Day Nine Review

First Full Route Finisher

Flag Drop and Route Preview 

Tyas van Leeuwen

Andrew Foxton

Izabela Murtagh

Guillaume Buisse

Ed Brown

Bryan Averre

Paul Lockyer

Rhys Jordan

Jan Måøy

Cara Dixon

Deryck Pritchard

Alasdair Auchterlonie

David Whiteford

Peter Smith

Graham Spiller

Robbie Ferri

Damon Davies

Sinead Gallagher

Anita Locke

Gavin Davies

Rupert Robinson

Angus Doig

Chris Greenan

Stu Dick

Eoghan McHale

Ritchie Duncan

Neil Crawford

Veli-Matti Räikkönen

Greg Quinn

Media Car 1

Media Car 2

# ... And Done! 
That’s a wrap! Earlier today our full route pair of Anita Locke and Sinead Gallagher made it to South Queensferry to finish off Trans Alba 2023. The duo finished in __8 d 5 h__ and __46 m__. 

![Trans Alba Pair Hip Flask](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3GuqK4t3WNozh76yLTtFfs/15b1d3bec0cd36fef032e51371e86f4f/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-10_at_20.19.36.jpeg)

A huge well done to everyone who rocked up to the start line- everyone will have a story to tell whether they made it 100 miles, 400 miles or the full 1000 miles around Scotland. 

![Trans Alba Media](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3Ss4DUdHLaY8hmpKrF6kSp/1995ec38822ccde1379620bdfca39452/Trans_Alba_Media.png)

Now that everyone is back it’s a good time to take a second and thank the team (below) behind the event for all the hard work they’ve put in. You can see from the map they’ve had a pretty busy week around Scotland as well, driving between locations to check in on riders and produce the A+ images we’ve been able to use on the commentary. 

![Trans Alba Team](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7J12aXHzIFzLVynceCTCu0/6e02664d7ef673bf081ee38769c01287/PXL_20230707_173021269.jpg)

Hopefully you’ve all enjoyed the updates or at least found them useful- I’m less than a week away from riding Perfidious Albion right now (the tables will be turned and you can watch my dot), and I’ll be on the lookout for oysters for sale while on course! 


# Finishers

![Trans Alba Proposal](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6pS5UKualxkXqjrtO1E7z6/b46505eaf4c1515576994ff72d59afde/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-09_at_20.10.54.jpeg)

Everyone keep your diary free, we’ve got a Dotwatcher wedding to attend! The small news first of all- Damon Davies finished the 2023 full route in __6 d 15 h and 4m__. But more importantly after crossing the finish line he proposed to his partner and she said yes!!! If we don’t all get invites, I’ll see if I can set up some sort of wedding-watcher live commentary… 

![Trans Alba Paul Damon](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/51X5vOYQwlTKZn3hJqLagx/0098b631a787cafa7c1cc571e1680afa/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-09_at_20.10.51.jpeg)

Damon’s *other* partner, for the last few days at least, has been Paul Lockyer. Paul made it to the finish line with the same overall time… Importantly though he claims the prize of the fastest grandad on the course. 

![Trans Alba Rhys](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/gX3ZelJ9L18u1kql3P8jx/84c7ccf483cef95618ef708ab61b23f2/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-09_at_20.10.45.jpeg)

Rhys Jordan finished just under an hour later than the other ferry boys, with a total time of __6 d 15h and 4 m__. That was despite picking up a bit of an injury on the first day, huge effort. 

![Trans Alba Jan](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/spDIvzjaqGkYNcwP10tFq/b989fe2562276874331acb5782ca6ef0/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-09_at_20.10.42.jpeg)

Our final full route finisher was the steady eddy of the race, the one and only Jan Måøy. __7 d 11 h and 4 m __for the full route- finishing with a smile on his face. 

## Almost Done

Two riders left to finish at present- the full route pair of Anita and Sinead. They’re close- safely through the mountains and into Blairgowrie. Just over 50 miles to go and they’ll be wrapped up!


