The Wrap Up

Day 6 - Another Record Falls

Day 5 - More Dots are Bouncing

Day 5 - Our Women's Winner!

Day 4 - The Podium is set and we await a women's winner

Day 4 - We have a winner!

Day 3 - The run in to the finish begins

Day 2 - a Changing of the Guard

Day 1 - 12 hours in!

Kurt Refsnider update!

This year’s edition of the Highland Trail was one of the most exciting and down-to-the-wire races we’ve ever seen in the Highlands. But there’s much more to the race than the winner. Even before the race started, it felt like the tide was turning and this would be an inflection year for the race. With such a competitive lineup of almost 50% women, we knew we were in uncharted territory in terms of gender representation at the race and we’ve been treated with one hell of a race because of it. This year saw the overall record fall, a new women’s single speed record and six women in the top 20 and under five days.

![IMG 7228](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3vRzfPbWmvtrTm1H0EyLpA/fa1d165ca77e3f918419c87adbeab5e1/IMG_7228.jpg)

*Andy Dodds on arriving in Tyndrum after his ride.*

The weeks before the race produced perfect conditions come race day fuelling the chatter around the potential for a record breaking year. Sure enough, the conditions and level of competition pushed Angus Young to a victory and a new record, bettering Neil Beltchenko’s 2017 time by almost exactly three hours in a provisional time of 3D 7H 25M. There have been many minor amendments (some might say improvements) to the route over the past few years but the heart of the route remains very much the same, this means comparing times is imperfect but it’s good enough. Most impressively is that Angus pulled that three hour lead over Neil in only the final 75 miles. There are very few fast miles on the route but most of them are on the stretch from Fort Augustus to Tyndrum and given Angus’s background in road riding and his sheer speed, it’s conceivable that he would ride this blisteringly fast. Additionally, he had the push of Manu Cattrysse breathing down his neck as they were shoulder-to-shoulder until only seven miles from the finish where Manu suffered a ripped sidewall.

Alice Lemkes finished first woman and eighth overall in a provisional time of 4D 4H 21M. Alice rode side by side with second woman Philippa Battye for much of the west coast, both these riders DNSd in 2022 due to contracting COVID and clearly lined up with avengeance. What appeared to be on Trackleaders a battle for the second half of the race was in fact two sisters in arms riding together. It was only in Fort Augustus on the last night that Alice distanced Phil when she stopped to rest and Alice pushed on to ride through the night and take the women’s category win.

As well as the overall record falling, Annie Le broke Gemma Baird's women's single speed record from last year in a provisional time of 4D 17H 15M, wiping seventeen and a half hours from Gemma's record and sixteen hours from her own time in 2021. This improvement on previous times has been a common theme this year. Admittedly, the conditions will have helped lower times but many riders have simply returned with a year or two of improvements. Carl Hopps finished fourth overall and took 2 days and 21 hours off his time, but perhaps that’s what happens when you leave the gravel bike at home. A fellow gravelleur from 2022 who saw the light was Jade Field, and her sandals. Jade and Cat Magill both shaved approximately a day of their respective times. It’s great to see so many repeat offenders coming back and bettering their previous selves.

![IMG 7225](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7Ap3JzRde368QBe0bEaWxr/46860dde2d32f1c57c8bbd9cf82c2190/IMG_7225.jpg)
*Sofiane and Angus enjoy their finisher's meal at the Real Food Cafe.*

A rider whose tenacity was tested even before the start was Kiwi Georgie Rutherford. Her stolen bike days before the start didn’t dampen her verve for racing and she made it to Tyndrum with a mismatch of borrowed kit, all of which was new to her. A finish time of 5D 6H 11M for any rookie is excellent, but on a bike and with equipment she had never used before is testament to her resilience.

Regardless of how good the conditions were, riders have still been reporting trench foot from the prolonged wetness as well as the usual sore wrists.

![IMG 7196](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4rcg8nG0Hun6A8EQc05DeP/e71a947ee48459a8226a1f6cc9d1c874/IMG_7196.jpg)

*An Unusual Scottish Paradox: Sun above me and water beneath me. Alice Lemkes with sunburn and very mild effects of wet feet. All photos: Shell, Mike Sheldrake*

There are still three pink dots out there on the course pushing on even though they know they'll not be greeted with the "crowds" of earlier finishers. We're wishing Rebecca Good, Kylie Jones Mattock and Michelle Dulieu a safe and smooth ride back to Tyndrum. In many ways they're the lucky ones as they get to spend the longest out in the Highlands.

Over the course of 550 miles we saw riders pull out for a variety of reasons. The Highland Trail demands substantial preparation and sacrifice which can make scratching a hard decision. A finish here is not guaranteed for anybody; race favourites Kurt Refsnider and James Hayden pulled out early for different reasons. Four time finisher, Mike Toyn, who first competed in 2013 also pulled the plug for the first time. This race is easy for nobody and demands the stars to align.

