Dunwich Dynamo 2015

[Flying Dodo]

Anyone else experience what this guys did?

Calvin Tucker‎Dunwich Dynamo
Dear Dulwich Paragons

I am a club rider who has ridden in a wide variety of events, including sportives, licenced races and Grand Fondos, e.g. the Etape. I also commute in London traffic, and I mountain bike. So what I have to say to you is based on experience and understanding of club etiquette and safe riding, and not based on ignorance or prejudice.

The dictionary defines 'paragon' as "a model or pattern of excellence or of a particular excellence: a paragon of virtue. Synonyms: ideal, standard, epitome, quintessence; example, exemplar, paradigm."

I don't feel you lived up to these standards on Saturday night.

First of all, you need to appreciate that the the Dun Run is not a race and that the event includes riders of varying levels of skill and experience, many of whom have no experience of night-riding on country roads. The problem is not that you were "cycling fast" (I'm not slow myself), but that you were cycling without much thought or regard for the safety and enjoyment of other cyclists.

I was personally cut up twice by a group of Paragons. On one ocassion I was almost pushed me into the hedge on the right hand side of the road by Paragons who were trying to overtake some 'recreational cyclists', only to run out of puff on the climb and block my path. It was pretty shocking behaviour from a club, and if they had pulled that stunt on me during an actual race, my response would have been to elbow or headbutt them off the tarmac.

A former work colleague I happened to bump into also told me that Paragons were "buzzing" inexperienced riders. And there have been numerous similar complaints posted here.

You may well feel confident enough in your bike handling skills to pass riders that close and at speed, although I have to say I was not impressed by the standard of riding I witnessed from your club. The point is that close passes can cause less experienced riders to panic and potentially crash, and the risks increase exponentially as the night wears on and riders become fatigued and lose focus. It's not a nice way to ride, and it reflects badly on your club.

Another issue, I think, was that the large number of riders in the Paragon bunch meant that they dominated the road space, often to the exclusion of other riders. The differentials in speed between different riders meant that a bunch as large as yours was basically forcing its way through gaps and intimidating other riders. This is obviously dangerous, and it comes across as arrogant and disrespectful.

Please have a think about how, as a club, you interact with other riders in a safe and mutually respectful manner. Thank you.

I've seen them behave like that in previous years on other events, not just the Dun Run. I first saw their dangerous actions back in 2007 on the London to Canterbury TdF sportive.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I noticed there were a LOT of paragon riders, I didn't notice any rum behaviours, and I was very much a fat lad at the back!

 

[redflightuk]

I saw a few of them at different times during the ride, had a chuckle when they passed one time as the last time one tried to cut in front of me so sharply that he put himself off the road.

 

[Broadside]

I have experienced similar from DP riders when I last rode the Dunwich Dynamo in 2013. I have also seen some similar behaviour from their riders on various sportives.

I wouldn't want to tar them all with the same brush but they have an air of elitism and it's all a bit unnecessary on sportives, informal rides like the DunRun and other non-race events.

 

[anothersam]

I've never minded individuals treating it as a race. However the organisers wish to frame it, in a freestyle event like this you have no control over how participants are going to choose to pursue Dunwich, which is as it should be. Not everyone is after a gentle pootle, particularly 200km worth.

However, when it starts looking more like a sporting event (complete with unsportsmanlike behaviour) than a celebration, with chain gangs threatening to rule the road by simple virtue of their numbers, it might be time for a change.

Perhaps a staggered start, as is done for the London marathon (elite racers and "fun runners" - let's call them "Dun runners" here), is in order. I know it's already rather staggered; what it needs is a statement by the Paragoners or whoever to say they're leaving at, say, 6pm. This will surely get the other clubs to follow suit, as none will want to be the last ones to the coast. As long as they don't then turn around and mow us all down on their way back.

 

[4F]

I have never had a problem with them in many years of Dun running and I wouldn't say they are any worse than other FPKW's, just more identifiable.

I see that some one from the Paragon committee is aware of the Facebook thread now and discussing it with other committee members so it looks like they are taking the comments seriously.

 

[Colin_B]

Does anyone know the date for next year please ?

 

[4F]

Does anyone know the date for next year please ?

