Race wrap up

Day 7

Day 6

Day 5

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

Event Preview

It was a good 40 hours between Lachlan finishing his GBDURO race and the next person coming in. Despite requiring a new fork and slipping down the ranks of the race, Angus Young quickly made up for lost time to come in second in 150H 24M.

After a further 8 hours of riders gritting their teeth on the final stretches of the route, they began to roll in just in the nick of time for the finishing party.

Philippa tackled Great Dun Fell at night 😱

![Phil GDF](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1RxYILYN9XFwqvqktWak9W/fd72a67385c49ff48a52c2108dc312ac/Phil_GDF.jpeg)

The weather returned to what we now consider 'normal' and it was a case of donning the ol' rain jacket again but with views like this, it's hard to be disappointed.

![Phil scotland weather](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3g3DnXhYMVnPWB73E85VRo/91d36411ba2de6c1fe2b13bc755d80b2/Phil_scotland_weather.jpeg)
Photo: Philippa Battye

It all got a bit much for Ren who scratched due to exhaustion, though she continued to chime in with encouraging words for those still out on the course. In a similar vain, Lachlan Morton was cheering for his fellow riders as they finished.

![Pete finish](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6ktvMRakpXZc5A2f1U8PCt/0fc329e70224c15e4bcb22e307c49762/Pete_finish.jpeg)
Photo: Pete Crawforth at the all-important finish line

In the end, there were ten finishers all with absolutely incredible stories to share from their time on the trail. Miles Resso is just a few kilometres from the finish where he'll be greeted by his fellow riders.

If you're interested in taking part in next year's edition of GBDURO, keep your eyes peeled on [The Racing Collective](https://www.theracingcollective.com)'s website.

Lachlan Morton has completed #GBDURO19 - congratulations!

Lachlan Morton wins GBDURO19!

We'll begin with the sad news of the day that Callum has scratched. His achilles was giving him grief so he's going to repair that and no doubt return with a vengeance.

The morning began with very different experiences. At the head of the rolling picnic, Lachlan Morton has officially said he's seen the most beautiful sunrise of his life. Check it out and see what you think.

![Lachlan sunrise](//videos.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2LTFQ091tu9YQGhuP6VrVS/cfa306f59fa5bccfabf787f86cc36633/Lachlan_sunrise.mp4)

On that note, I reckon we'll see him finish before the day is out. He has 120km to go at the time of writing this report.

At the other end of the picnic blanket in Chester, Renata witnessed something quite different. Amazingly, she resisted joining in.

![Renata sunrise](//videos.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/29F38E6hNuc4cLQD0rJiUc/56bf2c87c1940608c464d3f170285390/Renata_sunrise.mp4)

Most riders spent the night at CP3 in Garrigil however Mark Tillet decided to pull an all-nighter in hopes of getting ahead. Andy has since caught up 

Previous second placer, Angus, had to wait for his fork to be replaced which is why you'll notice he slipped down the ranks a little. He's back on the road now and will no doubt aim to make up for lost distance.

The sun has graced us with its presence and riders appear to be enjoying the contrast from the early days of the race. Some have even dropped a layer!

The stealth rider, Meg Pugh, was spotted in the wild by Phil earlier this afternoon. They both crossed the border of England and Scotland together and shared a couple of selfies en route.

![Phil and Mystic Meg](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7eEN51NpcPqlyP2eo8LkN9/6ea02f007fe16bdc5c7c54f33397f425/Phil_and_Mystic_Meg.jpeg)

![Meg Phil Scotland](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2jk9Sz37fN7OnKMyVFzMms/7c5c4671c8224c33914f609c3ee1c547/Meg_Phil_Scotland.jpeg)

It turned out to be a glorious night of riding for those in the hills and [@cadence_images](https://instagram.com/cadence_images) was on hand to capture a beautiful sunset.