A heartfelt congratulations to all those who lined up and the fortunate ones who finished. We’re already looking ahead to seeing all the wonderful dots lining up in Tyndrum in another year’s time, hopefully in some proper Scottish weather. Now, put a fork in me, because I’m done.


Jaimi Wilson came in third woman and twelfth rider around 23:45 on Wednesday night making her total time approximately 4D 15H 15M: a chunk under five days which is extraordinary for a HT rookie who’s new to riding MTB. Jaimi’s palmares includes first female at GDBURO21 and the small feat of riding round the world over three years! Her result is a testament to her mental and physical strength. Chapeau Jaimi!

For the second time this week, we saw a record fall. Annie Le broke Gemma Baird's women's singlespeed record from last year when she arrived at 01:44 yesterday morning in an approximate time of 4D 17H 15M, wiping seventeen and a half hours from Gemma's time and sixteen hours from her own time in 2021. Annie now has grand depart finishes on geared and singlespeed bikes as well as being the only rider ever to have completed the HT in winter. It looks like conditions out there this May were a world away from those she faced in the winter of 2021.

I wrote yesterday that Phil finished in eleventh overall and five hours behind Alice, however, I stand corrected as she was in fact joint tenth overall with Paul Caldwell and only 2.5 hours after Alice. While we wait for Trackleaders times to be updated as riders come in, we can’t declare with certainty riders’ positions and times. However, they’ll be updated over the coming days.

Within a few hours behind Jaimi, fellow GBDURO veteran, Emily Harper, finished to be greeted by her partner during the night. This is an excellent follow up result to her sixth place at GBDURO last year. Here’s a shot of her grinning post-finish outside the famous Green Welly Shop in Tyndrum.

![Emily Harper at finish](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/c2nNnrmZ0qPEChxjKfaGJ/fc093251aead23666b48ff59d3883bbf/Emily_Harper_at_finish.jpg)

The shower in the Green Welly shop is something of a pilgrimage for those who haven’t arranged accommodation or arrive before their check-in; albeit a little too warm for my liking but £2 for 10 minutes isn’t half bad. Tyndrum is well equipped for self-propelled travellers as it sits on the West Highland Way hiking route, making it a great start and finish location. It’s small enough to not be overwhelming but big enough to be easily accessible with all the resources riders need, namely the Real Food Cafe and a pub!

Our leader Alan Goldsmith has also touched down in Tyndrum, marking seven out of nine finishes on his event since its inception in 2013. His bikes and equipment have evolved over the years, but the spirit of the race hasn’t. Alan has never missed an edition of this race and puts himself out there with everyone else because he loves it. There is no organising team on hand during the race; riders truly are out there on their own.

[https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs9aSH3Mai0/
](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs9aSH3Mai0/)

Chris Brettell has finished within the top 15. Chris’s HOPE 1000 last ride was plagued with a cracked seatpost/toptube and he was fortunate enough to find somewhere that could weld aluminium. His run on the HT was much clearer!

# Les Clipains

One week before the grand depart, six clipains (clients + copains) of frame builder Yann Thomas who sadly passed away before he had the opportunity to ride the 2021 HT550 set out to complete Yann’s dream of riding the HT in his memory. Over ten days in the Highlands they rode in tribute to Yann. You can follow their story [here](https://www.instagram.com/spider_bike_crew/).

![WhatsApp Image 2023-06-01 at 05.11.11](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3OCKcr6y8yc6acY1LdHAuu/a322710f5f2cda922e057020f7c5f0f1/WhatsApp_Image_2023-06-01_at_05.11.11.jpeg)

Georgie Rutherford is deserving of a standing ovation! Having a bike and all equipment stolen before a race would be reason enough to DNS but not for Georgie. With generosity from fellow racers and the community, Georgie was able to not only start but finish on all borrowed equipment, in 5D 6H 11M nonetheless.

![Alan-s photo of Georgie R](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3E1OzQv6flo9aCdhIMmR40/1abe9648eb4b43fad68204557e858f37/Alan-s_photo_of_Georgie_R.jpg)

Isla Rowntree laid down the first women's singlespeed time in 2019 at 6D 13H 37M. Her background in frame building has allowed her to build her own bike and panniers for this event and she’s chosen to ride a singlespeed again. Isla’s background in bike racing spans decades and in that time she’s built Isla Bikes, the pioneering children’s bike manufacturer. She’s been instrumental in the growth and professionalisation of women’s cycling. Only four months ago, Isla stood on the second step of the womens’ veteran 50-59 Cyclocross National Championship podium, all those bunny hops will have helped with the water drains in the Highlands. A true renaissance woman.

