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

Something over 200k for two friends who ended up following the lights of some guys who weren't on the route (one of whom had no saddle??). Wound up stranded west of the a14 without a map until thankfully reunited in Coddenham.

Amazing what you'll see if you take a wrong turn:

Wonder if that's what Tika saw; got lost slightly on run in to Dunwich and her group found an unconcious guy lying in the road with no shoes blood everywhere and a car down the road but she didn't say in what condition it was. They waited around for police to arrive.

Well, that was my second DD, my first one geared. That'll do me I think!
Was nice to bump into a few familiar faces; Matt and Ruth (hope the wheels held out), Tom and Rosie smashing it on Le Tandem, and multiple hugs from Iain (one topless).
Also hello again to my fellow Grumps - I was too sleepy to hold proper conversation.
Most of all, a pleasure to ride the whole thing with Kate and her bro.
Also, I am amazed that our bikes weren't completely fucked being stuffed into those removal lorries!

It sounds like there were quite a few incidents. I saw an ambulance somewhere near the start, maybe a few miles after Whipps Cross, and a kind of grappling claw made out of glowsticks lying on the ground in front of a gigantic pothole. Assume somebody stacked it in the hole pretty badly and needed the ambo to get patched up, but the others that people are talking about seem to have happened later. Hope all broken people htfu quickly.

Not a bad first DD, I just wish the weather was nicer at the beach. Also, a hellish coach journey back trying to catch some sleep, crick in neck ffs...

We did it in 10 hours 40, which I'm bloody pleased with seeing as I did the last 100 miles in a 34/19 gear after my rear mech got too cosy with the spokes. Polo gear ftw. A few familiar faces seen along the way, hundreds of unfamiliar forum cap wearers too, many tandems, buckets of fluoro and a good dose of panniers.

Thanks Southwark cyclists for organising the coaches, though the return ride definitely seems more alluring for next year.

Also saw an ambulance in the last 20 miles, looked like someone missed a right turn at the bottom of a hill and continued straight on down a ditch :(
Had my first pinch flat in a long time smashing into a ridiculous pot-hole, and saw loads of people hit it whilst I was fixing my puncture :/

While we're doing "how long it took", I left London Fields at 9:30pm and got to the beach for about 7am, 9 hours moving time, single speed rather than fixed. Hardly the zippiest of rides but not too bad considering my suspected-broken-toe-woe (pro tip: if you think you have a broken toe, doing the DD on it will probably hurt) and the fact that I haven't ridden a bike any further than 30 miles in about a month and a half. Hopefully my next attempt will be a bit nippier.

Also I hit dozens of potholes and I didn't puncture in any of them, somehow, but both wheels are hilariously out of true and wobbling like blancmanges. Ho hum.

Thought the road surfaces in general out in Essex and Suffolk were awesome; compared to Kent and Surrey those minor road were like glass. We got a group of 12 to the finish with zero punctures.

I think in the end we finished it in about 7 hours just about, 17mph average moving speed, was lovely doing it fixed, maybe just not with LOW// geo next time.

^^ Think that was my first puncture, or with anyone I'd been riding with in 4 runs :)

Thought the road surfaces in general out in Essex and Suffolk were awesome; compared to Kent and Surrey those minor road were like glass. We got a group of 12 to the finish with zero punctures.

I found the same thing, tbf - the roads were 99% perfect, which made it all the more surprising to discover your wheel thumping into a big fuck-off hole in otherwise pristine tarmac.

Left about 8pm, got to the beach at about 4.30am. Got dragged along by a mate for last third. Quick breakfast then rode to Norwich - very, very slowly with a power-nap on a bench then in a bus stop. Shattered.

Felt like I missed almost everyone. We were apparently in the first 20 at the food stop (think I recognised you Skully, but wasn't 100%). At the start we set a hell of a pace so barely saw other riders.

Next year I'd like to leave later, ride slower and soak it all up a bit more.

Managed both there and back on my brakeless HHSB and came to the conclusion that I will never do that again. I left at around 8 and rode with a few random awesome dudes (im terrible with names) till the rest stop at which point they stopped and I continued. It was kinda nice kinda zoning out listening to various NPR podcasts and enjoying the solitude. I reached Dunwich for about 4:45. Had celebatory jam sandwich and headed back. The return slog was a pure mental challenge. My legs were good until about halfway at which point I kept on cramping up. I finally made it back for around 2pm. Instead of sleeping, my girlfriend reminded me that we were going to watch The colour Purple this afternoon. So i've spent the last 3 hours in a dark theatre watching a show about spousal abuse.

Overall it was a great ride with near perfect weather. Next year however i'm going geared!

Left at 8:15, did it in about 8 hours.

My left big toe was very sore by the end, I was yelping at some of the bumps. I expected to find a severed toenail and a sock full of blood, but no visible signs of damage and it felt fine once I got the shoe off. Win.

Some people had excessively bright rear lights, they were not comfortable to be behind. For me, these were worse than the flashing lights.