16th July

 

[User10571]

I have never had a problem with them in many years of Dun running and I wouldn't say they are any worse than other FPKW's, just more identifiable.

I see that some one from the Paragon committee is aware of the Facebook thread now and discussing it with other committee members so it looks like they are taking the comments seriously.

If memory serves, this is not the first year that they have found themselves in that position.

 

[velovoice]

If memory serves, this is not the first year that they have found themselves in that position.

Your memory does serve. This is the first year that social media has been employed to voice complaints and Boy Oh Boy does it seem to be hitting the spot in a way that individual letters, emails and phone calls in previous years did not!

 

[arallsopp]

Well, best chime in with my experience of the night(s). Those who saw me would have found me somewhat erratic.

Warning. Contains ~10% cycling.

So, let's set the scene. Its Wednesday, I'm waking up. I'm in Connecticut. Its Thursday, I'm waking up. I'm in Philadelphia. Its Friday, I don't seem to have gone to bed. I'm in New York. Sun sets on the city that never lets anyone sleep, and I take a flight home.

Its Saturday morning. I'm in the UK. I'm outside my house thinking that a quick sleep really would be quite nice. But my neighbour is doing his longest ride to date and he's asked me along. Evey accepted on my behalf whilst I was in the US, so, the Dun Run it will be. OK. Well, the jet lag will probably work in my favour. Its 5am in my head, so I could easily clamber into bed and get plenty of sleep before the start. Just got to get Darcey's School Fete out of the way first. Oh, and charge the GPS batteries. Ted's a bit mopey, so Evey stays home with him and I head off to a 4th July themed celebration.

Its Saturday afternoon. Thoughts turn to the bike. Better get things ready before I take that nap. This way, I can wake up and know that all I need to do is get on the bike and go. Should probably start with the GPS batteries. Hmmm... Turns out I've not ridden enough of late to have even a vague recollection of what I need to take with me. Fast bike or commuter? Hmmm... Weather looks good. New bike calling to me. Dash to local bike shop. Find a bag that fits the Encore. Hmmm.. They have a "Topeak DryBag Tri-Bag". That'll work. Ok. Head home. Right. 4pm. I can kip. Let's fit the bag first though. Oh, hmm.. that's pretty small. OK. Steal bag from the back of the Furai. That's audax proven. I can load it up with muesli bars and a couple of drinks. No bottle cages on the 'bents.

Its late Saturday afternoon. I'm shopping for bars and drinks. Cupboards are not kid safe.

Its six PM on Saturday. Neighbour has left already as going up by train. I'm looking at the sofa longingly. Below the tiredness, something else feels off. Would he hate me if I didn't show? Evey says its nervousness from not riding a while. She knows the ride will do me good, and reminds me that the neighbour has a spare return coach ticket with my name on it. I don't need to ride back. Ok. Definitely fast bike then. This will be her first long ride (and in fact my second time out on her). I'm out of time to charge the GPS batteries. Sod it. I'll just take spares. Probably not riding back anyway. Pop 'em in the seat pack with the spare lights.

Its twenty past six on Saturday. Turns out the Furai's seat pack rubs the back wheel as soon as I hit a bump. Encore is a lot more horizontal than the Furai and the clearances are smaller. Balls. Balls. Balls. Ok. Take out water proofs. Flapjacks. Bottles. Money. Cram what I can into the TriBag. Hmmm.. Not a lot of room. Ok. I'm not riding back. I don't need half of this. Its fine. Why do I feel so off? I think I'll not go.

Its half six on Saturday. The educated Andy Cater rings and asks if I'm home. I am. I'm not going to go. He says he'll drop by. I say I'm probably not going. He rocks up ten minutes later. Tapes foodstuffs to my handlebars. I say I'm possibly not going. He reminds me that we've already ridden to Dunwich and back with the same configuration. Evey says 'go'. Andy says he'll escort me to the start. We take a spin around the close. Adjust the bars. Spin again. Tweak. Ok. It does kinda feel good. We'll be ok.

