A tale of the unexpected

However hard you train for that event you've targeted, on the day there are so many variables that nothing can be certain. You can (and should) prepare as meticulously as possible but you should also prepare for the unexpected.

Having identified last weekend's Suffolk-based Crafted Classique 100-miler as 'something to aim for', we spent several months building training frequency and mileage until we finally felt reasonably confident of achieving a respectable time.

That's the thing with time chip technology - a sportive becomes, on one level, a mission to propel a digital chip across the line in the shortest possible time. With these chips now automatically associated with the rider numbers securely attached to your bike, there's no escaping that all-important finishing time.

Part of the fun of these events is in the planning and anticipation of the build-up. Piece by piece, you put in place all the essentials. How are you going to get to the start? Are you travelling there on your own or with a fellow rider? Have you got a kit checklist ready? On the day you must ensure that you get yourself to the sign on in good time and equip yourself with a route map. And then you must plan where to meet with friends after the ride and get yourselves home again.

During this obsessional planning period, you become an avid devotee of the long term weather forecast. There's nothing you can really do about it, of course, apart from taking along the appropriate kit. For some, these events present an opportunity (or excuse) to refresh their cycling wardrobe - 'go on...treat yourself!'

We rode last year's event as an informal team but this year saw us ride as Simpson CC. We actively encouraged our readers to join us for the ride and ended up with a good mix of natural rouleurs, confident clubmen and racing veterans, all eager to devour 100 miles of beautiful Suffolk countryside. These guys could set a good pace and maintain it for the duration.

In the end, we split into two groups from the very start, mainly due to varying arrival times. The faster guys were already on the start line as the others arrived to sign on. The weather was good - maybe too good, with baking heat becoming a hydration factor. With high average speeds being clocked up everything looked set for a quick finishing time until one of our riders was taken ill.

When this happens, you must prioritise. Targets and training clearly take second place to a fellow rider's wellbeing. The race against the clock ended there and the final 40 miles became more of a survival challenge. We eased back on the pedals and started to chat on subjects far removed from our present situation. Reaching the finish line now had a different meaning.

We're pleased to say that everyone did make it back in one piece and the ride was still an amazing experience. But it means that we now have a 2016 ride target already in place - not that any excuse was really necessary.

A new arrival

Just as a fine wine needs time to allow its flavours to mature into something special, the best print publications also reward patience. We're delighted to be able to reward yours by announcing that yesterday saw the birth, on press, of issue 7. Cycling is, in large part, about the beauty of objects. We know people who have bought bike parts with no intention of ever using them. All they wanted was to admire them. Perhaps that's why we take such care to make Simpson a thing of beauty. For us, nothing beats the romance of print. From the images we use to the way we present them on the page right down to the quality of the paper stock, everything is carefully considered and, if your comments are anything to go by, it seems you really appreciate that. This sensory appreciation goes even further for some - an Australian reader once told us that, upon releasing his issue of the magazine from its packaging, he was struck by how fine it smelled! The launch of Simpson CC delayed work on our latest issue but it also gave us the time and distance to stand back and really consider the variety of its content. From Team Sky world exclusives to Big Kev and Denise's eulogy to their tandem, we believe this issue covers the whole spectrum that road cycling has to offer. While our attention has been intensely focused on issue 7, issue 6 has been earning us some very welcome recognition by being voted 'Magazine of the month' by Brighton based publication Viva Brighton - vivabrighton.com.

