Atlas Mountain Race

https://www.abicycleaddiction.com/single-post/to-be-an-athlete

https://bikepacking.com/plog/amr-painting-an-ultra-picture/

https://jamesmarkhayden.eu/knowledge/tips-on-how-to-complete-the-atlas-mountain-race

https://torstenfrank.wordpress.com/2020/05/18/the-atlas-mountain-race-2020-my-journal-of-the-inaugural-edtion-part-1-of-2/

https://torstenfrank.wordpress.com/2023/01/11/the-atlas-mountain-race-2020-my-journal-of-the-inaugural-edition-part-2-of-2/

Did we do the bit where someone asks: Anyone else on here riding #AMR2023?

Are you doing it?

ISTR you said you were.

EDIT Just seen you on the start list:
https://www.atlasmountainrace.com/

Not many other familiar names. Torsten, that's about it for me. Who are the (other) favourites?

I had a quick scan but don't really know many. James isn't riding, neither is Emma Pooley. Chris Hall has done some 24hrs and is in a few of Francis Cade's videos, Ed Wolstenholme I know (he's probably laughing his arse off at the thought of me riding off-road), Jeff Kerkove is a bit of a hitter from the US gravel and MTB scene I think, Mattia de Marchi has done a bunch of stuff (was he a pro roadie once? Looks it: https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/mattia-de-marchi), Richard Gate rings a bell - maybe a HT550 rider or maybe we've crossed paths before?, didn't Richard Germperle get himself up into the top 10 in the last TCR (at least before cracking)? Sam Thomas has done AMR before, I know from a couple of TCRs and went further than anyone in @skinny Spirit of Girona (I wonder if he's packing spare tubes this time?), Wendy Ellis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCsy08i0muo
) is usually writing race reports but must be doing some riding too (I should pay more attention), the Lechuga dude from the USA I think raced with his missus last time...

OK - a few names to watch. I had heard of Ed Wolstenholme and Richard Gate. You are right, Robin Gemperle led the TCR last year at some point, but I was too focused on survival to notice what was happening at the front.

Good luck!

Currently covered in K-tape and about to visit the dentist for the 30th time so thanks, I'll need all the luck I can get! :D

Mattia de Marchi

To not be confused with his cousin Alessandro who rides for Jayco.

Nothing like a last minute route change.

2of7, 3of7 and the FULL route need to be updated.

Your change or Nelson's?

It's fixed route. Nelson had feedback from someone who rode the course I think so pushed a few new files out. Of course that means I have to update like 5 locations and my cheatsheet. I've not packed yet...

Tracking: https://amr2023.maprogress.com/

Good luck hippy.

Reports on twitter of the hotel running out of food for breakfast...

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Let’s hope @hippy got there early. He’ll be even grumpier if he’s not had breakfast.

Good reasons to not stay at the event hotel

Anyone else dotwatching? @hippy is close to 500km. Seems to be resting or restocking. Reasonably far in front of the snail. He's only had about 5 support messages. Maybe we could send more to boost him?

Hippy is posting on instagram too https://www.instagram.com/p/CoOvwpRIRTI/
Interesting to see they've had proper snow there.

Glancing at mapprogress each morning. His race report will be good to read.

Ah thank you, I don't have insta. Better idea of how he's doing 👍

Josh Ibbett’s doing some punditry…

https://youtu.be/FpsZQGPkIPg

Unfortunately @hippy has had to scratch. He’s in too much pain when riding on rough surfaces.

Heal fast, mate.

Just saw on insta that he was getting an x-ray and wondered if Nelson had helpfully routed riders past a hospital.

Hope you feel better soon Hippy.

Bad news. I was expecting to get the twitter stream but it looks like @hippy has changed channel!

It was fucking cold.

Twitter blocked 3rd party apps so my Talon client doesn't work now. So I moved to Insta. Fuck Musk.

Crashed the second day (and the first actually) (~350k) and broke a rib. Pushed on for another couple of days (~700k?) but I couldn't handle the rough climbs - every bump was agony, hence walking most of the Old Colonial Road. Turns out I also had a chest infection too which made sleeping and breathing pretty fucked in general. I could ride the descents by standing up but couldn't deal with another 30km climb after Issafen so called it. Got a lift with camera car to CP and then got a bus to finish line where I went to hospital and found this shit out. They gave me antibiotics for the infection along with Vit C, magnesium and zinc and then on second visit they gave me codeine and an antimflammatory. Nothing much else to do. Home now and I think I might check myself in again though as nothing seems to be getting better. I can breathe ok but laying down at night is fucking painful and my collarbone seems a bit clunky so I wonder if I've done something to that or it's just being pulled out of line by the damage elsewhere.

Fucking mountain bikes...

On the positive side, if you spend the whole time walking or hovering above the saddle... no arse drama!