HT550 less the northern loop

[Ray Young]

Oh yea, I wanted it bad.

[AlasdairMc]

Thanks - that's useful.

Alasdair, were you on a Swift? I've read a few HT550 reports now, and I've lost track!

Salsa El Mariachi. I have two, one SS and rigid, one geared with the Reba. Both are ace in their own ways.

In terms of preparing for a race like this, the best thing you can do is just ride your bike. Lots. Everything else is just things to buy, but the core thing is riding your bike. You'll get fitter, and you'll be able to start adjusting your setup based on experience and not theory.

[deejayen]

Thanks, everyone. That's helpful. I'm narrowing it down to a handful of bikes at different price levels - I may start another thread to garner a few opinions.

[fatbikephil]

Eric
Great report and a good photo record of the the route - I followed your tracks on the single track a few miles before Ullapool after I'd decided to quit at Oykel bridge and head to Ullapool for R&R. Unfortunately my legs and spirit were shot so I limped back to Inverness and a train instead of carrying on the route.

[ericrobo]

Just done another 'leisure' trip... most of the Lakeland Loop, carried tent and all the gear but didn't need to use it ! (I'm in the FRCC and had my hut key, so stayed in the Wasdale hut Wednesday night and the one near Patterdale Thursday night.) I started from Langdale and did about 3.5 miles to get on the route, and towards the end decided to miss out looping over to Kentmere then down to Staveley and back... (bloody GPS ran out of power, as did power pack... have a Dakota but have had to return it to Garmin because it wasn't reading the map properly... oh for a happy life ! You do need a GPS on these routes, maps would be too painful...)

Some of the h-a-b are as bad as what I did in Scotland - or is it just perception I wonder ? Certainly from Mosedale into Ennerdale is very tiring, and the descent is like fighting a grizzly bear with your arms tied to your teeth ! H-a-b up to top of Scarth Gap is fairly alright, comparatively, but the descent is fighting with the grizzly bear again, for what seemed like ages.

I guess in Scotland though there is just a lot more of it.

I ended up going over to Boredale Hause after 10.30pm, (had to wait for my food in a pub in Pooley Bridge, but desperately needed that food so it was worth it) with just a Petzl head torch (must get some lights, but generally my plan is to ride (or is that h-a-b !) in daylight.
Long slog onto High Street is just a long slog I suppose without having to wrestle with the bear/bike.

It's incredible to me how anyone can get round that in under 24 hrs never mind the recent record of under 17 hrs !! What drugs you guys on ? Absolutely fantastic !

For anyone who does it I can recommend the Village Store in Troutbeck - fantastic 'sandwiches' - they are a lot more than that, with home made bridge and chunks of butter ! Trouble is that is very early on if you start from Staveley.

[ericrobo]

home made bridges are a bit rough on the teeth !
(I don't think I've recovered yet... their bread is absolutely amazing,)