I'm all but certainly doing it. Just lining up a few more things at work but definitely in unless something changes.

It woulda worked better if I'd done Aidan's "sleep during the day" plan....live and learn! Interestingly, the only thing I wish I'd brought was a sleeping bag instead of the e-bivy. Other than that some whisky woulda been nice.

To anyone coming from the US, this is how Andy and I did our logistics. First of all, I looked into renting a bike but it was going to be very expensive and I also didn't want to be worrying about making sizing adjustments right before and during the race. So I really think you should try to bring whatever you normally ride (FYI, if I was designing a bike for this race it would be a hardtail trail bike 29er with at least 120mm of travel and a dropper seat post with no more than 11 gears, haha)

Flights: we both flew BA mainly because they don't charge for bicycles. Andy had his in a plastic hard case and I got the triangular cardboard bike caddy. Both did really well on the trip over. We shared a room at the HI express literally across the parking lot from the airport. We'd both emailed ahead and asked if we could leave our bike boxes there and they were really nice to let us do so (both of us would be leaving them for about 2 weeks). However I will say that a) they didn't know how big bike boxes were, and b) if there had been more than just our two, woulda been trouble.

Getting to Tyndrum: Alan picked us up from our hotel (just make sure you ask him if his bike racks are installed yet, haha) and as he said, there are lots of other local racers that will be passing through. Andy took the train back to Glasgow from Tyndrum and I picked up a ride with another racer. You can also ride some nice easy roads for a day or two from Glasgow as Alan told us and Arno did.

After the race: having never been to the UK I stayed after for about a week with my wife, who met me there. I took my bike back to the HI express and put it back in the box and prayed it would still be there when I returned a week later. It was and so was Andy's. I do think if you can talk with a local shop they might be better suited for keeping your bike/box than the hotel, but the hotel was just too easy logistically.

Do whatever you can to do this race! I really wish I had the time to do this race next year, especially since it sounds like Alan has made some great improvements.

Thanks crossrider. Good information. It looks like you had some snow on the GSB... besides that bit, how was the hike a bike?

Would love to do them both but who knows if I'll have the time or energy. Anyone have any thoughts on one versus the other? Is one prettier, more challenging, or better weather? I know the GSB changed routes a little this year so not sure if anyone can really weigh in but please do.

Great plan dude! You're running into some of the same issues I am in planning a route in South America. From what I have found talking to other tourers/bikepackers a lot of it comes down to talking to people. Plan an all dirt corridor for your route so you know you'll at least be off pavement, then try contacting any mountain biking guiding services you can search for. They may know of some good trails that will help you along your way. You also may just have to play it by ear. Essentially sticking to your "corridor" and when you get to towns or villages, ask if they know of any good tracks off the road that head in the right direction. The adventure is you're never going to know which trails are legit and which are going to run out. I use ridewithgps.com because it does have the OSM maps which do a good job of identifying dirt tracks and roads better than many. You might even find some singletrack listed on there.

Good luck! Sounds like a fantastic trip I'm jealous of.

Considering a trip down one, then up the other. Just looking for folks with first hand experience.

Thanks!

It's cheaper than a car and I dare say it can go more places!

Well this is intriguing indeed!

My photos suck, but maybe Gian will share his. They were amazing! https://plus.google.com/photos/114165291691766318939/albums/5888935222008448113

As for doing the race fast, let me just say that I totally fell into the trap of thinking I could race long days and finish quickly. Racing in Scotland is not easy. Several sections might as well be BV to Silverton simply because all the main resupply services close about 8pm and don't reopen until 8am. The problem there is you still have a good 7-8 hrs of light in between there so you want to keep racing but if you do, you might miss a town at the right time. You're constantly thinking "do I speed up, slow down, or carry 30 lbs of food from this town?" I'm sure this new section Alan has cooked up will make this race even more remote and epic! Just don't underestimate any bit of the course. Racers who were ctr vets said this course was every bit as hard or harder, minus the altitude. Now it's 100 miles longer and I wonder if there was a deliciously painful reason why Alan didn't include that this year ;-) That being said, I implore everyone on this forum to consider doing this race or an ITT. It's stunningly beautiful and you won't regret it....unless you rely solely on an e-bivy as shelter, like me.

