Dun Run
Tom Crispin
In about 16 hours time I hope to be dozing on Dunwich's rapidly
disappearing beach.
Alan Braggins
Good luck. I look forward to a trip report. (Is the beach actually
disappearing now, or just continuing moving inland?)
chris French
<kije....@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge> writes
>See you all about this time tomorrow.
>
>In about 16 hours time I hope to be dozing on Dunwich's rapidly
>disappearing beach.
Have a good ride.
I pondered about having a go this year, but it didn't fit in with other
bits of life
--
Chris French
Tom Crispin
Braggins) wrote:
Depart 8.20pm approx.
Arrive 8.00am approx
Distance 114.28 miles
Cycling time 9hrs 58min
Average speed 11.92 mph
Overall average 9.80 mph
Distance including ride to start and ride from drop off:
130 miles approx. in 24 hours.
London Fields was crowded with lycra clad cyclists on my arrival. Soon
after 7.30pm people started drifting off, by 8pm this was a steady
trickle. When I left at about 8.20 London Fields was still crowded.
Initially seven of us stayed together as a group but soon we split. I
stayed with Jo, will the other five went on. However, throughout the
night we kept on bumping into the forward pack as they took wrong
turns, or stopped at resting stations.
Jo and I stopped with the others at 10 miles and 20 miles, but after
they had dropped us we stopped again at 40 miles and 60 miles. The 60
mile station was a main feeding point, with the local village hall
selling high carb fare at about �2 per portion. The queue for food
was about 100 people long, so we didn't hang about and went on ahead.
We had just one more stop at 90 miles, and a pause at 105 miles when I
scoffed half a massive whole nut chocolate bar in about 20 seconds.
The wind was behind us all the way, and was never a noticeable feature
of the ride. Mostly flat, there were a few moderately steep short
ascents. Mystical, calm and serene are all words I would use to
describe the ride until dawn. The snake of flashing rear LEDs was a
sight to behold.
The first glimmers of dawn greeted us at about 3am, with enough light
to read the cycle computer by 5am. At about 5.30am the skies closed
in and there was persistent light rain. This became heavy enough for
me to wear by waterproof at about 6.30am. The ride into Dunwich was
quite miserable.
The Cafe at Dunwich was packed, and I ate my own food. There was no
shelter from the rain, with people bedded down in all sorts of nooks
and crannies. Jo went off to sleep in the ladies toilets. I unpacked
my carrymat, sleeping bag and large orange survival bag and bedded
down in some comfort on the beach. Others were stripping off their
clothes and swimming naked in the North Sea.
Packing up for the homeward trip was chaotic. There were not enough
removal lorries for 550 bikes. Barry insisted that before a single
coach left they had another removal truck so all bikes could be
loaded. Other bikes were packed into the luggage bays of the coaches.
I set off in the first coach. Big mistake. After snoozing all the
way to Smithfield Market we had another 90 minute wait for the removal
lorries, with the main coach convoy turning up 60 minutes before the
removal vans.
My bike was second row off, the lens had been knocked off my rear
carrier light, but that was soon snapped back into place and I cycled
home.
Just zis Guy, you know?
wrote:
> Depart 8.20pm approx.
> Arrive 8.00am approx
> Distance 114.28 miles
> Cycling time 9hrs 58min
> Average speed 11.92 mph
> Overall average 9.80 mph
[and stuff]
Good on you, Tom. Was it fun? Sounds like it was. I want to do the
Dun Run but could not this year due to family commitments.
No. 1 Son wants to do end to end next year after his GCSEs. I said if
he gets good enough grades he can have a road bike.
--
Guy
Dave Larrington
Tom Crispin <kije....@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge> tweaked the
Babbage-Engine to tell us:
> The 60
> mile station was a main feeding point, with the local village hall
> selling high carb fare at about �2 per portion. The queue for food
> was about 100 people long, so we didn't hang about and went on ahead.
[...]
> Packing up for the homeward trip was chaotic. There were not enough
> removal lorries for 550 bikes. Barry insisted that before a single
> coach left they had another removal truck so all bikes could be
> loaded. Other bikes were packed into the luggage bays of the coaches.
