2011-07-16/17 Sat/Sun - Dunwich Dynamo DD19

Firstly, It's gonna be another wall of words I'm afraid. :[

The good...[mostly]
I was really looking forward to the DD this year, but it ended up being the hardest ride I've ever done and has left me a broken man. :[

I ended up leaving so much later than i wanted to after faffing around for ages at home trying to sort everything out for my dog sitter [thanks Nellai] and taking the dog out, and briefly talking to my kids on the phone to say I would call them when I got to London fields.

I eventually set off to the fields and as I approached Mare street It was swamped with hundreds of riders and I realised pretty much everyone had left. So I stopped at the side of the road to call my boys. I ended up being on the phone for half an hour as I watched everybody that I knew go sailing by. I thought it was about nine when I finally got off thephone, but as people who said they left at nine too had already sailed past half an hour earlier I'm guessing it was nine thirty when I got rolling.

I was determined to catch people up that I knew so I set off pretty fast. I passed Braker and a few forum Jerseys just before Epping, then caught up with Edsoble in Epping town centre. I was feeling ok at this stage so decided to stay at the pace I was at and continued to move past riders.
It was lovely finally catching up with JahTim who has such a relaxing and calm attitude that you can't help feeling happy. :]
I said my goodbyes and set off on my way at my own pace.
I continued passing riders and then heard a rumble of a Dulwich Paragon train about to overtake me, so I latched on behind them in Ninja style and stuck with them for about 5 miles just to move down the road a bit quicker and make up some time for my still intended return journey.

Things rolled along nicely until just before Sudbury when I suddenly began to feel really nauseous. I sat on the bridge in Sudbury for a while hoping it might go away, but it never did...for the rest of the whole damn ride.
I found myself on my own quite a lot past Sudbury.
Somehow I kept bumping into the Paragon train and would occasionally tag along...until they went the wrong way and missed a little kink in the road heading towards Monks Eliegh.
I was on my own again then for what felt like ages until I eventually caught up with a light. Didn't get this guys name but we stuck together for about ten miles, and were doing well until somehow we messed up and ended up in bloody Wickham market, where I knew I shouldn't be.
I was struggling for energy by now and told him to carry on while I stopped for a food break.
And I was back on my own again trying to get back on route...I eventually rejoined at Framlingham..right in front of the same Paragon guys. :]
However, they took a different route out of Framlingham so they were gone again.

Bit late now, but to cut a long outward story short...I finally arrived on my own at the beach at 4:3O and promptly ordered a full english which was so welcome, despite me still feeling like I was going to throw up. :[ I didn't recognise a single face anywhere.
I was then joined by Scoble half an hour later, which was a good time for fixed, then spotted Prav and Rosie a bit after that.
By this point I had decided there was no way on earth I was riding back this time as I felt so sick and was in a lot of pain from my shoulders and knees.

Rosie set off for home after a quick sandwich break, looking way fresher than I was feeling. :]

Then reality kicked In...I would have to sit around feeling like I was gonna throw up, getting cold for FIVE HOURS if I got on a coach.
Hmmm...I could be most of the way home by that point...Right?
Wrong! Very wrong!

So off I went on my merry way.

As I said, I apologise for the length of this potentially boring story...but I've never been good at abbreviating anything.
I'm gonna get something to eat before coming back with the bad and the ugly. :]