2013-07-20 Sat/Sun - Dunwich Dynamo DD21

Needham Market Mercy Dash

Greetings folks ....random anecdotes keep coming back to me and I thought you might enjoy this one....

At about the 100 mile mark after Needham Market, I rode for a while with a group of people. A young lady on an old skool bike (she had a yellow bag with something along the lines of ' last night I danced so hard I....) suddenly put her hand in one of her back pockets to get something and her red wallet / purse type thing fell out on the road. I stopped to pick it up and of course by the time I had done that and got back on my bike she was long gone. A couple on a tandem wearing 'st crispin's day night ride' maroon tops then stopped and asked what had happened. I explained what a gwan and that I would never catch them. 'Right, leave this to us' they said and off they went and delivered it to back to her.

I love happy ending, don't you....

I am really enjoying the match reports, please keep 'em coming.... Oh and more pics if possible please.....

Peace and love to one and all,
Tim

Hoorah for tandems.

I was overtaken by a group of matching lycra-clad riders who were moving vary fast. I didn't catch their team / club name but they were rapido. Hot on their heels came a couple on a tandem who, as soon as they were past me, proceeded to annihilate the fast lads like it ain't no thang.

Made me smile when nothing else would have.

I can confirm JB is a bona-fide roadie

I guess that this is a compliment...? Mission accomplished either way!

Not too shabby yourself 'Loins. Sorry for leaving you, was very un-forum of me, but I jus wanted to get there.

he was at least riding road drops not those track drops...
we left between 8.30-9

I was consoled by him telling me that this was by no means his first rodeo...

Speaking of tandems, towards the end, they seemed pretty nifty (comparatively).

Hoorah for tandems.

I was overtaken by a group of matching lycra-clad riders who were moving vary fast. I didn't catch their team / club name but they were rapido. Hot on their heels came a couple on a tandem who, as soon as they were past me, proceeded to annihilate the fast lads like it ain't no thang.

Made me smile when nothing else would have.

Tandems are definitely cheating.

Which is why I have just bought one.

I now just need the wife to start training for next year. She currently seems less than keen. :(

I can confirm JB is a bona-fide roadie

I can second that. Saw Black Dave and shinku's Dik speeding past me about 40 miles in.

This was my first DD and although I felt a bit out of place with so many carbon bikes and lycra wearers at London Fields that didn't put me off. I soon realised there were all kind of riders and bikes. My single-speed Fuji didn't complaint during the whole trip and I was surprise to see myself keeping a good pace even in the hills. I loved every single mile even when at around 4am my brain started telling me "why on earth are you doing this?? Stop and have a nap you twat!". High point my bacon roll and coffe in that free tea point 20 miles from the beach and the wonderful people waving at us in the villages. Low point when I ran out of liquids in the middle of nowhere and thought I was gonna faint, die and being eaten by fellow hungry riders. See you all in the next ride!

Hey. I think I was speaking to you, towards the beginning. I was on a Fuji too. I was massively impressed with how well the bike coped. The longest I'd been on it (or any bike before) was 30 miles.
I'll hopefully see you on the next ride too!

This was my second Dunwich Dynamo, having first endured it in 2010. I’d obviously forgotten what it was like when I blithely agreed to do it again this year. I thought it would be easier as last time I was riding single speed, this year with gears. I was Wrong.

I was riding in a group of eight, six of whom were serious roadies, one not so serious (me), and one who turned up in sandals on a 1970s road frame with 4 out of 5 gears functioning and a fruit box cable tied to the rear rack full of food, drink, and clothes. Despite what looked like a mis-match in equipment (and what I feared was lack of fitness on my part) we all kept together until the mid-way point, keeping a fast-ish, sustained pace, and disrupted only by some fairly aggro traffic leaving London and a puncture just after Epping. After much needed coffee and peanut butter and banana sandwiches we split into an ‘A’ team and a ‘B’ team - fast and cruising. I’ll leave it to you to guess which team I was in…

Second half of the ride my left knee started giving me alarming twinges which I put down to mis-positioned cleats. However, some judicious experimenting with gearing and cadence kept me going, and after the darkest hours between 2 and 4 the throbbing of light of the bike in front became slowly less bright as we were rewarded for our efforts with the appearance of light on the eastern horizon. Tree tunnels, bats, surprised cows, and cheers from children up past their bed-times were all high points. Being called a dickhead by a delightful chap in his motor somewhere in deepest of Essex the low.