>
> I set off in the first coach. Big mistake. After snoozing all the
> way to Smithfield Market we had another 90 minute wait for the removal
> lorries, with the main coach convoy turning up 60 minutes before the
> removal vans.
This is starting to confirm my suspicions that, unless you:
o ride like the clappers to get to Dunwich before the caff fills up, or take
your own breakfast, and
o make your own arrangements to get home
the Dunwich Dynamo is getting too popular for its own good :-(
--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative.
Tim Hall
<smert.s...@privacy.net> wrote:
>This is starting to confirm my suspicions that, unless you:
>
>o ride like the clappers to get to Dunwich before the caff fills up, or take
>your own breakfast, and
This is a Good Idea.
>o make your own arrangements to get home
Like ride home...
>
>the Dunwich Dynamo is getting too popular for its own good :-(
Indeed.
I on the other hand stayed at home, having riddn the FNRttC the night
before. And got a dip in the oggin.
Some (Steve Abrahams for one) rode _both_. This is Not Sensible. And
neither is doing it on a Penny Farthing. Brilliant, to be applauded
but Not Sensible.
--
Tim
Dave Larrington
Tim Hall <tim...@nospamtoday.clara.co.uk> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to
tell us:
> On Mon, 6 Jul 2009 11:08:08 +0100, "Dave Larrington"
> <smert.s...@privacy.net> wrote:
>
>
>> This is starting to confirm my suspicions that, unless you:
>>
>> o ride like the clappers to get to Dunwich before the caff fills up,
>> or take your own breakfast, and
>
> This is a Good Idea.
>
>> o make your own arrangements to get home
>
> Like ride home...
Which is what I did in 2003 and 2005. The former was brain-meltingly hot
and the latter chucked down for the last 70 km :-(
> I on the other hand stayed at home, having riddn the FNRttC the night
> before. And got a dip in the oggin.
>
> Some (Steve Abrahams for one) rode _both_. This is Not Sensible.
Steve is well-known for being Not Sensible. For example:
Friday: DIY 300 Milton Keynes -> Mytholmroyd
Saturday: 3 Coasts 600
Sunday: Good Companions 200
Monday: DIY 300 home again
Or the DIY dentistry bit the day before the Mersey Roads 24 (cringe)
--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
Mr. Charles Kennedy (Krankieburgh): Would the Prime Minister
care to comment on a report in today's Guardian that he: "arrived
late for a meeting with Jacques Chirac, smelling of alcohol, and
with body language suggesting a total disregard for the rights
of ethnic minorities, lone parents and laboratory animals"?
Daniel Barlow
> This is starting to confirm my suspicions that, unless you:
>
> o ride like the clappers to get to Dunwich before the caff fills up, or take
> your own breakfast, and
> o make your own arrangements to get home
>
> the Dunwich Dynamo is getting too popular for its own good :-(
I got there at ~6:20am when the cafe queue was manageable (don't know if
that counts as "like the clappers" or not), then cycled onto Ipswich
(where, actually, my girlfriend gave bike and me a lift home, but I
*could* have taken the train, right).
During the ride I don't think I was out of sight of someone else's
taillight for more than about 5 minutes ever, though.
-dan
Tim Hall
<smert.s...@privacy.net> wrote:
>In news:s5p355du59iornqq9...@4ax.com,
>Tim Hall <tim...@nospamtoday.clara.co.uk> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to
>tell us:
>> On Mon, 6 Jul 2009 11:08:08 +0100, "Dave Larrington"
>> <smert.s...@privacy.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> This is starting to confirm my suspicions that, unless you:
>>>
>>> o ride like the clappers to get to Dunwich before the caff fills up,
>>> or take your own breakfast, and
>>
>> This is a Good Idea.
>>
>>> o make your own arrangements to get home
>>
>> Like ride home...
>
>Which is what I did in 2003 and 2005. The former was brain-meltingly hot
>and the latter chucked down for the last 70 km :-(
That's what I meant. Don't recall the rain in 2005 thobut. (FX:Penny
drops) Ah, the last 70km would be the approach for the spritely Mr.
