Final Thoughts

Day Eleven- Short Route Finisher

Day Ten- First Finisher

Flag Drop

# Done 

We have our final finishers. Crossing the line together, with a time of __13 days__ and __5 hours__: our gravel bike duo of Charles Vannoorenberghe and Maurits Oosterloo! 

![GB Divide Maurits](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3QRBbqYb97oChK1yn6i6t0/82d32c371b4996ac013898af053f2890/GB_Divide_Maurits.jpg)

Then back at CP3 Anthony finished his adventure. In terms of determination, it’s probably the ride of the event- training hard after some challenging events in the previous years, some crashes and false starts, then arriving at the start line this year with a slightly more appropriate bike. We can all hope to still have that sense of adventure at the age of 69! 

![GB Divide Anthony](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6QhK4PlOvBaxK89ytKB0QF/2c24a76aebfb48b79523d7e3a7490e82/GB_Divide_Anthony.jpg)

For the final thoughts, we’ll hand over to the event organiser Kevin: 

> "Edition 3 of the Divide has now come to a close and what an edition it’s been…
> 
> Some truly challenging ‘summer’ weather set the tone of this one again as did some equally epic performances from our riders.
> 
> It was a year of firsts too.
> 
> The first for the new Short(er) Route which made for a great edition albeit still a very challenging one but it will remain an option for 2024.
> 
> The first Lauf fork (on the first bike home), the first single speed rider (who finished second on the Full Route). The first rider wearing Bedrock Sandals - in fact the first three riders all had a sandal of some description and in doing so avoided trench foot from the wet conditions - who knew?!
> 
> We also had the first true gravel bike finish - on 40mm tyres with full mudguards no less! Don’t be fooled though, said gravel bike will never be the same and the Divide remains a mountain bike event!
> 
> On a more serious note, it was the first time one of our riders was hit by a motorist who didn’t stop - fortunately with no significant injuries, but it could have been different.
> 
> We had a record number of sign-ups this year with nearly 70 riders of which 11 were women! As seems the norm in the U.K. right now though, the number reaching the start line is somewhat different.
> 
> We know we are doing things right though and won’t be changing our approach - we remain inclusive and accessible to all riders - globally, and have a culture ingrained into our organisation that is welcoming, supportive and encouraging whilst still providing a serious challenge and one of the hardest events in the world.
> 
> Thank you to all our 2023 riders, our followers and supporters, the dotwatchers, our volunteers, and our sponsors - (separate posts coming for them later!) and of course the platform Dotwatcher.
> 
> We will be back in 2024 - Registration will open in __October__ this year and we will be getting dates confirmed and shared very soon."


# Full Route

Finishers a plenty! Our fifth full route finisher was Thomas Casey, with a time of __12 days__, __22 hours__ and __14 minutes__. He’s been riding the last little while in homage to Mathieu van der Poel, with a broken BOA dial on one shoe, but that hasn’t slowed him down. Indeed, yesterday was his longest day on the bike, covering __231 km__ and only leaving himself a handful of miles to make today to the finish. 

![GB Divide Clean](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4FU1ouRM2GTkW6dGqa5EF7/83a15d9ebf418e1b825b20c965cb4ca0/GB_Divide_Clean.jpg)

Then behind him Charles Vannoorenberghe and Maurits Oosterloo look to have just made it to Fort William! I’ll update this with the official timings soon, but it's a huge achievement for them both- prior to this there has only been one finisher in the history of the Great British Divide, and now we’ll have two in this edition. Plus Maurits has been riding with mudguards- so possibly the cleanest rider to ever finish as well!

![GB Divide Pass](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6ADgUJsPBrsECnet0G7ElR/ab52ef33fbd9ff0807644a2bb7181074/GB_Divide_Pass.jpg)

With the event wrapping up this weekend we can take a bit of a deeper dive into the numbers tomorrow! 

Anthony has set his own finish line, the third checkpoint at the Dales Bike Centre. Hopefully he can arrive during opening hours to enjoy some of the cakes on offer. You’ve got this Anthony! 