Day Eight Review

# Finishers

![Trans Alba Guillaume Finish](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3bqaXuVXvexbEuD3LDALWw/1a3943db22f05b65de97384bfe2affcb/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-08_at_12.26.34.jpeg)

Three more finishers in the last 24 hours! Guillaume made it back in __5 d 16 h and 14 m__. Behind him we had Ed Brown, in __5 d 17 h and 29 m__, and then Bryan Averre with a time of __6 d 5 h and 29 m__. Bryan caught a quick disco nap near Perth during the night, but it looks like the lure of the finish line got him up and moving swiftly- a big shift to finish on. Ed has been using the event to help raise money for charity and has amassed over £6000 for the Border’s Children Charity to date. [If you think you can donate, then the link is here. ](https://www.justgiving.com/page/ed-brown-transalbacycle "Donation Link")

![Trans Alba Brian Finisher](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4WBdcU5mcBpEQw2ZmX7gNr/2763adfe886a95fe56c79d5bf8ce9749/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-08_at_12.26.32.jpeg)

## On Course

Finishing tonight we should have another trio, in Damon Davis, Paul Lockyer and Rhys Jordan. They’ve been pretty neck and neck (and neck?) for about half the ride now- with Rhys stopping to sleep a little before them after Inverness the only noticeable difference. Damon is looking to exercise some demons (pun intended) after scratching in last year's event. 

Jan is getting reacquainted with his climbing legs and is in the midst of the Cairngorms while the pair of Sinead and Anita are safely into Inverness. 

It’ll have been fairly wet and warm for most of the riders today- with some strong winds and a threat of thunderstorms chucked in for good measure. Things should clear up and be pleasant for everyone finishing tomorrow though!


Day Seven Review

# Finishers

We have our podium! With Tyas rolling across the finish line this morning in 1st place, we had Andy and Izabela finish early this evening- both with a time of __5 d 11 h and 43 m__, in 2nd and 3rd  place respectively. I managed to pop along and catch them both at the finish alongside the welcome party: both riders seemed relatively chipper considering what they’d been through. 

![Trans Alba Izabela Finish](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6LQfFtud3YzX2PLnjSPhR1/2110967b4534e46223dae6fd98aba602/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-07_at_21.20.53.jpeg)

I’d talked about Izabela’s audaxing pedigree before but I need to apologise to Andy, I didn’t realise until clocking his bike that we’d crossed paths on a few Audaxes earlier in the year. They both had about 5 hours off the bike last night to prepare for the final push, and while it looked for a while like Andy would power on slightly to finish clear, he had an extra hour rest this afternoon while Izabella caught up. Also Andy had what looked like a squeezy bottle of honey in his cargo pocket at the end- no idea why, but if you see it elsewhere over the summer you know who started the trend: energy gels are so 2022. 

![Andy Trans Alba Bike](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/79KBvYyV3efc5nlUJBfJFw/d8ce9df712d2a2c9df40d8fdc2208be8/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-07_at_21.20.55.jpeg)

## Home Straight 

Guillaume should be finished tonight, with Ed 30 miles from South Queensferry- will he push on to finish or get some sleep? Bryan is the other rider who’ll be seeing road signs for Edinburgh, he’s just about at Braemar and out of the Cairngorms. 

Paul, Rhys and Damon are all safely through Inverness. We’ve seen a big 24 hours from Damon- catching up and overtaking the other two over while they slept last night and hardly stopping today, ultimately forming a lose 3 man group heading south. Speaking of heading south- the wind has changed direction again and was a headwind for the riders travelling down from the highlands. We have a little weather anomaly around Inverness and the surrounding area tomorrow, with temperatures now forecast to be just below 30 degrees on Saturday, before potential thunderstorms on Sunday (everything seems a bit more modest closer to Edinburgh). 

Then a little further back we have Jan, who is back into relative civilization after the long stretch from Ullapool, and our pair of Sinead and Anita who are bunked up for the night on the northwest coast. 

Day Six Review

# Tyas van Leeuwen Is The First Full Route Rider Finished

With a time of __5 d 3 h__ and __32m__. 
*Including a puncture with the finish line in sight. *

# Thursday

As the race heats up and the finish line comes into sight, we can drill down into how the leading riders are approaching the challenge- and what we can see is two different ways to tackle an ultra-distance event. Tyas is still in the lead, and whether intentional or not, seems to be opting for longer stops, but less of them. Behind, the duo of Andy and Izabela are both subscribing to the little and often approach (see graph below: Tyas in dark blue).

