Girls on Cogs

Dunwich Dynamo?

Simple. A turn-up-and-go challenging slightly-scary free-entry overnight on-tarmac just under 120 mile bicycle ride to the lovely lonely Suffolk sea at Dunwich.

So we signed up for The Dunwich Dynamo a couple of weeks ago and I thought it was a good idea. Hels was not convinced, but as always is up for everything and easily convinced!
We took the train down to London and met up with Stav on the same train and another guy who was also doing the ride. Although he looked semi pro. Despite normally only allowing 2 bikes per train, the ticket inspector did not make a fuss, but we made an effort to store them as efficiently as possible.
We rode from St. Pancras along the canal to London Fields. It was a really nice day and lots of people were out and about. I think we were all looking longingly at those sitting outside the pubs enjoying a few drinks! Not for the first time in my life I thought….. why am I doing this? and even more so because Anna and Mat who suggested it, have pulled out. Mat has a bad back…… a likely story! (only joking Matty!).
After a bite to eat and meeting up with a couple of other friends we headed for the park and were greeted by a sea of bikes and a lot of lycra. Quite an impressive site. Last year over 1000 cyclists took part. As it started to get dark people began to head off out of London. We set off about 8.45pm and all you could see in front, were red bike lights. It was actually very cool and the cyclists had pretty much taken over the road, so all the cars were giving way and looking slightly confused. Unfortunately every few miles there were cyclists fixing punctures, something that we fortunately avoided.

Quite quickly our group of 7 split up and it was just Hels and I. We always cycle so well together and at the same pace, so it works perfectly and we decided to stick to our 2 hour/20 mile rule and stop for food. We passed lots of pubs and a lot of cyclists had stopped, but we were keen to keep going and get into our stride.

The Cycle is planned to be as near as possible to the full moon but unfortunately it was very cloudy so the moon was no help, so once it got dark, it was very, very dark and there were very few street lights. We appeared to be in the middle of nowhere and went through miles of empty country lanes and sleepy villages. Apart from hundreds of cyclists obviously!

Just before the half way point we were stopped. There was an ambulance in the way and it appeared someone had come off their bike rather badly. I don’t know how he had come off but in view of how dark it was, I was not completely surprised. The roads were so dark it would be easy to hit something like a pothole and not have time to avoid it. We saw a couple of other people who also looked like they had fallen off.

Hels and I started to flag from sleep deprivation and after our 100 mile snack stop we set off again but needed to stop again about 5 minutes later to have a ten minute lie down and power nap. I swear I could of slept on a jagged rock or more worryingly a moving bike! The last 20 miles or so we had seen lots of people sleeping by the roadside. Once we were back on the road again, Hels and I played silly games to keep ourselves alert. The ‘I went to the Supermarket Alphabet Game’ was a life saver……. but very annoying!

Before we know it, it was light and we only had 7 miles to go. We flew along and arrived at the beach just after 8am. The beach was littered with bikes and people sleeping, which was an odd sight but again pretty cool. Hels and I were on a bit of a high so decided to tuck into a big fry up and finish off the hip flask!! There was always the option of a swim in the sea, but we decided to pass on that.

We headed back to London on a coach and the bikes were loaded onto a removal van.

Overall a pretty good trip. The cycling itself was very good and felt reasonably manageable. Hels and I enjoyed a weather and wind free ride which was a very nice change!! The lack of sleep was a bit of a struggle but only for a short period, so we will probably be back again next year….

Well we have been pretty slack on the blog but have been out most tuesdays and covered around 25-35 miles each time and enjoyed sunshine and very light evenings. Bit disappointing on the beer front though – either choice of ales a little poor or people needing to get early nights!!! Last tuesday we had a sprint over to Market Bosworth and had fish, chips and a beer by Bosworth Pool. Twas a lovely evening for sitting out, although we took a more main route out which was busier than our usual quiet country lanes. Note to selves for next time!

Have just signed ourselves up for the Dunwich Dynamo, a mere 120 miler over night which friends had convinced us would be a good laugh – We’re reserving judgement – sounds like a bit of a nightmare (and no beers on a saturday night!). It’s in 3 weeks time – we’re sure the tuesday cycle will be ample training…..Aaagh

Hels and Em

I had good intentions of leaving work in plenty of time so I could head home, get changed, have a cuppa and a snack and swap the bikes over. I had had a meeting earlier in the day and worn my suit (including high heels) and therefore had cycled leisurely to work with the view that I would do the same on the way home.  Unfortunately (and predictably) the plan failed and I was running late to meet the gang, so instead I cycled home at high speed looking slightly ridiculous with my trousers hitched up with an elastic band round my ankle. Although I am slightly pleased at how well I can cycle in heels!

