Dunwich Dynamo 2008
FAQs: The essentials
If you've read these before, please
read them again for minor changes, improvements.
If you've not read them before, welcome...
Dunwich Dynamo?
Simple. A turn-up-and-go challenging
slightly-scary free-entry overnight on-tarmac just under 120 mile bicycle
ride to the lovely lonely Suffolk sea.
More?
It's not a race. It's unsupported. There's
no van following. It's a long way for nearly all of us. There will be
times when you wish you were tucked up in bed.
But you'll love it. The adrenalin buzz,
the experience, the achievement, the smiles will cling forever. For
a lot of us it's almost the highlight of our bike year. That collective/supportive
thrill is fabulous. Unmissable.
Organisation?
Minimal. Honest. Yes really. And we aim
to keep it like that.
Patrick Field's London School of Cycling
has been in from the start and provides route maps and the half-way
hall and food there.
Read this: www.londonschoolofcycling.co.uk
For the past few years Southwark Cyclists
have organised the convoy back.
How many people ride it?
About 450 started in 2007 - the weather
forecast was truly horrible and it rained hard all night long. But the
sun came out to greet us as we got there and it turned into a hot sunny
day.
700 started in 2006 - the biggest ever.
In 2005 around 550 did the ride. Around 430 did it in 2004. 230 in 2003
Who does it?
A few semi-pro cyclists, more road bikes
every year, more and more fixed-wheelers, a whole fleet of low-life
recumbents, several Bromptons, some tandems, but mostly your average
bike-to-workers for whom this is long long ride. A daunting exciting
challenge.
How long does it take?
Most get to Dunwich between 7am and 9am
the next morning......about 10 hours. Depends on your pace and number
of stops.
What's it like?
It's a friendly adventure with bike-minded
people along surprisingly traffic free country roads. It settles into
bunches at various paces. People give each other the mental and, if
possible, the mechanical support all the way to the sea. The glimpses
of village Saturday night and the throbbing marquee in the middle of
nowhere, bats, stars. The sense of very real achievement at the end
is a huge lift that will stay with you. The worst bit is missing a night's
sleep. But that's also the best bit. We ride into the sunrise.
Resonance
FM's 'Bike Show' special
on the 2004 Dunwich Dynamo is available online in streaming Real Audio
or downloadable MP3
format (30 MB! Best for broadband).
Here's Rapha on the 2005 version: http://www.rapha.cc/index.php?page=144
Bats?
We see them every year but I noticed
them for the first time in 2005 ....on the quiet road ahead. And I've
checked. Serotin bats, the UK's largest, are our only ones that sometimes
land to feed. It looks like these have learnt to find moths and beetles
etc on the tarmac. They've got much better radar than hedgehogs so you
needn't even try to avoid them. And no, of course they won't go for
your jugular. Probably.
When?
The next Dynamo, DD16, is on the weekend
of 19/20 July 2008.
Since when?
People have been riding London to Dunwich
on the July Saturday nearest the full moon since 1993. Legend has it
that a few half-civilised City couriers just headed east after work
one balmy Friday evening...and kept going till they hit the sea.
Splash.
Where is Dunwich?
Map www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=647875&Y=270565&A=Y&Z=3
About 200km (120 miles) north east of
London on the lonely Suffolk coast between Southwold and Aldeburgh right
next to the internationally important Minnsmere bird reserve. The wind
should push us there.
What is Dunwich?
A thousand years ago wool-rich Dunwich
almost rivalled London. Coastal erosion means the medieval metropolis
is now half a mile offshore, on a quiet night they say you can hear
the watery tolling of the lost church bells. Nothing stays the same,
the ride gets shorter every year.
Where is the start?
The ride meets at the Pub on the Park,
Martello Street, London Fields, Hackney, London E8. Map.
Bikes everywhere. Bemused locals.
(I'll do a feeder ride from Greenwich that evening. Meet 6pm at Cutty
Sark Gardens Map.
The Greenwich Foot Tunnel lifts normally shut at 6pm....cross over to
Island Gardens before then and wait there).
What time?
8pm for a 9pm start. That's PM. Saturday
evening. 19 July 2008. Careful, that start time isn't precise, people
start to leave when they feel like it after 8pm. A sort of momentum
develops like bats from a cave, and suddenly it's gone.
Be careful out there...
Be very aware that the first few kilometres
follow very inner-city streets that were never a problem until 2005
when a lateish starter in a group of three got his bike taken from him
by a few youths. Look out for each other and maybe leave your alone
moments for the greener bits later.