Day Fourteen

# Full Route

A bit of a later update today because we’re now down to 4 riders- 3 of them will be seeing signs for the finish line (although the route takes them the long way round). Thomas has a slight lead over Maurits and Charles, with all of them on the way over the final pass of the journey and then down into Fort William. It looks like it’ll be a bit of a late one for all three of them, with Thomas, the closest, having 90 km to cover and the sun setting around 9pm. One thing they have timed well is the weather, with the wind behind them all the way over the big climb and temperatures staying above 10 degrees celsius all through the night. 

Anthony is still pressing on behind, just outside Rochdale having covered almost 1200 km at this point. 


Day Thirteen

# Full Route
He was just about there in yesterday’s update, and now it’s official: Paolo Laureti (main picture) finishes in third place, with a time of __10 days__, __4 hours__ and __35 minutes__. His reward was no accommodation in Fort William so a night camped out in a campsite disabled shower room. 

![GB Divide Laurent](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/66gJz2bNQPG1VQDjVkGvP0/7690f853aa7c04cb2ee723048ce8e5bc/GB_Divide_Laurent.jpg)

Then Laurent Sourget (above) was in fourth, with a time of __10 days__, __10 hours__ and __1 minute__. That was despite being hit by a car 40 km from the finish… He thought his rear wheel was done for and had already accepted a lift before realising it was fixable and jumping back on the trail at the nearest point. Talk about an emotional/stressful ending after 10 days on the bike. Right now Laurent is leading a discussion in the rider’s WhatsApp group about the complexity of gates and their closing systems- if you’ve done much off road riding around England you’ll no doubt have an opinion on the matter. 

![GB Divide Gate](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3huaVu8RvE87LTKxB0Vvt2/d2740a9f3052251760612d184ffa88e5/GB_Divide_Gate.jpg)

The trio behind are through the Pentlands and onto the canal section. They’ll have some lovely gravel trails around Aberfoyle coming up before the gnarly finish. Thomas has a slight gap in front of the gravel boyz, Charles and Maurits. 400 km to go for them all!

Anthony Marvin is still chugging along, __1100 km__ into the route. The official finish deadline is Sunday morning and he’s __215 km__ away from CP3, and __900 km__ away from the end. Go on Anthony!

## Upcoming
It’s a warm, if a bit muggy day, around central Scotland right now- thundery showers are forecast in the Highlands at the weekend, so hopefully the riders will be wrapped up by then and avoid more adverse weather. 


Day Twelve

We'll flip the normal running order this time... 

# Short Route
We have our (one and only) finisher in the short route- Samuel Davidson (Sam, pictured above), with a time of __7 days, 6 hours and 39 minutes__. I say only because we’ve lost a few more riders, but we’ll get onto that later. It’s been a huge effort from Sam, finishing the short route after scratching from the 2021 edition of the Great British Divide. He’s been metronomic out there over the past week, regularly putting in 16+ hours moving time on the bike per day. While the shorter route avoided some of the unpleasant weather at the start, he’s had his fair share of bad conditions on his way to the finish:

> "Managed to stay ahead of the rain until Scotland. But was truly punished by it every day once over the border."

![Sam cockpit](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3mRYftjLMk89v8wTcWTWUp/fa06f4e5cdebdf16892c7331642a3cff/Sam_cockpit.jpg)

## Full Route
The finishers are rolling in now! Alex was second over the line with a time of __9 days__, __10 hours__ and __56 minutes__. Testament to what a set of sandals, a single speed bike and a positive attitude can do!

Paolo Laureti is in Fort William as we speak, so will probably be finishing by the time I’ve posted this update. Luarent is just tackling the Corrieyairack Pass, and should hopefully be at the finish line for dinner. 

