Now home.

When I was attempting to fix my mechanical on the Ben Alder single track I was passed by the two Italians who weren't happy and less than complimentary about the hike-a-bike along Loch Ericht. I thought it best not to mention that it's the easiest such bit

Looks like Javi intends getting the Ledmore traverse out of the way tonight.

9am scratch update.

https://twitter.com/ht_550/status/10010 ... 00800?s=21

I thought it was about time the Scottish weather made it's presence more felt during the HTR. I wasn't expecting it to be quite like this though.

27C forecast for Fort Augustus today. Maybe riding at night and having a siesta will be the survival strategy.

whitestone wrote:Now home.

When I was attempting to fix my mechanical on the Ben Alder single track I was passed by the two Italians who weren't happy and less than complimentary about the hike-a-bike along Loch Ericht. I thought it best not to mention that it's the easiest such bit

Looks like Javi intends getting the Ledmore traverse out of the way tonight.

Bob, just checked my other inner tube and its got a nice big cut in it, probably due to rubbing against something in my bag, just as well you got the other one

I think that foreign riders aren't used to seeing paths that aren't paths (if you get me). When I rode it on sunday I would say its nearly the driest its ever been.

Astonished by the number of scratches when conditions are so 'good'.

Karl, Bob - TINAT next weekend then? Bound to be some spare places going...

htrider wrote:...riders aren't used to seeing paths that aren't paths...

So the bearbones events are good training for us.

I take it you rode back via Ben Alder and Culra rather than Loch Garry then Phil? That's the third time I've done the lochside trail to Benalder Cottage and it was by far the driest with just a couple of trenches of indeterminate depth. Even the last bit down to the bridge was ridable without risking sinking.

I was riding with Sean for the section along Loch Lyon and we were aiming for puddles in order to cool ourselves down!

Apart from Karl "bovine" Booth and Stu Cowperthwaite (mechanical) I think everyone else has scratched because of the heat. Sarah Caylor has done the Tour Divide but she said she was struggling to keep her head up and was just plodding along and it was becoming unpleasant.

Please can someone explain what it means when a rider's dot is transparent?

Landslide wrote:Please can someone explain what it means when a rider's dot is transparent?

It means that their SPOT hasn't transmitted their position for a while, I think it's thirty minutes

Ta.

Weird - trackleaders shows Javi doubling back to Kinlochewe.
Lee plodding on and now closing the gap

Mart wrote:Weird - trackleaders shows Javi doubling back to Kinlochewe.
Lee plodding on and now closing the gap

Left something at the Whistlestop?

Mart wrote:Weird - trackleaders shows Javi doubling back to Kinlochewe.
Lee plodding on and now closing the gap

Hmm - forgot something? Given the high drop out due to the heat riding at night does seem like a good idea. Who'd have thought that would be a problem in Scotland

Bob - yeah I went back over the Bealach dhu (why wouldn't you ) cos I knew my mate Rob was in the vicinity and wanted to try and meet up.

The pace of the whole pack this year is astonishing. I remember in 2015 sharing Suileaig bothy with Alan G and Phil C on the 3rd night, but now it seems that most of the pack has hit Ullapool and Fisherfield by then.

Phil Fraser-Thomson looks to be staying in the porch of Larachantivore, a day ahead of me when I used it last year!

Looks like Javi rested/slept at Linlochewe and will push for a finish now? When did Lee or Alex rest?

Doesn’t look like Alex rested at all overnight!! It’s so hot up here that maybe he’ll stop fur a couple of hours during the day. Surely he can’t ride nonstop to the end?

boxelder wrote:Looks like Javi rested/slept at Linlochewe and will push for a finish now? When did Lee or Alex rest?

Javi has an issue to do with the sliding dropouts on his singlespeed. He has it zip tied together just now but i don't think he's expecting it to last until tyndrum.

I'm sitting outside strathcarron hotel and pretty sure I'm going to scratch. I'm just not enjoying riding today.

29c recorded in Achnasheen and Fort William yesterday, widely 28c.. Same forecast today. Possibility of thunderstorms from later tomorrow.

touch wrote:

boxelder wrote:Looks like Javi rested/slept at Linlochewe and will push for a finish now? When did Lee or Alex rest?

Javi has an issue to do with the sliding dropouts on his singlespeed. He has it zip tied together just now but i don't think he's expecting it to last until tyndrum.

I'm sitting outside strathcarron hotel and pretty sure I'm going to scratch. I'm just not enjoying riding today.

Fraser, take an hour or so, have breakfast, then make your decision.

Such a shame for Javi, he looked ‘on it’. Alex resting now at the bothy?

Yes, don't scratch yet, give yourself to think and feed yourself. Then get back on the bike. Remember it is just riding a bike.

Javi, keep going fella, just try a bit less power, but it looks this morning like you are riding with Lee.

boxelder wrote:Alex resting now at the bothy?

For just 1 hour

Our Mike has done a backtrack and gone off route, I hope all is OK?

Dave Barter wrote:Our Mike has done a backtrack and gone off route, I hope all is OK?

Bugger - Now coming down the Dundonnell Rd. Noticed he'd stopped for a bit on the descent coming down the last hump
Hope its not him scratching, doing so well up to that point

Mart wrote:

Dave Barter wrote:Our Mike has done a backtrack and gone off route, I hope all is OK?

Bugger - Now coming down the Dundonnell Rd. Noticed he'd stopped for a bit on the descent coming down the last hump
Hope its not him scratching, doing so well up to that point

Looks like a scratch http://trackleaders.com/highland18i.php ... ike_Clarke Like you say, doing well up to that point. That road is uphill all the way to the bend near the loch so definitely not something you'd do by accident, also he'd followed the route up the bottom half of Corrie Hallie in towards Fisherfield then turned round.

From a post on STW:

Javi is having tracker problems, since it fell off his bike and got damaged…. He lost the nut from his rear axle just before Kinlochewe. Carried on with a proper trailside bodge of DT RWS cable tied to frame, to stop the axle falling out. Hopefully he has managed to sort a more secure fix now!