# Scratches

As the race continues more and more riders reporting as scratched, we’re seeing the heartfelt scratch posts on Instagram. Rich Rothwell knows a thing or two about scratching as he’s finished three of his six attempts and his words of wisdom are *“completion is very far from guaranteed on this beautifully brutal route and non completion is not a failure.”* We’ve seen some of the most experienced racers in the sport scratch this year, so let that be a comfort to any scratchers regardless of their reason for not completing.

Lorah Pierre is now marked as a scratch. They say getting to the start line is the hardest part and for a woman who was in hospital two weeks before, this is certainly true! Her ride involved a few mechanicals including a bent rear mech, frame cage ripped off her carbon fork and a tyre burp 20 miles in. After taking a spill before and during Torridon, Lorah decided it was too painful to keep the pedals turning and even to walk.  She said she’s certainly feeling high from it all and we’re so pleased to hear it.

Pete Aylward scratched in Fort Augustus on the outward leg due to pain from an ongoing injury and has penned some of his thoughts [here](https://cycling.hypertelia.com/highland-trail-550-2023-race-report).


The riders are coming in thick and fast now which is keeping us on our toes! A few dots are greyed out between Fort William and the finish although it’s unlikely they’ve all stopped to sleep so close to the finish.

Jaimi Wilson, Emily Harper and Annie Le are some of these riders so we’re looking forward to waking up to learn which woman will complete the podium behind Alice and Phil. We’ll be keeping and eye out for Annie’s time to see if we’re treated to another broken record this year and she betters Gemma Baird’s singlespeed time from her 2021 ITT of 5D 9H 48M.

In fifth place, Josh Ibbett finished in 3D 22H 46M marking his best time on the HT and first time under four days. After a scratch and a disqualification, Josh lined up with a score to settle with this race and has certainly done that. He’s been updating Stefano at the Broomwagon Podcast from the trail and you can catch up on [his tales from the trail](https://open.spotify.com/show/7MJfzYm1JTm5iToMmEn7Vq?si=e67fe5bbc41242b9).

Our singlespeed winner arrived earlier today taking sixth overall and first place in the most stylish competition. Have we mentioned his shirt?! Andrew Strempke (in header image) continued his singlespeed form from taking first singlespeeder at the Tour Divide last year and finishing the Arizona Trail race last year. His partner Katie is still out there, as well as the other two womens singlespeeders.

![Singlespeed Highland Trail MTB off-road bikepacking](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4Gix2UnCq0Ywmv35zSkqD3/7581ebc28af65cb6a63f29cdde4b60ae/2023_0523_10270600.jpg)

*Andrew's bike with his handmade bikepacks*

Behind Andrew, Martyn Stottlaw finished as the second singlespeeder of the race in lucky thirteenth position after 4D 15H 39M. An excellent result and hopefully puts a few demons to bed after his scratch in 2021.

In seventh place, Rich Rothwell arrived in Tyndrum to be greeted by his 11 year old son, James, who understands exactly what his dad went through after their ride together on the HT last month. Although his dad had much better weather this time round. This was Rich's sixth time starting the HT and third time finishing it so we hope this 

![350659133 789250665928784 7796175142765484161 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6JtHyUrVG2F9Oy6Sx3Ew9k/a18d5934d1081d140f25a2365ac0221c/350659133_789250665928784_7796175142765484161_n.jpg)

*Rich and his typical expressive storytelling style with his son, James. Photo: Shell, Mike Sheldrake*

Sofiane finished ninth overall after a long stop of ten hours in Fort Augustus. He shared on his social media that this intentional stop was so that he could continue to enjoy the route in daylight as he was having so much fun. This is in contrast to his usual racing style where he takes no prisoners and very little rest! Here’s a clip of his thoughts post-race:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5fe-8q15aU
](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5fe-8q15aU)

There are still 33 riders left out on the course and most will finish within the next three days. There’s no official cutoff time but the seven day mark is a good aim for the back of the pack and it comes at 8:30am on Saturday so there’s still plenty of dotwatching left to be done!

Leanne Wrightson scratched earlier in the race and has eloquently penned some thoughts about her decision which is rarely an easy one to make. Such articulation post-race is admirable.

[https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs3pGkjMP3I/](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs3pGkjMP3I/)

Here she is! Alice Lemkes arrived a little before 2pm in Tyndrum where she was met by some of her loved ones, including her partner, Lee, and adorable dog, Coire. Alice and Phil were riding together for much of the event and arrived close to Fort Augustus together where Phil took a bed in a hostel while Alice profited from feeling good and continued all the way to Tyndrum. She finished 8th overall, putting her in the top 14% of starters. She’s since tucked into her meal at the Real Food Cafe and is hopefully enjoying some well deserved rest.

Below is a selection of images of her at the finish in Tyndrum. Just look at that sunshine!

![IMG 7193](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3jEGUBZyUNYlrH0YXM7tdB/4a3a66f94bdc940c5b0a4aebdfb436d2/IMG_7193.jpg)

![IMG 7194](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2J4dNJg12qB3kEdgeMR5p8/7aa4a7a75c418b29a38da7dd93067794/IMG_7194.jpg)

Behind her and joint tenth overall, Phil Battye finished two and a half hours later in a total time of 4D 7H 41M greeted by a motley crew of Alice, fellow veterans and scratchers.