And, tragically, in 2006 in the village
of North Weald, a stupidly driven van came round the corner on the wrong
side of the road and killed well-equipped rider Andrew Rawlings, and
injured another. The van driver has been prosecuted. Andrew's family
asked not to be contacted and no memorial or event for him was or is
planned on the night. But our thoughts stay with him and his family.
How do I follow the route?
You'll be given a route sheet at the
start (suggested minimum £1 donation to help cover some costs) but
the route is unsigned. This Map: East Midlands and East Anglia Including London
(OS Travel Map - Road)
covers the whole route. ISBN 978-0319230916. From around £2 plus delivery
from amazon. (Southwark Cyclists will get commission if you use the
use the link above.)
We'll try and put some night-light jamjar
lanterns out along part of the way.
Follow the flashing red-lights ahead.
That memory will linger.
What's the route like?
It leaves London surprisingly quickly
and slightly confusingly, is all on tarmac, and once through boy-racer
bouncer-guarded road-pub Epping Forest, it's mostly unlit county lanes
all the way with a few villages and small towns. Moreton, Leaden Roding,
Great Dunmow, Great Bardfield, Finchingfield, Castle Headingham, Sudbury,
Great Waldingfield, Needham Market, Framlingham, Rendham, Darsham, Westleton...
Topography/Contours/Nasty bits?
A few short sharp hills and more steady
climbs, nothing very serious, but mostly very flat. Tarmac throughout.
What do I need?
Lights. The clear sky requested, last
night's full moon, and lots of stars out there make it surprisingly
undark. If you use city LED's you'll sometimes want to tuck in behind
someone with a beam..... it can be dark out there, unnerving in the
gravely tree tunnels. Bring spare batteries, a pump, a spare inner tube
or two.
Any stops?
About 70 miles out Lavenham village hall
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=591215&Y=249130&A=Y&Z=3
will be specially opened by lovely people and you can buy hot drinks and good
basic food there. Best avoid the siren call of the open pubs. Unless of course you
need coffee/loo. A few all-night garages can be handy.
Note this carefully please: this is a turn up and go ride and we intend to keep it that way.
We’ve no way then of knowing how many people will want feeding here in the early hours.
We can’t of course afford to get food in and then not sell it. We’ll aim to feed 500 people then,
the big majority of riders. But no more. Please make sure then you bring something to eat
with you anyway, but especially in case there’s nothing left.
Last year’s village hall at Great Waldingfield is being rebuilt this summer.
What happens if my bike or I break
down?
There's no following magic bus to sweep
you up or mend your bike but fellow riders can often work wonders. The
ride is unsupported. You are on your own. If you're in trouble, expect
help from fellow riders. But if you just get too tired or a knee gives
out or whatever, then you'll have to find a lift or cab to get you to
the nearest station.
Small print
New for 2008....the Dunwich Dynamo now
benefits from the London Cycling Campaign's £5m public liability insurance
cover via borough group Southwark Cyclists who help organise the event.
What happens at the finish?
Dunwich Beach.
The steep shingle beach makes for great
cleansing wake-up swimming. (I take a change of clothes and then, squeaky
clean with a salt-caked hair-cut get accused of not doing the ride.
Shocking).
The very good Flora beach cafe opens
specially for us at 6am (some get in sooner, don't bank on it) for cooked
breakfasts, and turns back into a fish and chip shop for lunch.
Most then snooze on the shingle a little,
some then have a beer or two. The pub opens at 12 noon.
How to get home?
A few seasoned riders just turn round
and spin back to London. Most get the coach or train. Some just cycle
up the coast for a long weekend.
Train?
The nearest station is Darsham, four
miles from Dunwich. The first train of the day is at at 8.45am (this
was correct in April as I update this but check yourself) then every
two hours......timetabled journey time is 2 hours 7 minutes.
The single fare from Darsham to London
Liverpool Street is £33.50 on the day, from £6 in advance. You can
book from mid May in advance via www.thetrainline.com,
delivery is free, and Southwark Cyclists will get commission if you
book with thetrainline using this link.
Ipswich station is 30 miles away and
has 3 trains an hour. Journey time of about 75 minutes, £30.50 on the
day.
There's no warning of engineering works
yet but Sunday is the favourite day for them and coached sections that
might have no room for bikes. Check www.nationalrail.co.uk for engineering work notices nearer the time,
enter your journey and click 'check for updates'.
Coach?
We recommend the coaches for the snooze
home. We put the bikes in furniture vans with their professional packers.
Tandems and recumbents fit easily. If you're worried about your pristine
paint job then bring a wrapping sheet or blanket or similar but we've
asking the firm to bring lots of cardboard etc.
