Cycling Week T minus 2 - the dunwitch dynamo
Well it's safe to say that was more brutal than I thought.
For those of you who don't know, the dunwitch dynamo is a 120 mile over night trek from hackney to the seaside. To us, it was the closest thing to a dress rehursal for the ride 100 we could get.
They say if you're gonna make mistakes, do so in the dress rehursal.
The point of dong it as a dress rehursal was that we've got, not only the practice of cycling 100 miles (previously the best we'd done was 80), but al of dealing with other cretins participants on the road, dealing with having to push yourself onwards when you're totally knackered, and having to pace yourself between official rest stops.
For the ride 100 we need to aim for 12mph including breaks
Our first mistake was underestimating the course. I'd heard somewhere (and for the life of me, I can't remember who) that the course is mostly flat. This made sense as originally the event was for fixies only, and we all know fixies and hills don't mix. The course isn't flat. Instead it's brutally hilly. When we got home we checked the data picked up from Lucy's garmin, and it's over double the ammount of upwards hills we done in any of our previous treks, and indeed much more than we'll face on the 100.
Our second mistake was something to do with the preparation. No idea which thing it was, but there was the point when we were waiting to set off when we both realised we were hungry. Now obviously we didn't leave it that way, but the whole thing with these things is that you're meant to start off with enough fuel to get you through the first part, and just before we set out we ate exactly the same sort of pasta thing which has got up through all of our previous jaunts. Whether the problem was to do with the nightime start (all of our starts have been first tohing - i.e. get up *really* early and set off) and our body isn't at all used to providing energy in the evenings (make your own jokes). Maybe it was becasue we had a massive chinese take-away on friday night, where we should have had something carbier. Maybe it was the fact that we spent friday evening moving a sofa from south london to my house (which was actually a lot more effort than I expected). Either way, for the ride 100, it'll be a couple of days beforehand doing NOTHING and eating nothing but carbs.
Our third mistake (maybe this one was just mine) was to underestimate how much harder it is to cycle at night in the country where there are no streetlights. We were quite lucky in that we managed to get some awesomely bright head torches to go along with our (borrowed) bike lights, and they worked really well. However even so the visability is limited to a much shorter distance infront of you
There were good bits. Cycling along an empty road without seeing a soul for a couple of miles and then turing a corner to be greeted by an absolutely heeving rest stop, full of life and socialability. There was the off road "cafe" which turned out to be a bakery - where the sausage rolls (which were exactly what i needed at the time) were devine (and where I'd make a beeline to go back were I ever in the area).... and there were the cylists - a fair proportion of whom were utterly lovely and conciderate.
There were the bad bits. There was the bit where I left my rucksac (including the warm clothes, all the food etc) at one of the rest stops and had to go back (thankfully it was where I left it), there were the vast ammount of utter dicks on the road, people who didn't seem to believe in lights, or helmets (we say three ambulances along the way - that's 3 too many), or trying to be aware of cars driving on a road they don't know if full of cyclists..... The organisation was also horrible (leading to a 90 minute queue - becasue they hadn't check the security they were using would work - before we were able to set off, as well as a hour queue at the other end), but as the dudes who do it don't either do it for profit or to boost their own ego, I feel they shouldn't be the subject of any critism here.
Then there was the weather. It could have been worse, but it was *horrible*. Massive headwinds slowing you down. 2 hours solid of rain. The combination of these, as they were in the early hours of the morning (though thankfully after dawn), left every part of you that wasn't covered by waterproofs (like face or fingers) absolutely freezing.
So all in all it took me 13 hours and 3 minutes to finish. That's 3 hours short of the time I aimed for (for the ride 100 they will prevent you from finishing if you can't keep cycling over 11pmh including breaks - so I was aiming for a 12mph speed)..... and thus the fear of whether it will be possible to finish the ride 100 creeps in.
There are the positives. I can honestly tell you, dear el jay, that I couldn't have tried harder. My legs were physically unable to give more, the last 2 miles were sheer hell after I hurt my lower leg (I'd already tweeked by left knee and my right upper leg) and I was one of the number of people standing in the queue for the coach home who was so tired that they were wobbling in that way where they just catch themselves about to fall.
So done, dusted, achivement unlocked. Pretty sure I'm never going to do it again though - there are other organised rides which I think would be more "fun". I know people who did it this year is simply amazing times - and are planning on doing it again, and they've got my genuine respect and admiration. There's a computer game called Dark Souls which I have a number of friends who liked, but which I just had no enthusiasm for. Johnny says it's becasue it's a really hard game and I'm just not a good enough player, which there is almost certainly some truth in that - but to me, I want the game to make me want to be a better player, rather than come across like a chore - and Dark Souls felt like a chore to me. The dynamo was like that. People who are better cyclists enjoyed it, but at least 9 hours of the 13 felt like a chore to me, something you want to forget as soon as possible, not something to be remembered.
