with it, pretty rustic by bothy standards!

So Philip has been riding for over 25 hours and is still going? Boggles the mind

Good lad*

*you are nuts mind.

Again, great to be watching the trackers and race happen.

Phil is incredible! I guess he just wants to get finished now so he’s on a mission. Massive respect to all the riders

Confirmed scratch for Riccardo Alesi. He contacted me this morning.

WRT Phil – it’s probably like last year when he had to be back for work 🙂

Jeez Phil is a machine! watching that trackplot for him over the last couple of days is amazing

Looks flat as a pancake to the finish for him now. Wonder what kind of state he is in…

Looks flat as a pancake to the finish for him now. Wonder what kind of state he is in…

It’s not that flat. There is a climb for a while now, then an utterly brutal cobble descent to Bridge or Orky, then a wander along the West Highland Way that rolls. Then cake, lots of cake.

r8jimbob88 – Member
….Wonder what kind of state he is in…

He can probably smell the cake at the finishing line by now. 🙂

What a ride! and Andy Hutcheson won’t be long behind him.

WRT Phil – it’s probably like last year when he had to be back for work

It’s exactly like that 😉 😯

(I can’t imagine him being very productive mind…)

I have my doubts that we’ll be doing our regular Tuesday morning Cragg Vale ride next week….

I wonder if he’ll want to race on Thursday night…

He can probably smell the cake at the finishing line by now.

And vice versa….

😉

About 10km to go…

Wonder if he was aiming for the under 4 day mark. Only just over it

His time is going to be hard to beat in the future. That’s a convincing lead he’s got.

Anyhow, time to stick the kettle on and watch a moving dot on my screen. 🙂

So how many miles has he ridden since his last stop/sleep?

4km to go!

wait that was 20min ago. So he’s got to be there or thereabouts!

Finished yet?

Possibly, his tracker hasnt updated for 20 mins