Its five to eight. The ride starts in five minutes. We're just under 14 miles from London Fields. Business as usual

Its ten to nine. We're at the start. There's the Lady Jane. And a G&T fuelled Peter and Andrij on the tandem. Good to catch up with friends. Soul recharging kind of stuff. Didn't get that sleep yet. And my GPS batteries are in the abandoned seat bag. With the spare lights. OK. Group ride. It'll be ok. Neighbour is sight unseen on the road ahead, I'll probably catch him up.

Its quarter past nine on Saturday night. I wave goodbye to @iLB, and set off for Dunwich. I'm bumbling pleasantly with The Lady Jane and the tandem, but I'm not going to catch the neighbour at this rate. I decide to plough ahead.

Its twenty one minutes past nine. I find my way back to the route and catch back up to Andrij, Peter and Jane. Realise my famed sense of direction has not been affected by time off the bike. Although I ride slower these days, I get lost just as quick

The roads open up a little. GPS is still alive. It gets dark. I'm not a fan of the fibre flare on my rear stay. No reflector in it means it tends to fade away in the glare of headlamps. Tuck into the pack.

Twenty past ten. Call home. Check everything ok. Bad feeling. All ok. Kids asleep. Evey headed likewise. OK. Will check back in the morning. Hey! There's Idai. Awesome. Ride with him a while. Get sprayed by an errant industrial sprinkler.

Sunday, ten past midnight. Settling into my pace. Encore working beautifully. 65 and a half miles in. GPS still going. There's Des! He points me in the direction of the hall that serves as a half way food stop. Neighbour is probably in there. I call home. Ted's woken up with a tummy ache. Evey a bit worried about him. I'm almost exactly in the middle of nowhere. Worst nightmare. She'll try to settle him. We agree I'll wait here as its dry and phone reception is good. I'd rather come home if he's unwell as tomorrow will be hard work if nobody has slept.

I get to hang with Darth Stuart and Dinky for a couple of hours. Its good to talk. Worried about Ted though...

Sunday, half two. Evey rings to say he says the pain has moved to his right side. This sounds bad. I need to get home now. Our immediate neighbours are paramedics. We wake them up and they have a look at Ted, then take Darcey for us. Their girls are of a similar vintage to our kids, so the little'uns will wake up to find they've had an unexpected sleep over. An ambulance is called. I don't trust the GPS to get me to Chelmsford where I could hop on the A12, and I don't trust this rear light to keep me safe. Balls. I'm going to have to retrace my steps through the lanes.

Stopping to field phone calls from Evey as and when I have reception, I dash back home. There's a lot of "Don't follow me!" en route. Road surfaces seem worse now I'm rushing. Lamp seems weaker. Hospital are keeping Ted for now. Evey with him.

Sunday, half six, I roll onto the drive way. Grab my flight bag as it'll have everything anyone needs for an unexpected stop-over, sort out some food for the clan, book a cab.

Sunday 8am. Grab Darcey, head to the hospital to check on wife and child. Evey looks knackered. Ted is kind of sallow. Not great. Darcey bewildered.

Sunday midday. Ted goes into surgery. I send Evey home with Darcey.

Sunday afternoon. I get Ted back, sans appendix. He looks very little. Evey rings to say she's caught a couple of hours sleep courtesy of neighbours, who've taken Darcey back in. She wants to come back in to see him. Brings Darcey, who is now kinda worries about her brother. He's a touch red.

Sunday 6pm. Darcey has school tomorrow. Evey takes her home and both settle into bed. Nobody wants to leave Ted. I stay at his bedside. Rash flares up and we discover he's

• allergic to penicillin.
• full of it.

Monday 4am. Ted goes to sleep wearing my bose cans.

Monday 6am. Ward is kinda noisy. Feels like an audax in here. I grab a muesli bar and fuss a while.

Monday 11am. Evey trades places with me. I head home. Half eleven, I'm there. Need to grab Darcey from school at 3, so a good chance I can sleep now.

Monday midday. Worried.

Monday 1pm. Worried.

Monday 2pm. Worried.

Monday 2:45. Go grab Darcey from school and head back up to the hospital. Trade with Evey.

Monday 7pm. Evey comes back, Ted gets discharged. All is a little blurry. We head home as a family.

Monday 9pm. There's a bed! An actual bed. Entire family gets into it.

Tuesday. Wake up. I'm at home. Thank God.

