Countdown to Highland Trail 2016

Sometime towards the end of 2015, I made two impulsive decisions:

I bought a piece of titanium with fat wheels named Rasputin without considering the clear lack of space in the bike shed; oh well, it will have to live indoors.
I signed up for the Highland Trail 2016, in order to test out said piece of titanium (ie, to justify the purchase of yet another bike).

TourInTune-20160522-2 — Testing some final tweaks to the bike setup a week before the Highland Trail 2016.

The Highland Trail (aka HT550) is a self-supported bikepacking event in the Highlands of Scotland. There will be nearly 50 riders at the mass start in Tyndrum at 0900 on Saturday 28 May, pedalling and pushing our bikes around the Scottish Highlands through all manner of midges, weather and terrain. Have a look at the video by Ian Barrington from 2014 to get a rough idea.

I’ve been ruminating on my impulsive decision No. 2 for several months, all the while careening towards this immovable start date. My preparations have bordered on obsessive and I still don’t feel like I’ve nailed it. There are just so many things can go wrong in the mind, the body and the bike.

Have I trained enough?
Is my body going to do what it’s told?
Do I have the right gear… and not too much or little of it?
Is my ‘Plan A’ too ambitious?
Have I planned enough backup waypoints for ‘Plan B’?
Have I lost my mind?
Where is my peanut butter?

I’ve now reached the final countdown; only two days until the start. Even if I can answer all these questions, it’s unlikely to make a damn bit of difference. I need to get out there and do this thing.

You can follow my GPS location on Trackleaders (ie, ‘dot watching’) from 0900 on Saturday morning. The rest of the riders are on there as well, many of whom will probably be finishing before me.

How To Follow Me

Starting 0900 GMT on Saturday 28 May

Great Video By Ian Barrington From HT 2014

Dino says:

June 7, 2016 at 3:00 am

I’m just blown away by your accomplishment with this race Lars. And the beautiful scenery of the Highlands–I can see how this was a life-changing experience for you. So glad you are sharing this–it’s very awe-inspiring…oh to be young and full of gumption! You are amazing!! Your Dad would be so impressed!!!!

John Holler says:

May 30, 2016 at 3:41 am

Good Luck Lars.
All the obsession is pretty normal, hope you find your peanut butter cause your going to need it. If you start having visions of being on a rode bike riding on smooth rode’s and tail winds, well I hate to tell you. You lost your mind.

larsmarshandlebars says:

June 6, 2016 at 1:49 pm

Thanks for your support John. I did find myself thinking about you and your road racing days as I hauled my loaded bike over the rocks. It didn’t feel like a road bike.