![Alex Finisher](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3Ehsxuhx4jQ4LnPiIh5nPE/6dc0e81607d4672cd189a7436d9d0aaa/Alex_Finisher.jpg)

![Alex Fort William](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6a08fpNz3RyvaiyponeK9Y/fa2027a35a50c97c6e6f9cd5a1470aa6/Alex_Fort_William.jpg)

The following trio are all into Scotland now- Thomas Casey is in Hawick, and Maurits and Charles are through Kielder and into the Scottish Borders. 
Our tail-ender is now Anthony Marvin, who has recovered after an extra day off and is back into England now. 

### The Bad News
We’ll get the scratches out the way first. Our duo of Ka Fai and Wang Yeung rounded off their adventure after CP3. We’ve lost Dale, with a few niggles and the humid weather getting the better of him. In terms of the walking wounded, Maurits has somehow lost all his rear brake fluid, so will head to Peebles and hopefully sort something. Thomas has had issues too, with his dynamo not charging equipment as it should. 


# Full Route
__We have our first finisher, James McIntosh!__ This morning at 4:15 he rolled into the Pinemarten Cafe in Fort William to conclude an amazing 9 days on the bike. The vital statistics? __2040 km__ covered in __8 days, 19 hours and 13 minutes__. Outside of oversleeping one night, he seems to have had a faultless ride- in the lead pretty much the whole way from Dover to the end, quickly in and out of checkpoints- definitely a man with a plan. Hopefully the journey back to Cornwall goes off without a hitch as well! 

![GB Divide Checkpoint](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7kgB5TVVWaQWF8tpEgqPOq/a2f11debdf6676cea5061e3fb2460e72/GB_Divide_Checkpoint.jpg)

We could potentially see another three finishers in the next 24 hours, with Alex, Paolo and Laurent all spread out __50 km__ from each other. Alex has __225 km__ left until the end. 

![Tom Repairs](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6O4YkoqpmVJJVjsM9ywWKi/52dd55713f0dabe6bfcdadb53c571ec7/Tom_Repairs.jpg)

Behind them we have our other trio, who will be making their way over Great Dun Fell today and into Scotland via Kielder. Thomas Casey is __1400 km__ into the route now, and having managed to do a chunk of repairs on his bike as CP3 has pressed on. 

![Maurits CP3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1whcpd2c6rEgZBLrhmUozd/391c190354c7ba44bd713ac0c8a4227e/Maurits_CP3.jpg)

Slightly further back we have the big contest, the gravel bike head-to-head, between Maurits and Charles.  Only __5 km__ between them as they approach the climb. On paper they’ve made it through some of the most challenging sections so far, and should find a lot of the forestry and gravel tracks between there and the Highlands more to their liking. Dale has hunkered down behind, waiting for a gap in the rain before setting off again. Anthony has decided to take an extra day's rest so will press on tomorrow. *Reminder: you can send messages of support to the riders via the live tracker, and I’m sure they’d appreciate all the support at this point! *

## Short Route
Sam is on the home straight! __50 km__ from the finish, currently cruising along the Caledonian Canal. Then further down the road the dynamic duo of Ka Fai and Wang Yeung have made it to CP3 after a rather wet night (pictured still with foil blankets tucked into their tops). 

![ka Fai CP3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7wEZBwBCPujprx5n80Rnxn/53f1d7f3ac3604ff5cc672c238410f1f/ka_Fai_CP3.jpg)

### The Bad News
Daniel Krause has come to the end of his journey- the gravel bike handicap proving a bit too much. James Hinsby and Ted Fountain have called it quits, the weather taking its toll on them. 


# Full Route
James McIntosh is flying. At present he’s only got __200 km__ left before the finish. Pressing on from the Pentlands, along the canals, a quick rest in Aberfoyle and now he’s approaching the Highlands. It looks like it’ll finish as it started, in terms of weather… a lot of riders caught out in the rain over the last 24 hours. [Add into that the midges](https://www.smidgeup.com/midge-forecast/ "Midge Map"), and there’ll have been a lot of uncomfortable riders camping out last night in Scotland.

