gbduro

what would be a highlights package in your opinion? wales / scotland? i only really know exmoor on this route..

I'd say it'd be best done over about 15 days if touring but you have to really love climbing, tolerate hike-a-bikes and be prepared to take a pretty lightweight set up. I did it on a Brother Mehteh with 43mm Gravelkings and I thought it was pretty ideal

It looks like a pretty slapdash route, loads of long tarmac stretches and misses out on some real lovely off-road biking. Much better ones to tour on

i got this impression. I might just do a bunch of small touring off-road routes. got any good suggesstions? UK based. as much OR as poss.

All my off-road bikepacking routes then!
Including new Wales bottom-to-top I just got back from....

oooooo. I shall stalk you on RWGPS. thank you.

For balance, I really liked the tarmac parts and they were a good reprieve from the unpaved sections; Bwlch y groes was a real highlight. I did think the section from the Welsh border to the Peaks was really boring though, could definitely improve that. Doing it all off-road would be great but doing it in 1 tour would be huge!

Agreed there is some better stuff for general touring.

However, I think with a racing route there has to be some level of accessibility for riders of different abilities, especially with the format of the race, which is why there are some bits some may consider boring, long sections of road etc

I battered up a hill near Stobo yesterday to go see if I could see any riders. Saw Angus and had a quick chat. Took about 2 hours to get back down the hill following the route and no one else passed me.

Did you look back at the traffic jam? :)

I've thought about it but rapidly realised I would need about three weeks to do it at my place.

Haha! Yeah was constantly looking back as it was a narrow path and a fairly rapid descent.

How comparable will Angus time be against Lachlan?

What I mean is, the route is the same, but I don't recall Lachlan taking such long recovery breaks between stages (despite being allowed to if he wanted)

In fairness the route was a couple of years in the planning. Too much for one person so the likes of Liam Glen and Katherine Moore (and me!) helped recce some of it.

Not sure what the intended split for road/dirt was at the start of planning but as @Nikk says, some of the road sections provide a bit of relief or they have to strike a balance in terms of progress and time. Others are pretty special in themselves.

Latest updates show that Angus is now ahead. Not sure how weather compares between the attempts. Lachlan's time will likely have been affected by electing not to maximise rest at the CPs. As you say, same route so more an apples and pears comparison than apples and oranges.

Update on Angus and his hunt wheels

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“that’s what you get for running Hunt”

Mate has hunt “their great got my third pair now . Oh ! Still on my 5 years old pro 4s

Hehe, not been a great week for hunt.

What you get for running cheap ahit. But guess free is appealing.

Csb: When my cheap freehub failed out in the lanes I rang a club mate for advice who told me to find a big stick and hit it until the pawls engaged, then ride home pretending it was fixed wheel, so try to never let the chain tension off the hub. It worked and got me home. /csb.

Edit: the stick hitting bit was quite satisfying too. [basilfawlty.jpg]

Like the sound of hitting with a stick, other than riding them in the first instance.

Could the King of Grasstrack be on for the win...?

Angus dq'd, MB wins.

My buddy Ed appears to be asleep still at the top of the last hill, needs to get a wriggle on.

Angus dq'd, MB wins.

Hare and Tortoise!

Sounds like a fair decision: getting a loan of a bike does seem stretching it for trail magic.

I guess Angus will be back next year to try to get the record officially.

I am the only one thinking MB sabotaged Angus' freehub at CP3 as he would not accept any bribe/chat to "let him win for the crowds"?