Anyway enough of my trivia!

Well it is the 3rd week of Tuesday night cycling and so far we have managed to keep the bad weather at bay and have a good turn out. This week the 6 of us headed out along the A47. Busy road but quick. We turned of to the village of Kirby Mallory and our destination of Mallory Park. Apparently they have cycling around the racing track on a Tuesday and Thursday night so we thought we would check it out. Mat and Stav arrived first and headed down the track and nearly got taken out by  50 speeding cyclists coming the other way!! We watched them for a couple of laps. It looked very serious. Mostly men but we spotted a couple of women.

On that note, we decided to head to a local pub for dinner. As well as feeling hungry, everyone was feeling the cold. It actually felt quite bitter and my shorts seemed a rather brave move!

A reasonably fast cycle home via Desford and Kirby Muxloe. Approx 20 miles

So first trip of the year, and we had 6 enthusiastic participants.  The sun was shining and so were several new bikes.  We headed out from Braunstone Leisure Centre, through Braunstone town towards Kirby Muxloe, Desford and onto Thornton reservoir.    We saw lots of other cyclists out on the road, all making the most of the good weather and it was nice not to be laden with panniers.  After 6 big pies and beers in the Steaming Billy hostelry, we made our way back home, completing a respectable 20 0dd miles.

The first tuesday cycle ride was announced and we should all have been very enthusiastic, but truthfully, Em, Claire, Caroline and myself had already committed to a night of shopping, dinner and wine….A very good evening!

Perhaps we should admit that we were a little under prepared for this trip…and after hiking up the Eiffel Tower on our first day of sightseeing, there was a unanimous decision…to go back to bed for not a little power nap but a big sleep before continuing our venture in ‘Gay Paris!   Note: Just because we cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats last year does not mean we are fit enough tojump on our bikes and cycle to Paris 8 months later!

On the last day we took the bikes out round Paris for a little 18 miler – but although Paris appears to be geared up with cycle lanes, hire bikes etc, it wasn’t that great with lots of weaving in and out of pedestrians in our cycle lane, and cobbles along the Seine which were not good for road tyres.  Lovely day though and we even had a beer by the Seine, since it was rubbish for cycling along.

The trip back was by Eurostar and the bikes were pre-booked as parcels (for £20) so we didn’t have to dismantle them or put them in a bag (yes we did this on a previous trip).   It was a very simple procedure, we all left our very expensive and in some cases very new bikes with a random french man in a back yard, who kindly hung them on a clothes rail and we all waved goodbye as they bashed together in the wind. …Rather surprised to see them intact (apart from one rear light) with us on the same train when we arrived back in London 2.5 hours later.

So despite a very difficult start, we made it to Paris in 5 days, had a few lovely days sightseeing (although most attractions seemed to be up at least 100 steps – like we needed more exercise) and back home in just 5 hours!  Highly recommended.

Estimated miles: 45
Miles: 57
Average speed: 9.2 (worst yet!!!)
Total trip miles: 135

Route: D927 Beauvais, Meru then opt 1 (ours) D927 to Pointoise, D4 along river to Auvers sur Oise or opt 2 (favoured by everyone else) D927 to Herouville and D928 to Aurvers-sur-Oise (about an hour quicker apparently!)D928 towards Paris, a lot of back streets (bronx-like) and finally cycle paths along the River Seine into Paris centre-ville.

The final day into Paris was an estimated 45 miles, and the sun was trying to shine on us. We followed the D927 most of the way, stopping about half way for sandwiches and cakes from a little boulangerie, followed by a long coffee outside soaking up the sun. We arranged to meet everyone else at the bridge by Auvers to ride into Paris together along a smaller road. They’d only been waiting an hour, so no ice-creams or more coffee for us before the final stretch into Paris centre. Em was visualising a cycle along Champs Elysee, through the Arc de Triomphe…the reality was cycling around several small streets, a bit more like the ‘Bronx of Paris!’, a flat tyre, and the group gradually parting ways to various different accommodations. So not quite the ‘Tour de France’ finish, pumping our fists into the air!

