Not sure what is affected by C19 but the Atholl Arms Hotel certainly do non-residents in normal times.

Good luck all, may the road rise with you*.




*unlikely but a nice thought.

Guess who is faffing

DSC_1553 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr


But they got away eventually

DSC_1554 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr



Some fully laden

DSC_1549 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr


others less so

DSC_1545 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr





DSC_1540 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_1541 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_1542 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_1543 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_1544 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_1546 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_1547 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_1548 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_1550 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_1551 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_1552 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

Thanks for the pics. Phil's spot doesn't seem to be working

Yeah, I think he forgot the Spotwalla wake-up thing.

Caught up with most of the folks at the Pine Marten. (Almost) everyone seems to have had a good first stint. Sean was planning to crack on through, hoping not to need an overnight stop.


DSC_1560 by Colin Cadden - Flickr2BBcode

Greetings from mission control:


I was hoping to have a whole bunch of windows to stalk, but some people were selfishly more interested in actual bike riding than providing working links for me to live vicariously through them.

All I know is, Steve, Bob and Sean have all navigated the Fords of Avon on the first loop and are spread evenly along 10km of Glen Derry with Steve just about to hit the Linn of Dee.

Let's see what happens tonight - they'll all hit Glen Geldie as it gets properly dark, but hopefully the weather will be kind for the trudge to the Eidart. Looks okay at the moment on the Braemar webcam:



Will anyone be tempted by the bothy in Glen Feshie or will plans to push on through the night be followed? I know Bob went right through to Aviemore last time out, whilst I slept like a baby just after the Eidart!

Morning update - looks like Sean has stuck with his non-stop strategy and gone right through the night, leapfrogging Steve and Bob who both looked to have bivvied just after Aviemore and are in Tomintoul in time for breakfast/restock.

Sean has already passed through Braemar and doesn't look to have even sniffed at a shop. Hopefully he can hold it together on the final stretch and get himself a quick time!

You can get to John's tracker by clicking on "Where is John" on the following page


https://www.bigtalljohn.co.uk/links.html

I've had two DNFs notified. One Feshie Bridge and one Aviemore.

Cheers Colin, looks like he's set up camp on the handy patch by White Bridge. How's the weather been overnight up your way - forecast showed heavy rain? Can't decide if pulling an all-nighter in the rain is more depressing than trying to go to bed in it!

Light rain where we are. Still breezy. Currently 17C though.

Ben Anderson finished just before 10am this morning....

It should be obvious from the photos which was his bike

Ben confirmed his finish time as 9:51.

That's Dave out

Had a tumble going down glen derry, didn't feel too bad so slept in the linn of Dee (breezy) and set out up by the geldie this morning.
Was feeling a fair bit shoulder pain wrestling the bike in the bogs, made 9km released I was going really slowly, and shivering.... Turned round and headed for the car park, which I am at, drinking coffee

Sean's just got the big push up to Fealar Lodge then it's a relatively easy run to the end. Should be done by 4pm.

edit - actually his spot hasn't updated since 11.55am, so maybe he finished already. Well done Sean!

There's a chirp from Sean's spot at 16:41 suggesting he finished then.

Phil reported in at 17:35.

Got 4 DNFs now, including John who has had some digestion problems.

I suspect many others have finished but just not let me know yet.

Block headwind for most of today.

The Geldie was way higher today than yesterday- looks like the southern Cairngorms got a lot of rain overnight. The Tilt was high even in its upper reaches.

Felt weary all day, got to be sting in the tail and just CBA. even going down Glen Tilt was hard work

Aye, that wind hasn't let up. Bugger that you missed the Fealar Lodge loop - again!

Any news on Cath?

She got back about ten minutes before me

In Reverse wrote: ↑Sun Sep 13, 2020 1:38 pm Sean's just got the big push up to Fealar Lodge then it's a relatively easy run to the end. Should be done by 4pm.

edit - actually his spot hasn't updated since 11.55am, so maybe he finished already. Well done Sean!

That push up to Fealar is the hardest section I've done on any event. I followed the obvious line after crossing the river and the there's a feint track clinging to the side in the heather, with a drop down to the gorge if you get it wrong. When I got to the gate in the fence there looks like a better path higher up

Somehow the spot got turned off, maybe I leaned on the button whist dragging the big through one of the bogs*.

I finished at 16:37 missed out on my 30 hour target. Mind you, when I was looking across at the good track from the Fealar climb little did I know the headwind would be so vicious that I'd look back on the climb as the easy bit

As for relatively easy push to the end... it felt like all the climbing comes at the end, and with the headwind I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever make it to the finish.

Yesterday I saw a loaded gravel biker pushing up from the Fords of Avon, complete with check shirt. It occurred to me that's an example of how good marketing is. Assuming he was heading up camp somewhere he'd have been better buying a rucksack

Thanks to Colin for organising, that's a propper challenge.

*Went otb twice last night when the front wheel disappeared into a soft bit but survived uninjured. More than can be said for my.... well lets just say riding in wet bibs for that long has caused some chaffing never had an issue with them before (the bibs) despite long periods of wearing them in the rain, I wore them on the 2018 BB300 so that should have been a good test.

Well done Sean. Must have just missed you Bob - sorry it didn't work out but you didn't miss much other than a lot of pain and suffering....

That was bloody hard. Yesterday and this morning totally amazing though and we all got lucky with the weather. Just made the eidart bridge at dark o clock, Aviemore at 10.30 - sat on the garage forecourt eating food. Thought of bashing on but felt tired and wanted to grab my September Bam so dossed down in a spot I'd scoped last month near Forest lodge in Abernethy. Stopped for 6 hours total over night, slept for 3....

Bonk tastic today - everytime I did a(nother) monster climb I fell apart. Horrendous headwind from Glen Gairn to Blair Atholl - stiff breeze further north. The last section is sh*te - I hate it!! As Bob says the rivers were double the volume this morning as last night - guess where all the rain went. The tilt was dodgy - really didn't like that. The single track to Fealar went on forever, the double track climb went on forever, the next climb went on forever, the singletrack went on forever and then the final track went on for fu*king ever.

Done in 31hrs 35. This morning I thought I'd break 30 hours easily - what a fanny. Chuffed at doing it SS but I am absolutely broken.

Cheers Colin for organising, much appreciated - same time next year! Or not.....Probably do a blog at some point but currently eating a lot of food

Well done guys.
Good to bump into you this morning Phil.

sean_iow wrote: ↑Sun Sep 13, 2020 8:24 pm
I finished at 16:37 missed out on my 30 hour target. Mind you, when I was looking across at the good track from the Fealar climb little did I know the headwind would be so vicious that I'd look back on the climb as the easy bit

Brilliant effort Sean, especially in the conditions. Are you following it up with the Lomond Trossachs Loop or have you had enough?