Overnight ride from Cambridge to King’s Lynn on a Brompton

Last Friday, I joined the lovely Friday peeps for a ride that is a firm favourite of many, but one I had never participated in before: Cambridge to King’s Lynn. Now, let me tell you, I had been asked whether I was going on this ride for some time, but as it doesn’t start in London and getting back can take a while longer than usual, I was rather undecided. But, when Dr John and Geoff, two chaps I know all too well, confirmed they were up for the challenge, I thought, “Why not?” So, I signed up and purchased my train tickets.

Duo Brompton overnight ride London to Shoreham-on-Sea

Dr John and I had pencilled in the night of 4th July for a nocturnal adventure for some time. Thankfully we could both make it, so I headed off to the meeting point near the London Eye.

It was a mild night and apart from a light waterproof jacket - just in case - there was no need for lots of layers. London was busy. Hyde Park was closed off. It seemed as if there was some sort of event in there that was just finishing. Lots of people had cowboy boots and hats, a little like when Taylor Swift was in concert at Wembley. Any cycle lanes were filled with those awful rickshaw bicycle things. Why anyone uses them is a mystery?

I arrived in good time and so did Dr John. After getting ourselves ready and with the route loaded, we headed off into the night. It was good to catch up and Dr John is great company. As such the miles passed by very easily. 

This route, although avoiding Ditchling Beacon, has quite a few ups and downs to keep one occupied. It is a route I have cycled twice with the lovely Fridays peeps and the ride leader for those rides - Jim - had chosen wisely. 

Once we had passed the various Clapham stations and turned down Cathles Road things got quieter. Cycling through Tooting Common we saw several foxes embolden by the fact they were urban and on home turf. We passed a youngish chap lying on the floor. His friend shouted out from some distance away that he was okay and just drunk. I shouted back that he should not leave him and the chap on the floor then shouted back that he was okay. 

This route seemed to get us out on to much quieter lanes sooner than our usual London to Brighton route. This made things even more enjoyable. We saw several more foxes, some deer and heard the odd bird or two letting us know it was there.  

About 30is miles in we passed the traditional stop on the organised ride (Burstow Scout Hut) and settled to eat the snacks we had brought with us on the wall of a car dealership. This did seem to be in the middle of nowhere though?

At about 04:00 the sun was ever so slowly starting to appear, accompanied by an increased chorus of birdsong. I did not take many photos for this one. I blame chatting away to Dr John! The photo below was Newells Pond (I think) and like us cycling through the night another chap in a tent had probably fished all night. (I much prefer the cycling).

The last few miles into Shoreham saw us cycle on part of the Downs Link. This is a 35ish mile mainly off-road trail.

The surface of this section of the Downs Link was pretty good and the G-Line was in its element. It is as about as much off-road as I like!

We arrived at Brighton Station and boarded our train. It wasn't terrible busy but another couple of bikes were there in a disabled seat area opposite the ones we were in. A wheelchair user boarded the train and we got up to move. The huge pannier bag on one of the two bikes in the disabled area prevented him from getting to the area we had vacated. At first he simply ignored me asking him politely to move his bag - despite seeing what was going on. When he did get up he said to the gentleman in the wheelchair 'where do you expect me to put them?' referring to his bikes. What a charmer! 

Saying our goodbyes, I got off at Farringdon and Dr John at St Pancras. Once home I was out for the count once my head hit the pillow. 

This ride was a little over 67 miles and certainly provided a good workout. As always thanks to Dr John for his friendship and company. (And in case you ask, Dr John was banned from using moisturising body lotion for this ride)!

Hopefully we will have another adventure sometime soon and we might cycle to another favourite haunt. 

Until next time, stay safe out there people!

Orange Brompton Dunwich Dynamo #5

Saturday was Dunwich Dynamo day and as can happen with things you have had in the diary for ages, it arrived quite rapidly. The preceding couple of weeks had been hectic to say the least and there had been little time to devote to thoughts of the Dynamo. 

I had a family event earlier in the day but before this I did manage to give all three of my Brompton bicycles a thorough clean. That done I set off for my family event which I enjoyed for a few hours. Once home I packed the Mini O bag and saddle bag and set off with my Orange Titanium. 

Not far down the road I heard a slight clicking sound. When I stopped to have a look, it seemed as if my rear wheel needed tightening and there was a little play. I am sure that it would have been okay but not wishing to chance it as I had the best part of 120 miles to complete, I headed back. I swapped the bags over and took my Orange Black Special Edition. 