![PXL 20230531 151629885.PORTRAIT (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7zw12veuHAmyhKBb2vzfku/752aa9c2513c3bf31b3d00802187e3ee/PXL_20230531_151629885.PORTRAIT__1_.jpg)


If the race for the win wasn’t exciting enough then we’re treated to a tight competition in the women’s field! Phil and Alice have been neck and neck all day, but as we all know the dots never tell a true story so there’s a chance Phil and Alice are riding together and aim to finish together. This would mirror their ride at GBDURO21 when they arrived at John O’Groats together. They’re close friends and have shared many kilometres in the Highlands on their Adventure Syndicate escapades over the years. It appears that Phil has stopped before Fort Augustus while Alice pushed on to rest on the Great Glen Way, Alice's dot was up and moving before Phil's so Alice has a two hour lead over Phil. We’ll know more in 60 miles time. Their ETA to Tyndrum is approximately 14:00 today but as we saw with Manu yesterday, anything can happen before the rubber touches tarmac in Tyndrum.

Although Angus has provisionally set a new record, Manu’s time also bettered Neil Beltchenko’s time by an hour but it’s worth noting Manu had closer competition to spur him on. Here's Manu's [raw and in-the-moment video](https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs3u6o-gh1l/) from when he has his tyre issue and knew he would finish second.

![IMG 7179](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/248seCOYJJkvLBb0icIUCE/408aa8449dc4454525988c1d2dfc01c8/IMG_7179.jpg)

*Manu and Angus with Sarah, the owner of the Real Food Cafe and a long-time supporter of the HT550*

The ride from Fort William to Tyndrum doesn’t have a big ticket section but isn’t without its challenges. A technical descent into Kinlochleven, followed by a steep fire road climb to join the West Highland Way should keep the mind and legs from falling asleep. But if that’s not enough then the descent down the Devil’s Staircase is a consequential stretch of singletrack with its super tight turns, rocks and cross drains for the water runoff and it comes with only 30 miles to the finish. For many it involves some dismounting but regardless of whether its rideable, it’s easy for nobody and is a surefire way to fend off the dozies. After this there are very few obstacles for our riders and they can mostly enjoy the ride back to Tyndrum but they’ll be walking some of it: if they can clear the climb south of Loch Tulla, they’ll still be opening that gate, crossing under the railway and walking up much of the final climb they rode down all those miles ago.

Speaking of big ticket stretches, below is Alan’s photo of the Fisherfield river crossing today. It may be unrecognisable to some veterans because it’s rideable and a far cry from the depths we’ve seen in photos from years past. Is it even a river?! Here is it contrasted with James Robertson’s photos from 2019.

![Untitled design (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2LJ15u7vZijG4NVD07GI0s/34dfa68e6301140794794605023dad20/Untitled_design__1_.png)

Since my last post, third position has been decided and Chris Dijkmans held off Carl Hopps to complete the podium. It’s been a real dotwatching delight to see Carl finish fourth ahead of riders like Josh Ibbett, Sofiane Sehili and Rich Rothwell. Last year, Carl finished in 6D 14H 58M, albeit disqualified for accepting support, and he came back only a year later to shave 2 days and 21 hours off his time. Somebody get this man a beer!

![WhatsApp Image 2023-05-30 at 10.06.20](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/560h9LyALseOVMaIjRiq4W/4addb4cdf405fce41fcb8ddbd55bbee5/WhatsApp_Image_2023-05-30_at_10.06.20.jpeg)

*Josh and Sofiane at Camban Bothy in Glen Affric yesterday morning. Josh has sinced gapped Sofiane. Photo: Lee Craigie*

Andrew Strempke has spent the past 350 miles slowly reeling in the riders ahead of him and creeping up the top ten, in that stunning shirt no less. He’ll be the highest finishing singlespeeder of this year and is set to take sixth position with only 40 miles to the finish. His riding style mimics that of Mike Debernardo, a fellow HT veteran and singlespeeder from the US who often pacmans his opponents and finishes much higher than his position at the end of the first day.

Rich Rothwell is currently in seventh overall and has been faced with many closed doors at resupply points which made a sit-down meal in Fort Augustus even tastier. He relaxed so much that he openly shared about his unorthodox hike a bike tactic in Glen Affric, you’ll have to watch the following video to find out more. I can’t publish his words.

[https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs4XTkAgoRQ/](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs4XTkAgoRQ/)

The conditions he’s faced out there over the past few days have been in stark contrast to those of last month when he rode the route with his 11 year old son, James. Rich has lined up in Tyndrum multiple times and came here with the goal of achieving *“that most elusive ride; the one where I move as smoothly and efficiently as I can through this beautiful and rugged wilderness.”* Rich’s writing beautifully combines his northern candour and a bikepacker’s romanticism. You can read all about [his and James’s ride here](https://www.albioncycling.com/log/the-highland-trail-a-shifting-perspective).