![Cadence images 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/238Cz93PosHf6Gf3V2Foz4/0db79a1edd2dcd3002ec09043553bd45/Cadence_images_1.jpeg)

![Cadence images 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/s11FwWx9WcPQDdix7asJQ/58b987d1d17aa1cebbc23745b5225676/Cadence_images_2.jpeg)

Lachlan Morton also enjoyed the company of some roadside dotwatchers on his way north last night (photos by [Harry Dowdney](https://instagram.com/harrydowdney))

![186B637E-6A36-468F-B381-C9E2AABAEA5D](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6a3I6Di8cpED4aCghSfMK4/edb86d6a4e6b8d89af6e66718d9e4438/186B637E-6A36-468F-B381-C9E2AABAEA5D.jpeg)

Meanwhile, Philippa Battye settled down in a lovely spot outside an Indian takeaway presumably wrapped in a naan bread for extra midnight snacks.

![Phil indian takeaway](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7kML4i0QtooPFb2GVj03gG/327b503def56b7d43c3f0ada4f64fe57/Phil_indian_takeaway.jpeg)

With this somewhat late arrival from the sun, more alfresco rolling picnics got the riders started this morning.

In stark contract to each other, Mark Tillett enjoyed an early morning refuel of cereal in a coffee cup while Philippa made best use of her BnB facilities (yes, she slept outside the Indian takeaway but called in to redeem her breakfast!) for the same result.

![Phil breakfast](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4rtlJ4Ako7DAeKluyJ6hpT/ce014457318a4a28278cd5f0bfc392b6/Phil_breakfast.jpeg)
![Mark breakfast](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1eSfGow50ZccOzCKfp1mcT/4f8074675f4e6e2963d2197041726895/Mark_breakfast.jpeg)

The front runners cracked on towards Garrigil through a beautiful Yorkshire landscape. With sun, views for days and tailwinds, what could have possibly gone wrong? Well dear reader, mechanicals did. Three riders reported downtime within minutes of each other: Fraser has a ding in his rim, Philippa ended up with a fair chunk of hike-a-bike to fix her rig and Angus has a crack in his fork 😱

![fraser rim](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1tiatI3uGiw0KUWYLHio24/819a9ac319672f548e131dddbb51dec8/fraser_rim.jpeg)

Further up the road, Lachlan has reached Fort Augustus after "relaxing" in a hedge last night. He's set to begin the final stage of 380km tomorrow morning at 3:30am. Will he complete #GBDURO19 in sub-7 days?

![IMG 1491](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3T1Ke71rItGXcZXxD3zfxY/35a282e226197fdeee83dc36e24a850c/IMG_1491.PNG)
Lachlan's 5* hotel for the night

![IMG 1490](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6iI75BYa6wIfzP4VVbLstc/fa1739234bd99cff49333e167455f638/IMG_1490.PNG)

Unfortunately we have to report a couple more scratches: Christian and Iida had to withdraw today. Both in good health and Iida has even hinted at joining the riders at the finishing party next week.

Stay tuned for more tomorrow!

As is the case during many ultra-endurance races, keeping oneself energised is of utmost importance. It's therefore appropriate that a couple of riders have dubbed #GBDURO19 more of a 'rolling picnic' and have shared their nutritional delights with the wider group. We've seen everything from pizza and fry-ups with a side of chips (yes, chips for breakfast) to pans of custard and freshly made sticky toffee pudding courtesy of the checkpoint volunteers.

Speaking of checkpoints, I'm delighted to say everyone still on the race is now through CP1 after Renata arrived at around 1:30 this morning - a great effort to continue long into the night after several enduring days.

Riders have been catapulted from rural Welsh countryside to metropolitan Manchester within a number of hours which has led to sensory overload for many.

![Manchester M60 lookout](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3CVVckT1NXq8mySjEaTVOW/d8bc601b1eb66dd34dbf2e1f027c1ce4/Manchester_M60_lookout.jpeg)
*Miles reflects on the changing terrain while enjoying a scenic view of the M60.*

Help was at hand courtesy of the lovely staff (shout out to Charlie) at Patagonia in Manchester who turned on the coffee machine and offered riders some of their finest brew and a place to perch for a bit of rest.