Larrington back into London Town Devine, and not what us one way trip
slackers have, the approach to the enormous queueueue for brekko on
the beach.
>
>> I on the other hand stayed at home, having riddn the FNRttC the night
>> before. And got a dip in the oggin.
>>
>> Some (Steve Abrahams for one) rode _both_. This is Not Sensible.
>
>Steve is well-known for being Not Sensible. For example:
>
>Friday: DIY 300 Milton Keynes -> Mytholmroyd
>Saturday: 3 Coasts 600
>Sunday: Good Companions 200
>Monday: DIY 300 home again
>
Forgot to add. Steve rode from MK to That London for the start of the
FNRttC, rode said FNRttC, scoffed a Large Breakfast:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/V7JTUT_sMlIJ34nA7ksT2A?feat=directlink
(He seems to have a budget "Mark of Zorro" on his forehead)
Then rode back to That London, then did the Dun Run. Perzoomably he
then rode back to MK.
The boy's not wired up right.
>Or the DIY dentistry bit the day before the Mersey Roads 24 (cringe)
Olivier and Hoffman rolled into one. Is it safe?
--
Tim
Tom Crispin
<guy.c...@spamcop.net> wrote:
>On Jul 5, 7:19�pm, Tom Crispin <kije.rem...@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge>
>wrote:
>
>> Depart 8.20pm approx.
>> Arrive 8.00am approx
>> Distance 114.28 miles
>> Cycling time 9hrs 58min
>> Average speed 11.92 mph
>> Overall average 9.80 mph
>
>[and stuff]
>
>Good on you, Tom. Was it fun? Sounds like it was. I want to do the
>Dun Run but could not this year due to family commitments.
It was about as good as cycling gets. It was magical.
I was concerned about getting tired, but at no time did I have
problems keeping my eyes open - though my mathematical ability to work
out percentages became extemely limited in the early hours (at 90
miles we passed, going in the opposite direction, a rider on his way
home; I attempted to work out how much faster than us he was going,
assuming the whole distance was 120 miles: I failed the trivial maths
problem.)
>No. 1 Son wants to do end to end next year after his GCSEs. I said if
>he gets good enough grades he can have a road bike.
There was at least one child, perhaps 12 years old, on an Islabikes
Luath 26. Go for it. Cyclists are mutually supportive. Charlotte
from YACF did it on her penny farthing, there were several Bromptons
(two overtook me!) and a plethora of low-life recumbents.
Apart from the rain at the end, the weather was ideal. I'd want to
wear decent wet weather gear if cycling the whole route in the rain -
not a paclite gortex top, but good Paramo gear.
Taking a sleeping mat, sleeping bag and tough plastic survival bag was
a good thing. I slept on a rainy beach in comparative luxury - and
although people did laugh at the size of my panniers they weighed very
little (my sleeping bag is an excellent three season goose down
mountaineering sack and weighs less than 2 pounds).
Tom Crispin
<smert.s...@privacy.net> wrote:
How can you say that!? A cycling event is too big!? It just gets
better year by year. I hope there will be 10,000 taking part by 2020.
Here's the report from Barry Mason - key organiser.
====================
So we reckon 1,000 left from Hackney to Dunwich on Saturday night.
Cheryl and Dave W (more ok help from the Wheelers then) did
wonderfully issuing/selling 500 tickets outside the Pub on The Park.
There were 20 on my feeder ride from Greenwich - the north lift
working. Usual bemused pub locals aweing at the mass of bikes. Around
900 of Patrick Field's route sheets sold.
Me lonely as everyone I knew rode off leaving me at the office but off
in a friendly bunch of 5 at around 9.15pm.
A half full can of Stella - it was that close - from a noisy car in
Epping Forest missed my head by a yard but I didn't appreciate the
lager hairwash.
Lovely cool night and I felt much better than lardy last year. Lack of
sleep felt though. Several sets of spectators....one extended family
of 8 or so in deckchairs and beers on grass verge outside their house
cheering us on like Dutch campervanners in the Alps.