Annie Le is currently in 16th position and 18 hours ahead of her ride in 2021. When Annie reaches Tyndrum she will be one of the most accomplished and versatile Highland Trail veterans with grand depart finishes on geared and singlespeed bikes as well as being the only rider to have finished the trail in winter. Our Annie Leader.

I can’t find any tracking data for Gemma Baird’s ride last year on which she set a new women’s singlespeed record in 5D 9H 48M, so we’ll just have to wait until Annie gets to Tyndrum to find out whether she’s our new record holder!

Georgie Rutherford is still out there on the borrowed bike with all borrowed equipment after her loaded bike was stolen on her way to Scotland. She’s holding a similar pace to Alan which is fortunate so we have his snaps of her from Fisherfield today and she's pictured in the header image.

If you’ve done nothing else than refresh the dots today then you’re not alone! The showdown between Angus and Manu seemed like it would continue all the way to Tyndrum, and it very nearly did. With the two riders neck and neck since they woke up this morning, it looked like nothing could separate them. While every competitor hopes for a fair fight and a result thanks to their own capabilities, it can happen that a competitor’s misfortune allows another racer to capitalise on this, but that is bike racing. After 449 miles of racing and only seven miles from the finish, Manu split his sidewall and knew his chances of a win were over. He’s just crossed the line in second almost two hours behind Angus.

Angus finished at 15:45 today, making his total time of 3D 7H 15M, although the tracking records it as a little longer. We’ll not have an official time until Alan verifies Angus’s GPX over the coming weeks but it's safe to say, pending a GC finish, we have a new record! Angus’s provisional finish time would take over three hours off Neil Beltchenko’s record from 2017!

![IMG 7176](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/epXoe4o36RzLsYXxuB2Ri/06673349e6234a04b142fe2e86c6c52e/IMG_7176.jpg)

*Photo: Shell, Mike Sheldrake*

The race for third place is heating up as Chris Dijkmans and Carl Hopps are less than a mile apart with 44 miles to go, and Chris has stopped for one last resupply at the Co-op in Caol before Fort William, it’s the first shop off the canal and popular amongst riders.

Note to dotwatchers: batteries normally only last three days in Spot trackers so it’s likely we’ll see a few grayed out dots from riders who haven’t remembered to change their batteries. It’s common for the riders around them to give them a reminder.

We’ll more in to the riders still out later today but for now, let’s enjoy the win as Angus and Manu tuck into their meal at the Real Food Cafe.


For many of the front pack, last night’s sleep will be their last rest before Tyndrum.

In the top 20 there are currently six women, Alice Lemkes and Philippa Battye have been neck and neck all day but currently Alice is leading as Philippa has stopped for sleep and she is currently in tenth overall.

I also stand corrected on an earlier report, I’ve been informed that Philippa is not the only rider ever to have finished GBDURO twice and, as of last year, Emily Harper joined her with this accolade. All four of the leading women (Philippa, Alice, Jaimi and Emily) are veterans of GBDURO, which may be an indication of the success of The Racing Collective’s push for gender equality on their start line spreading into other races in the UK. Emily is currently sleeping in Shenavall bothy before the river crossing in Fisherfield while Jaimi has left the bothy and is in the water as I write!

Annie Le currently sits in 19th position of the remaining 49 riders and is a whopping 13 hours ahead of her 2021 time and she’s on a single speed this time! Here’s a photo of her chosen steed this year.

![Salsa Timberjack singlespeed hardtail mtb HT550 bikepacking](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3AwUj2tGQSQk52Ksy4c3a8/d9d71027faf723c9a944b3b092dc5259/IMG_3439.jpeg)

__Best Shirt Award__

If there’s never been a Best Shirt Award at the HT before, then Andrew Strempke should certainly be the first winner! Check out this snazzy number snapped by Simon Fairfull. Andrew's also rocking some homemade bikepacks.

![350139751 551385690402086 4718599739411334611 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7C8K5nRAgqHKYUJsgo8Ani/1d0841d520383d1d707fd2451f347493/350139751_551385690402086_4718599739411334611_n.jpg)

__The Leaders of the Pack__

By the time we write tomorrow, we’ll have a winner!

Angus was first rider out of Torridon and in recent years no leader has ever been overtaken after then, excluding Angus himself last year when he needed a rest due to illness. In a similar vein, Manu has reported that he may be developing a chest infection and was planning on stopping for some rest tonight. He’s just left Camban bothy in Glen Affric after a two hour stop which was the same place of Neil Beltchenko’s last rest from 2017 on his record ride.

