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

huge thanks to Katie for organising and David for subsidising the coach.

to Southwark cyclists for their work and the forumgers on the ride for the company

Who was the girl in the red off-the-shoulder dress and red shoes on the tandem? She rocked.

oh and the person organising the southwark cyclists coaches trying to dissuade us from running a coach next year as they changed the departure time at the last minute to 11am this year and next year will be running rolling coaches. one an hour from 10am. just means that next year we need to leave the beach at 9am...

plus as well he was a really nice chap. not sure if thats relevent but i detected no malice or confrontation, more sadness/frustration that to get ourselves home it was easier to organise it ourselves than use their service. which they evidently worked damned hard to provide.

There's obviously no rivalry, and while I can't speak for Southwark Cyclists, I can see a couple of factors, like the finite size of the car park--if the DD keeps getting bigger and bigger, it could cause some serious traffic problems in the wider area, too. Also, it obviously is a public car park, but so many people seem to bring their cars now, and with another coach/van/lorry operation, it would probably be important to co-ordinate things so that there's space for everybody.

SC are committed to providing a great service (all being volunteers), and their operation has grown so big (it has probably also contributed to a rise in numbers) that it can undoubtedly benefit from staggered departure times, too. The queue for loading was very long and just wouldn't get shorter for a good while. They'll be fully aware of this and I'm sure will improve plans. It'll be pretty difficult to make the organisation more complex in this way, but yesterday there were already separate coach departure times and it seemed to work well. When we arrived at Smithfield, there were no problems in reuniting hundreds of riders with hundreds of bikes.

, but this went a bit wrong when I decided to use the public toilets there and somehow fell asleep in them for an hour. Classy Bendix.

Well done everyone, awesome riding, especially the riders back and the first timers. And everyone else.

proper lol

+1. and chapeau to you (as i shouted when you passed us) for returning under your own power

Some even had front lights flashing?!? duuurrrrr

.

whatever happened to "Imma stay flashy til the day i die"?

Yeah agreed, not much to discuss on this one, it's a public, unsupported ride, and if you've got the clout to organise your own coach back, do it. No different to getting your folks to come and pick you up, just on a bigger scale.

Hi forum, this was my 1st DD after only taking up riding back in March this year and by far the longest ride I have done.

I recognised a few jerseys on the way and was amazed at the kindness of all that took part the atmosphere was amazing!

I was riding with a group of friends whom I cycle with regularly from Bromley and we completed the ride in 10 hours which I am chuffed with.

Perhaps next year I'll attempt it on my fixie and hopefully I'll get myself out on a few of your rides and meet a few forumites soon! ;-)

Thanks EVERYONE for making it a special DD!

Further to my question re fixed - I did it all on 49/18 - mid 70s, which was really actually ok. The little climb after the feed stop was probably the hardest, really grinding up there, but I think it was cause i was so cold at that point. Everything else was fine - attacking hills was great fun, infact, fixed probably helped with the tiredness letting the bike carry my legs along at points.

Who was the chap riding brakeless that I met about 75 / 80 in? We were discussing back pain caused by riding so far on risers and not being able to work out when to slow down in the dark!

One other thing - how annoying are traffic lights now your back in London?!

Briefly: my saddle has punished my posterior brutally for taking it to Dunwich, my habit of attacking hills on fixed and then forgetting to ease off when the road flattens out has punished my knees but I'm glad to have done it again.

The ride out of London (starting at 8.40) seemed quicker than in previous years - I skipped the church path section by heading up Amhurst/Pembury roads before getting onto the A104 at the big roundabout thingy. Shortly after chatting to itsbruce I was rear-ended by someone who was not paying attention (by his own admission) and failed to spot that the rider two ahead of me had slammed on her brakes (perhaps to adjust her hi viz tabard) without warning. A bit of fettling and I was on the way again.

I passed the Epping high-fivers and turned onto the North Weald road just after Sarah had taken her tumble and was flat out on the tarmac, which was a bit of a shocker. Darkpoint was working valiantly to get the road clear enough for riders to pass. It took a little while for the joy to come back into my ride after that but I'm glad to hear on here that it wasn't any worse in terms of injuries.

Finchingfield was good. I always see that as a key moment - it's very picturesque, and you're almost in Suffolk so it seems entirely appropriate to pause, have a pint of Adnams and chat to the cycling spaniels. In Sudbury someone had put up glowing red arrows on the turns - how nice is that? A group of young folk on a bench also called out to me that I had turned too early, and saved me some route confusion. I hope they heard my shout of thanks.

I spent a fair amount of the ride on my own, which was a joy after the early crowds. In fact there were some stretches of several miles where I saw no other riders. Possibly because I was taking some alternative routes. Many people saw me riding happily away from junctions and either assumed that I was following the "official" route or asked me if this was the right way. I could only reply that this was the way I was going. I had an olde-worlde mappe and was therefore perfectly happy to follow my nose at times. This involved me not taking the left turn to Gosbeck, for example, and heading on to Ashbocking and Otley and skipping Helmingham before getting to Cretingham. I was interested to see that at least one other rider had left tracks down that route.