![Trans Alba Graph](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4HLwzQ3Zkk5fOjnkzQ0hEH/799554d940ccfb7e014d8fd2ce5f2b26/Trans_Alba_Graph.png)

There’s about 60 miles between them on the road right now as we head into the 5th night- Our leader has less than 90 miles left before the finish line so should make it to South Queensferry by about midnight at his current pace. After Glenshee it’ll feel like nothing but downhill until Perth for him. The question is if either of our riders in 2nd and 3rd will feel the fatigue from last night’s limited sleep and opt for another rest tonight, or try to push on all the way… The tracker has them down to finish around 8am tomorrow. Helpfully the wind has changed direction now, blowing from the south: so more headwind. 

![Tyas Trans Alba](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2LtSu9dUmJJscxfqsB9Cu3/ea11019d51c0446423bc24da00f69c23/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-06_at_19.00.35.jpeg)

## Here, There, Everywhere
Further back the gaps are closing between riders. Guillaume, in 4th, and Ed, in 5th, should both be reaching Inverness shortly. Bryan Averre is well and truly riding solo though; he’s in the long, empty stretch between Ullapool and Lairg. Paul and Rhys, in 7th and 8th, are restocking in Ullapool just now- they both got plenty of rest last night, so might be tempted to push on. 

![Trans Alba Guillaume](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5rkEG3g7KTeLxLoApZMiWj/30fff253526c442a07fc8408fd9cbc98/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-06_at_17.54.21.jpeg)

Damon Davies, our pair rider riding solo, is coming up to Ullapool, and Jan is in Gairloch. 

Our leading duo of Anita and Sinead can cross off all that ferry nonsense and relax a bit after making it over Bealach na Bà today. They’re 60% through the route at this point: although it seems to be a little wet on the northwest coast for them at present.

I’ve not received any news on if anyone else has had oysters so far. When I do, you’ll all be the first to know.  

### Take Me Home, Mountain Roads

With our lead rider through the Cairngorms, we can spend a bit of time looking at the climbs facing the riders. At times it can feel like there’s no flat roads. First up they’ll have the [Lecht road climb](https://www.strava.com/segments/4209161 "The Lecht Strava Segment"), and after that it becomes something of a sawtooth profile. Climb, descent, climb, descent, and then onto a gradual valley road after Braemar that’ll take them onto a long climb up to the [Glenshee ski centre](https://www.strava.com/segments/735993 "Glenshee Strava Segment"). It can be unrelenting but it’s maybe one of the most beautiful places to cycle in Scotland, in a sort of exposed, desolate way. Riders will be back up to an altitude like the Bealach here, about 600m- but a lot more gradually.


Day Five Review

# Wednesday
We’ll start at the end. Today we had early race leader Cara scratch, along with Alasdair. Hopefully the both get to enjoy the rest of the week and aren’t too beaten up after the four days of riding, a huge effort from them. 

## Solo Riders

That leaves Tyas van Leeuwen out front alone, about 75 miles ahead of Izabela and Andrew. Once this race is over I’m suggesting that those two get a travel show together on Channel 5- something like “Meals on Wheels”. If you’ve followed their adventures on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/iza.spaleniak/ "Izabela's Instagram") you’ll have seen them getting stuck into a full menu today- cafe stops, fish and chips, even oysters in Ullapool. Tyas is in Lairg for the night, while the dynamic duo are into the remote area after Ullapool, ticking off 700 miles in the process. 

![Trans Alba Oyster Dinner](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7CAjqYUlfqLHqAzi5Ec1Qq/a80314a06c1d202d6ee957967cf2e81d/IMG_20230705_231706.jpg)

Like Santa at Christmas I’m now trying to see which riders are sleeping, and if anyone is going to press on further into the evening. Guillaume has just crossed the 650 mile mark, Ed Brown is spending the night in Gairloch. Bryan Averre is just approaching 600 of the route. Rhys Jordan is a little further back and will be getting lovely views over Skye and Lewis and Harris tonight. 

![Guillaume Trans Alba](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/44ToKssJh7IkuTgxjqZFWp/b94431023d2cc5d77d794a3d7c4d576d/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-05_at_23.26.42.jpeg)

We have two riders camping in Applecross overnight after scaling the peak of Bealach na Bà- Damon Davis and Paul Lockyer. Jan Måøy, on the view front, is spending the night next to Skye Bridge (picture for context, not from today). 

![Trans Alba Skye Bridge](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/37t0LacgzEbQ1GB8uter6/2372084339b8898ee58537cee4854039/_109317422_gettyimages-470621586.jpg)

### Pairs

One more ferry to cross and then we can collectively forget about timetables. Our pair of Sinead and Anita are in Mallaig, awaiting the early morning ferry to take them to Armadale. Jack, who has been providing the brilliant pictures of the race so far (among other things) captured the moment Anita learned of Cara’s scratching- something we can all relate to. 

