2015-07-04 Dunwich Dynamo XXIII

Thoroughly nice ride, enjoyed it much more than the last time I did it. Weather was perfect (mainly because we escaped before the rain). Big thanks to Southwark for getting all those bikes back safely and with considerably better organising than previous years it felt like, chapeau.
I think I enjoyed it so much more by deciding to stop at the various food stations before the beach, grab some excellent chili con carne and unlimited tea and watch the first glimmers of sunrise at 4am, rather than wait for hours for the breakfast at the cafe. Sat out the front of The Ship at 8am soaking up the sun and some ale was the perfect end to the perfect day night

I know everyone on here knows this already, but in case some people see it when searching and deciding whether to ride for the first time next year, a few tips to keep this as enjoyable as possible for all:

• Lights. Jesus wept, you're doing a night ride, get some lights. Anything, please. Coming up on you in the middle of the night on a pitch black lane and not seeing you until the last moment is really dangerous for everyone. And how are you seeing where the road is?
  
• Overtaking. Please please please just take a courteous look over your shoulder and see if anyone is behind you before pulling out. Not saying you need full-on group riding skillz but there were some awfully near misses from not checking and pulling out into someone. You do this everyday checking for cars, please do it for other cyclists and keep things safe.
  
• Coach ticket queueing. We've all ridden through the night, we're all tired and want to get home, we're all in the country that proudly regards queueing as it's national sport. So keep everyone happy and wait your turn like everyone else to get a time slot home. I'm looking at you, lady in front of me who decided to take her and her seven mates' tickets, push to the front past 100 people and magically got a slot an hour before I did. You should be hung for treason.