We work the coach on a cost-covering
not-for-profit basis, transparent books. Any surplus gets split between
the London School of Cycling and Southwark Cyclists to help pay for
the glow-lights, the food and general expenses. If a loss develops,
I'm in trouble.
Sorry...no refunds since that would make
organising all impossible.
The vans load from 11am and the convoy
leaves Dunwich Beach at 1pm, getting to West Smithfield, London EC1
(Smithfield Market) about 3 hours later, here.
And sorry, no, we can't add in extra
stops.
(Note....that 11am loading start was
new for 2006 to ensure a 1pm coaches departure. We left on time in both
2006 and 2007).
Once back, some of us then find a pub.
Optional extra.
Coach tickets are £14 if paid for on
or before 31 May. And £24 from 1 June and on the day. (Early booking
then costs the same as last year. Late booking has gone up £1 to cover
the fact that diesel is more expensive than a year ago. It's more
expensive to encourage early booking and easier estimating of numbers.
It's difficult to get more capacity at the last minute).
Early booking is advised...seat numbers
are of course limited. We try to ensure there's room for all who turn
up, but cannot of course promise that.
Some ask that the coaches leave much
earlier. The convoy is for those who want to swim, eat, snooze, relax,
savour the moment, not rush. Hence the leisurely timetable.
In 2006 about 6 people left jackets,
cameras, bungey cords on the coaches. All were reunited later but it's
avoidable tiresome hastle. We and the drivers check the coaches before
they head home but please look after your stuff. Nothing seemed to get
lost in 2007.
How do I book a coach place?
Buy your seats via Paypal here now...donations
on top split as above
Paypal ticket-back sales now closed. There may be tickets on sale at
the start if there are spare seats. See the FAQs.
Please also feel free to make a donation to Southwark Cyclists (does not include a coach ticket):
Can I buy coach-back tickets at the
start?
Maybe. Please don't bank on it though.
Last year we took down the Paypal sales at about 1pm on the Saturday
and, as before, set up office at the start from about 7pm onwards and
sold tickets back right up until the start of the ride. We were also
able to fit in everyone else who suddenly wanted a seat the next morning
from about 10am on.
But.......we can't possibly guarantee
to have spare seats left for sale on the night before, let alone next
morning at our destination. It's your gamble. If we have spare seats
left we'd of course love to sell them all. But we can't risk the
cost of empty coaches either.
So book early. It's cheaper.
Rules?
Be nice. Be considerate.
And, very seriously, we got sensible
complaints from nice local people after the 2004 ride. Our first. We
got more complaints after the 2007 ride. Please please remember that
we're riding through villages. People will be asleep. Do stay quiet
in the villages and don't chat loudly under bedroom windows at 3am
in the morning or at any other hour. Thanks.
My Survival tips:
Do some longish rides beforehand...Southwark
and Greenwich and Lewisham Cyclists do a lot: see Rides and Events
on this website.
Don't overdo the alcohol etc for a few
days beforehand.
Pack spare layers of clothes, it can
be very warm or chilly or damp or wet.
Money. Always handy.
Phone: yes.
Jeans have lumpy under-seams that you
don't notice for a few miles. Then you notice.
Tools: at least a pump and a couple of
spare inner tubes. Tyre levers too.
Make sure your bike is in good nick.
Give it a good clean and service a few days before. On the day, give
it another look and, for example, flip it over and check the tyres for
those infiltrating little bits of glass. If you've been thinking about
getting new tyres, splash out before the ride.
Lights: you'll need them. Dynamo? LED's
can last all night, but bring spare batteries anyway, tuck in behind
someone with a beam for those tree-tunnel lane stretches.
Saddle? Apply Vaseline, cream or similar
if/before your bits get sore. Recumbent riders, they boast, needn't
bother.
Carbo-loading works for me: a huge pasta
meal the night before. A friend of mine swears by cutting out caffeine
for a few days beforehand so that the 3am coffee really jolts.
Drink water before you get thirsty, snack
and nibble before you get hungry. That way you'll avoid hitting the
spirit-draining brick wall of no energy.
Don't sprint off with the skinny greyhounds
unless you are one. Settle into a group doing a pace you like. If it
turns out slow, dance in the pedals and catch a quicker group. Bit too
fast? Drop off the group and wait to be caught up.
Swim at the end.
2007 lesson: and, he won't forgive
me for this, don't fiddle with your front mudguard while still riding.
Ambulance needed. He's fine now.
Love it.
Barry Mason
5 April 2008
Coordinator
Southwark Cyclists
07905 889 005
www.southwarkcyclists.org.uk
rides and events all year
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