![Trans Alba Anita](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/24SLEwoM5a2XFo9ll8uECr/59b544b5cbdd48c76b09fbba1f3066f2/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-05_at_22.03.17.jpeg)

### Thursday
What will tomorrow bring? Tyas is over 75% through the route- he should have a nice little section through Inverness before approaching the section through the Cairngorms. We’ll have a more detailed climb chat once that section rolls round. While the weather has been a nice sort of summer variation dreich, as we get closer to the weekend riders might be faced with another problem- overheating. Lairg for example could be in the mid-twenties by Saturday. 

![BBC Weather Lairg](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4RGfGBL4QjmVqCvLrOZ5zs/871517819944cce5fe9b5ef87375c07e/screenshot-www.bbc.co.uk-2023.07.05-23_22_48.png)


Day Four Review

# Tuesday

## Finishers

First of all a big congratulations to Veli-Matti and Greg who finished the 400 mile event today, with a time of __39 h__ and __20 m__. They decided to split their course into two chunks and even found time for a good night’s sleep between them. There was talk that they’d be back next year to tackle the full route… 

### Location location location. 

![Trans Alba Socks](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/Twb9uXZCb8seew35CLK7Q/cbb01dbb84cb767baa5875cf910dc44d/Screenshot_2023-07-04-22-09-59-85_1c337646f29875672b5a61192b9010f9.jpg)

The ferries are tucked up in bed for the night. Our riders are dotted about Scotland- in Oban we have our full route pair of Sinead Gallagher and Anita Locke, alongside our solo rider of Jan. Up the road on Mull we have Rhys, Paul, Bryan and Damon. Finally Ed and Guillaume (see above his new clothes drying system) are safely in Mallaig for the night, with Alasdair not far behind. They’ll all be up early to catch their respective crossings.

![Trans Alba Paul](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5ekvkwKlEvHPNNdZVfyjIh/b40ded955facb2dcec3e26c7e382ad10/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-04_at_21.33.32.jpeg)

For the riders at the pointy end, on the one hand they won’t have to worry about ferry timetables anymore (they’ll get to enjoy a nice bridge or two though), it’s nothing but leg power between now and Edinburgh. But they will have to contend with some fearsome climbs. First up is the climb over [Bealach na Bà](https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/bealach-na-ba)… The vital statistics that you need to know are that it's an 8.9 km climb, averaging 7% and reaching a max gradient of 20%. It’ll take them from sea level to about 600m and then back down again as they descend into Applecross. Simon Warren, in his book on cycling climbs, gives it an 11/10 rating. I rode this climb pretty much 2 years ago to the day, as part of a DIY Trans Alba route a friend had plotted. The rain was horizontal then, and after descending I don’t think I’ve ever felt so wet. Couldn’t see a thing from the top either, so I take everyone’s word for it that it’s a beautiful view. It is a good climb though, and there's a sportive that goes over it every year in September if you feel like you've missed out. 

![Trans Alba Izabela](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2KaTwsJGRo3kKvher6ONTa/cabcb641c485f5194354418caa9b6a2f/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-04_at_21.15.12.jpeg)

Cara has scaled it successfully and Tyas is nearing the turnoff. Andrew Foxton and Izabela Murtagh have been inseparable for almost 24 hours now, with less than a kilometre between them as they approach Strathcarron.  You’d expect these two riders to at least be thinking about sleep now, after last night’s heroic effort. Will they push on to Applecross? Or decide to stop before and climb first thing in the morning. Will Cara push on after getting a full night’s sleep the previous evening? 

![Andrew Trans Alba Ferry](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/b0StG04d50wnyOS5bvhxh/347acc9ac670c6b46dab41809500c273/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-04_at_21.33.30.jpeg)

The wind seems to have died down slightly today, at the expense of changing direction in sync with the riders to still provide a bit of a headwind, for old times sake. 

A few notable names to mention who have decided to scratch from the event- David Whiteford called it quits in Oban (sensible, with a knee injury) and further up the road one of our early contenders Deryck Pritchard has made the decision to pull out while in Lochalsh. 