Sadly, all of this meant that I was going to be late. To stand any chance of getting top the start at London Fields a little after the Brompton peeps had left would mean me taking the tube. This was horrific! It was hot and crowded and several routes to Liverpool Street were closed off to me as there were various closures. Eventually, after taking all sorts of combinations of tube lines, I arrived at Liverpool Street Station. 

Geoff kindly said that he would wait for me and we would catch the Brompton crew up but upon arriving at London Fields they were still there. It seemed that Mark (King of the Hill) had taken the troops via the scenic route and as such were a little later than planned arriving at London Fields themselves. 

Our initial pace was purposeful. This year getting back from Dunwich was going to be rather different. There would be no standing in a queue hours before the coach you managed to get on set off. Mark had arranged the hire of a smaller but perfectly formed coach that would be at Dunwich beach by 11:00 a.m. Normally I would be motoring along to try and get there as early as I dared to secure a slot on the earliest coach I could. This year, that was taken out of the equation, so I didn't really care. 

The sight of a Brompton peloton was a sight to behold. For the first few miles were were pretty much together but we did start to thin out. Poor Geoff was left behind for a good few miles after the group continued at a set of lights. 

Riding along I think many of us Brompton riders received compliments from our roadie cousins. Some could not fathom how or why we would complete this on a Brompton. Others asked whether mine had a motor. One nice lady stopped to chat for a good few miles. I told her about the Brompton peeps and the rides we did and also the Fridays. She was interested in both and after saying our goodbyes, she was off into the distance. 

The evening gradually turned into night as the sun did its job of closing shop for the day. The scenery was rather lovely and the variety of colours in the sky was stunning. 

The disco ball light was a talking point for many and definately the must have accessory for next year. 

We stopped at a few places that had stayed open and this also acted as a regrouping point for those that had been further behind. 

Outnumbered by our roadie cousins, I do feel that all the Brompton riders taking part more than made up for it with their enthusiasm. 

The moon was almost full and at one stop we were all busy trying to capture a photo of it as it emerged through trees. In the photo below you can just see Jenny (The Mile Monster) doing just that. 

Apart from packing a good supply of water, I had probably underdone it on the snack front. (This was to haunt me later on). I had a burger at one stop which served its purpose of providing fuel but the best thing about it was the ketchup that came with it. Later on the van than sold the sausage in a roll was very good to say the least. You would have thought that this was enough to have kept me going. 

The early hours were cold, really cold and I donned arm warmers, a gilet and a boil in the bag rain jacket. I am so glad that I decided to take these as even with them all on I still felt the chill for quite some time. 

At about the 101 mile mark with another 12 miles to go before we arrived at the end of the ride at Dunwich beach, I started to slow down. Luckily I was cycling with Andrew who had managed to secure a spot on the coach at the last minute. Andrew told me about his work at the national Theatre - and they really should pay him a great deal more for the incredible enthusiasm he holds for the place - and I started to slow down. At one point I actually felt as if I could quite literally fall asleep while pedalling and had to try and wake myself up. Getting progressively slower and knowing I was in a little trouble, I asked Andrew if he happened to have anything with sugar. He handed me one of those gel things that in addition to sugar, also had caffeine. A few minutes after gulping this down, I felt much better and normal service resumed. 

We met the rest of the Brompton crew at the next stop. After a short while we were off again and again spread out at our various paces. 

The last few miles I took sedately, enjoying the scenery and the sounds of nature. There seemed to be many Yellowhammer birds singing away at either side of the road and they were to serenade me almost right up to the end of the ride. 

I clocked up 114.08 miles with an average pace of 12.2 mph. This was slower for me that previous attempts but it wasn't a race, there was no rush and i don't think I could have gone any faster. 

A few riders had been in the sea for a dip and I retired to a nearby tea room for a breakfast. This was eaten with great enthusiasm! 

Our coach arrived before 11:00 a.m. but as the driver needed to have his rest break we didn't leave until 11:40ish. The coach was lovely and the air conditioning made things so much better. With our Brompton bikes placed in Ikea bags and neatly stowed in the storage area we headed off for Stratford. 

I sat next to Geoff but there was little conversation. I nodded off several times only waking fully for the last 30 minutes or so. Even for that I was in a near-vegetative state. Arriving at Stratford just after 15:00 I said my goodbyes and headed into the station to get the Jubilee Line to St. John's Wood. The tube carriage was fairly packed and the journey hot and noisy. Arriving at NW8 I speculated as to whether the people I cycled by would guess that I had cycled over 114 miles overnight on the Dunwich Dynamo? 