Had some nice comments on my two giant green glowsticks that I could just see in my peripheral vision, swaying off the ends of my oversized carradice and at times lighting up the underside of the peak of my cap, and on my stupid sit-up-and-beg handlebar set-up (although with that tailwind the upright position was not a real problem).

I rode the last part of the ride with a chap who'd been tailing me for a while and then pulled alongside and greeted me - turns out it's chap I've ridden with before, including a previous DD when we shared an off-piste section through Lavenham and Brent Eleigh, and it was thanks to his front wheel puncture at 4.40 near Westleton that we were able to see a barn owl ride over the hedgerow and cruise languidly along the field next to the road. (And I was able to admire his tasteful titanium singlespeeder).

There was a debate going on at the Saxmundham turning on the way into Framlingham, and one rider expressed surprise at my dissenting decision to head up through the town, past the castle and then left onto the quiet 1120 through Badingham and Peasenhall. Then conversely (or has the route sheet been changed?) we saw riders sailing past the "BY ROAD" turning past Sibton Church and thus missing the amazing bat-swooping and the thick sand/gravel/crud.

I failed to keep pace with Sam on the heath but reached the cafe a bit before 5 and was very speedily fed. Three coca colas and a coffee set me up for a nice doze on the beach, followed by chats with various until the team car arrived. We had coffee and ice cream and scone, and a walk along the marshes to see avocets, larks, lapwings and such like, before heading up to Southwold for the hilarious "under the pier" show and a tasty lunch at the Lord Nelson.

Still shattered today...it all feels a bit like a dream! But of what I can remember:

• making awesome glowing wheels thanks to Iain
  
• dressing to out-Rapha Prancer (limited team jersey, shorts, jacket and hat) and FAILING miserably
  
• being utterly frustrated for the first half by the awful hi-viz/roadie style dangerous riding, not being able to overtake to stay with my group of riders and then not seeing red lights for a few miles was terrifying
  
• the beautiful moon and how pretty everything looks in the dark, bobbing like a madwoman when a bat flew around my head
  
• the nodder who said "Excuse me, I think you'll find your back light is not visible enough and you need to move it" in a very condescending tone... Oh I'm sorry hi-viz bike police!
  
• bonking really early on and thinking "HTFU woman you're riding to Berlin in less than two weeks", shouting at myself in delirium scaring the shit out of OLC!
  
• making sure I kept spybot and Fox in sight to keep me going at this point (thanks for the good pace)
  
• riding with SE's lot for almost the whole way then - massive thanks to Chainbreaker, OneLessCardigan, Sumo, OldSkoolRacer and Hovis for making me laugh and push through the pain (the goddamn tandem, the dancing, the groans at every hill!!!), you were all amazing and I couldn't have done it without you
  
• literally boiling to death when I put my softshell on AND why did I bring a rucksack? WHY?!?
  
• the sketchy muddy gravelly bit where I did the mother of all skids at the bottom of a really steep hill causing quite a few nodders to gasp but managed to stay on
  
• really wishing I was riding fixed on those last few hills, gears felt **SO **inefficient and I couldn't really push hard and lost my pace at every one
  
• having absolutely no idea where we were going and praying after the last B road that we were nearly there
  
• finally getting there and repeatedly saying to forum strangers "I feel lost now, I don't know what to do!", I walked round for ages and then at last made it to the pub where upon seeing Skydancer's beaming smile, it finally sunk in I'd made it!
  
• oh and how could I forgot the sweltering coach and chatting absolute nonsense to myself and poor laner. Sorry!
  
  

Massive thanks to Katie and John for the coach, Leo for letting me have my first Boris Bike ride (never again) and being a hero, the SE/S lot for pushing me through my disappointment and annoyance at myself for lack of energy and not being as quick as usual, Ed and Dan for lending me things and to all the other forumengers who were so friendly and lovely to meet. The ride back from Smithfields felt so painful and then suddenly at a light I realised my legs were incredibly bent as my saddle had slipped right down! Phew.

This has given me the confidence I need to push all the way to Berlin and if anyone wants to join me part of the way, please do: http://www.lfgss.com/thread68463.html - riding with great people is such a good feeling!

Now off to do a Tour-de-London handing out CVs at every bike shop I can think of, wish my knees luck!

Ha, my ride back from Smithfield Market to Ladbroke Grove was my worst part too. Couldn't be arsed with it, oddly enough. Rode so slowly. Got the wettest I had on the entire ride to Dunwich on that measly ride home.

• making awesome glowing wheels thanks to Iain
  
• riding with SE's lot for almost the whole way then - massive thanks to Chainbreaker, OneLessCardigan, OldSkoolRacer and Hovis for making me laugh and push through the pain (the goddamn tandem, the dancing, the groans at every hill!!!), you were all amazing and I couldn't have done it without you
  It was my pleasure:-) Awesome riding with you again!!!
  

And you pack made finding the group easier when i dropped down and sped up a few times:-)

Your glow in the dark spokes were beautiful!!! Loved watching them (probably quite dangerous and had to force myself not to get mezmerised!!!)

the timelapse is now back on youtube, [copyright issue stopped it initially...]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q76R0GhWSgs"]‪Dunwich
Dynamo 2011 timelapse‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

good seeing Katie coo and econodog on the ride!

