HT550 - 2025

[Mart]

I’d like to know if Kerry found her bike Iv not read it anywhere

Mike,
Have a look on Dotwatcher, apparently Kerry’s GPS was still active as the bike went down with the floodwater.
It went a fair way

[fatbikephil]

Pic of the bridge in question on dot watcher - https://dotwatcher.cc/race/highland-trail-550-2025 That's why I can't remember it being an issue, it's a pipe bridge normally! Must have been a one off so properly unlucky.

[Bearlegged]

Kerry MacPhee's Strava, showing how far her bike got swept down the river (approx. 350m)!

https://www.strava.com/activities/14608757816

[whitestone]

At least she doesn't have to wash her bike! Checking the bearings might take longer though.

Nick Percival is a couple of hours away from finishing - for a while I thought he'd be the first over 60 to finish in under five days but the weather has probably kiboshed that.

[Dave Barter]

Looks like Alan has had enough.

[touch]

Looks like the fisherfield river crossing is causing problems. Becky, Emily and Lindsay had a look along the river and looks like they are waiting it out in the bothy.
Last person to cross was Anne De Smet at 6pm yesterday evening, around 20 hours ago, so a lot could have changed in that time.

[fatbikephil]

Gawd that could end up being a long wait given the weather...shades of Jenny Graham in 2015

[touch]

Weather today in the Highlands has been generally dry with some short-lived but very heavy rain showers passing through. So hopefully the water level drops as quickly as it rose.

Although the weather in Fisherfield may well be completely different!

[fatbikephil]

All three poised at the crossing...
And they are across

[whitestone]

All three poised at the crossing...

And... all across and just coming up to Larachantivore.

In 2017 I was worried about the crossing and asked Jenny Graham about it and how long it took for the river level to drop, she reckoned it started to fall about two hours after the rain stopped. Obviously it will take longer than that to get to a crossable level. In the event, 2017 was a dry year and even taking a non-optimum line the water didn't reach my knees.

[fatbikephil]

Some pics of the crossing on Dotwatcher. https://dotwatcher.cc/race/highland-trail-550-2025
It's saying the flow into the loch was so high it was making waves. I seem to recall Mart on here encountered a similar scenario a few years ago on an ITT?

[padonbike]

Re: FKT - 2015 and 2016 was still about how far could you get on day 1 and make opening time at Contin store. Since Neil B and Chris Hope etc in 2017 the whippets haven't stopped until after the second OB Hotel passing. What was your stopped time in 2015 Tom?

EDIT: just found the Trackleaders replay and you seemed to stop for a few hours each night. DH this time is sub 8 hours stopped time I think.

Not true at all for 2017: I was in third and stopped at the end of day 1 at exactly 200km at now-removed barn at Strathgarve Lodge and Neil and Chris stopped about 15km ahead of me for a wild bivvy in Strath Rannoch after the Inchbae Lodge road turn off.

[boxelder]

Re: FKT - 2015 and 2016 was still about how far could you get on day 1 and make opening time at Contin store. Since Neil B and Chris Hope etc in 2017 the whippets haven't stopped until after the second OB Hotel passing. What was your stopped time in 2015 Tom?

EDIT: just found the Trackleaders replay and you seemed to stop for a few hours each night. DH this time is sub 8 hours stopped time I think.

Not true at all for 2017: I was in third and stopped at the end of day 1 at exactly 200km at now-removed barn at Strathgarve Lodge and Neil and Chris stopped about 15km ahead of me for a wild bivvy in Strath Rannoch after the Inchbae Lodge road turn off.

Yes, that's what I was referring to. Chris told me his plan was 36hrs before stopping prior to the event, so it was interesting dot watching. He had experience of it from adventure racing. I thought their first stop was Schoolhouse.

[padonbike]

Re: FKT - 2015 and 2016 was still about how far could you get on day 1 and make opening time at Contin store. Since Neil B and Chris Hope etc in 2017 the whippets haven't stopped until after the second OB Hotel passing. What was your stopped time in 2015 Tom?

EDIT: just found the Trackleaders replay and you seemed to stop for a few hours each night. DH this time is sub 8 hours stopped time I think.

Not true at all for 2017: I was in third and stopped at the end of day 1 at exactly 200km at now-removed barn at Strathgarve Lodge and Neil and Chris stopped about 15km ahead of me for a wild bivvy in Strath Rannoch after the Inchbae Lodge road turn off.

Yes, that's what I was referring to. Chris told me his plan was 36hrs before stopping prior to the event, so it was interesting dot watching. He had experience of it from adventure racing. I thought their first stop was Schoolhouse.

Chris did stop at the Schoolhouse for some time during the second night, which had also been my dream scenario, but my temperature dropped rapidly after getting to Ledmore Junction at around 1am and I had to improvise other arrangements. When I got to the Schoolhouse early the next morning, the guy staying there thought I was Chris.
I guess one dishevelled, bald mountain biker looks very much like another.

[Keith74]

Looks like the final dot has reached tyndrum last night so that’s ht550 25 done.

Some brilliant rides and stories from this years event and got to hand it to everyone who even lines up and heads out on the adventure. Only 51 weeks to next year now.

[landel]

Fantastic race this year, really enjoyed watching. Seems like it was an especially tough one. Congratulations and well done to everyone who took part. Mike Toyn on Dotwatcher did an excellent job bringing it all together

[PeddarsWayJason]

Really enjoyed following the dots again. You can tell who the veterans are; early on it seemed like a lot of the "names" were further back than I expected, then they gradually eased through from day 2 onwards.
I was feeling a bit of FOMO leading up to it after not getting in, but it sounds it was like a particularly tough one. Looking forward to seeing a few videos on youtube if anyone took a GoPro and didn't drown it

[Hyppy]

I'm currently full of 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' regret in scratching, not helped by looking through photos I took en route which all make it all look lovely. If I'd known how quickly my legs would have recovered from riding ~300km with too low a seat, I'd perhaps have ridden back up to the course from Ullapool and rejoined it. Oh well … 

[fatbikephil]

I'm currently full of 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' regret in scratching, not helped by looking through photos I took en route which all make it all look lovely. If I'd known how quickly my legs would have recovered from riding ~300km with too low a seat, I'd perhaps have ridden back up to the course from Ullapool and rejoined it. Oh well … 

After a couple of days of recovery, I'd forgotten how dead I felt on Sunday and wondered why I didn't carry on. So it goes...

[PeddarsWayJason]

Nature gives women the ability to forget the pain of child birth so they do it again. I think men have the same thing when it comes to riding

[Dave Barter]

Nature gives women the ability to forget the pain of child birth so they do it again. I think men have the same thing when it comes to riding

Hmm, Helen stopped at two .. I wanted a football team

[Mart]

Some pics of the crossing on Dotwatcher. https://dotwatcher.cc/race/highland-trail-550-2025
It's saying the flow into the loch was so high it was making waves. I seem to recall Mart on here encountered a similar scenario a few years ago on an ITT?

Yes looks familiar, I went across on a very wet day and elected not to wait as levels were definitely increasing,
I was hugely apprehensive not only by the depth but by the strength of the water flow. So strong

[Mart]

Looks like the final dot has reached tyndrum last night so that’s ht550 25 done.

Some brilliant rides and stories from this years event and got to hand it to everyone who even lines up and heads out on the adventure. Only 51 weeks to next year now.

Not unless anyone does an ITT
Not me by the way, I’m going to wait until next year now.
I’ve still got the desire, it’s a belter

[Bearlegged]

Hmm, Helen stopped at two .. I wanted a football team

Having helped coach a junior football team, I'm very glad we stopped at two.