Dunkery Dash 100k

[vorsprung]

Early season 100k from North Petherton nr Bridgwater

Go along lanes to Dunkery Beacon ( the highest point in Somerset ) and back again
The lanes are usually quite clean.   There is always a big field of riders

Worth 0.75 of a AAA point last time I looked

[CommuteTooFar]

I think I will be there if I have a bike other than the Dawes 101 which I do not like riding. I also need the trains to be running properly. One very cold year my knee was hurting, my nipples were bleeding and I had to ride to Bristol to get a train.

A nice climb up Elworthy hill, first big hill of the year for many so there is much walking. On the way back we climb Cothelstone hill.

[vorsprung]

I think I will be there if I have a bike other than the Dawes 101 which I do not like riding. I also need the trains to be running properly. One very cold year my knee was hurting, my nipples were bleeding and I had to ride to Bristol to get a train.

A nice climb up Elworthy hill, first big hill of the year for many so there is much walking. On the way back we climb Cothelstone hill.

• get a bike you like
• put tape over your nipples
• stretch properly after riding to help the knees
• there isn't any planned engineering work for that sunday on the lines to Taunton

[Dinamo]

Worth 0.75 of a AAA point last time I looked

Now worth 1.5 AAA points, excellent cakes at Dunkery control !

[ParrettPedaller]

My entry for this will go in the post today.

With the HQ located a mere 6 miles from PPHQ, and 1.5 "new" AA points on offer this is a MUST RIDE early season event. Might even be tempted to do it on fixed and walk  ride walk    Elworthy and Cothelstone Hills

[Ian H]

Now worth 1.5 AAA points, excellent cakes at Dunkery control !

What! it's gone soft. Last time I rode the controllers were sheltering behind a wall by the cattle grid, and the riders had to climb in wind and rain to a post with a stamp hanging from it.

[Dinamo]

Entry in post today.
Last rode it in 2006, with snow on Exmoor and strong cross winds, made for an interesting ride.
Control at Dunkery was in the back of a horsebox, serving hot drinks and cakes.
With only the 1 control, was and still is my fastest 100 km Audax.
Even though I had to walk part of Cothelstone hill !

[richie]

*bump*

thread re-activated as this event is running next Sunday.......

Early season 100k from North Petherton nr Bridgwater

The lanes are usually quite clean.  

Rode the minor lane section between North Petherton and Cothelstone yesterday.   The inclement weather over the past month or so has taken it's toll.  Not only are the lanes filthy but several huge potholes (4" deep) have appeared on the left-hand side of the road.  Luckily they seem to be prevalent on the up-hill sections only.....

[Dinamo]

So which YACFers are riding this on Sunday

Myself, CommuteTooFar, Parrett Pedaller and Vorsprung.....anyone else ?

[CommuteTooFar]

Sorry.  I can not ride next weekend.  Still without a bike I care to ride more that twenty miles. On the weekend I went to the LBS. Collected red bike, paid money, left shop, stopped at road work's traffic light so decided to test new bits on available hill on my right. Previously it was slipping on all chainrings, now it just slips on the middle chainring. Work done so far, new chain, new cassette, new hub parts.  The shop didn't have the right chainring (right number of sprockets or right pcd but not both) so I am still without my bike.

Normally the LBS (Tongwynlais Cycle Care) would test ride my bike and would have fixed it weeks ago unfortunately both Steve and Paul have destroyed their bodies and are unable to ride a bike at the moment. I was not in a great hurry to get my best bike out on salted roads.

[richie]

I'll be there.  Currently carbo-loading on cream-cakes in the office.

[Ian H]

I'm a late entry. Riding with a friend so not rushing.

[Dinamo]

In recent years the 'Dunkery Dash' has had a mention on the local weather section of BBC's Points West,
from local weatherman Richard Angwin.
So if you live in the West Country and receive Points West, tune in at 18:50 for our brief mention !

[Ian H]

I'd forgotten, in the fifteen years since I last rode it, just what a spectacular event this is. Perhaps the good weather this time helped. My companion thought it was wonderful; and we weren't last back.

[vorsprung]

As Ian says the day was clear and bright.  From the roads up quite high on Exmoor the views were splendid.  There was a slight headwind out and a tailwind home

Saw a few people I know at the start including Blacksheep and Ken.

As there was such a big field ( the organiser told me 150 ) we started in 3 groups.  The fast people went first.  The Dunkery Dash does, unusually for an audax, attract lots of club cyclists and they like to pretend its a race.  I think it gets a lot of people on lightweight bikes in team kit because it is the right time of year for getting a few miles in.

I guess Ken was in the first group so I didn't see him again
I was last person in the second group and I believe Ian was in the third group, taking it easy

I wasn't going to treat the ride as a pain fest.  It's quite easy to do this as there is always someone ahead to overtake and lots of hills to attack on.  I just went on at a steady pace and by about half way I was in a little group with Parrot Pedaller, Dinamo and an Italian woman called Ludovica.  We would talk, split up a bit on the easier bits and then reform at the top of the hills.

However, unfortunately at some point my idea of a steady pace up a hill left them all 100 metres back so I had to go on alone.  I thought they'd quickly catch me on a descent but the road chose that moment to keep going up and up and up.
Anyway, got to the control with the horsebox on top of Somersets highest point, had an excellent cup of tea, Dinamo et al appeared as I was draining my paper cup so I went on ahead again. 

It's an out and back route.
Saw a few people still going out, including IanH.  The 2nd from last riders were on a tandem and the absolute last was an embarrassed looking bloke.  He seemed to be riding strongly.  Maybe he'd had a puncture.
On the way back I must have been in a "bubble" in the middle of the field.  I didn't see anyone ahead or behind for the whole return.  I thought Dinamo and Parrot Pedaller would reappear but they didn't.  I didn't overtake anyone either.

Finished in good time and had a great baked potato with cheese n beans before riding back to Devon

[Dinamo]

Good description of a great day from Vorsprung and Ian H - it truly is a spectacular event in good weather.

Memories for me were

- 60kmh + down Cothelstone hill
- 6kmh up Cothelstone hill !
- seeing Vorsprung disappear into the distance
- great cakes at Dunkery and finish control