HT550 2021
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- fatbikephil
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Re: HT550 2021
Hi Javi, nice to hear from an expert!
OBH is advertising its bunkhouse as being open so hopefully scope for a cop out if the weather is nasty.
OBH is advertising its bunkhouse as being open so hopefully scope for a cop out if the weather is nasty.
Re: HT550 2021
Richpips wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 4:47 pmGreat Thanks.trob6 wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 2:09 pmI'm in the market for one of these jackets, well 2 really, one for my wife too, where did you get it from Rich?
Thanks
Tim.
Hi Tim, straight from the Columbia website the model I have is the Reign.
What's the worst than can happen?
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Re: HT550 2021
This was discussed at length in 2019 by all of us waiting around in Tyndrum. My personal theory is that people who know they’re not fast (myself included) will pack enough stuff to be comfortable because they know they’ll be out there a while. The racers at the front are either racing or scratching - there’s no middle ground, so they’ll go lighter. This means when it goes titsup it can get risky, as they don’t have the literal comfort measures that comes with the slightly extra kit. I’ve always packed to sleep every night in relative comfort to ensure I can be fresh(ish) each day.
Re: HT550 2021
For anyone not planning on being at the sharp end, I personally would say take a lightweight tent,especially if the bothies aren't open. Doesn't weigh much more than a bicycle and tarp if more comfy, and gets you away from the midgies.
- fatbikephil
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Re: HT550 2021
Yeah I'm thinking on taking a shelter that will allow a decent kip in crap weather. The good news is that there will be no midges. Still some frosts to come and lots over the last month or so so the little bleeders won't be out until June I suspect.
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Re: HT550 2021
There was a midge report from Angus yesterday.
Re: HT550 2021
Did I hear it's a staggered start this year? Just thinking about my dot watching and wondered how that will work.
Adventure without risk is Disneyland - Bikemonger
- fatbikephil
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Re: HT550 2021
Singular? we'll be fine
Groups of 5 or 6 at 5 minute intervals between 8am and 9am. Should be good as less temptation to hare off at the start. I think the plan is to put all of the 'favourites' in one group
Re: HT550 2021
That shouldn't make much difference to my dot watching then. 6 at a time every minute means everyone will be off after 10 minutes and once they get to the railway underpass they'll all be together again
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Re: HT550 2021
Updates are only every 10 mins anyway aren't they, so shouldn't be noticeable.
- fatbikephil
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Re: HT550 2021
5 min intervals not 1 minute intervals.
I checked out the gate next to the stile under the railway last week and annoyingly it seems to have been re-set so nigh on impossible to lift out of its slot. Over the stile we go.....
Re: HT550 2021
Ah, I misread that as 1 minute intervals.
How was the river crossing when you turned off the old route to go along the south side of the Loch? It looked like it had potential to get quite wide when I rode the LTL, but it was getting dark when I was there and they always look worse in the dark.
How was the river crossing when you turned off the old route to go along the south side of the Loch? It looked like it had potential to get quite wide when I rode the LTL, but it was getting dark when I was there and they always look worse in the dark.
Adventure without risk is Disneyland - Bikemonger
- fatbikephil
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Re: HT550 2021
All very low on my visit but they could be quite tricky after heavy rain...
Re: HT550 2021
After much back and forth this is the tyre combo I've gone for after deciding to err on the side of chunky. Had a mega search for for an XR3 2.4" though - finally tracked one down at C&N Cycles in Surrey who kindly agreed to pop one in the post for me despite not usually doing mail order on tyresjourneyman wrote: ↑Fri May 07, 2021 9:43 pm
Bike wise ive got some new drive chain bits for a 1x12 and a good chunky bontrager XR3 XR4 tyre combo. Ive smashed a wheel rim before on the ben alder water bars which by the grace of god i was able to bend back and carry on. When it happened i thought id blown it; definitely a place to be 100% concentrating.