For the rookies, this stretch up and over Glen Affric is often pleasantly surprising; the climb is mostly a hike-a-bike due to the boulders and gradients, and many will have resigned themselves to a push down the other side but much to their delight the descent is not only rideable but flowing and occasionally fast. It’s one of the last big pushes before the finish and from here we’ll see the leaders start to put the hammer down as progress quickens.

Angus’s lead over Manu is only a fast 8 miles but with Manu’s planned rest, Angus could be about to embark on his final leg to win the race. He is an estimated 15 minutes ahead of Neil’s record, however, there’s an amendment to the route west of Loch Oich along the Great Glen Way around 470 miles which is both longer and hillier than last year’s route. It’ll be impossible and futile to accurately predict whether Angus can take the record until he’s much closer to Fort William.

Angus has snapped his chain multiple times over the route and is now running a chain so short he can’t use the lowest gears. Fortunately for Angus he’s good on his feet given his extensive running background so the additional pushing shouldn’t slow him down too much. Now might be a good time to remember Liam Glen won in 2021 on a singlespeed bike with a 34x20 gearing.

![IMG 7166](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4DHfRThzGrhHENKarFIu3H/8c2d8d70ea05ca60a101ee2ec36b4624/IMG_7166.jpg)

*Angus fixing his chain near Teahouse Bothy. Photo: Shell (Mike Sheldrake)*

The Great Glen Way along the canal out of Fort Augustus is commonly referred to as one of the most mentally challenging stretches of the route as there’s little variety in terrain or elevation to stimulate the mind of a tired Highland Trailer after 470 miles of racing.

The race to complete the podium appears to be wide open. Carl Hopps, Chris Dijkmans, Sofiane Sehili and Josh Ibbett are separated by 20 miles. Carl and Josh are both race veterans, whereas Sofiane and Chris are rookies. After 428 miles of riding, Carl is a remarkable 34 hours ahead of his 2022 time. Stunning!

Steve Wikely’s hit the dotwatching jackpot and for the second time, he has been met by two dotwatchers who have provided him with some whiskey. An appropriately Scottish gift!

__Scratches__

The most notable scratch of the day was Kurt Refsnider. Having started his ITT yesterday, he’s since pulled out as he hadn’t quite shaken the illness that forced him to start a day after the grand depart.

Early race leader, Alex Mccormack is currently off-route on a tarmac road after the Tollie Path on which he was stationary for a long time in the early evening yesterday. This road unfortunately loops back towards Poolewe, where he left earlier today. If he is looking to scratch, then extracting himself from this part of the route is not going to be easy.

With the advent of the rougher stuff, a changing of the baton was inevitable. Alex was two hours up on Neil Beltchenko’s record when he pulled into the haven of Drumbeg Stores this morning and stopped to resupply first. The leaders often miss the opening times of Contin so Drumbeg marks their first resupply since Fort Augustus or even Tyndrum. Alex has since conceded his lead to Angus who is two hours up on his own time from last year and four hours up on Neil’s record, although this difference includes Neil’s two hour sleep on the second night and we await to see when Angus will stop, assuming he does. Last year, Huw rode from Ullapool to the finish 360km away, whereas Neil stopped for another short rest between Ullapool and Tyndrum on Glen Affric. Tonight’s sleep strategy could be highly defining of the race but rest:speed strategies are entirely personal and frankly we’ll only know the efficacy of them once their dots bounce in Tyndrum.

Angus has just passed Ullapool and is approaching the ominously named Coffin Road, which is the gateway to Fisherfield. There is a perfectly located farmyard with outbuildings for a sleep before entering Fisherfield which is known as The Great Wilderness in Scotland. It’s surrounded by the most remote munros (a mountain over 3,000 feet/914 metres) in all of Scotland and it certainly feels that way. Moments out here are often described as life-affirming, ironic as there’s next to no life to be seen for miles around.

Christophe Dijkmans is currently in fourth and has spent the best part of 20 hours successfully chasing Josh and Sofiane down and overtaking them. He now holds a 10km lead over Sofiane and 25km over Josh which is a very respectable distance to have put into such strong competitors and when much of the terrain is so slow. He scratched from GBDURO last year early in the Scottish leg and is clearly making up for missed miles!

Carl Hopps sits in seventh place and is having the ride of his life! Last year it took him 2 days and 9 hours to ride what has taken him 1 day and 15 hours this year. In 2022, he lost a lot of time on the upcoming roughest sections due to his choice of a gravel bike so we expect him to extend his lead over his own 2022 time during the coming 420km on his new hardtail.

Lead women, Alice and Philippa have both stopped to sleep at Drumbeg, presumably because the shop will start serving cyclists in the early hours of the morning. If they wait until the shop opens then they’ll have stopped for a relatively long rest of 6.5 hours if Drumbeg is serving cyclists at 6am like usual. Alternatively, the next resupply is in Lochinver 13 miles away, a town both are very familiar with from their ambitious Pie Run from Inverness to Lochinver last month with the Adventure Syndicate.

