The Club

As you'll have noticed by now, I've hived all Dumb Run topics into what used to be the potting shed. Jarvis helped me sweep out all the dead flies and spiders and clean the windows and I've left him to sort out getting rid of Zipperhead's forgotten stash of German pr0n (which I'm sure he must have got from Murdoc) and Gunner's mouldy old pile of "Guns and Ammo".

So feel free to get on with planning and conniving. Any and all suggestions welcomed, whether specific to next year's, commiserations about this year's, fond recollections of past years, ideas about how we could make it better... Anything at all. Maybe we want to consider having more organisation and finding someone to man a stovies and tea van halfway. Maybe we want to contemplate arranging for a return coach to Edinburgh. Maybe we want to keep it small and private and just accept that there will be some years when it won't happen because we'll all be otherwise indisposed.

I'll be putting up a public page on the League's website specific to the Dumb Run in the hope of attracting some new people, and including the fruits of any discussions we have here.

Sam

From Exmouth Exodus experience if you really want to grow the 'Run then whoring it round as many fora etc as possible seems to be a good start - and advertising it to local clubs/CTC etc. We think the Exodus now seems to be growing via word of mouth more than anything.

There is a fairly large contingent of Scottish cyclists on Cycle Chat (CC Ecosse) who might well be up for it, and might also be up for helping out with tea and stovies. Tea and stovies half way sounds like an excellent idea...

Yeah. I've considered that. This year I did post it to the Edinburgh Fixed Gear Forum, but they're a bunch of wusses who decided to do it during daylight and stop at Edinburgh instead! I'm not joining YACF just to advertise the Dumb Run, either.

In previous years I haven't been all that bothered. Small was nice. Small was good. Small meant we could all get on the train. But with this year's ride having to be cancelled basically because I couldn't do it, I don't want to be left feeling that whether or not the ride goes ahead is dependent on whether I'm going to be there. If more people turn up then there's more likelihood of it being an annual event even if the usual suspects aren't there.

Then again, maybe we don't want that. I don't want it to become a CycleChat ride. Or a YACF ride. This is something that we've been doing and we've been organising. I sort of like the self-sufficiency of it, and the fact that there isn't any support and you're pretty much on your own except for the other riders.

It's something to discuss, anyway.

Sam

Suppose it all boils down to whether you want a small ride that you will enjoy, or to develop a bigger ride that you might not enjoy as much, but other riders will benefit from.

I understand the appeal of small and self-sufficient, but agree that's only ever going to attract a small number of 'ard as nails riders. Adding a few bits in like stovies and transport might encourage people to come out and ride their first overnight ride, or their first century without worrying that they've bitten off more than they can chew (like the Edinburgh fixies ), and that's the kind of ride that will happen even if you're not able to ride.

You could always try promoting it as a bigger event next year, and then if it takes off and you don't like it...just don't publicise the 2012 date!

Overnighters in the more remote areas of the UK aren't likely to become YACF or CC rides in the way the Dynamo has. Even though the Exodus is kind of established as a calendar event now I don't feel it's likely to attract mass participation from forum groups in the same way, because we're not near London.

I'll see what the others think -- and I don't just mean graduates of previous years, but anyone who has contemplated doing it and hasn't yet.

There's an extra level of organisation involved in doing tea stops and return transport and the like. I'm wary of getting sucked in to providing that because I'm nervous of (a) orgaising a pile of stuff and then everyone pulling out at the last minute; and (b) taking on more than I have time or energy to sort out.

The first Dunwich Dynamo I did was when the only return coaches were the three organised by Greenwich Cyclists, and the only reason I got a place on one of those was because I knew Barry. But there were already a couple of hundred people doing it by then, and coach places were over-, rather than under-subscribed. I suppose we could do it by charging up front for a coach place and getting enough to cover the costs of hiring one.

Maybe.

Sam

The return coach is a level of complexity I couldn't be bothered sorting out to be honest. The train back isn't too hard. If numbers increased, getting there would become an issue.

Before we get into tea and oranges at half time, could we find the volunteers to actually do it? I suppose we could phone the pub we stop at and ask nicely.

Personally, I'm not that keen on herding large (40+) riders but some more people would be nice too.

That's true. If numbers increase we might have to start looking for somewhere to go near to the start that has, oh I dunno, a pub with a field or something.

Or maybe starting in Helensburgh. That's what I mean: everything is up for discussion.

You wouldn't have to organise the coach personally, Will. But someone would have to. The issue is whether or not there is likely to be sufficient demand. I wouldn't mind there being a coach to bring us back to Edinburgh, although if there were enough people to warrant it then our St Andrews catering would need rethinking too.



That's my concern as well.



That's the thing. I'm not keen on sorting out everyone's food/travel needs. But is that what it's going to take to get more people to join us?

Sam

We could start by re-hashing the route maybe (pub meet and some maps?) and we can see what sort of interest we attract. I'm not adverse to trying to drum up numbers a bit and seeing what happens. Ideally I'd like it to remain pretty much unsupported unless people deliberately choose to volunteer their time, rather than having to persuade people to do it.

I think return coaches would be way too much faff!

I can point yacfers over here with directions if drumming up of numbers is useful - I don't think there's any chance it would get taken over by them, if only because yacf has a higher concentrate from the south east.

There is that.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to point out that we have already set the date for next year.

Sam

I'd like to point out that I've already posted a reference to the new Whestrail service. Edinburgh to Fort William VIA DUMBARTON with guards vans and plenty of bike space.
I think that might be useful....