- Bearbonesnorm
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Re: HT550 2021
I do wonder whether the mindset of some has altered over the years. Once, the most important 'thing' was a finish. A fast one would be good but to finish at all seemed the most important thing. That some how seemed to alter to the finish fast or not at all approach - maybe I'm seeing it differently, I dunno.This was discussed at length in 2019 by all of us waiting around in Tyndrum. My personal theory is that people who know they’re not fast (myself included) will pack enough stuff to be comfortable because they know they’ll be out there a while. The racers at the front are either racing or scratching - there’s no middle ground, so they’ll go lighter. This means when it goes titsup it can get risky, as they don’t have the literal comfort measures that comes with the slightly extra kit. I’ve always packed to sleep every night in relative comfort to ensure I can be fresh(ish) each day.
May the bridges you burn light your way
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Re: HT550 2021
As said, this was gone over in 2019. I also think that, for some who've already completed it, the goal is to do it faster and if that's not going to happen then why bother.
Re: HT550 2021
I think I worked out at the time that you were twice as likely to finish if it was your first time or if you were from overseas. People who had a previous finish didn't feel the need to spend 6 days in the rain to finish a route they'd done before in less time and better weather.Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 9:20 amI do wonder whether the mindset of some has altered over the years. Once, the most important 'thing' was a finish. A fast one would be good but to finish at all seemed the most important thing. That some how seemed to alter to the finish fast or not at all approach - maybe I'm seeing it differently, I dunno.This was discussed at length in 2019 by all of us waiting around in Tyndrum. My personal theory is that people who know they’re not fast (myself included) will pack enough stuff to be comfortable because they know they’ll be out there a while. The racers at the front are either racing or scratching - there’s no middle ground, so they’ll go lighter. This means when it goes titsup it can get risky, as they don’t have the literal comfort measures that comes with the slightly extra kit. I’ve always packed to sleep every night in relative comfort to ensure I can be fresh(ish) each day.
I think that the conditions in previous events also had an impact. As most of the events in the one of two years beforehand had perfect weather conditions* people carried less and less and got away with it each time. Not helped by the weather in Tyndrum in the days before the start being so good, it didn't correlate with the forecast for the coming week further north.
*Obviously not including the 2018 BB200/BB300
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Re: HT550 2021
Maybe Alan needs to re-think the selection criteria and start excluding previous finishers
- fatbikephil
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Re: HT550 2021
Its the old "Its a race" mentality, which if you are a racer head then you can't escape so you will always want to go faster. If you've done it before then its easy to ID bits where you could save time - typically when you've stopped early. After 2017 me and Bob both noted that if we'd not stopped at the OBH bunkhouse on night three (at 7.30) then we could have been done on the Wednedsay night. True in theory but maybe the extra long stop help me recover enough to pull an all nighter Into Thursday....
I do get the feeling that some people go in with racer kit (lightweight bivvy only and no PJ's for example) as its the done thing, without looking at the weather or using experience to judge what's actually needed. I recall Aiden Harding raised a few eyebrows in 2013 as he had a lot more stuff than others; but he'd packed food for the whole trip so he didn't have to rely on shops and also warm gear if he got cold and wet. In the event this paid off for him.
My approach is standard - go with the flow and err on the side of caution for kit and food. I'd say my motivation to ride in 6 days of rain is pretty low; but, I'll tend to keep going on the basis that the weather might pick up. Plus once you're on the return track your as well continuing than scratching...
I do get the feeling that some people go in with racer kit (lightweight bivvy only and no PJ's for example) as its the done thing, without looking at the weather or using experience to judge what's actually needed. I recall Aiden Harding raised a few eyebrows in 2013 as he had a lot more stuff than others; but he'd packed food for the whole trip so he didn't have to rely on shops and also warm gear if he got cold and wet. In the event this paid off for him.
