Highland Trail 550

Oh no! Sounds painful

No a few ago, but I hoped it would magically recover enough to ride on

I knew you you couldn't handle your Sangria.

Perhaps fortunately I went teetotal a month ago.

If you were drunk you would have been relaxed and nothing would have broken. Maybe. Possibly.

Definitely. That combined with all the extra body fat it adds means I just softly bounce off stuff. :D

As I get older I find I often go teetotal for longer than that. It just means I don't go out much!

I was teetotal for 3 days I think, the other week. Worst year of my life.

Well they’re off.
Angus seems to have fallen back already, hope it’s nothing too serious.

Ah false alarm, spot tracker issues apparently, that’ll be why.

Angus rode thought the night. I wonder if that will come back to haunt him. It's hard!

Sounds like he went through Fort Augustus without refuelling too. The wording on yesterday’s DW report wasn’t explicit, but sounds as though it’s his first year doing HT550…
30 mile lead already is amazing though 😲

Yes it is his first.

Tbh I'd go through FA without refuelling, no need. If you're on that fast a schedule you need to start with a lot of food anyway. His next stop will be drumbeg stores middle of afternoon on NC500 route.

I wouldn't ride straight through unless I felt amazing, it gets pretty hard and is a long day with that northern section and then the leadmore traverse. Then into tomorrow with fisherfields. It'll stack up and really hit you in the face.
On the tarmac you can be tired and make good pace still, but off road your speed just tanks when tired and you are more likely to make mistakes. You think you're saving time but actually a short rest would make you overall quicker.

Also seen he crashed into rich and has a very cut up leg, rich having some banged up ribs.

Pretty strong line up for 23

https://highlandtrail550.weebly.com/startlist.html

I'm planning a much more sedate (but still intimidating to me) three dayer that takes in Fisherfield . I'm umming and ahhring on route out.

I see the HT550 no longer goes over Strathan Buidhe to Letterewe and then along the postman's path to Kinlochewe. I've read very mixed reports on that path - and that a key bridge was in an increasingly poor state between 2018 and 2020. We'd also be tackling it early July (I fear the midges and ticks) but also just concerned about the size of the ferns. They seem to be getting growing in May - so worried they will be massive by July.

So my question is - how passable do folks think the postman's path would be this July? Other option is the recent HT550 route out via Poolewe and then over the Tollie path and 17km along the road to Kinlochewe for a pint.

https://bikepacking.com/bikes/2023-highland-trail-550-rigs/

@skinny wrote some stuff

https://jamesmarkhayden.eu/articles/ht550-2023-race-preview

Good read. And strong line up, will be one to follow.
https://www.dotwatcher.cc/race/ht550-2023

Good luck @skinny.

Weather should more than good this weekend. Taps aff according to the forecast.

I'm riding Brimstone 600k so won't be dotwatching. Best of luck to anyone on the startlist I know though.

Poignant words those. Get ‘em @skinny

Thanks all! Living the dream

5hrs in: Angus Young early leads, skinny and Sofiane up there also.
Could be a good battle over the next few days. Wonder when/if Sofiane even sleeps?

Unfortunately, @skinny has had to scratch due to issues with his sit bones.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Csx-NVeuE7D/?igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg==

Hope you can resolve them quickly, James.