Evey says, "I've charged your batteries". Bless her.

 

[velovoice]

Is it okay to be a bit teary by the end of that, @arallsopp ? Glad Ted's on the mend.

 

[arallsopp]

Is it okay to be a bit teary by the end of that, @arallsopp ? Glad Ted's on the mend.

To be anything at the end of that is considerably more than I was. He's sat at my feet as I type this, and that turns out to be everything I need.

 

[Aperitif]

Hello Andy - best wishes for all of you. Now you've Star Ted the story, will there be an appendix?

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Well, best chime in with my experience of the night(s). Those who saw me would have found me somewhat erratic.

Warning. Contains ~10% cycling.

So, let's set the scene. Its Wednesday, I'm waking up. I'm in Connecticut. Its Thursday, I'm waking up. I'm in Philadelphia. Its Friday, I don't seem to have gone to bed. I'm in New York. Sun sets on the city that never lets anyone sleep, and I take a flight home.

Its Saturday morning. I'm in the UK. I'm outside my house thinking that a quick sleep really would be quite nice. But my neighbour is doing his longest ride to date and he's asked me along. Evey accepted on my behalf whilst I was in the US, so, the Dun Run it will be. OK. Well, the jet lag will probably work in my favour. Its 5am in my head, so I could easily clamber into bed and get plenty of sleep before the start. Just got to get Darcey's School Fete out of the way first. Oh, and charge the GPS batteries. Ted's a bit mopey, so Evey stays home with him and I head off to a 4th July themed celebration.

Its Saturday afternoon. Thoughts turn to the bike. Better get things ready before I take that nap. This way, I can wake up and know that all I need to do is get on the bike and go. Should probably start with the GPS batteries. Hmmm... Turns out I've not ridden enough of late to have even a vague recollection of what I need to take with me. Fast bike or commuter? Hmmm... Weather looks good. New bike calling to me. Dash to local bike shop. Find a bag that fits the Encore. Hmmm.. They have a "Topeak DryBag Tri-Bag". That'll work. Ok. Head home. Right. 4pm. I can kip. Let's fit the bag first though. Oh, hmm.. that's pretty small. OK. Steal bag from the back of the Furai. That's audax proven. I can load it up with muesli bars and a couple of drinks. No bottle cages on the 'bents.

Its late Saturday afternoon. I'm shopping for bars and drinks. Cupboards are not kid safe.

Its six PM on Saturday. Neighbour has left already as going up by train. I'm looking at the sofa longingly. Below the tiredness, something else feels off. Would he hate me if I didn't show? Evey says its nervousness from not riding a while. She knows the ride will do me good, and reminds me that the neighbour has a spare return coach ticket with my name on it. I don't need to ride back. Ok. Definitely fast bike then. This will be her first long ride (and in fact my second time out on her). I'm out of time to charge the GPS batteries. Sod it. I'll just take spares. Probably not riding back anyway. Pop 'em in the seat pack with the spare lights.

Its twenty past six on Saturday. Turns out the Furai's seat pack rubs the back wheel as soon as I hit a bump. Encore is a lot more horizontal than the Furai and the clearances are smaller. Balls. Balls. Balls. Ok. Take out water proofs. Flapjacks. Bottles. Money. Cram what I can into the TriBag. Hmmm.. Not a lot of room. Ok. I'm not riding back. I don't need half of this. Its fine. Why do I feel so off? I think I'll not go.

Its half six on Saturday. The educated Andy Cater rings and asks if I'm home. I am. I'm not going to go. He says he'll drop by. I say I'm probably not going. He rocks up ten minutes later. Tapes foodstuffs to my handlebars. I say I'm possibly not going. He reminds me that we've already ridden to Dunwich and back with the same configuration. Evey says 'go'. Andy says he'll escort me to the start. We take a spin around the close. Adjust the bars. Spin again. Tweak. Ok. It does kinda feel good. We'll be ok.

Its five to eight. The ride starts in five minutes. We're just under 14 miles from London Fields. Business as usual

Its ten to nine. We're at the start. There's the Lady Jane. And a G&T fuelled Peter and Andrij on the tandem. Good to catch up with friends. Soul recharging kind of stuff. Didn't get that sleep yet. And my GPS batteries are in the abandoned seat bag. With the spare lights. OK. Group ride. It'll be ok. Neighbour is sight unseen on the road ahead, I'll probably catch him up.

