Dun Run lite - Friday 7th June

[User10571]

G'luck all.
I have ride envy, but Other Stuff precludes my accompanying you.
Safe ride.... enjoy

 

[redfalo]

Sorry for letting you down, but I really needed the sleep. Hope you're having a good ride. Looking forward to seeing most of you guys in France next week.

 

[Dogtrousers]

CR2 and I (&bikes) are now safely aboard the Ipswich - London train. Thanks for the ride, FD and everyone. Sorry I couldn't stay to the end.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Home now. Hope you're having the same nice weather as here in London SE.

I got a bit lost getting to London Fields. Although I know the City well on foot I don't ride or drive there, and things look very different from the road. After the midnight start the nasty stressful bit of the ride out of London was mercifully short, as we were soon riding up a long gentle incline on the A104 to a garage where we saw a woman with the most spectacular high heeled shoes and constipated shuffling walk. Then with one bound we were across the M25 and into Essex. The sky became light and the Essex birds were tweeting their hearts out.

This was completely new country to me. These weren't just places I'd just never been to but places I'd never heard of. The ups were rarely really hard enough to be real hills, and the downs were significant enough to whizz along for a bit. But it was cold. I lost feeling in my feet for a while and was really glad that I decided against shorts. The wind was ever present, but only rarely gusted enough to make life tough. At some point we crossed into Suffolk, and at about the 80 mile point we reached Needham Market where CR2 and I dropped out and marvelled at the station building with its lovely brickwork chimneys.

Journey back was uneventful and all the railway staff were helpful. The End.

 

[Snail Bait]

Thanks from me too. Now home and showered and feeling a little step closer to human but need a kip to really get there. Think I may have just sneaked my 100 miles with around ten on each end but dropping out at Needham Market was definitely the right decision for me. Shame I didn't get my full english at Dunwich though. Now just looking forward to France.

 

[wanda2010]

I'd just like to say I CYCLED 131* MILES between 1050pm last night at 6pm this evening. I might be a little happy about this .

The final half of the journey was completed in the big ring cos it got stuck. Fortunately the rear wotsits worked fine. Even so my left knee complained a little and I reckon I've got slightly stronger legs now, which does not mean the road to the Chateau next week will be looked upon with glee

I'm glad I did this ride even though I was so tired I weaved across the road/close to the occasional ditch at times. Would have been interesting if a car had been passing I recognised some of the places we cycled through, especially the bench I slept on during the actual DD 2 years ago when number 2 bruv and I got separated and I had to wait for him to catch up with me

@Top Cat really should have taken a photo of the ladies wearing those shoes. They had to be seen to be believed and the ones worn by the constipated walker had to have been as tall as me! CR2 and I talked about purchasing similar for the Normandy trip. Ain't that right CR2?

Thanks Adam and the merry band of DRL, two of whom cycled back. Allegedly .

Now I just need someone (or two) to give me a massage, clean and repair the bike and do my laundry whilst I sleep til whenever.

Edited to add: I was reacquainted with stinging nettles. Do. Not. Like.

*that's if the distance between Dunwich and Darsham station is 4 miles.

 

[Snail Bait]

I'd just like to say I CYCLED 131* MILES between 1050pm last night at 6pm this evening. I might be a little happy about this .

The final half of the journey was completed in the big ring cos it got stuck. Fortunately the rear wotsits worked fine. Even so my left knee complained a little and I reckon I've got slightly stronger legs now, which does not mean the road to the Chateau next week will be looked upon with glee

I'm glad I did this ride even though I was so tired I weaved across the road/close to the occasional ditch at times. Would have been interesting if a car had been passing I recognised some of the places we cycled through, especially the bench I slept on during the actual DD 2 years ago when number 2 bruv and I got separated and I had to wait for him to catch up with me

TC really should have taken a photo of the ladies wearing those shoes. They had to be seen to be believed and the ones worn by the constipated walker had to have been as tall as me! CR2 and I talked about purchasing similar for the Normandy trip. Ain't that right CR2?

