The joy of the 'dawnie'

Jonathan said it a few times in the podcast: there is no feeling like starting your day having nailed a TR workout by the time most people are trying to down their first cup of coffee :innocent:

I was at the beach a few months ago and decided to get a ride in early before my wife and kid were out of bed. I didn’t think anything of it because I normally ride indoors early. When I got on the beach it was bright enough for me to see and think nothing off it. While riding, I was surprised at how many people were sitting on the beach facing the opposite direction I was going. I mean, there were a lot, like hundreds. Some started holding up their phone cameras. I looked and saw the sun rising above the ocean horizon behind me. Felt kind of dumb for not realizing they were all out there to see the sun rise and here I was riding the wrong way.

I miss my old commutes sometimes. I don’t enjoy getting out of bed early but I enjoy a good sunrise. I was usually in too much of a rush to get to work and didn’t stop for a pic :-1:

Severn River near the US Naval Academy:

Farmlands near Chapel Hill:

20210815_060835
Now the nights are getting longer, don’t have to get up quite as early to see the dawn. This was taken around 6am yesterday.

Nice thread. I did wonder what the subject matter might be when reading the title.

The one time I stopped.

I was the same, I know we’re quite open about certain topics on this forum but I was wondering how what I imagined a ‘dawnie’ to be had anything to do with cycling.

‘I changed my saddle and now my dawnies have returned’
‘It had been years since I had a dawnie, but since hitting 4w/kg I get one every morning’
etc.

:laughing: (I’m the OP)

This was our present last Saturday. 6 hours into what ended up being a 19 hour ride. Was climbing a tree covered MMR and as we came around the final corner and the grade flattened and we emerged from the trees, it greeted us. I’ve had a lot of ‘dawnies’ but this one was down right magical.

Japan too… early morning rides in the summer are a must if you want to do a +4hr ride. anything after noon means heatstroke caution… or you have to start riding at 4pm…!

Why stop to take pictures? :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: I found that taking pictures while riding (where safe to do so) works wonders for my ability to handle the bike in other circumstances…

I just slowed down a little bit… not a complete stop. lol

Maybe not the normal ‘dawnie’… Taken this morning before a wetsuit swim in the Lido.


Yesterday’s commute to work


After 3 weeks off the bike due to illness and in need of a break, I got out for my first dawnie of the new season.


Within 20mins of leaving home I came across this view.
This is why I ride.

Up above the clouds. Surrey Hills, England, would you believe?!

Lovely