HT550 - 2017

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Richard G
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by Richard G »

whitestone wrote:If you fancy beating Neil's time then here's his Strava log - https://www.strava.com/activities/1014352722 84hrs 44mins of which 68hrs51 were moving
Can I use a fleet of ebikes?

Edit - Ha, just a few top 10 placings there.
paramart
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by paramart »

is there a list of times and finishers anywhere please,
it's not that I can and others can't, it's that I will and others won't.
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Alpinum
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by Alpinum »

61:23 on my strava for HT550 2016.

And this time comes from a drinking and smoking gravity (my main motivation are the DH's) biker. No training, no discipline. About 1000 km riding in 2016 before end of May.

But and it's a very big but, 119:55 including all stops... :lol:

Sleep monsters get back to your moving pace that's for sure.
And long rest's won't give you a competitive finishing time.

If you're not racing, it's well worth finding the right balance of sleep and movement. If your racing, sleep and stop as little as possible.
Easy.





Well not quite...
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Alpinum
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by Alpinum »

paramart wrote:is there a list of times and finishers anywhere please,
Will take a while. Alan G get's the times. Checks things, makes a list and asks again for confirmation. Then it's going onto http://www.highlandtrail.net/riderecords.html
Can be a few weeks to a few months
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fatbikephil
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by fatbikephil »

Alpinum wrote:
paramart wrote:is there a list of times and finishers anywhere please,
Will take a while. Alan G get's the times. Checks things, makes a list and asks again for confirmation. Then it's going onto http://www.highlandtrail.net/riderecords.html
Can be a few weeks to a few months
You can get them off trackleaders - click on each rider and it will give you the last update (which should be the finish) and the time since the start
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whitestone
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by whitestone »

htrider wrote:
Alpinum wrote:
paramart wrote:is there a list of times and finishers anywhere please,
Will take a while. Alan G get's the times. Checks things, makes a list and asks again for confirmation. Then it's going onto http://www.highlandtrail.net/riderecords.html
Can be a few weeks to a few months
You can get them off trackleaders - click on each rider and it will give you the last update (which should be the finish) and the time since the start
Except for the idiot who didn't start his until Ullapool :roll:
Better weight than wisdom, a traveller cannot carry
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Alpinum
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by Alpinum »

whitestone wrote:
htrider wrote:
Alpinum wrote:
paramart wrote:is there a list of times and finishers anywhere please,
Will take a while. Alan G get's the times. Checks things, makes a list and asks again for confirmation. Then it's going onto http://www.highlandtrail.net/riderecords.html
Can be a few weeks to a few months
You can get them off trackleaders - click on each rider and it will give you the last update (which should be the finish) and the time since the start
Except for the idiot who didn't start his until Ullapool :roll:
And eg Ian F. who scratched a few k's from Tyndrum.
Trackleaders isn't the official finishers list. Alan will sort it out and post it on his page
ScotRoutes
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by ScotRoutes »

Once again, some amazing efforts going on. It seems it's getting further and further away from us "more mortals" - I think Bobs list of reasons is spot on.
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GregMay
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by GregMay »

ScotRoutes wrote:Once again, some amazing efforts going on. It seems it's getting further and further away from us "more mortals" - I think Bobs list of reasons is spot on.

In what way? Lots of people - not mere mortals - still riding and completing the route under their own time.

Not everyone goes out to win all the time, quite a lot go out to ride bikes and have fun.
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ScotRoutes
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by ScotRoutes »

Yeah - but anyone can go and ride their bike at any time and "have fun". For many folk, the attraction of a group start is that there's a bit of shared camaraderie as you take part.
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whitestone
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by whitestone »

Hmm. I thought that even with fifty riders on the group start that after the first day or so that I'd be riding on my own for most of the ride. It was anything but. Sure, there were some quite long periods where I didn't see another rider (OBH to Shenavall was probably the longest section) but invariably I'd catch someone or someone would catch up with me. There'd also be meeting points such as Drumbeg stores where IanPV and Pete McNeil left about five minutes after I arrived and htrider arrived about five minutes before I left.

Assuming that I've not transgressed any ITT rules or inadvertently missed a section of route out, I think the final time listing will show me being mid-pack. I was pushing my pace but not forcing it if you see what I mean, looking at Neil Beltchenko's times for some of the longer Strava segments I wasn't that far behind, though his overall riding time is significantly less. The real difference is in the amount of time stopped or faffing around, "racing" something like the HT550 isn't so much about riding fast but managing sleep deprivation, recovery and the like.
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Richard G
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by Richard G »

I only really tend to see people in the first sections and at food stops on these things. Though I've never done the HT550 so I can't really speak to that.
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fatbikephil
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by fatbikephil »

I was massively pleased that whilst the front of the race was pretty damn hot - behind this it was the usual mix of banter and typical ITT discussions such as 'where next' 'whats next' 'whats the weather forecast' and 'will the postie path be poor show' etc. etc. Whats more there was a bit of migration of people forwards and backwards so you kept meeting new people. This and the great trail conditons is what made it all such a pleasure to ride.