![Patagonia 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6o5pC4jra9A0tgb6CIEV5t/b79c5f686f988fda6c29b204ab46e68a/Patagonia_1.jpeg)

![Patagonia 3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/ZccjGVzNRJO9twFvbIZgJ/5c4d18a7c5fe04f0086eab356d621f85/Patagonia_3.jpeg)

![Patagonia 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1TcjwEIpGfuFvqV7sXiurL/5d97f7bdd73e41d82dce8380971dad2a/Patagonia_2.jpeg)

![Patagonia 4](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3e5cZuiIxBpF3q3K1esBx9/c00503af171b94ef493207fa74d17ce4/Patagonia_4.jpeg) 
Miles followed Lachlan's advice and chucked in a pair of hiking boots ready for the next stage.

And on that note, Lachlan opted for a hotel in Alston last night, presumably as a place to dry his clothes. The rules of the race dictate that the time spent at checkpoints does not count towards the final aggregate time so there was a question as to whether the clock continued to tick while Lachlan slept. Luckily, he doubled back on himself before he set off properly and the race director has okay'd this and the man in pink was free to continue with time on his side.

As expected, he quickly said his goodbyes to England and crossed the border into the land of haggis and whisky. He's immersed himself in the local culture so far so we fully expect him to chuck some IRN BRU and deep fried pizza into his bikepacking bags for the last few miles.

https://twitter.com/harrydowdney/status/1143802855696060421

It looks like we've seen the last of the ordinary weather and early reports from [God's Own Country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire) suggest the sun will play ball for a few days.

![Yorkshire](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/k2ZVl5NF0X4yFLqg11WNa/be189a826913b7d6a416678bdbba1a70/Yorkshire.jpeg)
Mark Tillett shares this typical Yorkshire scene on his way through the Dales.

It's worth noting that the list of riders on the tracker you see on this page isn't exhaustive - there is one stealth mode rider in the form of Meg Pugh whose name you might recognise from other ultra races. Confirmation of start and finish times is done via time-stamped Instagram posts so a tracker is really just for us dotwatchers. 21st century racing now, don't you know?

It's been incredible watching Lachlan Morton steam ahead. He made it to CP2 in an eye-watering 63 hours. 1100km in 63 hours. Incredible. It didn't look easy either - headwinds and low visibility played a significant role in today's challenge, however his sense of humour was strong with him advising the WhatsApp rider group to grab a pair of hiking boots on their way through Manchester for the climbs that follow. It looks like he's turned down a night's sleep in Garrigil and opted for a hotel room further up the road.

![FCD79E98-603B-4ADB-A750-AA4527785AA3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6BuxXqqimDw1zmFOqXpTy8/09a93f216250d338320f57309be85a90/FCD79E98-603B-4ADB-A750-AA4527785AA3.jpeg)
Photo: Harry Dowdney

A leisurely start for the riders who camped out at CP1 overnight meant they left shortly after 9am with a few now about to put Wales behind them and sweep across England. Despite the Welsh weather (and let's face it, wider UK weather today) one thing has kept most people going: FOOD!

![Philippa river crossing](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6jlWkEgIpOD05Qj9Zft5wh/b335f2b4d8a89c276d9e7f5e9231602c/Philippa_river_crossing.jpeg)
An early morning river crossing gets everyone's legs warmed up for the day.

![Andy Deacon 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/UtHq86Nd785a5SehHfhWs/8ba6af642604c617e918e19f9c13f883/Andy_Deacon_1.jpeg)
Andy Deacon looks ahead to yet another climb...

![Andy Deacon Mark Tillet](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3i6ZPaareqQ30I52lBLSmq/bf9111b9e2f670f955bf14a8e3e54ffa/Andy_Deacon_Mark_Tillet.jpeg)
...before he shares a chippy tea with Mark Tillett

![Philippa Battye 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6ttsJ0tNeAMnKNaLGNlSpF/69e66c9cda79c2540a6107b5c1bcaea1/Philippa_Battye_1.jpeg)
And Philippa Battye keeps her nutrition strategy rolling before claiming that stage 2 surpasses stage 1 in difficulty by a long shot.

Further back in the pack, three riders are celebrating their arrival at CP1 with another not a million miles away from joining them.

It's been a tough day for everyone getting through yet more average weather conditions while locating disguised singletrack sections and grinding up a lot of hills.

What. A. Day.

It's been tough going for a lot of the riders today with Rob Quirk, Francis Cade, Iona Hassan and William Hibberd all scratching before the day's end. I hope everyone gets home safely and nurtures their bodies back to good health.