![Alex - 12 08 - 1300 - Soulby -3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1YvVwb8D5Sig2kV2D8ZOk4/7ce6fa1026cf70e7a4b9388d53734370/Alex_-_12_08_-_1300_-_Soulby_-3.jpg)

Behind, Alex (having fixed his bike, and sorted his 'summer' wardrobe) has overtaken Paolo to move into second place, __1581 km__ into the race. Laurent is in fourth (main picture), and then we have a gap to the riders approach CP3. Thomas, Charles and Maurits should arrive at the Dales Bike Centre. Then we have another trio close to each other on the trails, with Daniel, Dale and James all around __1100 km__. Anthony Marvin is bringing up the rear, fast approaching the border back to England. 

![Dale CP3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5IfpSvAEYAkjKObpXh8Nwm/0da9389b88d7eead01607e1a20732694/Dale_CP3.jpg)

## Short Route
We’re down to three in the Short Route option. Sam is still riding strong, overcoming the rain last night by sheltering in a McDonald’s. He’s got __250 km__ left to cover, so the finish line is almost in sight! 

![Sam Aberfoyle](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5AbPsnvsJ5hhdhmJYtTubZ/b8a53514d93c79fc56070c4dd65a7178/Sam_Aberfoyle.jpg)

The remaining two are our pair of Ka Fai and Wang Yeung (last night's accommodation, pictured), who are just approaching Settle and have __90 km__ to make up before arriving at the next CP. 

![Ka Fai Camping](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4ODaJpTCUCRUQbb0wHn8LX/cdddb74f220953bb9be5a8bc71d390ae/Ka_Fai_Camping.jpg)

### The Bad
Some official scratch news to report. Alan Goldsmith is out- a combination of the bad weather (also midges) and having done the remaining portion of the route countless times- so has decided to detour to the Lakes to see some friends. Then to confirm the ones from yesterday: Chris Levitt with ankle issues, Jon Large after a crash and Si Gittings with a knee problem. Ted Fountain is going off course to find new shoes. Sandals maybe? Watch this space… 

### What’s Coming Up?
For the lead riders, they’ll hop onto the West Highland Way and then the Rob Roy Way. After that they’ll head into the remote sections again, through Glen Lochay and up and down into Glen Lyon. The final stretch will take them alongside Loch Rannoch and the forest. This will be another enjoyable section for the riders, but it doesn’t last for long… Up next they’ll have the fearsome Corrieyairack Pass, with its mixed surface, high points, exposed areas and stream crossings. The long descent will be the final nail in the coffin for any brake pads that have made it this far, but after that it’ll be canals and cycle paths as the route takes them into Fort William and the finish line! 


Day Nine

# Full Route
Yesterday was a big day for James McIntosh. After conquering Great Dun Fell, he pushed on through the trails around Kielder Forest and onto the Cross Borders Drove Road and then the Borders Abbeys Way, ultimately making it into the town of Hawick for a rest in the early hours of the morning. He’s just about __1600 km__ through the course now. Behind him, Paolo is at Great Dun Fell as we speak, with Alex a little further back having left CP3 this morning after a nap and a chance to fix a stuck rear brake, and Laurent (below) in 4th having just arrived there. Then further back we have the trio of Thomas, Maurits and Charles, all having covered around __1150 km__ since setting off. We’re seeing more riders leaving Wales now- Daniel is fast approaching Crewe, with Dale, Ted and Anthony pressing on behind. 

![Laurent CP3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4D9aXChVproBMzaiq9I7MD/cced70b3ccc8fce3e72463c2d499834f/Laurent_CP3.jpg)

![Sam Resupply](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4F5Ddq9LUue6S6HZph8MR1/5b4f9056e609280471c159c57c8bd11f/Sam_Resupply.jpg)

## Short Route
Sam (today's breakfast picutred above) has been neck and neck with James for a little while now and is the rider furthest into the course. He should tick off __1000 km__ at least by the end of today. We’re down to 5 riders in this category now- Alan (check out his camping spot last night) is at the Dales Bike Centre, with Si not far behind. Ka Fai and Wang Yeung had an early night, with the hike-a-bike taking its toll on them. The remedy was to find a bed (albeit a very fancy one), a warm bath and “something” to ease the pain. 