Looks Like Louise Nalton and Peter Worsfold are riding together and not far from the end. Given the forecast for tomorrow this is good news!
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PJG
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by PJG »

My HT550:

This was my first attempt, although I felt like I knew large parts of the route, as I'd done a fair bit of homework.
I completed in 5 1/2 days which was pretty much what I set out to do - although I didn't beat Karl Booth's time from last year, and he isn't going to let me forget it !
I really enjoyed the mix of riding with people for the first couple of days, and then mostly alone, but never too far from bumping into some familiar faces (Ian PV, Bob, Phil C, Pete Mc, Tim Austin & Neil Evans).

Coming into Kylesku:
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Eilean Donan Castle (I think this shot is obligatory - and I made the experience even better by devouring an apple & cinnamon biscuit the size of my face from Manuelas Wee Bakery):
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Things I learnt:
1. I need to do something about saddle soreness. I think my recent switch to Jones bars has put me in a more upright position, and is putting more pressure on my butt. It was my biggest single issue on the ride, and stopped me riding any longer each day than I did.

2. I'll do better planning for next year. Bob had a laminated list of the major landmarks, and the distances (and expected times) between them. I wish I could have kept pace with Bob, as this was really useful info ! Without it, I could determine roughly how far it was to a certain point, but not how long it would take me to get there.

3. Pipes might look like a good idea, but don't work for side-sleepers... Still, I got a few hours kip.
Image

4. Either get better at riding tech whilst knackered - or get used to pushing your bike. I couldn't get any rhythm going on the Ledmore traverse or the Posties path, and spent too long trying to ride the short sections.
Image

Game on for next year hopefully, older & wiser.
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Richard G
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by Richard G »

I do a similar sort of thing to the laminated sheet, except printed on waterproof paper.

Also have waypoints on my route telling me what sort of stops are nearby and how far away (miles / guesstimated time) the next one is.
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whitestone
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by whitestone »

Some shots

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Javi checks his stem

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Greg Cummins at the bottom of the steep bit dropping down from Bealach Dubh, Ben Alder (He's just visible)

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Pete McNeil and Phil Clarke in Strath Vaich

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Some low flying WW2 planes

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First view of Fisherfield

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Phil Fraser-Thomson on a very low Fisherfield river crossing

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5am at the top of the Torridon descent

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Waterfall in Glen Licht

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One AM raid on the 24hr garage in Ft William

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Starting down the Devil's Staircase

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Some thousand kilometre stares, Jenny and myself at the Real Food Cafe.
Last edited by whitestone on Tue Jun 06, 2017 1:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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fatbikephil
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by fatbikephil »

Great pics - especially the one of those 'planes!
Last of the bouncing dots just appeared on Trackleaders...
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Richpips
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by Richpips »

How odd, we saw those planes too, though ~ a week before.

Nice pics Pete and Bob.
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Mariner
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by Mariner »

Re planes.
They were also above Bridge of Gaur and whizzing up and down Loch Lochy at various heights.
By the sound of them they were turbo props and I would guess at RAF Tacanno trainers.
Only ever seen the Tucanno in bright red so profile was harder to define in darker colour and I was riding my bike.
Could be wrong though.
Zazen - nothing happens next this is it.
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whitestone
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by whitestone »

The definitely weren't Tacanos, we used to have those fly regularly over our last house. One looked like a Mitsubishi Zero, the other looked like a two seater fighter-bomber of some kind..
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by Ben98 »

whitestone wrote: Image
One AM raid on the 24hr garage in Ft William
Argh! Had I known this was there i'd have done Kinlochewe-Tyndrum in one hit to try and get sub 6 days. I only stayed the night in Fort A because I'd missed the shop and was planning on getting to Fort William for breakfast when everything opened.
Damned hindsight giving me reasons to have another go next year (I will not be having a go next year).
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whitestone
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by whitestone »

Due to the diversion in Ft William on this year's route you actually rode right past the garage rather than having to divert to it.
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Ben98
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by Ben98 »

whitestone wrote:Due to the diversion in Ft William on this year's route you actually rode right past the garage rather than having to divert to it.
Not helpful! :lol: (tbf to me that was in the morning and I I wasn't looking at that point, just wanted breakfast)
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Mariner
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by Mariner »

whitestone wrote:The definitely weren't Tacanos, we used to have those fly regularly over our last house. One looked like a Mitsubishi Zero, the other looked like a two seater fighter-bomber of some kind..
Perhaps Scotland has its own airforce now. :wink:
Zazen - nothing happens next this is it.
ScotRoutes
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Re: HT550 - 2017

Post by ScotRoutes »

FYI, we had snow on the mountains last night and many areas have been flooded, with over a months worth of rain in the past 48 hours. Looks like the weather gods were with the HT550 riders again this year :lol:
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