One of my two Cree Q5 lights has a nasty habit of switching from low to flashing when I go over a bump.

Managed both there and back on my brakeless HHSB and came to the conclusion that I will never do that again. I left at around 8 and rode with a few random awesome dudes (im terrible with names) till the rest stop at which point they stopped and I continued. It was kinda nice kinda zoning out listening to various NPR podcasts and enjoying the solitude. I reached Dunwich for about 4:45. Had celebatory jam sandwich and headed back. The return slog was a pure mental challenge. My legs were good until about halfway at which point I kept on cramping up. I finally made it back for around 2pm. Instead of sleeping, my girlfriend reminded me that we were going to watch The colour Purple this afternoon. So i've spent the last 3 hours in a dark theatre watching a show about spousal abuse.

Overall it was a great ride with near perfect weather. Next year however i'm going geared!

Christ. You win the on "grimmest story" front, The Colour Purple really tops it off.

One of my two Cree Q5 lights has a nasty habit of switching from low to flashing when I go over a bump.

THIS! Buy cheap, buy twice and all that.

Strobing cunty nodder rear lights can do one

Nice enough ride out there Saturday morning, with Oliver, Skydancer and another catering volunteer not on here. Bit chilly really, and a bit of a headwind.

Busy afternoon getting food ready and the hall organised. Slightly weird night as it was just so manic getting drinks for people patiently queuing. Saw some friendly faces which was great, couldn't really spend any time talking to anyone, with the exception of a nice break hanging out with conker & dicki.

Then an absolutely IDYLLIC 20 miles with skydancer around 6am to get us to a station just after Colchester on the line home. Misty air, golden wheat and a lovely pink flowered crop around us (which we couldn't guess what it was).

Well done to all those who make the dynamo what a great inclusive excellent institution for us.

Anyone here^ who even mentions strava and times and averages is missing the point of what makes dd great. edit ahem Uh I should add - in my opinion.

next year i'd like to leave later, ride faster and win on strava.

ftfy

Surely the point of the DD is that everybody enjoys it in their own way? If that means dorking out on numbers, then so be it. You roadie-racist curmudgeon.

Seeing the countryside in misty gloom just after sunrise was amazing. The lack of visibility over 150m made everything look very photographic. And taking a wrong turn in Needham Market to find the hotel I got married in was a pleasant-ish surprise.

Managed to drag my friend through the last 30 miles but he knee gave up and was in agony for some hours. So a bit slow in the roll in.

This was my second DD and I think it's such a great ride. Lovely route and so few cars. That and my mum lives in Ipswich and met us on the beach with tea and cake!

Anyone who missed this ride missed out.

Thanks to all the volunteers on the corners and other behind the scenes efforts.

To all those that make this happen (Oliver? Miss Mouse? The helpers at the food stops and many others I'm sure) - thank you, for, as ever, the best ride of the year. Terrific ride.

Cheers, Shaun. Without wanting to sound corny, it's actually all the riders that make it. :)

As for helpers, in no particular order, those are owntherroad, Southwark Cyclists volunteers for organising the coaches, the jersey (which quite a few people were wearing) and other things that I probably don't even know about, as well as all the personnel involved with the coaches, long-time feed stop stalwarts Patsy and Rob as well as LCC in Hackney and LFGSS volunteers at Sible Hedingham, the backstop riders who give mechanical assistance (sadly, this year Sean had a crash which left his bike broken--a good friend riding with him had hit a pothole and taken Sean with him, so spare a thought for him), all the hard-working staff at the Flora Café on the beach who open at 4am, and (I'm told, although I've never called in there) various people in Suffolk who open their houses to riders (did that happen again this year?) and Torque Bikes and Weston's Café in Sudbury who offer an additional service to riders. Pubs along the route are busy, too, of course, especially in Moreton and the Fox Inn in Finchingfield.

So, yes, there are a lot of helpers, whether paid or unpaid, and as it gets bigger (can it even?), they'll continue to multiply.

various people in Suffolk who open their houses to riders (did that happen again this year?)

Yes, and a very welcome sight they were. There was also a couple sitting on a bench in the middle of nowhere cheering people on who had brought a track pump with them for riders to use. Lovely stuff.

First time doing this ride for me, was a great experience. I was quite pleased I made it all the way fixed geared but my time was just over 10 hours.
There was a tiny sausage trailer somewhere, saved me with a sausage and coke after I had finished what I thought was more than enough rations.
Got pretty tough towards the end. I went on my own and just followed the lights no map, smart phone, or route sheets! Luckily I don't think I got lost at all, however its very east to follow someone the wrong way, or just loose everyone!
I did not talk to any of you forumers unfortunately, did not stick to a group or anything just went as I pleased.
On getting back, cycled to darsham, had to wait for the next train as there were to many bikes on the first. Then from ipswich waited about 2 hours managed to get a slow train to stratford, just around the time they said a special train for bikes was turning up around 13:10 I think, needless to say pretty awful wen you just want to go to bed! The ride back to greenwich from stratford was very slow.