*Hunger Games esque canon roars*
Day One Scratches:
Phil Clarke - knee buggered up.
Rich Rothwell - to cold to continue
Phil Addyman - to cold to continue

Note:
Bryan Singleton - intentional backtrack due to buggered up shoe.
(I bet it was a Giro shoe)

Once again, I am the spectre of doom.

Looks like Steve Large has found the bothy above Corrimory. should help him recover in a bit of shelter for a while
I thought Liam might take refuge at the Hydro Bothy, but he’s passed that now and onto the descent into Contin

Always astonished me just how quick Liam is. He's one of the few people I've ever ridden with and thought "I could train forever and I'd still not be even in his ballpark".

I've been dot watching all day. LG has zoomed past and ahead of so many - this is great watching. I want to ask a quick silly question...

The dots below;

Screen Shot 2019-05-25 at 23.59.34 by Escape Goat, on Flickr

show yellow dots, way further along the trail GC, CH & PA - why are their dots showing massive miles ? I don't quite get it..

Screen Shot 2019-05-25 at 23.57.57 by Escape Goat, on Flickr

Yellow markers are those that aren't part of the group start. Those riders all started a few days ago.

ScotRoutes wrote: ↑Sun May 26, 2019 12:13 am Yellow markers are those that aren't part of the group start. Those riders all started a few days ago.

Are they out of the race, but riding it anyway? Sorry to ask such a daft question.

They're doing an Independent Time Trial (ITT), which you can start at any time so they are further round the route at the moment. Only people in Saturday's Group Start get the blue and pink markers. Hope that makes sense!

JoseMcTavish wrote: ↑Sun May 26, 2019 1:03 am They're doing an Independent Time Trial (ITT), which you can start at any time so they are further round the route at the moment. Only people in Saturday's Group Start get the blue and pink markers. Hope that makes sense!

Perfect, thank you :) I did wonder, someone asked me as I was glued to the electric tablet thing dot watching and I couldn't answer.

Thanks again, I love imagining what they're going through, hoping they're safe, wondering if I could ever do it...

GregMay wrote: ↑Sat May 25, 2019 10:38 pm Rich Rothwell - to cold to continue
Phil Addyman - to cold to continue

A sad day for the North East.

Are the days of Geordie of the Antarctic over?
https://youtu.be/jxXbpHeIrUc

Liam is flying along he's at mile 172. I can't tell how long he stopped for ? Hard to tell on mobile

AlasdairMc wrote: ↑Sat May 25, 2019 8:42 pm Further North it’s been absolutely pissing it down until a couple of hours ago, so trails might be soggy.

That’s the rain back on. I reckon today and tomorrow will see a few more scratches as a result.

Looks like Lee is out. She stopped a long way off course. I think that's the Campsite at Beauly, although it's also possibly she's managed a lift home from there.

Full respect goes out to these riders. The mileage and time in the saddle is nuts. Shame LC has scratched (seen confirmation on Twitter). Aswell as watching dots it would be great to see some footage of them passing through checkpoints.

Confirmed overnight scratches:

Lee Craigie - too wet and cold.
Pete Worsfold - too wet and cold

A lot of the leaders were travelling very light. It's not just the rain it's also pretty cold at the minute meaning you have to move quicker to keep. It's fair to say Lee, Rich, Philip, etc aren't carrying much personal insulation.

Cath missed the Blackburn bothy and ended up in the heated toilets in Fort Augustus she's currently having breakfast in the pub in Invermoriston.

Jeff- the checkpoints aren't anything on the ground they are just something needed by the Trackleaders software

Alex Pilkington, Benjamin Houdry and Alan Goldsmith all off course. Looks like Alan is heading for Tomich and the return route. Maybe he's just after another pizza.

whitestone wrote: ↑Sun May 26, 2019 8:34 am Jeff- the checkpoints aren't anything on the ground they are just something needed by the Trackleaders software

O right, cheers!

Does anyone else have Google maps open as well, just so we get an idea as to what there're up against?

I'm "lucky" enough to have walked or ridden most of the route,, so little imagination necessary.

Rob Colliver heading for an early bath?

Is there any footage anywhere?

I had noticed some pics of the start and it did appear that some of those who've now scratched appeared to be wearing very little and carrying about the same ... proof I suppose that there's a very fine line between too much and too little and factors beyond your control can easily shift the balance.

Is there any footage anywhere?

I recall Barry made a film of his ITT and Mr Barrington and Mr Barter have too.

Sorry, I mean current HT550 footage?

Also...

Screen Shot 2019-05-26 at 09.37.39 by Escape Goat, on Flickr

...eep

Im late to the party on this, but Lars is there!

Screen Shot 2019-05-26 at 09.43.25 by Escape Goat, on Flickr

Escape Goat wrote: ↑Sun May 26, 2019 9:39 am Sorry, I mean current HT550 footage?

Also...

I might pop over to the route tomorrow or Tuesday to have a gander. I'll see if I can get some footage of the conditions (assuming we still have riders by then!)

Stu, the forecast yesterday morning was for bad weather from 0000 to 0800 this morning then improving but it started earlier and is now forecast for the next couple of days.

Alan G. did predict a lot of scratches because of the weather. There's not many "sheltered" sections of the route and with many bits, once you commit to heading out then there's no escape route so you must either continue to the next glen or turn round, Loch ma Stack and Erchless Forest are pretty bleak.

whitestone wrote: ↑Sun May 26, 2019 9:44 am once you commit to heading out then there's no escape route so you must either continue to the next glen or turn round,

I cant imagine how that must feel.