But is she in the pub ?

my screen puts her about 350m up the road, hasn’t made it to the pub yet.
It is a well used overnight wildcamp spot, by the river, short walk to pub, maybe shes getting smashed and pootling down to the finish in the morning….. 🙂

On my screen she has stopped just up the road from the pub at Bridge at Orchy, been stationary for 30mins now.

Tracker not updating

Has she stopped for a pie and pint 🙂

Spare rear tyre to go with tubes, soft DH tyres and high mileage DH runs 🙂

Anything unique to the bike, so spare mech hanger etc etc.

Also worth taking a mini pump and stick on patches, surprising how many patches you can put on one tube, also lighter and cheaper than carrying a couple of tubes.

Tape a spare tube to the frame, at least you won’t forget at least one, just remember the pump.

Have fun, the more you carry the less you actually need 🙂

running at 5.6mph 5mins ago, not long now 🙂

ohhh sodding trackers slow to update….

Close to rounding the bottom of loch Tulla now 🙂

She’s past Glencoe Ski center and halfway to the end of Loch Tulla, then it’s bridge of Orchy over the A82 and final bit to Tyndrum

🙂 nearly over, should be well over before closing time.

Been looking about, seen Scotroutes blog, and started going through a similar thread to this on Bearbones bikepacking forum, some more technical detail over there, and some snippets of rider hell and bail outs with the aid of some long distance walkers.
It really is hard going out there !

Rolling again.

Through Kinlochleven and heading to Glencoe ski center 🙂

Still the wrong side of Kinlochleven, been there about an hour, lunch rest time ? or tracker stuck ?

🙂 nearly there

Oh well, work sent me home via the doctor’s, so will have to spend the day dot watching 🙂

Iona’s rolling to Kinlochleven, might all be over by teatime.

Might check out that deathrace on trackleaders next 🙂

Club stalk 🙂

🙂

Still moving towards Fort William.

Anyone able to post/link a decent piccy of Iona, my google search turned up a square headed BMC male pro rider.
Just curious like 🙂 see who we have been following.

Just checked back, on my screen she is still in the same spot.

Overnighter with a bath tub perhaps 🙂

Will look back later see if anythings changed or Iona’s spot marker has moved.

You see more detail than me sir, Ta for the update.

Cake stop then 🙂

Any clues on Iona ?

She appears to be about 400m off course at Tomich, not too far from Fort Augustus.

Cafe there ?

Has she run out of time to able to complete, as in has to rejoin the real world for work.

Or just having a rest and carrying on later ?

Hope she can make it round, another day should do it….. keep going 🙂

Was there several weeks ago.

North side is road bike rideable, south side is rougher in places but CX bikeable with ease.

Some sort of hydro works ongoing on the south side when i was there, no access issues.
Both sides are fairly flat.

YHA at south end of loch, maybe check they are not group booked over just turning up, it was full of teenage girls doing D-of-E when i went, we camped south side anyway.

We had a brew up in the hut on Corrour with sideways rain lashing it, punters in the station house kept curtain twitching/watching us from the bar and rooms 🙂 they must have been bored in luxury.

Only a few miles left for Johan nearly there !

Another KM ragger 🙂

However check out the Highland Trial 550 thread and race, quite a few rigid 29er’s being used…..and some singlespeeds too, anything thats made it round the course should be a safe bet, or just get a KM 🙂

Good show Alan in under 6 days 🙂

Johans rolling out of Kinlochleven, although out of the race he should be done by early afternoon.

Could Al make it by midnight ? should do it before 7 days roll over.

A question on the time clock, does the offical race time limit halt when it rolls onto 8days 0minutes 0seconds ?

Still rooting for the others as there times are easier to relate to us normal people 🙂

Davids in 5days 14hours 39mins

Johans around Fort William now.

Johans making good time and almost to Gairlochy

David is over the A82 at Orchy and running for the finish

Keith is about to drop down to A82 then grind up to GlenCoe ski center, be a late finish but should get a 5day time bracket finish.