Dunwich Dynamo 2014

Nearly a week has now gone by since our first Dunwich Dynamo, the legendary night ride between Hackney and the Suffolk coast that takes place on the Saturday closest to the full moon in July. The ‘Dun Run’ has grown from a handful of bike messengers who rode the first Dynamo in 1993 to around 2000 riders of all types these days. We saw hardcore racers, tall bikes, Bromptons, knackered old MTBs and pretty much everything in between. There’s a growing number of night rides these days but there’s nothing quite like the Dynamo, with its lack of waymarks or on-ride support, its minimal organisation and the utter chaos involved in getting anywhere from an obscure little village on the Suffolk coast on a Sunday morning. We absolutely loved it. From the cyclist rat-runs that get you out of the big city to the potholed lanes of Essex to the confusing final miles in rural Suffolk, the 120-mile route is pretty flat and, thanks to the prevailing south-westerly winds, reasonably quick – we averaged 15mph without really trying. The spirit of the ride was summed up when we pulled into a feed stop somewhere on the borders of Essex and Suffolk. Like every other feed stop, this one was unofficial and manned by volunteers. Wandering around a darkened garden, we asked a passing stranger if there were any toilets. The stranger turned out to be the owner of the house, who told us as he led us to the bathroom in his home that he’d laid on the refreshments because he used to ride the Dynamo each year and knew that riders might be flagging as they passed his house. Given the low prices he was charging, he was clearly doing it simply for the love of the ride. After 120 gloriously warm, slightly damp miles, we rolled into Dunwich, where the done thing is to jump into the sea for a refreshing dip before contemplating the tortuous journey home. That journey was pretty grim, far too expensive and seemingly endless. Long overnight rides wreak havoc with your sleep patterns. And exhaustion made the start of this working week feel like a monstrous ordeal. But we’ll definitely be back for another Dun Run – just for the love of the ride.

England’s very own strade bianche

Last weekend the Derbyshire town of Bakewell was transformed into a retro cycling haven by L’Eroica Britannia. All the classic bicycle marques of yesteryear gathered and with them came stalls selling every old school accessory and clothing item you can imagine. With hay bales for seats, constant live music and delicious local food and drink on tap, everyone had something to smile about. The weather can be a deal breaker with any outdoor festival but this one really would have suffered in the rain. Quite a bit of the ride was on dirt roads and trails – the equivalent of the strade bianchi, or white roads, of the Italian ride – that would have been very slippery and dangerous if they’d got wet. And of course this being Britain it was impossible to know whether they were going to be until the event was virtually upon us. As it turned out, conditions were pretty much perfect. We signed up for the mid-distance 55-mile ride, with author Tim Moore joining us for the day on his single speed 1914 Hirondelle. During the ride we realised that each of our bikes had their own strengths and weaknesses that left some riders feeling fresher than others at the finish. The choice of 22mm tubs proved particularly challenging on the off-road sections (and let’s not even mention the cobbled ford of six-inch deep water…) The harshness of off-road descents on tired, claw-like hands was more than made up for by some sublime moments of genuine inspiration. At one point early in the ride we emerged from a long dark tunnel into brilliant sunshine and a choir singing – we thought we'd died and gone to heaven! Surveying all that beautiful countryside and basking in the warm sunshine surrounded by beautiful old racing bikes, there were moments when it genuinely felt as though we were in Tuscany. But this illusion was shattered in the most wonderful way when we reached the food stops; Morris dancing, warm beer and pork and stilton sausages will never catch on in Italy!

L'Eroica Britannia competition

L'Eroica Britannia will take place in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire on 20-22 June. Simpson’s planning to be there – and we’d like you to join us.

The Eroica will be the climax of a three-day festival of cycling staged in Bakewell. The ride itself takes place on 22 June, with three different routes to choose from, but all taking in the tunnels and viaducts of the Monsal Trail, a cycling/walking/horse-riding trail built on the former Manchester to London railway line.

We’re launching our competition to coincide with the Milan-Sanremo, arguably the greatest of the Spring classics and the longest professional one-day bike race in the professional calendar at 298km. It’s a race that’s been won by all the greats, from Merckx and Coppi to Cavendish and Cancellara. Tom Simpson himself won the race in 1964.

L’Eroica Britannia has nearly sold out but we’ve secured two places – each worth £70! To win your place on the Simpson team for this amazing ride, all you have to do is identify these five legendary climbs in descending order (no pun intended).

Send your answers to info@simpsonmagazine.cc by 7 May to be in with a chance of joining us for what promises to be one of the best bike rides of 2014.

Good luck!

Images: Paul D'Ambra, Martin Thomas x2, Barney Moss and Thorsten Neuhaus