This was a lovely adventure. The weather (apart from the cold bit) was great and the absence of wet stuff a real bonus. The Brompton coach home was just brilliant and many thanks to Mark for organising. Also many thanks to my fellow Brompton riders for always making things fun. As always thanks to Geoff! 

Before I stepped through the front door of my house, the date for the Dunwich Dynamo 2023 was released. I sent a message to Mark joking that he could put me down for a space on the coach! I think next time, I really do need to get some more rides in and pack a few more snacks. (I am normally good that doing just that on the many night rides I do but think the swapping over the bikes meant the emergency rations were left sitting on the chair in my office). 

Until next time, stay safe out there people!!

The best overnight Brompton ride to the coast so far for 2021

After a very bust few days at work I had been looking forward to the night ride to the coast I had planned with with Dr John a few weeks ago. We had intended to choose Whitstable as our destination but with the Bank Holiday timetable being slightly disrupted making the return leg for Dr John problematic, we opted for our joint favourite Brighton. 

I cycled part of the way and encountered very few other cyclists in Hyde Park and The Mall. The start point was not too long before midnight near the London Eye. The South Bank was busier than it had been the past few weeks but still nowhere near as busy as before the 'C' word. It was good however to see some normality return. Dr John was there waiting when I arrived and not too long thereafter we were off into the night. 

Our pace was conversational but the few miles between Oval and Clapham South we always take a little quicker as it tends to be a more lively location. We made the left turn at Cathless Road but for once there was no fox to be seem stealing across the road in front of us. 

We reached Farthing Downs and the infamous cattle grid! Infamous as on the small wheels of a Brompton it is a big deal riding over it!! After taking a few customary photos and having a snack we headed off. At this point our respective dynamo lights were beefed up with our larger offerings on our handlebars, as this point becomes more rural. 

At a location called Chaldon the sign that mentioned the date 1086 caught my eye. I do not know for certain but I would imagine this dates from the Domesday Book on the same year where it must get a mention. 

Not too long after 2 a.m. we arrived at Outwood Mill, having been looking out for it. This time we walked round to the side to get a better view. This is a privately owed and a sign reads 'viewing by appointment.' I fancy it would be well worth doing just that. When I looked at the photo I had just taken the reddish hue to the sky took me back to the story of the workers putting the finished touches to the top of the mill, who could see the glow of the Great Fire of London in 1666. 

Our halfway stop was the usual 24-hour petrol station that had the bonus of a hot drinks machine! Once we had eaten our various snacks, yet again I started to feel a little chilly so on it was with the boil in the bag light waterproof jacket. This stayed on for a few miles before coming off again. 

Turners Hill - once a challenge came and went and now serves as a way of warming us up. Dr John usually calculates what the temperature will be there at 03:00 to help decide what clothing to wear. 

Dawn arrived not too long after 04:00 with birds stating to sing their hearts out. In some of the fields in the photo below we spotted some Red Deer running. They settled but as soon as they saw me - trying my best to take a photo - they bolted. A lovey sight though.

For this ride I had decided to abandon my saddle bag in favour of my Mini O bag. I liked having the extra capacity and didn't mind the weight being on the front. 

Pressing on and with the sun doing its thing, the scenes before us were stunning. On our previous rides this year we have missed these views altogether as sunrise has been much later. It was great to see and experience it and one of the draws for this sort of ride. 

With the sign pointing for Ditchling we knew that the big test, in the form of Ditchling Beacon, was not too far away. The lovely scenery made for some great backdrops (for my Brompton) so I snapped away quite happily. 

Arriving at the car park at the base of the Beacon we got ourselves ready. Our ascent would not break any King of the Mountain times on Strava (not that I am on Strava) but that really wasn't the point. We made our ascent together and as we rode up, to our left the views in-between the trees and hedges were stunning. 

Before 06:00 we had made it and welcomed the next few miles into Brighton, most of which were downhill. 

At Brighton I took a photo of the Pier and we headed off to the station. Our train should have taken us to St Pancras but instead stopped at London Bridge. Punching a route to Baker Street into the Wahoo we headed off to the Wetherspoons for breakfast. 