[https://www.instagram.com/p/Crg5dtssCK2/](https://www.instagram.com/p/Crg5dtssCK2/)

The Lochinver Larder is notorious amongst riders for its pies and great selection, it’s a common goal for riders as pies make an excellent portable ride snack, particularly before heading out on to the testing Ledmore Traverse. A boggy and rocky section that’s not especially hilly but frustratingly slow and deceptively hard. Its challenges are hidden on any map, its difficulty shared only via HT legend and previous editions' Trackleaders replay data. It’s one of the worst sections to have to navigate in the dark which makes Suileag Bothy just beforehand a popular stop for racers who want to avoid tackling the traverse in darkness. Fortunately for the riders, there are very few hours of darkness in Scotland at the moment, only approximately 3. This is one of the reasons many riders don’t use dynamos as they use their lights so little, they can often ride the whole way round on one full charge.

Annie Le says it’s so dry out there that the track of a 1000 puddles has been reduced to a mere two. Surely it can’t be so dry that a rider will finish with dry feet. Surely? Annie’s own feet resembled a fungus when she finished in 2021 so perhaps she does deserve a dry run.

Annie is just changing over to the second GPX where all the really good riding starts. The last time Annie rode the route was the winter of 2021 and is the only rider ever to have completed the route in winter. Her film "The Longest Night" is a great insight into just how challenging the route is in the depths of winter and we imagine she'll be enjoying the higher temperatures and longer daylight now.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBZCbDiswS0&t=1270s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBZCbDiswS0&t=1270s)

__Pac-Man Refsnider__

Kurt has bedded down for the night just north of Contin and is exactly on par with the pace of the leaders from the grand depart yesterday. He’s only overtaken four riders from the grand depart so far but we anticipate he’ll eat up many more tomorrow.

![IMG 7140](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/Xwf6l8VThiiq7cmbhioEN/4c95360ab6a9192b33ee5ddfe57786f6/IMG_7140.jpg)

Isla Rowntree and Jaimi Wilson on the Corrieyairack yesterday. Jaimi is currently 14th overall and still riding while Alice and Phil have stopped. Isla and her custom single speed are sleeping just after the Oykel Bridge on the outward leg. Her timings are almost identical to mine from last year and I'll be picturing all the landscapes she's seeing at the same times of day.

__With great racing comes the bad news of some scratches.__

James Hayden is out as he claims his body wasn’t up to the HT this year. This is a real shame given he first lined up in 2019 and admitted he’s never done a ride he considers his best. Plenty of dotwatchers were hoping this would be his year.

Leanne Wrightson is also out. She wrote [a feature](https://www.apidura.com/journal/highlandtrail550/) about her journey to the startline of the HT and we doff our caps to her. Chapeau Leanne!

Taylor Doyle and Tamzin Dewar are both in Fort Augustus and appear to be making the tough decision to call it day. We’ve heard Molly Weaver has made her way back to Fort Augustus as well as her race is over due to an injured knee during the ride. These are big blows to the women’s field as Molly was sitting in the top 20 overall and Taylor and Tamzin were both riding in the environmentally conscious way to reduce their use of single use plastic. The upside is that they now have bikepacks full of snacks that need to be eaten!!

![IMG 7120](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2ppuymgufMMaeKxQvaLJoh/16ea002b7e0b22ceb8d97915dcec845a/IMG_7120.jpg)

*Molly Weaver on the first day's riding*

The Highland Trail is most certainly a race of two halves which means rankings from the first day should be taken with a pinch of salt. Angus Young and a handful of HT rookies out front with a few veterans lurking behind. This isn’t surprising given it’s so early in the race and once riders switch to the second GPX file at the Bealach Horn around Sunday evening is when the terrain on which the race can be won or lost starts, and it never really ends. Time will tell whether Alex Mccormack, Manu Cattrysse, Christophe Dijkmans and Angus Young’s lead will hold.

The first day is often the most fast-rolling of the HT, even with the highest point on the route, the Corrieyairack Pass, and the Ben Alder singletrack climb and descent to contend with, as there’s very little hike-a-bike, the tracks and roads are fast and the boost of the surrounding riders always helps raise the pace a little. As does the knowledge that making it to Fort Augustus before 8pm allows for a faster resupply in the shop, instead of the restaurants.

![WhatsApp Image 2023-05-27 at 16.37.22](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3jLXTwHtgkNoQzKYuys9EE/16673de8f9a6b2ed7dda80c7c9e28f78/WhatsApp_Image_2023-05-27_at_16.37.22.jpeg)

*Molly Weaver resupplies in Fort Augustus*

The top 20 riders passed Loch ma Stac during the night, its rough riding along the shoreline with plentiful boulders makes it a formidable opponent in the dark. Many will be reduced to regularly dismounting and remounting, whereas others will be almost exclusively walking. It’s one of the roughest stretches of the outward leg of the route, a taster of what’s to come later. A little after the loch at the 180km mark is Corrimony Bothy which both Emily Harper and Peg Leyland have taken advantage of.