![kai pints](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3TokXxjeRQvel8bsl3mz4c/220af394ab2d710942a6ca2a250f2d01/kai_pints.jpg)

### The Bad
I’m waiting on the official scratch update, but it looks as though Craig is out, after a pretty serious mechanical issue. Chris is out as well, with ankle and Achilles pain. I’ll update later once confirmation comes through. 

![Craig Mech](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7nvtPPF3SQaH4TDF9DkKXx/b3293c39d600994b501a96c11b1f6a5f/Craig_Mech.jpg)

### Upcoming
Our lead riders will be skirting the centre of the MTB universe this week, with the route taking them through Peebles just in time to enjoy the atmosphere of the XC World Championships at Glentress. After that they’ll head through the Pentlands, offering great views of Edinburgh and the surrounding areas, before dropping down onto a mix of canal paths and cycle lanes that will offer them a good few hours of respite before the route sends them north again towards Aberfoyle. 


Day Eight

Buckle up, we’ve got a lot to cover. 

# Full Route
James McIntosh is still out front. He arrived at CP3 this morning, stopped for 15 minutes and was then back out on the trails. To prove that he is human though, he accidentally turned a four hour rest in a B&B last night into eight hours, after sleeping through his alarm. Probably just what he needed though, to reset and then push on further. 

![James CP3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7m9SN3bDANq5XHA5PSqGIY/12fe06a03ea5764d67402539d43d1550/James_CP3.jpg)

Behind him we have the usual names, Paolo, Alex and Laurent, all a little further down the road. However the gaps are closing up. Another trio behind- Thomas Casey, Maurits Oosterloo and Charles Vannoorenberghe- have cleared the __1000 km__ milestone. Thomas is about __120 km__ back from Alex now, but worth considering that 120 km on some of the trails can take a lot longer than expected. Hopefully they can make it to CP3 in time to enjoy some of the cakes though!

![Dales Bike Centre](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4BXG8bpYDeeqnE1FnXhVdV/02008c5922f25b0b0a56679f009f64f5/Dales_Bike_Centre.jpg)

We have seven full route riders still in Wales- James Hinsby, Craig Black, Daniel Krause, Dale Barrington, Ted Fountain, Anthony Marvin and Chris Levitt. 

## Shorter Route
Samuel Davidson (the cover picture) was the first rider overall to make it to the Dales Bike Centre, arriving just after midnight last night and getting a good five hours sleep before rolling off and getting breakfast. He’s set a pretty fearsome pace so far, about __180 km__ ahead of the nearest rider. 

![Sam Breakfast](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4C5WyKeaYN8KnD6chRSmha/e07272efbec713e509a6c0a23d604183/Sam_Breakfast.jpg)

Alan Goldsmith and Si Gettings are in second and third, then a little further back Ka Fai and Wang Yeung have a small gap over Ray Farrenkothen. 

![Si GBD](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3HbLrom8mmGVyPCj0PZ2Hw/859ee5f3eac424c31069dfe0c45d9b7c/Si_GBD.jpg)

### The Bad
It’s been tough out there. The distance, weather, and terrain have all claimed a number of riders since the last update. Thomas Cornes is out with tendonitis in both legs. Jon Large has scratched after not quite recovering from a crash on Devil’s Staircase. Sam Phillips is out as well, this time a mixture of a few tumbles and water wreaking havoc on his electronics. Sam lined up for his third GB Divide this year, so probably a sensible call in order to make it back for next year’s edition. Jon Shergold has fallen victim to a recurrence of a knee injury, so decided to leave the race while in the vicinity of a train station. Jason Fowler had a case of wrong place/wrong time and found himself along the Broken Road during the hottest part of the day, resulting in illness. 