64 miles out there were big queues at the Great Waldingfield lunch
stop. After a chat with the lovely caterers the GP who certified Jack
Jones dead in Southwark
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8011514.stm
shared his food with me.
Gorgeous sunrise building around 4am as we left and I decided to put a
jacket on. Just. It was on the cusp of warm/cold. But raindrops
decided for me and it drizzled for the next 50 miles or so. I told it
to stop raining for when I got to the beach and it did. I was amazed
to see the big furniture vans loading already. Excellent, I thought,
as another bit from the logic centre said Bad that's not the plan. It
was 8.30am not 11am. Bikes everywhere. Big cafe queue.
So swam for 20 minutes in lovely sea. Into new clothes. Always about 6
in the water. Realised had 2 voicemails on phone. One lost in Sudbury
at 2am. I'd done that too for 20 minutes. Other from Inspector Ashford
of Essex police from 10.40pm...some bikes withoutlights causing
Offence. Please call back. Did. He's off till Tuesday.
Reopened office outside cafe around 9.30am and gave friend at front of
cafe queue money for full breakfast. It was good. And here's Slinky
Designs who designed our new logo for free after DD 15....nicely
chiding me and webmaster Werner for not losing the old logo wallpaper.
She's so right.
Patrick everywhere as usual, Steve C in support and around 9.45am saw
that both the big furniture ordered were full of bikes. Good.
And there were about 200 bikes left to pack. Very bad.
Something wrong. Had we sold too many tickets. Checked. No. Everything
balances. Not enough transport ordered? No. Contracted for 565 coach
seats and 565 bikes. Had I firmly instructed lorry firm to check
tickets of bikes being loaded. No. Ah.....so loads have got their
bikes on without paying. I couldn't believe that of these lovely
adventurers but word went round loudly of some woman boasting that
she'd snuck her bike on free and that theory worked for a while.
Ordered another lorry off the transport firm as moving meeting around
the carpark sprung forth dozens of understandly worried questions.
Tried to order another coach too. Nothing available. Two performance
artists who had to be on stage in Hyde Park at 6pm and 4 blokes from
Berwick with cheap rail tickets back, and some with babysitters etc
etc had to get back to London fast. Our 1pm leaving deadline zooming
up fast.
Thought about unloading lorries to catch those without tickets. Daft
idea that rooted for 30 minutes and got nowhere thankfully. Thought
about unloading lorries to pack them tighter...that early unsupervised
loading...ditto.
New lorry arrived and got about 70 bikes in it, sent it off around
1.20pm with that coachful of people having extracted 4 Berwick bikes
from - luckily - the back of a big lorry.
Started loading coaches carefully and checking tickets, 6-8 bikes into
each coach undercroft too....towards the end sold several more. Me,
Patrick, Steve and other helpers got our bikes under the last coach
and we all got on it. We left at 2.17pm agreed the coachful...others
just before. Slower lorries too. 12 spare seats on that last coach but
we'd have been struggling to get any more bikes on at all.
Coach got to West Smithfield at 5pm. Many packed the open pub, tennis
on.
Call from lorries on Mile End Road 2 miles away around 5.15pm. Good.
No sign of lorries 5.40pm. Not returning calls.
Lorries pull up in perfect spot and start unloading at 5.50pm.
Patrick's lovely team of 6 helping unload. We counted 90 bikes out of
the new smaller lorry and 207 bikes out of a big van that all thought
would hold 400. That was the problem. Not bad loading, bad estimating.
All bikes out at 6.30pm. Say 1 hour 20 minutes later than no problem.
To me it seemed like an age. Minor lost property starts arriving...but
one nice jacket too. Loads of people saying thanks, no complaints.
Jacket collected but I still have wallet plus �70 left at lunch-stop.
I've phoned his climbing club...
So....great ride, huge numbers, I need to tighten systems, get more
help.
24 July 2010 then.
9.18am today: van firm phones apologising nicely for understimating
size of trucks. We agree that 7.5 tonner takes 90 bikes. 18 tonner
takes 200. BBC Ipswich been onto van boss complaining they didn't
know about the photo-op. (That convoy is amazing).