At the time of writing in the early hours of Sunday morning, there are six women inside the top twenty. This will inevitably change once the effects of riders’ sleep strategies have set in by the morning but this number of women in the top 20 betters almost all other races in the calendar, especially other off-road races. It’s my hope this level of representation continues through the race and we see some of these women crack the top ten by the time they reach Tyndrum and it looks like Philippa Battye, Alice Lemkes and Molly Weaver are best positioned to do so.

Having made her way to the UK from New Zealand, Georgie Rutherford had her bike stolen a few days ago outside a pizza place in Leicester. She lined up on a borrowed bike from HT veteran Dawn Anderson packed with kit lent by other women of the HT550. This “totally foreign steed” is seeing her well so far!

[https://www.instagram.com/p/CsvLRFKMM2Y/
](https://www.instagram.com/p/CsvLRFKMM2Y/)

Kurt is due to start his ITT 24 hours after the grand depart at 8:30 on Sunday morning and we’ll be keenly watching his dot to see how his timings compare to the grand departers…

We’ve not heard of any official scratches yet, however, Bryn Davies has admitted he has a hard decision to make as he’s currently struggling with stomach issues.

Header image is of our leader and Race Organiser, Alan Goldsmith.

All photos: Benjy Johnston

Day 1!

There’s a small gaggle of riders who appear to be ahead of the main pack but after such short time riding and no night for sleep decisions to affect the rankings then it means very little. The current positions of riders are more indicative of their ambitions than their capabilities.

The conditions are so good that riders have been enjoying the water crossings without fear of being too cold later in the day. A rare luxury on the HT! The header image is Annie Le, fortunately she doesn't have a rear derailleur to worry about! We're also hearing reports of high winds which are currently in the riders' favour, we'll see how long that lasts.

Making Fort Augustus for 8pm is a common goal amongst riders, after then the shop will shut and resupplying will take longer in one of the restaurants. Resupplying in FA after 8pm is doable but more time consuming. In 2022, no female rider made it to FA in time for the shop but it’s possible that as many as ten women could make it in time this year. For reference, on Lee Craigie’s record breaking ride in 2018, she arrived to FA 10 hours after the start.

One rider who’s already fallen foul to tyre troubles is Sofiane Sehili. A ripped sidewall means he’s tubed a tyre and has little option for a new tyre without riding off course and losing significant time.

![IMG 7105](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1sHu83uYpw9eSxHEH7mPTX/95e9d0b69bb5bc91976f7caf0cfe7fa4/IMG_7105.jpg)

*Sofiane and Rich Rothwell earlier today*

Angus Young has become known for his quirky fuelling strategies; from blocks of marzipan on GBDURO to now emptying one bag of sugar between two water bottles. Reports are that he and none of the others hung around long in Fort Augustus and were off in the blink of an eye. Including Manu Cattryse who took a fall at the top of the Corrieyairack Pass, fortunately he and the bike are ok. The same cannot be said for his shorts.

![WhatsApp Image 2023-05-27 at 12.33.26](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2OiDJLQxjmScb6hUuW1DO6/7da8b9b75d9890edfc4103792dad545a/WhatsApp_Image_2023-05-27_at_12.33.26.jpeg)

*Angus resupplying and sugaring up in Fort Augustus. PC: Benjy Johnstone*

Leanne Wrightson appears to have taken the west side of Loch Lyon early in the route, perhaps following a previous edition's GPX. Hopefully that’s the last of her routing errors as the route has evolved minorly over the years and she could deviate again.

We await to hear from more of the pack once they pass through Fort Augustus over the coming hours.

Here are some shots from veteran Mike Sheldrake on the course earlier today.

![IMG 7097](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6CSv0Kdt3K5TvAW4dq1sZ9/2a35f1faf3becccf1b086f371576de00/IMG_7097.jpg)

*Jade Field with her trademark sandals*

![IMG 7112](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/44Du5RYxJ1kAtnnq2fdyIt/43815917cffd2be5a41ada22c235896d/IMG_7112.jpg)

*Philippa Battye kitted out for the warm conditions*

Beccy Waters

Gail Brown

Huw Oliver

Highland Trail 2023 HT550 Commentary + Tracking : One of the original European bikepacking races and notoriously one of the hardest on the calendar, the HT550 is back for another year of hike-a-bike, bad weather and all that the Scottish Highlands can throw at the hardy souls.

Highland Trail 550 HT550 2023 Tracking and Commentary

One of the original European bikepacking races and notoriously one of the hardest on the calendar, the HT550 is back for another year of hike-a-bike, bad weather and all that the Scottish Highlands can throw at the hardy souls.

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Highland Trail 550 2023

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