My favourite ride. The Dunwich Dynamo. How to ride this overnight beauty from London through the small hours to the Suffolk coast? Smile. Not that you’ll need instruction. For you’ll smile involuntarily throughout this glorious night ride.

The Dunwich Dynamo is a free group ride, a sportive without the structure and racing mentality. A joyous 112 mile conga line of blinking red lights. Bikes wrapped in fairy lights, a festival atmosphere along the route, the odd moment when you question your own sanity. Why am I riding in the middle of nowhere at 3am? Oh yeah, because it’s amazing!

I’ve written previously of the mystical beauty of night riding so this was going to be a photo blog. Alas I was too busy enjoying the ride to take photos so in the true community spirit of the ride I’ve had a little help from the spirited bunch who shared this joyous night.

Preparing for the Dunwich Dynamo

Carb load

Ride on a full stomach to avoid any midnight blues

Add caffeine

Say hello to your new best friend. Caffeine. Not sure you should go for a 100 mile plus ride at 9pm? Caffeine. Not sure how you’ll make it through the dark hours just before dawn? Caffeine. Not sure how you’ll make it to work Monday? Well, you get the picture!

Bling up your bike (and self!) with fairy lights

Or perhaps something a little more custom.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl00cLfHMzg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Dunwich Dynamo route

The route is mostly flat with a few rises and kickers here and there. The odd sensation of hitting a hill unexpectedly in the dark is quite something. The route is on very quiet country lanes, single track towards the end. The start from Hackney can be a little chaotic with so many riders and cars so take it easy and respect drivers and fellow cyclists. Here’s a quick link to the route on Strava.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl3T9Reh5jZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Return transport

Perhaps the greatest challenge of the Dunwich Dynamo is getting back. There are coaches which can be pre-booked. They leave late and can mean you’re hanging around when all you want is sleep. Spots on the train are limited. Many drive up and leave their car somewhere before getting the train back. The nutters simply ride back (on my bucket list!).

Lots of bikes on yesterday's train back from #DunwichDynamo, chapeau all! pic.twitter.com/vJDS2lPbtR — GM Cycling Campaign 🐝🚲 (@GMcycling) July 14, 2014

Don’t over pack!

Last bit of packing for the #DunwichDynamo support – don’t forget the dog 🐶🚴 pic.twitter.com/q1IQX3p7xQ — MaillotNoir (@MaillotNoir) July 28, 2018

Get into the DunRun spirit

This is not a club ride. It’s not a race. It’s a celebration of cycling. Hybrids, single speeds, racers, recumbents. This is a night to enjoy, to bask beneath the glow of the full moon, to marvel at the colourfully lit bikes, to get lost in an enchanting meditative bliss of blinking rear lights.

Sure some race. Some ride there and back. Both are achievements and both are acceptable so long as you’re mindful of others. For this is a ride to take gently.

Charge your lights

Dunwich Dynamo here I go! Boom Lighting and Power! @CatEyeBicycle pic.twitter.com/jrMnJQtMJu — Riding with Robbie (@Robbie_Ferri) July 28, 2018

You might need something stronger than the 400 lumens front light pictured here for the really dark lanes near the end. My first dunrun was with a front light so weak it was like navigating with a lit match. This year I had 800 lumens which is brighter than lightning. The light was on half-beam for the majority of the ride but that extra floodlight burst is handy when travelling down hill on dark narrow lanes.

Turn up early

Enjoy a pint (don’t carried away now!), get acquainted with the queen’s of the night (there was a drag show on at the pub this year), or simply soak up the atmosphere at London Fields.

Just a few hours left, cannot wait my first night race or let's stay humble… ride! #dunwichdynamo pic.twitter.com/AVbXNnwQCx — Ortega Floriane (@Fl0rtega) July 28, 2018

Off we go. Pretend there’s no tailwind…

There’s usually a lovely tailwind on this ride, a gentle push from nature all the way to the beach. At times this year it felt like I was hardly pedalling. The feeling of speed is emphasised in the dark too. Flying!

Enjoy the midnight high!

Admire the full moon

The ride is always timed to coincide with the full moon. Another helping hand from mother nature.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl3UkQFAanN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

3am? Eat some more!

Seeing the best of @SuffolkFire in recent days. Here on-call Sudbury firefighters & families support the @DunwichDynamo night cycle event. This is after the #BritishFireFighterChallenge & weeks of crop and field fires, animal rescues and everything else. #OneTeam pic.twitter.com/yABRfTSvM6 — Mark Hardingham (@mark_hardingham) July 29, 2018

Pop-up shops and bacon butty mobiles dot the route near the end. Locals come out of their houses with a glass of rosé and a cheer. Enterprising kids set our their lemonade stall. Not bad for an unorganised event!

Take lots of photos

But perhaps wait for the sun first…

Just starting to get light here at Needham Lake. Slight moisture in the air. #DunwichDynamo pic.twitter.com/frcfUH6czh — The Flying Chef (@TheFlyingChef1) July 29, 2018

Beware the dark hour!

Everyone has a moment when they fade a little, when they question their sanity. Ride safe people. They say it’s darkest just before the dawn…

Enjoy the sunrise

It’s the Dunwich Dynamo next weekend. This was the glorious sunrise that welcomed me to the east coast last year. I think I’ll watch it from the beach this time. Who else is riding the Dun Run this year? #dunwichdynamo #dunrun

.

.

.

.

.#fromwhereiride #… https://t.co/7ppwl3myOC pic.twitter.com/EUQbpvg3O1 — Darren Franks (@darrenfranks) July 22, 2018

Happy 26th anniversary to the #DunRun today!

Godspeed to all taking part, it is an utterly magical night of cycling to watch the sunrise.#DunwichDynamo pic.twitter.com/KHt3W5K0jE — Miss Copsey (@MissCopsey) July 28, 2018

Hoping for an impressive sunrise on this weekend's #DunwichDynamo. This is from the 2009 edition. #DDXXVI pic.twitter.com/5PiDQ38giB — Fitch Cycle Coaching (@fitchcoaching) July 27, 2018

Say hello to the sea

Finished the #DunwichDynamo. 190km cycled. 5 pubs visited, 5 pints drunk. 3 sandwiches, 2 naked bars and lots of haribo eaten. 1 sore bum. pic.twitter.com/JJFwScQyXT — Tom L (@stoopnik) July 29, 2018

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl3f74CnvOJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Not tired at all!

Donewich Dynamo. Roughly 120 miles from London Fields to Dunwich. Started around 7:45pm. Finished around 4am. Had a blast inbetween! #DunwichDynamo pic.twitter.com/M1ZFCl77u8 — sometimes runs 🏃🏻‍♂️💨 (@DGJury) July 29, 2018

Wake up with an icy cold dip

Obligatory bike above head celebration

Eat a full English breakfast

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl4y6qZAXBX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

#dunwichdynamo fueled up and ready to turn back pic.twitter.com/o3LGoRBNeL — Daniel Sikar (@dsikar) July 30, 2018

Refuel and replenish those carbs

Sleep on the way home

Or ride home perhaps (nutters!)

Oh, more coffee!

What a weekend! We just got back from a mini road trip to Suffolk to support our men after Dunwich Dynamo – a bike ride starting in East London going all the way to the seaside in Suffolk done through the night – 200km in the dark.. they’re crazy and tha… https://t.co/KcYnVFMaHG pic.twitter.com/3yluQG3UUY — Tania (@TaniaJoyFJane) July 29, 2018

And sleep some more

What next?

Get ready for next year of course!

Follow Blog via Email Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Lead image courtesy of Darren Franks