Highland Trail 550 2018 - Day 1

Pre Start Happy People.

OK. So in the Intro I explained that our preparation for the HT550 in terms of fitness was less than ideal.

Let's add to that on the drive up the day before, and the morning of the depart, I was struggling to get any food down. I wasn't really ill, my stomach just wasn't interested in food.

Tom as you can see above was in good spirits.

Our one advantage, a pyschologocal one, was that we'd ridden the whole route before, forewarned, is forearmed. One niggle though would be on the first day last year we'd set off some 3 1/2 hours earlier, so we'd seem to be late arriving at places.

The lovely Jenny Graham sent us all on our way, and fairly quickly we were, as was expected riding  alone or occasionally with a couple of others.

Michelle Dulieu and Liam Landers

The weather as forecast was glorious, and we slathered the sun cream on. We stopped for a scone and a drink at Bridge of Balgie. I forced the scone down, but my stomach still wasn't wanting food. I did however make sure I drank plenty of water.

The riding conditions were excellent, our progress less so. Tom was slow up the hills, and I was only marginally quicker.

We both knew what needed to be done though. Heads down, we plodded on.

Loch Ericht in the distance meant we were not far from the first bit of hike a bike.

We stopped at the loch side and ate less than we should. Later we realised that Tom was used to eating when I did, and I wasn't. We were both in calorie deficit. 

Passing Ben Alder cottage we'd bumped into Michelle again minus one of her pedals which wasn't a problem in the hike a bike boggy tussocks. Later that day though she'd push her bike 9 miles straight on the usually rideable singletrack.

Tom and I though not fit had retained some bike handling skills, and we made reasonable time on the section to Loch Pattack. 

Our original goal for the day was to get over the Corrieyairack Pass, but that would have meant riding several hours longer. I was spent. At mile 62 we set up camp just short of Laggan.

We both fired up our stoves and ate a Firepot meal each. I still wasn't hungry, but I did force the much needed calories down.