We all made it, still smiling and had treated ourselves to a grand bier (only $9. 40 a ½ litre)….not so funny now!

By Em

Miles: 57
Average speed: 9.9 (it keeps on getting lower and lower…..)

Route: D901 Abbeville, Poix-de-Picardie, Grandvilliers, Marseille-en-beauvais, Beauvais

We set off again at a good pace but lost our average speed because of some big hills. Mat and Anna were ahead of us and Charlie behind. He decided to do some sightseeing in Abberville. We have seen plenty….. the kebab house and ‘Abbeville by Night!!’.
Dan seems to motor up the hills with his hybrid and I don’t seem too bad on my new bike. I am loving the new bike, it makes such a difference and I love the colour!
Hels is battling along still, despite the fact she is still not feeling 100% and is quite wheezy.
Really nice sunny stop at lunch time and a coffee stop. Only a couple more hours and we arrived in Beauvais and treated ourselves to a beer. Met up with everyone else and headed to The F1 Hotel, on an industrial estate. Dan’s French speaking is coming in very handy, so we got directions from a couple who came up to ask what we were doing.
After the traditional French Kebab last night we went to the traditional French ‘Bufallo Grill’!!

Estimated miles: 75
Miles cycled: 85
Average speed: 10.2 (slower again…..)

Route:  D305/D127 Guines, D231 Ardres, D224 Nabringhen, N42/ D127 Le Wast, D343 Desvres, Hucqueliers, D108 Wambercourt, Hesdin, D928 Abbeville

We set out together with a good speed along the French ‘A’ roads and passed several other speedy, professional-looking cyclists all lyra’d up in matching colours. However, they had no mounta in bikes, no panniers, and definitely no ‘BMX’ helmets!

We stopped for coffee after 25 miles and bought some provisions for lunch (it was Easter Sunday and we weren’t sure if anywhere would be open later). There was a cruel headwind again and we were up and down ‘les 7 vallees’ (what does that mean?!), The next 25 miles were hard, and we stopped for lunch (the big vol-au-vents we’d bought earlier) . The vol-au-vent didn’t really cut it, and the next few hours I struggled along with low blood sugar and felt like a rag doll. Despite being force fed sugary sweets and Emma dancing crazily to cheer me up (she’d probably had too much sugar and caffeine!), we soldiered on and on and on and on until we finally met up with the others in Abbeville town centre for a big kebab tea…probably not the Easter feast we’d anticipated!!! But very welcome anyway…

We then headed towards the Etap in the north of the town, couldn’t find it, phoned Charlie for directions, and then after getting further directions from some stoned locals, cycled 5 miles south of the City where it was hidden at the back of an industrial estate. 10.30pm arrival – brilliant!! Still smiling…

Miles from North Weald to Dover: 100 miles
Miles cycled: 40
Trains: 1
Ferries: 2
Average speed: 10.9 (unbelievably only 0.2 mph faster than yesterday with the massive headwind)

Route: A414 from North Weald A128  Chipping Ongar to Orsett.  Chadwell St Mary, A126 to Tilbury Ferry – Gravesend.  A226 to Chatham Station…train to Dover!  Ferry to Calais.

So we only stopped cycling at 10pm last night so getting up at 8am and setting off at 9, only 11 hours later, felt like a very short period of time. We seemed to spend the whole of yesterday fighting against the wind. Even Mat and Anna had found it a difficult day.
Despite feeling a little stiff we were all fairly upbeat….. but to get the confession out the way, we had already decided that we would cycle 30 miles to Chatham train station via the Tilbury Ferry and then take the train to Dover.
This all went to plan and we even enjoyed a hot chocolate on the way. It almost seemed a shame not to have decided to do the whole 100 miles because the weather was beautiful and sunny (what were we thinking?).
None of us ever having struggled to get into the holiday spirit, cracked open the beers on the train. More alcohol was consumed as we sat overlooking the beach and The Chanel at Dover waiting for out ferry and Charlie who decided to cycle from Cantabury and so managed an extra 15 miles on the rest of us. I do worry we don’t seem to be taking this very seriously!
We had our own car/cycle lane to embark the ferry and boarded first. I love that bit!