My approach is standard - go with the flow and err on the side of caution for kit and food. I'd say my motivation to ride in 6 days of rain is pretty low; but, I'll tend to keep going on the basis that the weather might pick up. Plus once you're on the return track your as well continuing than scratching...
- Bearbonesnorm
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Re: HT550 2021
I hope no one thinks my earlier comment was a criticism, it wasn't, it was more of an observation really.
The idea of not allowing previous finishers to partake is quite interesting - given previous comments, I actually wonder whether the scratch rate would be lower?
The idea of not allowing previous finishers to partake is quite interesting - given previous comments, I actually wonder whether the scratch rate would be lower?
May the bridges you burn light your way
- fatbikephil
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Re: HT550 2021
Quite possibly - we are an ageing population after allBearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 1:27 pm I hope no one thinks my earlier comment was a criticism, it wasn't, it was more of an observation really.
The idea of not allowing previous finishers to partake is quite interesting - given previous comments, I actually wonder whether the scratch rate would be lower?
Re: HT550 2021
I've been pondering the attrition rate on the highland trail (and other races). I've come to the conclusion that other than injury it really is a state of mind that gets you through. 2019 my kit was on the limit, it would have been very easy to throw in the towel. My mind was wired to not quit. I got very cold on night 2, only thing for it was to get riding, I wasn't going to get warm lay there in my wet bag/clothes etc.
I've finished the Dales Divide last weekend with no training (well 2 weeks - that a real only 2 weeks due to injury since Jan). I said to myself that I needed to give an honest appraisal to Alan to show whether I was ready for the highland trail. So I plodded. I moaned a lot (ask Andy B), but plodded through really crap weather. Kit was soaking as you'd expect. I am far from fit and ready at the moment. When people were commenting on the weather, and wondering whether to carry on or not I just got moving, not needing the negativity making me take the easy, justifiable option - the weather was crap, anyone who bailed quite rightly did so. Therefore the mindset is a big component of me getting through.
Expect a slow plodding dot.
I've finished the Dales Divide last weekend with no training (well 2 weeks - that a real only 2 weeks due to injury since Jan). I said to myself that I needed to give an honest appraisal to Alan to show whether I was ready for the highland trail. So I plodded. I moaned a lot (ask Andy B), but plodded through really crap weather. Kit was soaking as you'd expect. I am far from fit and ready at the moment. When people were commenting on the weather, and wondering whether to carry on or not I just got moving, not needing the negativity making me take the easy, justifiable option - the weather was crap, anyone who bailed quite rightly did so. Therefore the mindset is a big component of me getting through.
Expect a slow plodding dot.
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Re: HT550 2021
I was, if course, just being humorous but I guess it depends on what "success" looks like in Alan's eyes. I doubt it's having a 90+% completion rate.The idea of not allowing previous finishers to partake is quite interesting - given previous comments, I actually wonder whether the scratch rate would be lower?
- Bearbonesnorm
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Re: HT550 2021
Indeed but there's perhaps quite a difference between what an event deems to be successful and what a participant does. From the perspective of a rider, surely a finish (even if it wasn't the one they'd hoped for) feels more like success than a DNF?I was, if course, just being humorous but I guess it depends on what "success" looks like in Alan's eyes. I doubt it's having a 90+% completion rate
May the bridges you burn light your way
Re: HT550 2021
I guess the reality is folk do this to challenge themself. The challenge is either to finish it for the first time or go faster with the later having a greater drop out rate as once you cannot beat your time there is no challenge [as you know you can finish it ] - and as Karl notes [nice write up btw ] that is in your head/ mental rather than physical.
We also all have a safety point - mine being not having to get up at 2 am to ride wet because the alternative is death
EDIT :DNF due to weather may feel lessof a fail- not your fault - than a much slower time ? Not sure guess it depends on the rider
We also all have a safety point - mine being not having to get up at 2 am to ride wet because the alternative is death
EDIT :DNF due to weather may feel lessof a fail- not your fault - than a much slower time ? Not sure guess it depends on the rider