July 12, 2025 to July 13, 2025
Dunwich Dynamo 2025: In Two Gears
Before it all fades like a dream I’m preserving the ups the down the sights, the sounds of the best ride of any year.
The morning was spent with some light fettling including the installation of some new jockey wheels. Here I’m breaking one of my “big ride” rules which is don’t fuck with your bike close to the off! However the old jockeys were squeaking periodically and I didn’t want to listen to that for 8 hours! All went remarkably smoothly and a brief test spin up and down the road confirmed the BMC was ready to go.
Checked and repacked my underseat saddle bag attached padded gillet
2 tubes, 3 co2 canisters, tyre leavers including tyre monkey (insert link)
Multitool/Co2 adapter
Tube patches
Quick links x3
Bar Bag containing:
3 mini pork pies cut into quarters
Packet of chocblok chews
Half packet of jelly babies
2 choc chip brunch bars
Supply of electrolyte tabs
Finally time to leave and get the train into London, bumped into a couple of DD folk had a brief chat with a chap doing a triathlon (real madness) on Sunday.
I was struck by the number of people on Lime bikes as I made my way at a very leisurely pace to London fields.
On arrival I stopped to watch a pickup game of basketball a sport I played another life time ago. Someone shouting Tomaz is that you, I look up to see a friendly face asking if I was Tomaz I said no and he said “doesn’t matter we’re gathering here and your welcome to join us for the ride”, thanked him and said I was good riding solo this year but really appreciated his offer, it’s such a friendly atmosphere at the start and this was a great example of what makes the DD such a great experience.
Waited as long as I could bare and then I spotted a group gathering, tagged on the back started the wahoo and played follow the leader to the Leabridge road.
At one of the fairly frequent stops at traffic lights on the cycle path I looked across to see a bloke sitting proudly astride a Rayleigh chopper, complimented him on really embracing the DD spirit and wished him a good ride, didn’t see him again but I bet he made it!
Not sure how we started chatting but had a good time discussing Audax (his not mine) with a really knowledgeable rider who has pretty much convinced me I need a power meter. We tagged on the back of a group wearing jerseys that indicated they where from Stowmarket and enjoyed a nice pull up the slope through Epping and then all the way to Fyfield and the super efficient Scout stop where I made my first planned stop.
Small queue and speedy delivery of a rice and bolognese bowl, Hot Chocolate and a banana a bargain at £8 (I think).
Lad doing the water refills was amazing fast no spills great job whoever you were!
I spotted a drone up and am hopeful someone will be posting some footage in the FB group soon.
Rolled out in a small group with a chap who was an ex ultra runner and had switched to cycling to save his 75 year old knees anymore wear!! Very envious of his mid rode pizza stop at his own home in Great Wadingfield (I think) but the temptation to pack and go to bed must have been huge, but again I’m 100% sure they didnt and also made the beach.
Plan was to push onto to Sudbury and the fire station stop.
It’s always further to Finchingfield than I think even though the roads are pretty familiar as we often do early morning rides to winners for coffee and sausage baps. First sighting of a pretty large (not super) moon was great and the whole magic of the Dynamo really starts to build as it gets darker and darker.
Flew through finchingfield and powered up the hill without the hindrance of “cafe legs” caused by the burger stop I’ve enjoyed on previous DD’s.
I Was really blowing at the top of the short punchy hill and stopped to take some video of other folk doing battle with the gradient.
Not sure exactly when it happened but shortly after that hill I became aware of a mechanical issue which I thought at first had to be as a result of me breaking my no messing with the bike rule therefore angering the cycling gods and who knows maybe it was?
A brief investigation revealed the cable to the rear derailleur had snapped in the shifter, leaving me stuck with 2 gears.
As is the correct protocol a number of riders asked if I was ok, and while I wasn’t I thought the chances of me stopping a rider with a spare 105 gear cable and then fitting that in the dark was more or less zero.
I decided to push onto to Sudbury and hoped for a magical mechanic on site.
On arrival I was quickly directed to a chap who tried really hard to help me he searched for sometime for someone to help but to no avail.
I decided to call my son Harry he’s a cyclist and has done the DD, we reviewed the the options and agreed it was probably best to push on and walk up any hills if/when required.
Rolled slowly out of Sudbury and began to embrace the simplicity that only having 2 gear options brings.
I quickly came across The White Horse in Great Waldingfield it was really quiet compared with the years the fire station has not opened for the DD and I decided to stop again grab a queue free coffee and a chunky kitkat £2 which was a real bargain and very welcome.
If the crowds and buzz of the fire station are not for you I really recommend pushing onto this stop it’s been a real boon in the years the fire station didn’t open for business.
Sat down at an empty bench table but was soon joined by another solo rider who I think was a first timer and met the same chap at Dunwich keeping warm very cleverly by the back door of the tea room kitchen!
Had a message from wife 23:30 which is unusually late so I called her to explain the situation it turns out her knowledge of the 105 rear derailleur is rudimentary at best but she did kindly offer to come and rescue me, I declined the offer and said I was going to push onto Needham Market and see how the legs where doing.
Then under the gaze of a moon now much higher in the night sky a chap who had sat down and overheard my conversation said “I think I can help” This is what the Dunwich is all about, Kevin was his name and all he needed was the screwdriver from my trusty multi tool.