I don’t post here often, but it was nice to speak to a couple of forumites - Stedlocks, I believe - beautiful Mercian - and someone in a forum cap in the queue at the feed stop. I was on the green Raleigh Clubman carrying too much stuff in a carradice saddlebag.

Also, props to TTM for selling me a coach ticket at the last minute - I can’t tell you how glad I am that I didn’t have to cycle to Ipswich.
Good work all round!

My first post, my first Dynamo...

Rode fixed and didn't manage to spot anyone else doing the same until unloading the vans back in London! For me this meant doing the hills very quickly or not at all, though from the sounds of it still much slower than most on here! Much kinder on the legs than I expected and surprised to be walking today; sitting down is the problem. Managed to lose my friends by thinking they were just ahead; caning it trying to catch up for an hour before realising they were actually five miles behind... Sat at the side of the road for half an hour as the sun came up waiting for them, lots of lovely people stopped to check that me/ my bike were OK! Quick dip in the sea to wake up at the end, topped off by a Domino's feast for one once home. Definitely in for next year!

Ha! Yes usually have at least one bout of trying to catch up with someone who's behind or stopping and waiting for the bloke ahead of me.

Someone found one! https://www.facebook.com/groups/DunwichDynamo/?hc_location=stream

Amazing! I've sent a message and will report back if there's a happy ending.
Thanks!

I'm starting to feel really paranoid about anybody who tried to communicate with me now.
......

on the same subject, hi to alex who I realise now I sort of blew off at the start, having had 3 hours sleep after being out at a DnB gig on Fri night - then being slightly thrown by failing garmin.

I was a bit of a cock I think.

spent the night hoping to spot some familiar faces and doing my best to chase down a friend who left probably 2 hours before me. he arrived at the beach an hour before, but had a nice cup of black tea waiting for me.

thanks to fortune for the following spottos:

• the couple on the tandem with the music and the matching leaopard print onesies. rockin.
  
• chainbreaker, who I met en route and chatted to for a while. nice guy. was a little jealous of his speaker shizzle.
  
• the guy in all black smoking a dart at the bbq/buttie stop about 15 miles from home. CUNT sticker on the wheels. proper too cool for school. I was the wanker in the Jolly/jollj jersey looking at you thinking....."youre a bit too cool".
  
• the guy I raced at the end who had ridden to the start from norwich. carbon everything and roadie to the max, but with 240 in the legs he beasted me over the last 3 miles, despite being a little grey (est 50 ish).
  
• anyone I saw and forgot.
  
  
  

Thanks to skully for apologising profusely re the lack of tea.

Skully used three bags per tea early on, so no wonder. Nice seeing you Zanda. Really would have been great to ride with you.

Hoorah for tandems.

I was overtaken by a group of matching lycra-clad riders who were moving vary fast. I didn't catch their team / club name but they were rapido. Hot on their heels came a couple on a tandem who, as soon as they were past me, proceeded to annihilate the fast lads like it ain't no thang.

Made me smile when nothing else would have.

Hmm.

Rode with CS Grupetto for a few miles, which was nice. They certainly seemed a lot less serious than the Paragon guys, despite their lovely Rapha designed kits.

Little write-up here: www.telegraph.co.uk/active/recreational-cycling/10195522/Ride-report-Dunwich-Dynamo-2013.html

Thanks for the pics, guys.

i saw a sexy metallic blue tandem

then i realised it was a tandem (amidoingitrightSixPita?hashtagthingy)

So that was whatok on the coach back that was next to me then? :-)

You did sleep. :-)

who was next to me then!?!?!

back of coach A... 11am...

I guess that this is a compliment...? Mission accomplished either way!

Not too shabby yourself 'Loins. Sorry for leaving you, was very un-forum of me, but I jus wanted to get there.

Compliment.
Glad you ditched the stupid Panasonic and got a proper bike.

You calibrated your power about and biological passport yet?

I met chainbreaker at the start and recognised him solely because he cam and hugged EEI - he really is an im*pec*able chap

YSB was deffo on drugs btw, I saw him slip them into his water at about 65 miles.

you too dude :-)

Shame you hide so much. Really good meeting you. so much beard tho

And by drugs I probably mean jelly babies

So that was whatok on the coach back that was next to me then? :-)

You did sleep. :-)

How the fuck did everyone appear so comfy!? Sorry I fidgeted so much!

TIme to play spot the forum cap.

my DD flickr set