Mike, great trip plan man! Kudos to you for doing such an epic trip in style! I'm actually pretty interested in a TD-style ride (both in size and makeup of road/trail surface). I've had a pretty hard time finding any good quality topo maps that will get you all the way from Southern Bolivia to Ushuaia. Have you had any luck or do you have any intel on that terrain? I looked at Ride the Spine but there's not much true beta on that chunk, plus they seem to have given up on dirt tracks in favor of finishing by that point.

I had a size large (20") Niner Jet9 in my box. Honestly it fit absolutely perfectly. I did exactly as the directions said with one exception: I took my pedals off because they were touching the sides and I just imagined that was asking for more impact. Check out the wheelbase of the Jet9 - I don't think you could have fit anything bigger, lengthwise. www.ninerbikes.com/jet9

I dig it. I was already contemplating a 2014 attempt and 100+ miles a day average is what I'm talking about. I will let you know if things solidify Will.

Looked at the Wundermap and looks like lots of thick smoke in southern Colorado. Wonder how it's affecting the Northbound guys? Nothing like smoking while climbing some Rocky Mountain passes!

I just used the AirCaddy triangular bike box to travel from Atlanta to Scotland for the HTR400. I'd used the hard plastic boxes in the past and I have always had to dismantle my mtn bike more to use those (like taking the fork out and such). And since I MIGHT travel with my bike once or twice a year, the 4-5 use lifespan of the AirCaddy shell had a plenty long lifespan. Anyway, I just wanted to say I'm extremely satisfied with the box! With a 27-lb Niner Jet9, size large, and all my bikepacking bags and sharpy things, the box was 51lbs (British Airways' limit). My bike made it completely unscathed to and from the race (can't say the same for the race itself, or hard plastic cases). The box is in great shape considering and the wheels I ordered with the box make it really easy to move. Just for evidence, here's a picture of my bike on the tarmac in Amsterdam wedged sideways under about 40 suitcases (I shouldn't have looked).

I can only agree with that. but probably not next year...
Daniel, it was a pleasure 'trying' to catch up to you for 4 days, you rocked and rolled!

I was just running from you guys like a pack of wolves! Let me know if you decide to get into anymore races or adventures, Tom.

My feet were soaked for about 4 days. Started getting serious concern about trench foot. This is one of those races that you will swear off forever immediately following it....then think up your strategy for next year.

Just wanted to say thank you to Alan for putting this race on! Beautiful route, brutally hard, amazing experience. I dare say it is probably the toughest bikepacking race under 500 miles in the world. Thanks especially to Greg, James, and Tom for hanging with me on the first day and motivating me to ride hard the rest of the days (next time I'll bring a sleeping bag instead of relying on deer canvasses for warmth). HUGE thanks to Bryan Dawson for putting me up for a night and stuffing me with beer and burgers after the race! Cheers to my fellow American Andy Farish for bringing it home! You repped our country really well dude! Finally, prayers and a fast recovery to Phil and Steve. This has been an experience to remember!

Sort of related... if you're flying with your bike do you usually just deflate tires, leaving stans in there, pump 'n go upon arrival? Or does anyone start fresh at the destination, adding stans and re-inflate? I'm planning to do the former, just want to make sure I'm not missing something here.

Asheville, NC - Pisgah National Forest has everything you need and the city has more breweries per capita than any other city. You can mountain bike year round but it's also way cooler than the rest of the south or much of the west in the summer. And you have the Blue Ridge Parkway for the occasional road tour as well. It truly is a "western" city with none of the price.