He expertly tightened up the high stop screw and this pushed the chain up the cassette to what I think was 18 or 20 not 11.
This was a huge boost to my moral and after thanking the mystic mechanic I rolled out in what now felt like a really much better gear. I was now confident of making the beach and began to enjoy the darkness and silence of this part of the ride
The tight turn under the bridge just before the Needham Lakeside stop always catches me out and I had slowed and decided to pause for a moment and just take in the atmosphere of this stop. I was surprised to note I could see my breath an indication of the big variations in temperature that you always seem to experience on the DD.
Adapting my normal coast downhill, spin uphill to push down hill (big ring) and grind/stand (granny ring) on the “ramps” that are in the last phase of this ride I began the push to Gosbeck which has become my last and favourite stop of the ride since the demise of the fabled “Framlingham Oasis”
On arrival at Gosbeck I stowed my bike at the back and joined a fast moving queue where I had a nice chat with someone who had decided it was too hot for arm warmers or a jacket and was cheerfully noting that he was very wrong about that.
Nice chat with 2 chaps one who claimed to have 2 “emergency” malt loaves in his panniers, that is really covering all the fueling bases and we spent a happy 5 mins discussing exactly what a 2 loaf emergency would look like!
Enjoyed a very messy egg bap, coffee and banana, noting the addition of the little tea lights to add even more to the surreal sights and sound of 100’s of people gathered at 3am in a small village in Suffolk. Really is my favourite stop now.
Noted the cheery bunting being blown almost horizontal confirming the headwind was picking up a little more than was welcome with 50k still to go.
Left Gosbeck and was chilly for 15k then warmed up enough to make me take of my rain/wind jacket, kept gillet on as the temperature was still only low teens and the sun was refusing to break through the cloud cover that had turned up at the wrong time.
Stopped for a natural break at the top of a ramp, took some video of folk coming up the ramp and reassured a young rider who had also stopped that we only had about 10 miles to go. In truth it was a little more but it’s important to boost morale at this stage in the ride and anyone can do 10 miles right?
Rolled on and spotted one of the cyclists that choose to cycle with only 1 gear, the single speed or even more hardcore fixie brigade!
Had a chat and told him about my enforced 2 gear setup, he was a real advocate of the fixie and said it was easier than single speed, he did go through the “science” of this with me but I’m not sure I really grasped it fully but it was another welcome distraction. He spotted his mates (non fixie) and peeled off as they where waiting for him I assume so they could roll across the finish line as one which again is the correct protocol for the DD, well played chaps.
The much discussed detour was navigated easily and on balance I think i preferred this approach to the final run in.
Pushing up the last ramp before the right to the last road to the beach I had a chat with a guy who’s chain had broken twice and therefore he was in one not great gear, I wasn’t in a hurry so I let him go (ok he dropped me!)
The final few K is always so good, you know you’ve made it you know your getting to the beach and your going to be with 100’s of others some just laying exhausted on the stones, the brave few in the sea.
In a weird but welcome formof serendipity a phone call from my amazing wife was a great way to herald my arrival.
It was 5:20am and she was getting up to drive the 75 miles to come and get me from Aldeburgh which is 20k from Dunwich and a much more relaxed pick up point.
I didn’t stay on the beach long it was breezy and the sun was still refusing to appear. I’m always amazed to see folk asleep on what is a very stony beach not something I can manage but I suspect a lot of them are “doing the double”
I made my back to the area where folk seem to gather and saw a woman with her 2 young (3 and 5 maybe) who had home made banners waiting to greet their Dad who was about to finish, this is 5:45 am and the kids where soooo excited, again you just don’t get this at many other rides.
I started to crawl out of Dunwich into a stream of riders now in the final stretch we exchanged nods of respect and waves of acknowledgement that we’d all made it and had a great time doing it.
The road to Aldeburgh is undulating I would say annoyingly undulating but I suspect with fresh legs it’s a really nice road to power along but at this point the limited power I have was in very short supply and I was taking it very slowly
By the power of FB I was aware that a Bean to Bar chocolate factory was going to be open and I spotted the sign and stopped. Can’t really describe how welcoming the owner was we had a good chat (ex bike courier) and he served me the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had accompanied by a small tray of complimentary chocolate covered raisins which really hit the spot. The shop/factory was warm and the seating perfect I hung around for 40 mins and really felt the boost as I hit the rolling road to Aldeburgh, one last push!
It’s so cool arriving at Aldeburgh the high st is wide and pretty and at this time of day it’s deserted and only the squawking of the seagulls broke the silence as I made my way to the sea front.
Again my wife timed her arrival to perfection and we made our way down the stony slope for a dip in the sea. I gingerly made my way up to mid thigh and then decided that was good enough to tick the post DD dip box.
A quick change and we got a table at the 2 magpies bakery and enjoyed a really good breakfast. It’s at this point the tiredness really starts to hit me and I do wonder how folk do the double chapeau to them but I’ve had enough fun by this point and can’t wait to get in the car home.
Reports indicate I quickly fell asleep and there are rumours of snoring which I totally deny.
On reflection this was definitely one of my favourite DD’s probably only topped by the one with my son (first and last according to him! The weather was nearly perfect (cloudless sunrise next year please), the stops spot on and overcoming the mechanical issue made it all feel even more epic than usual.
I’ll be back next year….
Today's ride: 200 km (124 miles)
Total: 200 km (124 miles)
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