Its quarter past nine on Saturday night. I wave goodbye to @iLB, and set off for Dunwich. I'm bumbling pleasantly with The Lady Jane and the tandem, but I'm not going to catch the neighbour at this rate. I decide to plough ahead.

Its twenty one minutes past nine. I find my way back to the route and catch back up to Andrij, Peter and Jane. Realise my famed sense of direction has not been affected by time off the bike. Although I ride slower these days, I get lost just as quick

The roads open up a little. GPS is still alive. It gets dark. I'm not a fan of the fibre flare on my rear stay. No reflector in it means it tends to fade away in the glare of headlamps. Tuck into the pack.

Twenty past ten. Call home. Check everything ok. Bad feeling. All ok. Kids asleep. Evey headed likewise. OK. Will check back in the morning. Hey! There's Idai. Awesome. Ride with him a while. Get sprayed by an errant industrial sprinkler.

Sunday, ten past midnight. Settling into my pace. Encore working beautifully. 65 and a half miles in. GPS still going. There's Des! He points me in the direction of the hall that serves as a half way food stop. Neighbour is probably in there. I call home. Ted's woken up with a tummy ache. Evey a bit worried about him. I'm almost exactly in the middle of nowhere. Worst nightmare. She'll try to settle him. We agree I'll wait here as its dry and phone reception is good. I'd rather come home if he's unwell as tomorrow will be hard work if nobody has slept.

I get to hang with Darth Stuart and Dinky for a couple of hours. Its good to talk. Worried about Ted though...

Sunday, half two. Evey rings to say he says the pain has moved to his right side. This sounds bad. I need to get home now. Our immediate neighbours are paramedics. We wake them up and they have a look at Ted, then take Darcey for us. Their girls are of a similar vintage to our kids, so the little'uns will wake up to find they've had an unexpected sleep over. An ambulance is called. I don't trust the GPS to get me to Chelmsford where I could hop on the A12, and I don't trust this rear light to keep me safe. Balls. I'm going to have to retrace my steps through the lanes.

Stopping to field phone calls from Evey as and when I have reception, I dash back home. There's a lot of "Don't follow me!" en route. Road surfaces seem worse now I'm rushing. Lamp seems weaker. Hospital are keeping Ted for now. Evey with him.

Sunday, half six, I roll onto the drive way. Grab my flight bag as it'll have everything anyone needs for an unexpected stop-over, sort out some food for the clan, book a cab.

Sunday 8am. Grab Darcey, head to the hospital to check on wife and child. Evey looks knackered. Ted is kind of sallow. Not great. Darcey bewildered.

Sunday midday. Ted goes into surgery. I send Evey home with Darcey.

Sunday afternoon. I get Ted back, sans appendix. He looks very little. Evey rings to say she's caught a couple of hours sleep courtesy of neighbours, who've taken Darcey back in. She wants to come back in to see him. Brings Darcey, who is now kinda worries about her brother. He's a touch red.

Sunday 6pm. Darcey has school tomorrow. Evey takes her home and both settle into bed. Nobody wants to leave Ted. I stay at his bedside. Rash flares up and we discover he's

• allergic to penicillin.
• full of it.

Monday 4am. Ted goes to sleep wearing my bose cans.

Monday 6am. Ward is kinda noisy. Feels like an audax in here. I grab a muesli bar and fuss a while.

Monday 11am. Evey trades places with me. I head home. Half eleven, I'm there. Need to grab Darcey from school at 3, so a good chance I can sleep now.

Monday midday. Worried.

Monday 1pm. Worried.

Monday 2pm. Worried.

Monday 2:45. Go grab Darcey from school and head back up to the hospital. Trade with Evey.

Monday 7pm. Evey comes back, Ted gets discharged. All is a little blurry. We head home as a family.

Monday 9pm. There's a bed! An actual bed. Entire family gets into it.

Tuesday. Wake up. I'm at home. Thank God.

Evey says, "I've charged your batteries". Bless her.

Words fail me. Oh my. Glad everyone is doing better now.