Most riders have spent the day in Wales today and more riders are now descending into CP1 at Ysbyty Cynfyn. Lachlan Morton is the only rider to have left that checkpoint and we can only assume he's doing some late night shopping in Manchester right now before he continues north towards CP2.

![Meg Pugh hygiene](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2V8V3azP0elcVOhajmhlMI/ec51bfada93ae5008d82b30e99abc960/Meg_Pugh_hygiene.jpeg)
Meg decided it was worth a gamble in Llanwrtyd Wells.

![Selfie Lachlan](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5G3DPlLaVb6y7sgxuHRJnp/9888ef86337a0a89d0c69d8ba94b3140/Selfie_Lachlan.jpeg)
An early morning selfie from Lachlan along with a message confirming he is enjoying himself despite a detour on the route.

![WhatsApp Image 2019-06-24 at 11.16.38](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5u1tTL6SPBzx8qFwO1j0eH/807d34ffe7266b8bf13c80b4d49a71e9/WhatsApp_Image_2019-06-24_at_11.16.38.jpeg)
Mark Tillet upped the pace a little seeing the guys behind him with their ammo!

The riders currently at CP1 have planned to leave tomorrow morning so while they're kicking back enjoying to much needed rest, will Lachlan make it to CP2 overnight? I'm looking forward to seeing more dots on their way out of Wales and into England throughout tomorrow. As is always the case with these races, it's always too early to call because you never know what will happen.

It looks like my estimate served me correctly and a good number of riders pulled an all-nighter to make good progress. Lachlan Morton decided he didn't need his planned sleep in Bristol and completed stage 1 in a oner. He's enjoying some rest now but we're told he'll be on the move again come 5:30 tomorrow morning.

![Lachlan Strada Florida](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4kyUDBIsicuvYLkhIXe4K/013a282887233661cb3ea76eee92fbda/Lachlan_Strada_Florida.jpeg)
*Photo: [Harry Dowdney](https://www.instagram.com/harrydowdney/)*

Today's weather took a turn with riders pulling out their rain jackets, but that didn't dampen spirits and the riders' WhatsApp group has been alight with camaraderie. 

Unfortunately, the puncture fairy paid a visit to Gary Bird in what might be a race ending sidewall split. Fingers crossed he fixes it or can divert to a bike shop in the morning.

![Gary Bird sidewall](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7hWIm5FjhdtX5OrltvYKS1/f9b3236ebfe1e99408c981af3c621ad6/Gary_Bird_sidewall.jpeg)

Italian rider [Mauro Saltalamacchia](https://www.instagram.com/maurosail79/) documented some fun hike-a-bike sectors showcasing just how challenging this event is. There's everything from slick roads to staircases.

![Mauro Salta hike a bike](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3d8sFVqcotkQFpFXCmimeK/8e701ea07c0df65a96859f54fbe475f5/Mauro_Salta_hike_a_bike.jpeg)

Meanwhile, dotwatcher Cal uncovered some mystery tyre tracks in the Quantocks this morning. Can you guess whose they were?

![Tyre tracks](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4F6Vnm26PlxyCqvqMsjByc/831cdb632d41dd6c33f3b37c84afdcbe/Tyre_tracks.jpeg)

Angus Young is now closing in on the first check point with about 40km to go but it's looking like another late night for the rest if they want to get there before dawn tomorrow. [Philippa Battye](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Philippa%20Battye) has put in a very strong effort after beginning her day before 5am and with her track record of ultra-races, she's one to keep a close eye on.

Wind down your Sunday evening catching up on Francis Cade's videos direct from the race.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk3MKFJAgs0

The Great British summer arrived just in time for the start of GBDURO19 and riders were treated to sun, sea and sand in Land's End before they made their way inland.