Breakfast arrived quickly and eaten as rapidly. That done we went our separate ways until next time. Another great adventure. Many thanks to Dr John for his company and friendship. I am sure that we will do something like this again soon. 

I got home in very good time and after a shower and cup of tea I headed off for a few hours sleep. As I type this I feel fine but my legs are telling me that I have cycled from London to Brighton. 

Until next time, stay safe out there people!!

Last overnight Brompton ride to the coast?

Friday night is the start of the weekend. Going into central London you will see people letting their hair down - and sometimes a great deal more - as the working week for most has come to an end. I however associate Friday nights in central London with the start of a night ride to the coast and last Friday was no such exception.

The meet up point was was Hyde Park Corner which brought back fond memories as it used to be the start of many of my first foray into nocturnal cycling to the coast. Sadly Dr John looked as if the weather / time of the year had out him off so didn't come. The ride was actually the idea of my old friend Tom, who had left his Brompton Chpt3 at home in favour of one of his usual mountain bikes.

This time I set off with my wallet, plenty of cash and my mobile phone, as did Tom! (Read my recent blog post about a Southend run to find out why this was important if you have not already).

Earlier in the day/early evening it had been raining but as we set off it stayed away. In fact there was very little in the way of rain for the entire ride. It was chilly - well it is November - but Dr John pointing out that almost at the same point last year we had done the Brighton run in short sleeves! For this ride we both had a few layers on and winter cycling gear out in force.

London looked - as always - resplendent. Despite the chill and the earlier rain, it was busy and there seemed to be lots more people out and about than there normally is at this time.

Our pace was conversational and we caught up on things and as always when two old friends get together, took a walk down memory lane. At times the two of us were in hysterics at some of these memories and had to actually stop pedalling.

As soon as we passed Clapham the ride took on a different vide. From this point it was almost as if the urban was left behind. Traffic got less and less to the point that cars etc.., were a rare sight. Climbing up and reaching the cattle grid with views of Croydon was quite eerie as the first of many blankets of fog hung around us. At times it was a little like a Hammer Horror set and our front lights were rendered next to useless at illuminating the path ahead. The light they produced bounced off the fog and offered little insight to what lay ahead. A full moon, dogs howling in the distance and owls hooting all added to this rather gothic atmosphere.

The halfway stop was at just over 25 miles. Tom had brought enough food with him to feed an army and this we ate outside the Scout Hut at Horley. Tom had a pannier rack and bag, in which he had the secret weapon - a 2 litre thermos flask with hot water therein. (This brought back memories of Geoff doing the same on a ride to Burnham on Crouch). After a tea and coffee and some lovely food we were off again.

Turners Hill was about 8 miles from the halfway stop. I ascended pretty quickly but Tom with a massive rear cassette - the biggest ring of which looked like an old 12 inch - meant he motored up with ease.

One of the great things about night rides is cycling along with few distractions. The only thing to hear is the sound one ones bicycle and any nature lurking around either outraged at being disturbed or simply letting you know it is there. At these moments you think about all sorts and have - to use a modern word - headspace.

The moon was our contact companion and as we approached the 50 mile mark Ditchling Beacon was but a step away. Reaching the carpark at the base of the Beacon we readied ourselves. Again I made good time up the Beacon but I simply went at my pace. Tom's incredible gearing meant he could have  almost ascended a vertical climb but he found that he was spinning quite a bit until he found the gear he liked.

We did it. With the Beacon done we cycled the last few miles into Brighton central. This is a very pleasant few miles as almost all of it is downhill and freewheeling. At Brighton we headed for the station where we bought a coffee and a bite to eat. Our train journey back to London was quick and we more or less had the carriage to ourselves for the entire journey.

Back in London we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. Tom invited me to join him on one of his nocturnal off-road adventures as he prefers them to road cycling. That was a maybe from me as I prefer road cycling. Many thanks for the invite and the company.

I titled this as my last nocturnal ride to the coast for 2019. I am toying with the notion of doing one more - probably London to Brighton. I love this route and getting back into London is a doddle. I will have to have a think about this one though. Until next time...

Early start, early finish Brompton London to Brighton

After what has seemed like ages, Dr John and I decided that Friday would be the perfect time/weather for a night ride to the coast - our favourite London to Brighton. As there had been some talk of train/tube lines been closed or disrupted, we chose to meet as close to 23:00 as we could and depart as soon thereafter.

Our meet location was the usual one not too far from the London Eye. Dr John was there before me and after a getting routes loaded, lights turned on, we were off.