![David Trans Alba Oban](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5zwGsMGG8iVUXRaNOAcWal/c9b1cad2447f8497db6438b92f09359d/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-04_at_21.15.09.jpeg)


Day Three Review

# While You Were Sleeping…

Some riders were not. I wrote last night that riders were getting spread out along the route, but now things have changed. Cara is still out in front, after a 10-hour break to recharge the batteries before another ferry crossing. Tyas spent a similar restful evening in Mull waiting for a crossing. Behind them though Andrew Foxton, Deryck Pritchard and Izabela Murtagh all pushed through the night though, all arriving at Oban alone in the small hours of the morning. All 4 got the early ferry to Mull and are now within a stone’s throw of each other. 

![Trans Alba Stop Time](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/73kwmhnVogoCnF1USwfU5g/5164d6c4d3e7b56e9c4b04aa3032ea82/Trans_Alba_Stop_Time.png)


Morning Report

# Monday
We have our first finisher! Rupert Robinson rolled into Oban just before 5pm, finishing what can only be described as a 400 mile sprint- a total time of __34 h and 56 m__. Of that time, only just over an hour was spent not moving. A very impressive achievement!

![Angus Trans Alba 400 finisher](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/56kTKSqN5LGtexB1YQWv3p/1585039bb44466e983d5229b6f5f16ac/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-03_at_20.52.27.jpeg)

Angus Doig finished a little further back, in a time of __36 h and 33 m__. 
Our pair Greg and Veli-Matti are also on the home straight and should be in Oban tonight, and they will be rounding off the riders in the 400 mile category. Food, drinks, celebrations all round for those that have finished their Trans Alba journey! Meanwhile with over 600 miles to go…

Cara is still out in front in the solo category, navigating two ferry crossings today and is now on the beautiful Isle of Mull heading towards Tobermory. It looks like she’ll be spending the night though- the final ferry crossing has well gone by this point. The first crossing tomorrow is 07:20, so that’s some time to kill for our lead rider. 

![Cara Trans Alba Ferry](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3rup1f6TvKgbbBX2p8KBFa/927c73bae5958e0ca2e3c8070c88fdd2/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-03_at_20.52.29.jpeg)

Tyas van Leeuwen is second on the route at present, just about at the 400 mile marker (a good time to learn the short route is a little longer than the 400 miles advertised). 

Behind the riders are getting more spread out across the route, dotted about various bodies of water. Deryck Pritchard, Guillaume Buisse, Izabela and Andrew Foxton have all safely made the first ferry crossing on their trip. Ed Brown and David Whiteford, both in the solo category, are either on their ferry judging by the dots, or are extremely wet. 

![Paul Trans Alba ](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1vTLJMADpcqCbAQ4rLBbVr/0c3c91fd4dd50cd5d7c8956c1aeb2b76/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-03_at_20.52.58.jpeg)

22:40- those are the magic digits we need to remember. Alasdair Auchterlonie, Bryan Averre and Paul Lockyer are all on the good side of the Clyde as we speak. Rhys Jordan is exploring the outer Glasgow area a bit further back. Another approach could be to spend the night on the mainland and get the first ferry in the morning, at 06:10. Jan Måøy is about to hit the 275 mile marker, rounding off our list of solo riders. 

![Alasdair Trans Alba](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/40NXBgCvj4Gb81thiBBTDH/ff1806c941aa0423e7881ebbc79786f9/WhatsApp_Image_2023-07-03_at_20.53.03.jpeg)

In the full distance pairs category, Damon Davies is heading back to the big city after the route’s detour into the countryside, and Anita Locke and Sinead Gallagher are just about to roll through Aberfoyle. 

It’s been another windy day- more of a moderate breeze than full on blowing a hoolie (this commentary will also serve as a teaching exercise in Scottish weather-related words). Tomorrow, around Oban at least, looks quite nice all things considered. Hopefully that’ll mean less of a headwind for riders to contend with and they’ll be able to enjoy the scenery a bit more. Less wind could mean another little headache for riders tackling the full route as they head north though- midges. 


Day Two Review

Louis Moorehead

Trans Alba Race 2023 Tracking + Commentary: A lap of Scotland heading to the Borders before veering due north into the Highlands and back south to the Scottish capital, with three ferry crossings and very little flat land.

Trans Alba Race 2023 Tracking

A lap of Scotland heading to the Borders before veering due north into the Highlands and back south to the Scottish capital, with three ferry crossings and very little flat land.

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