HT550 2021

[GregMay]

Overnight scratch:

- James McIntosh.

[Boab]

i just find it amazing that these folk can keep going for so long without sleeping or resting. and at such a pace offroad.
just pretty vaguely exciting really.

How they put up with the constant battering their bodies must be taking is remarkable. I can't imagine doing that on a fully rigid bike*, especially considering how I feel after a few hours on the local bridleays and byways...



* Might be OK on a full rigid fatbike...

[sean_iow]

As if watching the dots wasn't enough of a distraction from working* I've just discovered this

https://www.eileandonanapartments.com/webcam/

I'm pretty certain that's the bridge into Dornie so we should be able to see the racers going across

*As this is the first year since 2017 when I've not been there I'd forgotten how all consuming watching the dots is, last thing I do at night - check Trackleaders, first thing to do in the morning - check Trackleaders, anytime my mind wanders from the thing I'm meant to be doing - check Trackleaders

[boxelder]

For those eager to compare the times, check TL of 2013 and 2014. Sorry, I'm not bothered enough myself.

So, in 2015, Josh Ibbett took 5 hours from Inverbroom Lodge, up over the old route (coffin road/vertical cow field) to the river crossing at Loch na Sealga. He took another 14 hours from there to Kinlochewe, with the route the same as this year, but he did kip for a couple of hours just before the bike swallowing cow plop bog. So, 19:20 from Inverbroom to Kinlochewe. Phil C took 21 hours for that stretch that year (but spent around 8 hours in Carnmore cow shed).
Josh passed Inverbroom at 8am this morning.

[ScotRoutes]

Oh - good find. Watch for the 15 minute delay.

[whitestone]

Gian, yeah, old,old way out of Fisherfield.

Looking on the map I’m surprised at how near the woods/cow sub standard bog the junction of the track to Letterewe House is. I’ve walked that path in and out of Carnmore when climbing there and it’s pretty good going so I think there might be 15 minutes or so difference compared to getting to Letterewe.

Not done the Tollie Path but the Postie’s Path is about 4hrs from memory.

We’ll be able to compare the times between Inverbroom and Kinlochewe soon enough

[Karl]

Not sure Alan G is up to. Seems to be of course.

[JoseMcTavish]

Liam at the Fisherfield river crossing - hopefully hasn't got too bad yet!

[PeterC]

Liam's across, phew, hope it doesn't rise too much for those further back.

[sean_iow]

Not sure Alan G is up to. Seems to be of course.

I think we can assume he knows the route so must be deliberate? If if was a mechanical would that be a bail-out option? Rejoin the race route to Kylesku and then try to find away to get back to Tyndrum?

[jay91]

Is there a crossing at dubh loch or is it a path/bridge?

[elliptic]

It's a narrow (and very photogenic) causeway.

[atk]

Some photos of James, Josh and Liam being posted as 'stories' here: https://instagram.com/jprobertson

If you don't have an account: there's a lot of pushing, it looks wet and James is cutting holes in his shoes so they drain faster.

[slarge]

And there's still 200 miles to go for the front runners. I keep thinking they're nearly there but it's still a very open race, with lots that can (and will) happen.

Just hope they're all safe out there!

[BobCatMax]

Some photos of James, Josh and Liam being posted as 'stories' here: https://instagram.com/jprobertson

If you don't have an account: there's a lot of pushing, it looks wet and James is cutting holes in his shoes so they drain faster.

Good spot, ty atk

[redefined_cycles]

Is this the Fisherfield river crossing? It's ginormous are we talking bellybutton deep on a normal day and is it worse further east to that bit...

[ScotRoutes]

It can be uncrossable. It can be knee deep. The line shows the shallowest/slowest crossing point.

[boxelder]

Not sure Alan G is up to. Seems to be of course.

He is partial to a nice lunch at Kylesku . Maybe he thought that preferable to a wet Northern Loop?
Doesn't explain his slight detour SE along Loch Shin.

[sean_iow]

In 2018 it was only just over the top of my shoes, I could have rode across. The mapping on trackeaders isn't quote right either. The provided gps is a straight line across the shallowest part, they have the bank not quite in the right place so makes it look like you have to turn?

Alan is nearly back to the road and has overtaken the riders ahead of him? So unlikely to be a mechanical?

[ScotRoutes]

Wait to see what Alan does after lunch? I wonder if he will skip Lochinver and the Ledmore Traverse.

[redefined_cycles]

In 2018 it was only just over the top of my shoes, I could have rode across. The mapping on trackeaders isn't quote right either. The provided gps is a straight line across the shallowest part, they have the bank not quite in the right place so makes it look like you have to turn?

Alan is nearly back to the road and has overtaken the riders ahead of him? So unlikely to be a mechanical?

Thanks Sean. So I'm gonna assume this wasn't the point at which Javi and co had to climb trees to get across a year or few ago...

[sean_iow]

Thanks Sean. So I'm gonna assume this wasn't the point at which Javi and co had to climb trees to get across a year or few ago...

That was the BB300

[redefined_cycles]

Thanks Sean. So I'm gonna assume this wasn't the point at which Javi and co had to climb trees to get across a year or few ago...

That was the BB300

Aha... ok (goes to assess whether he'd still like to continue attempts at BBs)... Ta Sean I need to go back to drawing board to know my HTs from my BBs

[whitestone]

BB200/300 Shaf. Not many trees in Fisherfield.

There’s a shot on geograph.org from An Teallach looking down on the crossing where you can see a couple of underwater spits of river debris well out into the Loch. That’s the shallowest point. In 2017 I went straight across where the TL trace meets the river and the deepest point was halfway up my shins but mostly it was just over my shoes.

Edit- have to say that there’s a big gap between the leading four and the next group. Without checking (on a phone with a cracked screen ) it looks like 8 or 9 hours

[touch]

Trackleaders now showing Alan as scratched.