Saturday 16th July saw 8 MVSC’s travel down to London Fields Park in Hackney to complete the 2022 Dunwich Dynamo (aka ‘DD’ or ‘Dun Run’).
This was the third time for some along with a couple of first timers.
Pictured are 5 of the 8 wearing the Mike Vybiral jerseys in the Park prior to the grand depart. The weather was absolutely fantastic and a few beers were consumed on the way along with essential ‘Carb loading’ at our favourite ‘Sutton & Sons’ chippy in nearby Stoke Newington High Street beforehand.
The best fish & chips in the world!
Prior to us riding into the night we’d spent a lovely afternoon in the park watching the annual charity cricket match and taking in the party atmosphere.
A beautiful afternoon watching cricket
It was a long night with 112+ miles completed from 7:45 pm. We all arrived at the beach for the sunrise and then the Ship Inn at Dunwich between 03:45 and 04:15 where some coffee, breakfast rolls and a few more beers were consumed. Some of us made a long weekend of it with a 3 day stay at a beautiful barn conversion with our partners and friends.
Stopping off at the White Hart at Moreton for some refreshment! 21 Miles in.
The finish at Dunwich beach as the sun rises
I can thoroughly recommend this ride to anyone that fancies a challenge with a fantastic social element and history
This is how the iconic ride is described on SPORTIVE.COM if your interested in doing it in July 2023:
Definitely not a sportive, the Dunwich Dynamo is nevertheless one of the ‘must ride’ events of the summer calendar for many cyclists. 2022 sees the 30th edition of the annual 200km night ride from London Fields in Hackey to Dunwich on the Suffolk Coast.
The Dynamo is an unsupported ride that gets bigger every year. From its origins in 1992 when a handful of riders took part to the nearly 3,000 riders in 2017, the “Dun Run” or “DD” as regulars call it, is becoming more and more popular. It is roughly 200km, although we are told by a recent rider that his Garmin recorded it as 193km.
The DD is usually held on the Saturday night/Sunday morning nearest to full moon in July. This is to ensure riders have the maximum amount of moonlight to ride in. The event starts at the Pub in the Park in London Fields with riders leaving between 8pm and 9pm; most get to Dunwich between 7am and 9am, ready for a quick swim in the sea or a pint in the village pub, The Ship Inn.
Riders can buy a route map for the bargain price of £1 but the route is so busy that you can pretty much get by just following the red lights of other cyclists. Riders of all levels of abilities do the Dunwich Dynamo and it is very much a friendly ride rather than a super competitive one. There isn’t too much climbing either and someone in 2011 even finished it on a Boris Bike.
There are no longer official feed stops on the route, but because of the quantity of riders on the DD there are now a lot of people with pop up stalls in their front gardens, so remember to bring money to pay for it. There is no mechanical support of any kind so bring plenty of inner tubes, a pump etc. And don’t forget to bring lights…and spare batteries if you´re not using a dynamo.
