This Saturday, 20 Tokyo Morvelo CC members, couriers, riders and friends met in Hyde Park to ride the roughly 140 miles to the Durdle Door in Dorset through the night. Similar in distance and elevation to the Dunwich Dynamo, this ride is characterised more by the small numbers and group ethos; we ride together, with a van for support, making sure that everyone is happy with the pace and no-one gets left behind.
We left late, around 9, but with the sun gently going down nothing seemed particularly rushed. It also gave everyone the time to meet each other and talk about the ride – people shared out the food they needed, and what they wanted to keep in the van. One of the nicest bikes to ride with us was this Tokyo Fixed Wide Open, which had been rebranded as a Kinoko frame by the owner, who preferred the shop name.
The first ever Kinoko branded bike!
The Team
With a ride of this length, it’s not a question of speed – the only real opponents you have are concentration, nutrition and the psychological aspect of things. We started at a decent pace, not looking for Strava KOM’s means people are free to chat or concentrate on the lights of London at night. Riding beyond the M25 was a straightforward affair, and we first stopped about 30 miles out to meet up with the van. After this, as the terrain started to roll more, and a front group managed to put just enough distance on the majority of the pack to let one person slide out from the break and miss a turning. After a long break at ‘Best Kebab’ on the side of the road, we called out missing rider and found him down the road in Alton.
Ensuring that the pack stays together with 20 people of various abilities on various bikes is not easy, but after the scare of loosing a rider the group kept the pace easy, but as the roads grew quieter and the night grew colder, the psychological aspect starts to take hold. People are quieter, there is less to draw your attention on the road, only your front light illuminating the wheel of the rider in front and the flashes of trees and houses on your route. Apart from a few stops to change batteries, we ground through the worst of the night, accompanied only by the occasional car or a fellow rider asking for some food, or a little water.
Nat grinding coffee beans
The next major stop was along the canalside in Winchester. Given enough time to grab legwarmers or jackets from the van also let us relax a little, long enough for Nat to emerge from the van with a camping stove and a percolator, grinding his own beans for espresso. It might be a bit big for your jersey pockets, but a hot coffee beats an energy gel hands down. Others, myself included, opted for some rum to keep the warmth up. The hill climb out of Winchester was probably the best way to wake our legs up again, each stop letting the cold seep in and the cramp worsen.
The next section was probably the hardest. We had left the majority of the A-roads behind us, and even the infrequent street lighting from before was a thing of the past. Some had brought head torches or heavy duty Exposure lights, but the visibility lights common to London riders didn’t cast enough light. Descending blind, in the night, the sky shadowed by trees and with a very uncertain road surface did not make for a confidence inspiring ride. The chances of a fall, or a bad mechanical was increasing as people got tired, people lost their focus on the road and legs got tired and cramped. This section was happening between 2 and 4 in the morning, and people moving around the silent riders, often only identifying them by the sounds of their bikes (Marco’s screaming DT Swiss rear hub, Wookie’s keys jangling, the hum of Andy’s cross tyres on the tarmac), made for an bizarre and unique experience, if not an entirely positive one.
As the roads got more rural, and the trees got more dense, we pulled in to a car park in the New Forest around 4am.
Darren makes a friend
Jess opts for some stretches
The first hints of dawn
The New Forest stop marked a point where lots of people needed to sleep. An hour or so, stretched out under the short pines on soft moss was a welcome break for many of the riders, wrapped in a shawl or a towel from the van. Others, like Jess, stretched their limbs out or walked around without their cycling shoes. Nat made more coffee, and a little scotch was passed around to stop the cold creeping in. Everyone ate.
I didn’t want to sleep, I’m happy staying up all night, but I’m not good after a nap. I thought I saw something on the other side of the road, and decided to investigate. I ended up making friends with a group of wild horses so common in the New Forest, and one colt in particular was fearless, and decided that my shoes, Darren’s shawl and Robbins beard were particularly interesting. Around this time the dawn first started to creep in from under the clouds. By the time we had left, the sky was brightening although the sun hadn’t yet risen.
Our new friend
The ride through the New Forest was my favourite part of road – everyone was either rested or had eaten enough, the light was up and people were itching to get to the beach. The forest was incredible, empty open roads lined with gorgeous trees or windswept, weathered moors. The pace picked up and the short, rolling climbs gave everyone the opportunity to stretch the sleep out of their legs. Apart from a few wild horse roadblocks, we rolled through the gorgeous countryside laughing and refreshed in the incredible landscape.
The pack rolling through the moors
The rolling roads at dawn
The roads passed quickly, and without the need for lights or jackets as the day grew warmer, everyone’s spirits rose. As we rode in to Wimborne, the rain started. Not too hard, but sheeting light rain that made the roads slick and and seeping in through jerseys and bibs alike. We stopped in a service station, and quickly decided that it was time for breakfast. I don’t think the Horns Inn was expecting 20 hungry cyclists waiting on the step for 8:30 and open doors, but delicious coffees and fried breakfasts later and the rain had cleared and the sun had started shining. After that we were about 20 miles from the beach. This knowledge, and the perk-up from breakfast meant that a few of us started to push it. About 10 miles out, 5 riders decided that they wanted to dip their toes first, and broke from the group to attack the last of the hills before the beach. The hills started to get more and more tricky, but the second to last ridge allowed us the greatest encouragement so far – a glimpse of the sea.
We screamed down the hill in to West Lulworth, only to take a tiny road that turned in to one of the most gruelling climbs of the day. Some of us hadn’t slept for more than 24 hours by this point, we were 130 miles in and wanted nothing more than to nap and eat on the beach, but this final hill stood in the way. It’s a good kilometre of 15%, and just when you think you’re about to crest, it proceeds to turn a corner and show you another ramp. It’s enough to give even hardened grimpeurs pause, but at the top is the entrance to the park and from there the beach. It was an excellent way to finish the route.
Jess only managed one shoe before falling asleep
Worth it
Darren is on top of the world
The next bay over had chalk white water
Jacob approaches the Door
Despite the tiredness, the fatigue, the stress and the continuing ache in my knees, this was one of the most fulfilling rides I’ve done to date. To finish a gruelling route on the gorgeous beach and able to swim and sunbathe for a few hours was an absolute treat. Tokyo Morvélo are definitely doing this again next year, and might plan more night-rides between times.
I’d like to thank Darren and the messengers, who have been riding this route for a few years, for inviting us along. I’d also like to thank John and Alex for driving the van, which was absolutely invaluable in making sure we could carry enough gear without it weighing us down. Lastly, I’d like to thank everyone who came with us for the great company and good times.
See you next weekend for the !