The weather was as predicted near perfect - warm, gentle breeze and very much short sleeves. The first few miles up to Clapham South we took at a slightly quicker pace as we wanted to avoid the clubbers, taxi drivers and pedestrians that fill the area and occasionally do unpredictable things. This worked well and before long we were on quieter roads.

Our pace was purposeful and the miles flew by as Dr John and I chewed the fat about all sorts - which is always one of the welcome features of our rides together.

The cattle grid at Farthing Downs in Coulsdon in the London Brough of Croydon always marks the point at which the urban really does change into the semi-rural and then rural. At the top we looked at views down to Croydon central. Gazing skyward we could see that it was cloudless with stars and constellations visible. I tried to spot a few from my memories of Sir Patrick Moore and his programme 'The Sky at Night.' Failing dismally, I used and app on my iPhone which indicated the Milky Way was to our right. I have had this app for a number of years and not used it in anger. Of course I could not see this with the naked eye but I was nonetheless proud of locating it for once!

As we cycled along Tawny Owls could be heard making their wavering 'boohoo' call. This was followed by foxes, bats and - the highlight - a young badger that ran straight in front of us.

Our normal halfway stop had formally been outside a scout hut in Burstow where we have brought our own food/snacks and eaten them while standing outside. Dr John did a little bit of research and found a 24-hour service station that had a seating area, toilet, food, snacks and a hot drinks machine. This came at almost 29 miles.  Sadly, the hot drinks machine was not working so we bought a cold bottle of water and bot of us had a chicken and salad sandwich - at least I think it was chicken! Feeling suitably refreshed we headed out to continue.

For the last few minutes inside the service station I started to feel cold. Dr John said that this might be due to the air-conditioning but I decided to put on a light packable jacket. I needed to as I felt really cold when I stepped outside. Added to this was the sudden appearance of fog. As soon as you hit it the temperature went down by a considerable amount. We pressed on towards Turner Hill, hoping the the exertion of making an ascent would warn us up. By the time we had reached the top it must have worked as both of us took off the boil in the bag jackets we had been wearing.

We were making wonderful timing and pressed on for perhaps the highlight of the ride - Ditchling Beacon. There are many climbs in the UK but Ditchling Beacon is rather famous - perhaps because of the annual London to Brighton charity cycle ride. At 0.9 miles it has an average gradient of 9% and a maximum of 16%. It isn't easy by any means and I suspect much harder on a Brompton!

The base of the Beacon came upon us quite suddenly and after a few last minute preparations we made our ascent in darkness. It was before 05:00 in the a.m. after all. We rode up the Beacon together and after its several false summits we made it. Still dark, with nothing to therefore see and take a photo of we cycled towards central Brighton.

Most of the last few miles are downhill and this was wonderful! Pedals could be turned easily on the flats and the last little bit into Brighton was all freewheeling. We decided to head for the station and at about 05.10 we had done it. With our train departing at 05:26 we had the time to buy a coffee and almond croissant before boarding our train - which must have been my earliest departure from Brighton.

The journey lasted a little over an hour for me and I spent some of this time calculating the quickest route home, barring in mind there were some part-closures of various lines. With my route sorted I said goodbye to Dr John and got off at London Bridge. I was home by 07:15 so was rather pleased.

Another great ride and many thanks to Dr John for agreeing to do this...again! I cannot think how many times I have written this but nocturnal rides are addictive. There is just something about them. Lots of people view the notion of cycling through the night to a seaside location and then getting the train back as insanity but they are great fun! Until next time...

Brompton Dunwich Dynamo 2019 Completed

When I rose early on Saturday morning the Dunwich Dynamo dominated proceedings somewhat. This would be Dunwich Dynamo number four for me.

My first port of call was Compton Cycles. I took the bike in for them to check over the headset and a little play in the rear wheel. (There probably wasn't anything wrong with the wheel but I thought it best to get it checked). Jim at Compton Cycles took little time in giving things the once over and in less than 10 minutes I was on my way again. It is a wonderful shop.

On the way to Compton Cycles I heard from Dr John and that he might not make the dynamo as his calf was playing up and he would tell me later. Not long after he confirmed that he was not going.

The rest of the day was busy. I had some family stuff to do as well as plugging every electrical item I was taking with me on the Dynamo into various sockets so that they would all be 100%.

