Dunwich Dynamo 2019

Had a decent ride down from dunwich saturday morning. Then sat around for 4 hours waiting for my mate to turn up.

Didnt leave hackney til pretty much 10pm and no matter what we did we couldn't get our average speed up.

Then I started falling asleep on the bike about half way and was forced to sleep in a hedge behind the burger van just before the fire station. Few pro plus and 15 minute power nap seemed to do the trick.

I was sweating when moving then frozen to the bone when stopped.

After what seemed like an eternity we arrived at the lake, had another nap and we rolled into the beach nearly 24 hours and 230 miles after I set off.

Chuffed with getting it finished as I'd have done anything to bail 30 miles into the return leg but I wont be doing that again (the double anyway). Just as I was leaving the beach saw @veganjoseph and a few others just leaving for their return route and was very glad I did the return part before not after.

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We made it to Southend. Dunwich Dynamo weird double.

Thanks for coming out to play!

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Bike looks tukt

Too kind, too kind

After a jaunt in Epping and some dicking around with off-road tandeming, had a nice spin back along the canal and ate huge amounts of Temple of Seitan goodness before wandering amongst the bikes. Left earlyish and made great time to the halfway point for well flavoured but disappointing undercooked vegan beans. After that Kate started feeling very disorientated and sleepy in the darkness and progress got steadily slower and my undercarriage got steadily worse. Made it in good time but never been so nonplussed to see a nice beach. Definitely doing it on a tandem next time.

Seemed a quieter Dynamo than last time we did it, with far fewer interesting/novelty/highly unsuitable bikes. Highlights were the custom righty tallbike and a nice pair of Fern and Meerglas randos.

The Salsa worked great all day though; I've since eaten about 4000kcal of pizza; and having effectively completed a 250+km excursion can feel justified in my opinion that audaxing is just silly.

Seemed a quieter Dynamo than last time we did it, with far fewer interesting/novelty/highly unsuitable bikes.

Noticed this too, 99% road bikes. Was on a SS with big tyres and loved it, was perfect for the DD. Otherwise a pleasant but pretty unremarkable ride. Only annoyances were my friend's BB clicking away for the entire 200km, and managing to get lost in exactly the same place as last time, but detouring via Stowmarket wasn't really an issue.

Leaving lateish (around 9pm) definitely makes the first stretch nicer.

Just finished... took me about 23 hours elapsed - similar to @Camel_toe 's reverse double. Included a lovely gravel nap wrapped in a discarded emergency foil blanket. A slight PB on my fixed gear out & back in 2017. This time with gears. My longest ride since finishing looping Australia almost one year ago. Ouchies! Fab night - and day! Rode back with a few friends including Robin Ditchburn who did it brakeless fixed. Nuts. Love chasing tail lights all night. Such great vibes! Time to feast!!!

Think I saw you leaving the beach as I was hobbling to my car and remembered you saying about the double and thinking, eff that. Was you with the guy on the pink fixed gear bike?

Haha, nah, that was Robin who rode back with me. I was on the road bike with camo full frame bag and pink reflective tape.

Then Robin was having a chuckle at me re introducing my very tender behind to my saddle

Looking forward to tomorrow's commute

Leaving lateish (around 9pm) definitely makes the first stretch nicer.

Yeah, I thought that too - plus I ended up arriving at the beach a bit early so shifting the whole thing by a good hour wouldn't hurt in any way.

Talking about hurting, I now know which bibs absolutely do not work for me past the 100km mark.

everyone had a good time? Was good fun. the way back through essex was abit shit w/drivers / motorbikes. Other than that - fun times!

I was admiring your bike every time I saw it!

I noticed there was a massive difference, first 100k or so after leaving dunwich Drivers couldn't be more courteous waiting and giving so much space, hit Essex and i was lucky to get 4 feet of space when getting passed at silly speeds (them not me obvs)

I thought it was quieter this year as well. Plenty of bikes on the road, but there were really no bikes at Ipswich station which was a surprise as there are usually dozens. Well done to Greater Anglia for letting me get on a train 2 hours earlier than the one I had booked.

nail on the head.

Also, as someone mentioned upthread, can't believe the wronguns that do it with no lights. Was stressful enough doing the first 30 mins of darkness with only a single commuter light.

I was so flakey after completing most of my 96 hour shift before, I couldn't find Finchingfield on the way back. I knew it was nearby, but couldn't find it.

188 miles, Garmin seems to have corrupted, think I've permanently damaged my left big toe, ztill had a nice ride. 8/10

The way back to Southend was gorgeous and mostly trafficless. ;)

Did you stop at Brandeston? We shouted das at someone in a forum jersey there, who responded with a knowing grin - thought it might be you?

Definitely fewer fixed/single speed than the last couple of years. I managed the round trip fixed but not sure I'd repeat, mainly due to downhills, single speed is probably the weapon of choice. Met a fellow fixed rider just before the beach aiming to do the double so hope they made it as well.

Did you stop at Brandeston?

yeh i did! no seats so enjoyed my mac and cheese in a hedge. was lovely. i turned round at the beach and rode back the same way. hope you guys had a nice weird double.

i did the double, taking a slight different way back to make it a round 400

tired today and eating everything i can get my hands on

@branwen and I did a not quite DD edit - Beauchamp Roding to Peasenhall - total 92 miles. Given that's approximately as many miles as I've ridden all year, in pieces of no more than 10, I'm reasonably satisfied with my effort. I ache rather a lot today.

First time I've really suffered from painful hands, trying to stay awake (didn't sleep much the night before, plus I find the last few years I can't stay up late in general). Oh and dead legs every time I so much looked at some uphill. Was not prepared to be so cold and wet. First time I stopped to queue for food (maybe not again, ver long and cold). Buzzed by many roadie crews. Relentless roadieness. But at Needham lake in first light saw better variety of bikes and people.

Usually set off pretty late (after the rush), and this time skipped the start and joined in relatively early so that might explain it too, but didn't see those guys on the funny step machines, no BMX, no cargo. One recumbent, one tall, a few fixed and singlespeed, a few bromptons. Not many casual MTBs or town/granny bikes. A couple of tandems coming the other way. A laden tourer taking the long way up to Northampton. Quite a few disco lights and speakers, in the first half I wondered what the point was, in the second half I wished I could keep up with them (especially the two guys pumping euro dance pushing past as I struggled up a hill). All in all, a challenge.

Seemed to be a lot of people coming the other way doing the double

Also, one really noticeable thing. First time I did it - more so because it was foggy most of the way - a really enjoyable thing was not worrying about cars because you could see and hear them coming from a long way off. This time I was constantly not sure if a car was coming because in the intervening years cars have got quieter, while bikes have got much much brighter and in some cases louder (groups with noisy wheels and drivetrains). Some pass rather closer than desired too. It's not as restful.

My first time out there and was really wowed by the carnival atmosphere. Riders hitting pints right before setting off showed me I still have lots to learn.

You know what the ride really reminded of? Enduro, on the Atari. Minus crashing into trees every 4 minutes.

Was anyone from here rocking that sick orange and yellow Brother (that was up for sale on the classifieds not long ago)? Saw that same frame half way through the ride, wanted to say something, but reckon'ed shouting LFGSS at someone at 2 in the morning because I've seen that frame on the forum before might be a tenuous link.