2010-07-24 - Dunwich Dynamo DD18

@pascalo - We passed everyone ;) Quite liked the fairy-light helmet, and it's good to see the tandem with the light up wheels was out for another year. Went past a MTB with a front light set to some really high frequency strobe which gave me a proper headache though.

i wanted to kill that MTB strobe bloke.

Actually, maybe the guy with the dog comes close.
Or the two YACF people on the tandem and trailer that had to walk several miles because their wheel snapped 11 spokes and was beyond repair.
Couldn't believe how cheerful they were when they walked towards Darsham yesterday morning.
I'd be well pissed off.

Passed a couple of guys with red and white rear lights, flashing alternately. WTF.

That's me on the left, Sparky in the middle and benjaminbunny's on the right.

We were trying to get back to Norwich, but in the end gave up on the trains and got back on our bikes. The extra 30 miles were painful and stop-start, got into Norwich at 1, had my customary post-ride Guinness and then treated myself to a taxi the last 2 miles home.

Was a proper farce at Darsham - the train on the other platform was held up for 20 mins or so while the driver argued with the riders onboard - not sure what the gist was but I'm guessing it was along the lines of "why the fuck have I got 40 bikes on my train all of a sudden, gtfo".

Apparently cause it's a rural train it's only allowed to take 4 bikes, people had piled their bikes up on seats next to them and anywhere they would fit. After much arguing and delaying the train it eventually set off for Ipswich. But I spoke to someone who had been on it and they said everyone was kicked off at the next stop (Saxmundham). The person in question had only got through to Ipswich by hiding his bike in the toilet!
The whole debacle of getting back to London was my least favourite part of the DD, although I know that's my fault for only deciding to ride on the Friday after someone mentioned it to me, and relying on their assurance that there was a train station a few miles from the beach...
Forum bus next year ftw

I tell you, sleeping there ftw ...

Even the camping option that the YACF guys did doesn't seem so bad, wetaher permitting. They were all in a pretty good mood the next morning.

Hopefully might be able to stay in Aldeburgh / Chelsea-on-Sea next year, it's only 12 miles down the coast

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/southwarkcyclists/message/9152

Just read Barry Mason's report here.

Kudos to a man who organises to 750ish people to get back from Dunwich to London, doesn't lose any bikes and still intends to do the same again next year. I wouldn't want to take on that much responsibility. As for the forum, next year I would advise a coach (or coaches), a furniture van and a small Transit Connect size fan for feeding and emergencies. Also paying about the same as the SC van as well if the LFGSS coffers can cope with that sort of thing.

^
yeah. there wasn't a lot of warning or thought about cars approaching from behind.

and lots of people meandering all over the road.

i remember passing an ambulance that was attending an accident, cyclist appeared to be sitting up.
I also heard talk of the guy at the feed station who probably had concussion. given that it was a night ride and given the distance, i'm gladdened that there were so few incidents.

We found the guy at the feed stop around 12.
He'd hit a big pothole right before it and had clearly face planted and smashed his wheel:-(
I managed to get his wheel straight enough to ride while my friends fed him him sweet tea and Neurophen...
By the time I'd finished (many thanks to the people holding torches by the way) and looked up, his face had swelled up really badly so called for a cab to take him to A&E and that was the end of his night.
He was a real trooper though, he was more worried that he had a date on Tuesday and he'd have a big scar...
Our friend Sally told him ladies liked scars so he'd probably do okay which seemed to perk him up until a wit said it was more likely to be a big scab for date night!

Other mates got caught behind the ambulance a bit later too.

Given the scenario and some inexperienced riders combined with a few predictable twats leaving pubs I'm relieved to hear how well it went generally.

Oh and we saw 'tack lady' but we were there before she'd got her box out.
She was just dishing out grief, which felt weird given all the people we'd seen outside their houses earlier cheering us on...

Aldeburgh would be a nice place to stay. They've got the best fish and chips there :)

Other places in the area worth checking out for B&Bs would be Orford (check out the Castle and the smokehouse)

Thorpness

or if you want to go a bit more inland, Woodbridge (plenty of pubs and the added bonus of a train service that goes direct to Liverpool street)

Aldeburgh would be a nice place to stay. They've got the best fish and chips there :)

Not true sadly. They are so popular that you can wait for 20+ minutes, and the pace that they go at, quality is sadly missing. Good, but not worth waiting for anymore.

For Thorpness, there is the famous house in the clouds, which you can rent, and see in the bottom right of the picture, which is awesome :)

It's all about knowing when is right to get in there.. During high summer I agree, the wait is too long. But if you catch them right there's none better for my money.

pascalo: how was the B+B, worth it? was the ploughman's alright?

apart from waiting for it for an hour and a half, it was good. I kind of nodded off, nearly, while waiting for it. Dinner was much better than lunch and came promptly. Got chatting with some others that stayed there and they liked the place as well.

The rooms were great, but not cheap. G/f paid, so it was ok by me. The fact that at 3 o'clock I could crash into a freshly made bed was worth a million in my books.

Overall a nice place, albeit a bit pricey.

ah. rapha-esque.

Forum bus next year ftw

Next year, I want a support team in a mini-bus, providing coffee, food and massage, followed by an effortless drive back to Norwich. Either that or I will just have to be fitter and better equipped for the extra 30.

Tell you what though, now that the aches have worn off, I feel pretty marvellous. The ride to and from work today was fast and effortless.

Oh, and I forgot to say... Kenickie.

User: Kenickie
Pass: Breakfast

Just remembered, that I saw at the end one of these "CREATE" things. Maybe I was hallucinating...

Saw it too. In ONE piece!

Oh and we saw 'tack lady' but we were there before she'd got her box out.
She was just dishing out grief, which felt weird given all the people we'd seen outside their houses earlier cheering us on...

So you actually saw someone who you know would later spread tacks?

ah. rapha-esque.

Ha! Very much so.

Do you think it might be too big now?

Do you think it might be too big now?

why would it be too big?

it's an amazing site to behold once it goes dark and the atmosphere is fantastic.

the more the merrier.

im already looking into gps system and lights ready for next year....

Do you think it might be too big now?

Not big enough, I'd love to see twice as many bicycles next year.

So you actually saw someone who you know would later spread tacks?

Good grief no!
Don't make it sound like that!
Found out that was where it happened after reports on here and from friends.
Shame on you for making me sound evil;-p

Good grief no!
Don't make it sound like that!
Found out that was where it happened after reports on here and from friends.
Shame on you for making me sound evil;-p

That's what I meant--'Did you see someone who you later conjectured must have been a/the person who spread tacks?'

I'd really appreciate a more detailed report on this--if this happened before Castle Hedingham, we came across a victim and might have seen another.