Eventually, the time came for me to leave home and I set off. I reached London Fields in good time and even though I was earlier that the - sort of - official start time of 20:00, there were lots of cyclists about either getting ready, waiting for friends to arrive or just starting early to avoid the crowds.

Geoff had previously said that he would be riding the Dynamo (on big wheels) and like me would be starting earlier. Firing off a message to Geoff we arranged to meet a little further out from the start point. My hope was that I would be able to ride with Geoff as far as Epping Forest (or slightly beyond). To my delight we ended up keeping each other company for the entire 112 miles.

Pressing start on my Wahoo just before the blue iron bridge (sort of official start) I headed off and met Geoff at the Lee Valley Ice Centre.

The official, unofficial start.

It was great to see Geoff again. While I navigated via my Wahoo, Geoff was using the spoken turn by turn directions on Ride with GPS. Both worked well.

Geoff checking the route

As we cycled it gradually got darker and darker. In the distance on the horizon the setting sun threw up oranges and reds and the overall scene was one of great beauty.

Sunset in Essex 

The miles flew by on fairly quiet roads and before we knew it 44 miles were up and we stopped at Finchingfield. A pub was selling cheeseburgers for £5 and I bought one.  It didn't last long as it was pretty good and just what was needed. 

Finchingfield

At Finchingfield I saw one of the many bicycles adorned with lights. I always like seeing them but perhaps as we had set off earlier I didn't see as many as I have on previous rides.

Light bike!!

Pressing on after being suitably refuelled we decided to forgo the stop at the Sudbury Fire Station in favour of one a few miles up the road at Needham Lake. We parked our bikes overlooking the lake but as it was still dark the only thing we could make out were some swans fighting over the best floating spots.

At Needham Market there was a stall selling sausages with onions in a bun. They were wonderful and I seriously thought about getting a second!

The 100 mile mark arrived at 03:57 a.m. and it was the first time I have passed this distance on any bicycle for some time. In fact the last time I did was perhaps the Dynamo back it 2017!

I found the next 8 - 10 miles demanding. I had to stop to take on some fuel before pressing on. The last couple of miles I had a second wind and seeing a Brompton rider in front of me brought out the childish competitive streak in me and I had to overtake him. We reached Dunwich Beach just before 05:15 a.m. We had done it.

Needham Lake

Going over to see if I was able to get my ticket for the coach journey home I was told that they wouldn't be scanning the bar codes on our coach booking confirmations until 06:30 a.m. Luckily they started doing it a little earlier and I got my ticket just before 06:00 a.m. and I had a place on the 09:00 a.m. coach.

I made it!!

Geoff and I parked the bikes up and Geoff sat propped up against a little old beach hut/shed. It started to get colder and I felt absolutely frozen. Geoff was much the same. This lasted for over an hour before the sun made an appearance and started to warm things up again.

Just before 08:00 a.m. I said my goodbyes to Geoff who was going to stop off at a tea rooms for breakfast before cycling onwards to Ipswich Station.

The queue

I sat down where Geoff had and waited for the time to tick by watching the growing queue and the few brave cyclists who took a dip in the North Sea.

Riders arriving

I boarded my coach just after 08:30 a.m. put my Brompton into the luggage compartment and retired to my seat. Wheels rolled about 10 minutes after the advertised departure time and not long after that I remember very little until we stopped at Chelmsford Services for a comfort break.

Once back on the coach I drifted off again for a short while and stayed awake thereafter. Getting to our stop near Millwall football ground was slow and cumbersome due to some rather selfish parking. We got there and once off the coach I got my Brompton from the luggage area, said thanks to the driver and was off to London Bridge Station not too far away. I was home and in the shower well before 14:00 which I was pleased about.

A VERY quiet coach journey!!

I didn't actually feel too bad the next day.  Apart from feeling a little like I needed an early night the next couple of days, I was fine. I think that if I did this next year I would definitely pack a lot lighter. I packed quite a bit of food and water but I need not have. There were lots and lots of locations along the route where I could eat or top up fluids. I would also check the route on my Wahoo as I had a few differences in the official tried and tested route. In all though I enjoyed this Dynamo more than any of the others.

Thank you to Southwark Cycles and Andy who out on the coaches and got us home. Special thanks to Geoff - yet again - who allowed me to tag along. It would have been a very lonely ride without his company and I am not sure that going it alone for 112 miles would have gone down well with Mrs Orange had I not ridden with Geoff.

So, would I do it next year? I think I would have to say the chances are high.