A lot of the other riders are patched up and doing what they can to make it through, everything from new stretching routines, hunting for painkillers, or downing bottles of ginger shots. Alex (full name Alex SingleSpeedAndSandals) has an ankle brace on. He’s been a trendsetter though: a number of riders have now opted for sandals to overcome the terrain.

![Alex GBD](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5qlEmw2OKXJRaXbPJe50Xf/cd094b02eb38ff99fadc192615f925d4/Alex_GBD.jpg)

#### Upcoming
Our two respective front runners are just about to hit Great Dun Fell. SparkNotes, for those not acquainted with the north of England… It’s one of the highest paved roads in the country, with a radar station on top and closed road to all motor vehicles.[ The vital stats for the paved climb are 7.43 km at an average grade of 8.4%](https://veloviewer.com/segments/732824 "Veloviewer Link"). 

![GDF](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/35FtDNwQ6dCbjekYJvTvDe/5a23c953e0706cd11b4299bbc71abbe4/GDF.png)

The weather forecast for the area shows some light rain and a moderate breeze, but everything gets multiplied as riders get near the summit. Sam and James should be enjoying a tailwind on the way up though, which I’m sure will be much appreciated. What’s coming up after that? They’ll be on some disused railway lines and then into Scotland! 


Day Seven

# Quick Updates

It’s warm out there. Paolo, second currently in the full route version, is over the broken road on the way to Mam Tor and has only stopped so far to get sun cream on. 

![GB Divide Paolo](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6ElGKIwydAYR4xSxVniw6F/491f349374627ba01efd4f485765508f/WhatsApp_Image_2023-08-10_at_10.29.42.jpg)

After I left everyone on the cliffhanger of a late night snapped mech, I’ve got good news for everyone… They’re back on the trails! A local company, Race Time Repairs, drove out and sorted the problem. That means Ka Fai and Wang Yeung are now safely into England and onto the next part of their adventure!

![GB Divide Repair](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6GuvZ02APAaNrFEcHPpvnM/284601202d2a9861323b28e3b36e0494/WhatsApp_Image_2023-08-09_at_21.20.07.jpg)

Everything is as it was from the last update, with our two lead riders from the two distances now dovetailing on their way north. It’s a good chance to dig into some of the numbers behind the rides so far. James McIntosh, after a big first few days, has settled into a good rhythm now of around only 5 hours stopped time each day, averaging just over __200 km__ during the 19 hours on the bike. 

![GB Divide Graph](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/571UngtO42v2ewBFaCd9PL/ef9b09089b578fc5957c46f987abd8f9/screenshot-greatbritishdivide2023.maprogress.com-2023.08.10-10_21_06.png)

Further back, Ted and Anthony have made it through CP2, with just Chris Levitt left now. 

![GB Divide CP2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/64M9gbFKun8IEQABlpwTGr/a4205a68b35cb2f5a47f9581c2daf046/WhatsApp_Image_2023-08-09_at_20.47.06.jpg)

We should hopefully see a handful of rides make the next checkpoint today- our leaders are about __100 km__ as I’m typing this up. The Dales Bike Centre will offer a cafe and workshop for riders, so a chance to sort any niggling issues before they decide to press on. When they press on they’ll be on the Swail Trail, then onto the highest point of the route, and the big climb highlight of this area, Great Dun Fell. I’ll explore the climb more in tomorrow’s update, but the riders will be going up via tarmac and down via the trail. The descent can be a bit boggy in places, but still enjoyable (hopefully) after lugging the bikes up the climb. 


Day Six

Great British Divide 2023 Tracking + Commentary: The third edition of the Great British Divide is set to be wildly exciting; high passes, rough terrain, unreliable ferries and undoubtedly a good sprinkling of the notorious British weather.

Great British Divide 2023 Tracking

The third edition of the Great British Divide is set to be wildly exciting with high passes, rough terrain, unreliable ferries and undoubtedly a good sprinkling of the notorious British weather.

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