You will have noticed a dazzling pink jersey among the line up in the form of EF Education First rider [Lachlan Morton](https://www.instagram.com/lachlanmorton/). He blazed along the route early on catching ultra-racing debutant [Angus Young](https://www.instagram.com/angusyoung139/) and now has a comfortable lead on the rest of the pack. Of course, professional riders seldom sit on their bike for thousands of kilometres at a time so we'll have to wait and see whether he can sustain this pace. I did notice that of the six people he follows on Instagram, one of them is Lael Wilcox so I wonder if he's managed to get some words of wisdom...🤔

![IMG 1425](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1aoPIeVfdVrFc4qZah2xHD/3f7aa92c5039a208efe02355db18ec41/IMG_1425.PNG)

Further back, a number of riders are beginning to come through Great Torringdon at the 200km mark, although I'll let you decide where they've chosen to resupply...

![Screenshot 2019-06-22 at 19.54.48](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3n1hUmwG8yH5UHrAhJqlje/8ca5b2153ebd2671d0a695569d85a4d7/Screenshot_2019-06-22_at_19.54.48.png)

As I mentioned earlier, summer is in full swing and riders were spotted grabbing the weather with both hands and enjoying more than one ice cream to cool themselves down. 

![Phillippa Battye ice cream](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2KKBKX0KzQD7DpPyn3BBQ6/1aabecd0f0a3c9b08724bfc0199a1e2b/Phillippa_Battye_ice_cream.jpeg)
*Philippa Battye soaks up an ice lolly with fellow riders*

If the weather stays calm and warm into tonight, I think we can expect some riders to push on into the early hours before getting their heads down for some rest. CP1 is at 630km in Ysbyty Cynfyn, mid-Wales.

Unfortunately, Pete Alfano scratched early on in the race citing back problems after hitting some rough stuff a bit too hard. Rest up, Pete!

Lead photo courtesy of [Reuben J Bakker-Dyos](https://www.instagram.com/roobsa/) whose other work you can find [here](https://www.rjbakkerdyos.com/).

[GBDURO](https://www.theracingcollective.com/gbduro.html) is a 2000km self-supported bikepacking enduro event from Land's End to John O'Groats on road, gravel, singletrack, and everything in between. Riders will follow a newly developed end-to-end route called the [GBDIVIDE](https://www.gbdivide.net/) which was created by a number of bikepacking and ultra-racing stalwarts across Great Britain.

The ride consists of 4 timed stages (~500km each) and the lowest aggregate time over the 4 stages 'wins'...nothing. This format of riding seeks to find the perfect balance point between hard riding and community with riders stopping the clock at each checkpoint ready to start the next stage the following day.

The newly established route embraces the versatility of 'all-road' bikes to cover big distances on new roads and ancient ways, immersing riders in the rich and unique history that has shaped the British Isles. Riders will have to average ~200km/day and ~3,000m of climbing/day to make the Finisher's Party on 2nd July.

Stage 1 - Land's End to Ysbyty Cynfyn
630km // 10,900m

Stage 2 - Ysbyty Cynfyn to Garrigill
470km // 8,500m

Stage 3 - Garrigill to Fort Augustus
480km // 7,100m

Stage 4 - Fort Augustus to John O'Groats
380km // 4,200m

### __The Riders__

2019 is the inaugural edition comprising a select field, ~1/3 of whom are women. 

Those familiar with the ultra-racing scene will recognise [Ede Harrison](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Ede%20Harrison) after her wins at TCRNo6 and [this year's TAW](https://dotwatcher.cc/race/transatlantic-way-2019).

Another well-known name on the list comes in the form of professional rider for UCI WorldTour team EF Education First, Lachlan Morton. The Australian recently competed at this year's Dirty Kanza and is now ready to test his tyres on British soil.

Rob Quirk is also dipping his toes back into the off-road racing world off the back of his SRMR attempt last year. This time he'll be teaming up with YouTube vlogger Francis Cade for the duration, so there's sure to be some follow up video footage in the aftermath.

Dom Irvine, one half of the current holders of the tandem LEJOG record, is also on the list to start. Will he celebrate similar success on rougher terrain?

GBDURO19 begins on Saturday at 08:00 (GMT+1). Follow the [instagram hashtag](https://www.instagram.com/tags/gbduro19) for updates as well as a daily update right here on DotWatcher.

Land's End to John O'Groats on road, gravel, singletrack and everything in between across four stages.

DotWatcher.cc

GBDURO19

Total Racers

Distance — Elevation

Terrain

Website

Leaderboard

Events Feed