Thanks Adam and the merry band of DRL, two of whom cycled back. Allegedly .

Now I just need someone (or two) to give me a massage, clean and repair the bike and do my laundry whilst I sleep til whenever.

*that's if the distance between Dunwich and Darsham station is 4 miles.

Congratulations. You were putting me to shame even after your gears froze. You would still be waiting for me if I hadn't dropped out. I've got war wounds on my thigh from the elastic-y bit on my cycle shorts. :-(

Those shoes! What can I say? Got to get me a pair of those. I am from Essex after all even if I'm not the correct shade of "peach" to prove it. The fact that her and her friend were able to drive in skyscraper heels was awe inspiring. Mind you, they were probably laughing as hard at us - I had made clothing choices that made me look like something out of Zingzillas.

Thanks to everyone for the company. Just loved the quiet roads and the bird songs. If anyone wants a single to Ipswich to do the return ride I have one going spare as a return was pretty much the same price as the single.

 

[rb58]

Really enjoyed that ride. So big thanks to Adam for organising and to the rest of you for being part of it. When I've done the DunRun in the past, many of lanes were cycled in the dark. So it was lovely to see them properly. It's a great route. The headwind wasn't as bad as I expected, however I'm really glad I packed a jacket!! This was a test of having a rack and bag on the Enigma which is the set up I'll be using for my Edinburgh jaunt in a couple of weeks time. It worked fine, and I barely noticed it on the bike.

Sorry I had to bail early, but I was on a curfew and a little concerned that if I went any further getting back could turn into a bit of a challenge. As it was, Martin and I only got lost once, in Braintree, and only briefly. The promised tail wind wasn't much help as we were heading south, but carried us along nicely when we turned and headed towards the west. We made if back to the Dartford Crossing shortly after 11.00, so good time was made.

I hope the rest of you made it and at least had a chance to dip your toes in the sea.

140 miles for me in total, so I'll be saving the full 250 for the DunRun proper.

Thanks all, and see you out there on the road.

 

[wanda2010]

@ CR2 I feel your pain. For Normandy, I think you should do the peach thing along with the shoes just once . I'd consider letting you have your 'lazy' day(s) if you did

 

[Snail Bait]

@ CR2 I feel your pain. For Normandy, I think you should do the peach thing along with the shoes just once . I'd consider letting you have your 'lazy' day(s) if you did

Deal! And I've worked out how to change my name. Hurrah for Mr Rauk.

 

[rb58]

@ CR2 I feel your pain. For Normandy, I think you should do the peach thing along with the shoes just once . I'd consider letting you have your 'lazy' day(s) if you did

We'll want photos

 

[Dogtrousers]

I'd just like to say I CYCLED 131* MILES between 1050pm last night at 6pm this evening. I might be a little happy about this .

The final half of the journey was completed in the big ring cos it got stuck.

Reee-speck! Especially being stuck in the top range with tired legs.

I suspect there may be something wrong with the lever - cos when you "changed" with the lever and the mech didn't move, there didn't seem to be any slack in the cable. If the mech was stuck I would expect the lever to throw out some cable, but the stuck mech wouldn't take it up. I was going to suggest this, but my knowledge of such things is limited to ye olde friction shifters, so I could be wrong - so I kept schtum - intimidated by your STI levers

 

[martint235]

Great ride, thanks to Adam for organising. I think the weather forecasters need to be taken out and shot though. Very glad I went for plan B of long sleeve top and montane rather than plan A of short sleeve top and gilet

Sorry to bale so early but the logistics of cycling back and avoiding the A12 meant that Sudbury was the most convenient place. 137 miles for me in the end.

 

[martint235]

How many times will this need to be said before it gets through to you? Armwarmers are very useful.

People with armwarmers were cold!!!

*however whisper it quietly, I have actually looked at armwarmers on t'web now.

 

[StuAff]

*that's if the distance between Dunwich and Darsham station is 4 miles.

It's not. That's the bad news. The good news, it's just under six