N

• dressing to out-Rapha Prancer (limited team jersey, shorts, jacket and hat) and FAILING miserably
  
  
  

I thought you looked ace!

Here's a tale. Within a couple of miles of leaving the halfway point we found a lone cyclist sprawled in the road, face-down, his bike on top of him. No idea how long he'd been there. As we pulled up it was clear he wasn't moving. We all feared the worst, certain he was part of the Dynamo and suffered a very bad crash by himself, and we were the first on the scene. It was awful.

We didn't know whether to move him, for fear of further injury. He was blue. One of our group thought his leg was broken. I dialled 999 for maybe the second time in my life. At this point, matey-boy comes to life, lets out a few moans and gets up. Turns out he's the local drunk, and always tumbles at the same spot. He knows the precise bit of road that catches him out, but still he insists on riding to and from the pub. He was literally right outside his house. No serious injury/death. He was more than fine.

I hung up the phone and we rode on, spirits restored. Very glad to hear the Dulwich rider is fine too, didn't like seeing that at all.

the timelapse is now back on youtube, [copyright issue stopped it initially...]
‪Dunwich Dynamo 2011 timelapse‬‏ - YouTube

good seeing Katie coo and econodog on the ride!

N

What fun!
Laura from the BFF is looking for films of the DD for the London Bike film fest. Why not get in touch with her?

Me. You were FLYING!
68" gear = not a lot of choice. Baffled by the "Spinning is for hipsters" quote above :S Some of us were speculating, at one stop, about what it would be like to do the ride on a polo bike.

I took a very few pictures at the beginning and the end, which is a bit of a failure. I remember stopping for a piss just a few miles out of Dunwich, looking at the gorgeous heathland all around me and thinking "I'm just too knackered to bother fishing my phone out of the frame bag."

I dropped into Evans on the Cut as I rode home, to pick up a replacement rear light. Mentioned I was just back from the Dynamo, because you expect bike shop staff to take an interest in that kind of thing. "What's that?". Guess the Evans staff who know about it were on it ;)

Oh, and hi to Olly. Aidan and I were at the head of the queue when you ran out of soup. We did actually grumble a bit, but the extra rest probably did us some good :)

Oh and note to self I'll leave much earlier next year. We didn't leave till 10pm this year so I missed out on all the fun at the start, also would have been nice to ride with some forum people.

Hi everyone. I really enjoyed that, a pleasure to meet the people that I did and am glad I did it fixed although my left knee is killing me today. Highlights for me included:

Falling off 5 minutes from the start whilst trying to negotiate my front wheel onto a curb @ approx 1mph
Following the blue glow stick trail like bread crumbs. Was somebody throwing these away periodically on purpose!?
The kids cheering us on TdF style near the start.
The dude with beef jerky, niiice.
Mothergirl slowly but surely becoming histerical. You would have made an excellent subject for a "the effects of sleep deprivation and prolonged physical exertion" psychological study
Katie + Oldskoolracer for stopping on what would have been an epic downhill spin whilst I sorted flat tyre
Being told we were 30 miles away, and then an hour later seeing a sign saying we were 35 miles away.
Seeing econodog powering up the hill near the last food stop. I couldn't believe believe my eyes when I saw you there! I felt pretty bad for doubting you would pull it off.
Cyclocross adventure at the end. Actually that bit kinda sucked.
Communally hating on some poor chap purely because he was riding a boardman. We said bad things about you.
Getting there.
OSR losing patience and finally demanding he be served beans and toast.
Losing 5kg body weight on that bleeding coach. That was agony!

Anyways, really enjoyed. Much love to Katie and John for brilliant organisational skills. Hopefully so you all again soon!

which also reminds me of our light discussion. sorry about my helmet red, didn't appreciate it was obnoxious (thought the angle would negate the intensity), was happy to remove it. dude with a white flashing, rear facing, strobe = not cool.

Don't take it personally, 6pt. Skully didn't like anyones lights. Most people's were too bright or too flashy, and those that weren't were too dim.

Uncle "Goldilights" Skully.

/shktf

^^^ah but I made an effort to have all my other ones on dim/pointing away from eyes. wish someone had called me up on it earlier, because my hatred of all the other retina-scarring lasers now seems hypocritical. loved the gentle pulse on his.

Skully's very own rear light was similarly dazzling...didn't have the heart to tell him en route (since he was providing such sterling company and was guiding the way). Told him when we got the pub though. And turned off his Hope vision which was flashing away in the sunshine.

Souths...did I hear talk of Souths??

"Spinning is for hipsters" quote above

Didn't say only hipsters spin, comment was that bombing down hill on a low gear makes you spin 'like' a hipster.

This is because all hipsters have skinny legs with no muscle. This is so they can wear stupidly tight jeans but it means they have to ride bikes with very low gearing, hence the spinning like a hipster comment.

what's the best thing to eat today for recovery? more carbs or more protein or both?