9.25am: I'd not taken time to talk to Dunwich Beach Flora Cafe people
yesterday so phoned them. FAQs say it opens specially at 6am. Staff
arrived 3.30am...some bikes there already. First served at 4.30am. 50
people in sea at 5am. 16 staff flatout out from that time. 780 eggs
sold. Manager reckons he served 900 breakfasts. They love the buzz and
the bikers.
====================
And another report sent to Barry.
====================
I finished my first Dynamo this morning about 7:30 after an 8:30pm
start, and can only say that after 39 years riding cycling events from
club runs to cycle rallies, time trials up to 24 hours, road races and
audaxes, I have never had such a great experience as I had last night.
I rode on my tricycle and after the heady rush of weaving through the
East London streets with a mass of other cyclists around, we got on
the old A11 with the balmy breeze blowing us along. As expected my
friend on his heavier tricycle drifted back about Leaden Roding, as I
got the bit between my teeth. Daisy chains of LEDs stretched over the
Essex hills in front, as far as I could see, and the rising moon in a
cloudless sky meant it didn't seem to ever get dark.
I suppose the darkest hour was spent at Gt Waldingfield queuing for
food, but everyone realised that we were legion, and co-operation
ruled the day. As I left the first fingers of dawn were painting the
horizon, and I stopped near Needham Market to rest my eyes for ten
minutes. This also gave me a chance to follow the route-sheet by
daylight as I wasn't that familiar with the country east of Needham. I
grew up in Waltham Abbey, went to college in Chelmsford, commuting by
bike, and my mum lives in so it was rather nostalgic up to then.
Approaching Peasenhall we beheld a marvelous dawn, which gave birth to
all sorts of druidic rights involving cameras and dancing. Then the
final bash to the sea! I probably bashed too hard because, standing in
the queue I felt woozy and my legs collapsed. If you're going to
faint, make sure that an attractive nurse is standing behind you. She
and her colleagues sorted me out, and she sat with me until our place
in the queue was nearly in the caf�, but most importantly they
demonstrated the wonderful camaraderie around the event.
I really cannot miss mentioning the knots of bystanders during the
evening that cheered us through, from the bottom of their drives and
the front of the pubs. Being the first day of the Tour, probably
helped. In the early morning there were two mature ladies sat by their
car outside their village hall encouraging us, and one village hall
near Peasenhall displayed a huge sheet on which was written support
for the Tour de Dunwich.
I do seem to have gone on a lot, please put it down to my enthusiasm.
I know I probably can't expect such good conditions again, but I shall
be in the park next July.
Thanks for a marvelous event.
====================
Tom Crispin
wrote:
>"Dave Larrington" <smert.s...@privacy.net> writes:
>
>> This is starting to confirm my suspicions that, unless you:
>>
>> o ride like the clappers to get to Dunwich before the caff fills up, or take
>> your own breakfast, and
>> o make your own arrangements to get home
>>
>> the Dunwich Dynamo is getting too popular for its own good :-(
>
>I got there at ~6:20am when the cafe queue was manageable (don't know if
>that counts as "like the clappers" or not), then cycled onto Ipswich
>(where, actually, my girlfriend gave bike and me a lift home, but I
>*could* have taken the train, right).
The Cafe owner arrived at 3.30am, there were cyclists at Dunwich
already, but we don't know what time they left London.
>During the ride I don't think I was out of sight of someone else's
>taillight for more than about 5 minutes ever, though.
I expect that at 3am the convoy was about 60 miles long.
Rob Morley
Tom Crispin <kije....@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge> wrote:
> How can you say that!? A cycling event is too big!? It just gets
> better year by year. I hope there will be 10,000 taking part by 2020.
That sounds like a great idea - you'd be spending more time trying to
avoid tangling with other riders than you would enjoying the ride.
Tom Crispin
wrote:
For those who don't enjoy the social aspect there's always the choice
of leaving early, or late.
Daniel Barlow
> For those who don't enjoy the social aspect there's always the choice
> of leaving early, or late.
It's a good size right now for enjoying the social aspect. With 10x as
many people on the road it would become the kind of ride like L2B where
you have to walk up the hills because everyone in front of you has
dismounted in the middle of the road.