If Alan has an early start he might get in under 6 days, 10 hours left before the clock rolls into day 6

$58.000 AUS

It’s still a caravan 🙂 maybe top gear can test one

he has energy to text 🙂

The tracking system has it quirks and isn’t quite 100% for live following 🙂

That or Gary had a pint of speed at the Bridge of Orchy pub 🙂

Davids through the ski center and rolling to Tulla and Orchy

Garys status says finished 9.58pm

Pie and pint must have done him some good then 🙂

So Johan is out but still riding as still in 🙂 nuts

Iona’s about 5miles from CP6

Pub at bridge of Orchy, maybe a swift pie and pint ?

On the tent Cougar.

Sat in one last weekend, on the day price was £90 special offer 🙂

For a first tent it will be fine.
The lite version is lighter and i think has 2 doors.

Trying to find a XL Lite 2 version to sit in somewhere, need something a bit bigger.
Have the Terra Nova Laser comp 2, the wild country is based on the old pattern. They are fast to pitch up, can pack down smaller with a proper stuffsack, apart from the 2 end rods, but they can be made to fold down, the lite version i belive comes with the folding endpoles as well.
The downside to this style of tent, and it’s been copied/cloned by many other brands….space…. the 2 person tent is a luxury 1 person and a snug 2 person.
We go 2up in ours with 2 rucksacks on multiday trips, and can get all gear inside the porch and still cook in there too.
However, one cooks while the other lies down, and only one door makes night time relief trips interesting as someone has to get climbed over. However, it was when i bought it very lightweight and more for Mrs Ace for solo use, i think a Zep 2 XL lite might be better for us or a TN Voyager superlight (other brands out there )

For £100-120 for a Zep 2 if it fits your end use, can’t go wrong and can always sell it on fairly easy.
Loads of youtube reviews on them.

Johan through check point 8 and still rolling, will he pull an allnighter for an early morning finish ? or lay up for a bit, either way he should finish Friday.

Davids about 14miles behind Gary, still got to climb up to the Ski center but still moving.

Iona is just over 7miles from checkpoint 6 going by the times, she is in a hike-a-bike section.

🙂

Coming round to Orchy and the final run down to the finish, might be sat in the bar just after 10 🙂

Gary’s getting closer to Glencoe Ski center, maybe 30-45mins

Davids doing 8.8mph and bearing down on Kinlochleven, should finish before midnight.

Alans about 5 miles behind David running at 7mph, should also get to the finish.

Keith appears to still be in Fort William and several miles behind Alan.

Might have 4 more in before midnight 🙂

Steve Hearding is now being listed as Finished by his tracker 🙂

In before closing time.

Some others are pitched up for a rest, some are making slow progress and still rolling.

Outstanding.

8.5mph and at the bridge, final leg, should just make closing time 🙂

if i was there i would get a pint and pie on order for him 🙂

Trackers stalled, reading 6mph and close to tarmac for several minutes now.
Possibly at the bridge or even over the main road….about 10 miles left !

Steve is coming round Loch Tulla and bearing down on Orchy bridge, cross the A82 and final leg 🙂

Running just over 12mph at the moment.

And the tracker updates….and he’s rolling through and running for the finish, should be in just before closing time 🙂

Steve Heading rolling up to Glencoe ski center.

The cafe shuts for food at 8.30, bar stays open if lots of micro-lodge and campers in.

Nearly there, will he stop for a swift half or plough on 🙂

Looks like Iona has layed up for a rest around CP5

According to the tracker

Tom finished 4 mins ago 🙂

who would have thought singlespeeds would do so well 🙂

Tom Rowntree “Rigid Singlespeed” 🙂 now well past Glencoe ski center and doing 12.5mph, should roll over the finish before midnight with ease.

Steve Heading “Whyte M109c” doing 1.2mph, around the devils staircase and heading towards Glencoe ski center. If all goes well for him, be nice for him to cross the line before midnight or whenever the 4 day mark rolls onto 5 days.

4 round in a 4 day time bracket outstanding.

Iona is very close to CP5 looks like a tarmac section, that must be hard going running into 5 (seen answer to my question on that earlier, thanks chaps)