Still, I am very glad I got through it
For those of you who don't know, the dunwitch dynamo is a 120 mile over night trek from hackney to the seaside. To us, it was the closest thing to a dress rehursal for the ride 100 we could get.
They say if you're gonna make mistakes, do so in the dress rehursal.
The point of dong it as a dress rehursal was that we've got, not only the practice of cycling 100 miles (previously the best we'd done was 80), but al of dealing with other cretins participants on the road, dealing with having to push yourself onwards when you're totally knackered, and having to pace yourself between official rest stops.
For the ride 100 we need to aim for 12mph including breaks
Our first mistake was underestimating the course. I'd heard somewhere (and for the life of me, I can't remember who) that the course is mostly flat. This made sense as originally the event was for fixies only, and we all know fixies and hills don't mix. The course isn't flat. Instead it's brutally hilly. When we got home we checked the data picked up from Lucy's garmin, and it's over double the ammount of upwards hills we done in any of our previous treks, and indeed much more than we'll face on the 100.
Our second mistake was something to do with the preparation. No idea which thing it was, but there was the point when we were waiting to set off when we both realised we were hungry. Now obviously we didn't leave it that way, but the whole thing with these things is that you're meant to start off with enough fuel to get you through the first part, and just before we set out we ate exactly the same sort of pasta thing which has got up through all of our previous jaunts. Whether the problem was to do with the nightime start (all of our starts have been first tohing - i.e. get up *really* early and set off) and our body isn't at all used to providing energy in the evenings (make your own jokes). Maybe it was becasue we had a massive chinese take-away on friday night, where we should have had something carbier. Maybe it was the fact that we spent friday evening moving a sofa from south london to my house (which was actually a lot more effort than I expected). Either way, for the ride 100, it'll be a couple of days beforehand doing NOTHING and eating nothing but carbs.
Our third mistake (maybe this one was just mine) was to underestimate how much harder it is to cycle at night in the country where there are no streetlights. We were quite lucky in that we managed to get some awesomely bright head torches to go along with our (borrowed) bike lights, and they worked really well. However even so the visability is limited to a much shorter distance infront of you
There were good bits. Cycling along an empty road without seeing a soul for a couple of miles and then turing a corner to be greeted by an absolutely heeving rest stop, full of life and socialability. There was the off road "cafe" which turned out to be a bakery - where the sausage rolls (which were exactly what i needed at the time) were devine (and where I'd make a beeline to go back were I ever in the area).... and there were the cylists - a fair proportion of whom were utterly lovely and conciderate.
There were the bad bits. There was the bit where I left my rucksac (including the warm clothes, all the food etc) at one of the rest stops and had to go back (thankfully it was where I left it), there were the vast ammount of utter dicks on the road, people who didn't seem to believe in lights, or helmets (we say three ambulances along the way - that's 3 too many), or trying to be aware of cars driving on a road they don't know if full of cyclists..... The organisation was also horrible (leading to a 90 minute queue - becasue they hadn't check the security they were using would work - before we were able to set off, as well as a hour queue at the other end), but as the dudes who do it don't either do it for profit or to boost their own ego, I feel they shouldn't be the subject of any critism here.
Then there was the weather. It could have been worse, but it was *horrible*. Massive headwinds slowing you down. 2 hours solid of rain. The combination of these, as they were in the early hours of the morning (though thankfully after dawn), left every part of you that wasn't covered by waterproofs (like face or fingers) absolutely freezing.
So all in all it took me 13 hours and 3 minutes to finish. That's 3 hours short of the time I aimed for (for the ride 100 they will prevent you from finishing if you can't keep cycling over 11pmh including breaks - so I was aiming for a 12mph speed)..... and thus the fear of whether it will be possible to finish the ride 100 creeps in.
There are the positives. I can honestly tell you, dear el jay, that I couldn't have tried harder. My legs were physically unable to give more, the last 2 miles were sheer hell after I hurt my lower leg (I'd already tweeked by left knee and my right upper leg) and I was one of the number of people standing in the queue for the coach home who was so tired that they were wobbling in that way where they just catch themselves about to fall.
So done, dusted, achivement unlocked. Pretty sure I'm never going to do it again though - there are other organised rides which I think would be more "fun". I know people who did it this year is simply amazing times - and are planning on doing it again, and they've got my genuine respect and admiration. There's a computer game called Dark Souls which I have a number of friends who liked, but which I just had no enthusiasm for. Johnny says it's becasue it's a really hard game and I'm just not a good enough player, which there is almost certainly some truth in that - but to me, I want the game to make me want to be a better player, rather than come across like a chore - and Dark Souls felt like a chore to me. The dynamo was like that. People who are better cyclists enjoyed it, but at least 9 hours of the 13 felt like a chore to me, something you want to forget as soon as possible, not something to be remembered.
Still, I am very glad I got through it