-dan
Dave Larrington
Tom Crispin <kije....@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge> tweaked the
Babbage-Engine to tell us:
> How can you say that!? A cycling event is too big!?
Coz there are more people than the available facilities can cope with and,
while laying myself open to charges of snobbery, some of them are a bit
lacking in Clue when it comes to riding in groups. This is why I now eschew
London - Brighton.
--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
Tamping a pipe at the mantel.
Tom Crispin
<smert.s...@privacy.net> wrote:
>In news:h3b455925qooolp6i...@4ax.com,
>Tom Crispin <kije....@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge> tweaked the
>Babbage-Engine to tell us:
>
>> How can you say that!? A cycling event is too big!?
>
>Coz there are more people than the available facilities can cope with and,
>while laying myself open to charges of snobbery, some of them are a bit
>lacking in Clue when it comes to riding in groups. This is why I now eschew
>London - Brighton.
The Dun Run currently has a guideline departure time between 8pm and
9pm.
A departure time of midday to midnight would ease road congestion, and
facilities could be provided to cope.
Pete Whelan
I left at 9pm, arrived beach 5:45am, having taken 2hrs off to avoid
getting to the beach too early.
If people need to start early, then it should be the slower riders, not
those 'getting to the beach first' attitude as 3am.
I think I'll start at 10pm next time.
Tom Crispin
<pete....@talk21.com> wrote:
>Tom Crispin wrote:
>> On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 09:25:42 +0100, "Dave Larrington"
>> <smert.s...@privacy.net> wrote:
>>
>>> In news:h3b455925qooolp6i...@4ax.com,
>>> Tom Crispin <kije....@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge> tweaked the
>>> Babbage-Engine to tell us:
>>>
>>>> How can you say that!? A cycling event is too big!?
>>> Coz there are more people than the available facilities can cope with and,
>>> while laying myself open to charges of snobbery, some of them are a bit
>>> lacking in Clue when it comes to riding in groups. This is why I now eschew
>>> London - Brighton.
>>
>> The Dun Run currently has a guideline departure time between 8pm and
>> 9pm.
>>
>> A departure time of midday to midnight would ease road congestion, and
>> facilities could be provided to cope.
>
>I left at 9pm, arrived beach 5:45am, having taken 2hrs off to avoid
>getting to the beach too early.
In that case, you would have been one of the multitude of riders who
overtook me. I left at 8.20pm and arrived at 8am.
>If people need to start early, then it should be the slower riders, not
>those 'getting to the beach first' attitude as 3am.
I would say that either the faster riders should depart first or it
should be a full spread of speeds at a full spread of times.
Let us assume the quickest riders take 6 hours to cover the distance
and the slower riders 15 hours.
If the fastest rider departs at midday they would arrive at 6pm. If
the slowest rider departs at midnight they would arrive at 3pm the
following day. That gives a departure spread of 12 hours and an
arrival spread of 21 hours.
Alan Braggins
Would it still be recognisable as the same event? (I'm not saying that
having a different sort of thing that more people could enjoy would be
a bad thing, but I could understand some of those who enjoy it as it is
regretting the change.)
Tom Crispin
Braggins) wrote:
Of course it would be recognisable as the same event.
Events evolve. If the Dun Run becomes increasingly popular other
similar events will be spawned - the Exmouth Exodus is just one
example.
I'd like to see a 200 mile 24 hour mass leisure ride.
Danny Colyer
>> I'll write a proper ride report later when I'm not groggy from
>> painkillers and I've had some decent sleep
>
> Okay, here it is:
> <http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/maps/cycling/2009-07-04.html>
I've finally got round to reading it, and a good read it was too.
I trust the knee's fully recovered now. Perhaps I'll see you on the
Exmouth Exodus next year, if I get round to giving it another go.
--
Danny Colyer <http://www.redpedals.co.uk>
Reply address is valid, but that on my website is checked more often
�If two men on a job agree all the time, then one is useless. If they
disagree all the time, then both are useless.� - Darryl F. Zanuck