Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - See you at the PBP!!

I'm off to Europe Sunday evening ... so to all of you who are going to the PBP ... see you there! :D

Best wishes for good weather and a great ride!

See you there. I'll be arriving on the 15th and staying at the Hotel Campanile.

Bon chance!

Good luck to everyone who's going.

Good luck to all of you. Maybe in 2011, I'll be there too.

leaving this Saturday!!!

Thought this was kinda interesting.
Interview with Colin Anderson, who will partake in the Paris to Brest cycle race:

http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ntn/ntn-20070809-0928-The_Flying_Postie-064.mp3

Good luck everyone!!!

Have fun and be safe. I wish you lot's of tailwind. I'm shooting to attend 2011.

We are in Belgium right now ... seeing some sights before making our way to Paris. :)

We are in Belgium right now ... seeing some sights before making our way to Paris. :)

My wife and I spent hours walking around Paris today. We got back to our hotel in Versailles just in time for a thunderstorm to hit.

Since getting my bike last August I have put over 6000 miles on it, and have never ridden it in the rain. Could PBP be the first time? :eek:

I fly out Wednesday. We are well overdue for a wet PBP...

Just came back from a 6 weeks trip in the UK (LeJoG then durness-dover) and I'm so sick of the rain and suffering on th bike that I'm even considering giving up PBP! Plus, it's really starting to freak me out!!
Luckily I can gather some motivation during the week...

I'm on my way to Paris on Thursday morning...hopefully my bike and I arrive in the same place at the same time! No worries, I could always rent a Parisian yellow bike and go for it I guess.

Weather will be weather, but the forecast looks good and cool, albeit a bit wet and windy for a good chunk of the route. That's where the fenders come in handy. Decided to bring a few more warm layers too...I got cold some nights in 2003.

See you there! Bon Route!

Weather will be weather, but the forecast looks good and cool, albeit a bit wet and windy for a good chunk of the route. That's where the fenders come in handy. Decided to bring a few more warm layers too...I got cold some nights in 2003. My front Honjo fender decided to make life interesting and shear off my bike on Friday. I briefly considered going without and then looked at the forecast and realized that would be foolish.

Fortunately, Harris Cyclery ('http://www.harriscyclery.com') is just a couple of miles away and I was able to nip over and get a replacement. Hooray for having a local bike shop that stocks uncommon touring parts.

Off to France on Wednesday!

Back to work thursday and friday, as ready to go monday as I can be. Now, Claire ...


[...] I'm even considering giving up PBP! Plus, it's really starting to freak me out!! Preparation is key. Don't worry, be happy, don't give up without solid reasons, remember your Lance Amstrong quote about quitting. You need to sleep well before monday evening. You completed your qualifiers so you know what is ahead of you. For most, the 600 km (<40 hours, remember) is harder than the real PBP (40 + 50 = 90 hours for 1200 km). Identify each single pain or other cause for worry and concentrate on sorting it out ahead of time. Prepare your pack(s), the timing of each stop, your bicycle, batteries, *everything. Store it somewhere, not to touch it until saturday


Luckily I can gather some motivation during the week...Go for it. Over 4000 people will be here to help you through the headwind on the first leg to Loudéac: a great moment

Sadly, Machka abandoned PBP at Loudeac. No word on what caused her to call it quits, though she had been flirting with the time cutoff throughout her ride.

Too bad about Machka. Hope she's ok. For those of you who want to follow your fave PBP riders:

http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/EN/index.php?showpage=64

Indeed, too bad about Machka. Makes me wonder if she over-trained for the event - I seem to recall some posts of hers referring to some issues with the brevets leading into PBP.

Oh well - Rocky Mountain 1200 next year, perhaps?

That is too bad, hope she's ok.

That is too bad, hope she's ok.

+1

Machka, I've never talked directly to you, but reading your posts has inspired me and helped me ride farther. I hope you at least had a great adventure on your trip!

+1

Machka, I've never talked directly to you, but reading your posts has inspired me and helped me ride farther. I hope you at least had a great adventure on your trip!
Likewise, she's one of my BF idols also. I hope all is well.

rowan is out too.
last i checked spokenword was still moving along - and from the site i tracked a few other folks i know from boston and it looked like they were riding together.

the site has been down for awhile. i'll check again when it comes up. results should be in by now. i hope everyone made it in safe!

This from another forum, a post by Machka's father this morning.
"Machka wrote me.
The weather was so bad they were "not having fun any more."
Rowan was riding his fixed gear and doing well with it, but pulled out for Machka's sake."

Stage 15 is the last controle right? Once you get to that stage, you've completed the PBP, correct?

Correct.

Correct.
Thanks Constant.

looks like spokenword made it in. still looking for official results, but the site isn't updated. it shows he cleared the last control, but i'm not sure how to double check his time vs. start time and control open - close times. i'm assuming it lists him finishing - so - well done! (and well done even if my assumption is incorrect!)

Sorry to hear that the weather forced Machka and Rowan out of the ride, but I'm glad it wasn't injury or sickness. Thanks for passing on that information, tizeye.

it shows he cleared the last control, but i'm not sure how to double check his time vs. start time and control open - close times. i'm assuming it lists him finishing - so - well done!

The 90-hour start time was 21:30 on August 20. That would put the time you needed to get into the last control at 16:30, on August 24.

I'm pretty sure anyone they're listing as having arrived at Stage 15 finished on time. The latest arrival time I've found is 16:28.

EDIT: Actually, 15:30 would be 90 hours from 21:30. So a Stage 15 arrival notice may not actually be confirmation that you made it -- I've seen several entries that list arrivals later than 15:30.

well, is says spokenword hit at 16:00... so we'll have to see how it all went.

from what i read, the 90-hour start was separated into at least three or four waves, maybe more, so you'd think that those who started in the later waves would have a correspondingly later finish time as well.

ConstantRider is correct. ALSO, the 84 hour riders have until 17:00 to complete the ride (and probably a little later if they start in waves too).

Anyone hear anything from Machka yet?

Anyone hear anything from Machka yet?

her and rowan dropped out somewhere before the turnaround... due to the weather. i think there's a quote in here somewhere...

from what i read, the 90-hour start was separated into at least three or four waves, maybe more, so you'd think that those who started in the later waves would have a correspondingly later finish time as well. The latest arrival time for the 9:30 pm start was 3:30pm friday. But: (1) there were more than 4 waves for the 90-hours departures, each within about 15' difference, and each subsequent wave benefits, of course, of an arrival time extended by the same amount of time; (2) I heard from the people who organized checing in Brest (maybe ACP folks, but not sure) that they had extended the closing time for Brest and all subsequent controls by two (2) hours for obscure reasons I have not understood. It seems ACP or their database got a mixup in the departure times among all different 90-hours waves and thus extended latest time for arrival at the SQY final check point to 5:30 pm. I have looked for Machka along the ride and do not believe I saw her (given with no guarantee)

I finished in 87:22. I stopped having fun when it started to rain precisely at my 2100 hour start. ;) The next 20 hours of rain didn't help. Wednesday the weather was great, until it started to rain later in the evening. My main sleep stops were in Loudeac, both ways. There is nothing like rolling out of a warm sleeping bag in the middle of the night to get on your bike and ride - in the cold rain. Thursday was ok, except for the rain, and Friday was ok, with the sun threatening to come out. But then it rained just as I was getting back into Guyancourt.

Did I mention the rain?

The start was dangerous, what with the metal plates (man hole covers) here and here. A few times I got slightly out of control. I saw a guy in a velocar (enclosed three wheeler) pull a stupid stunt, lose control, and take out the triplet and a recumbent. Everybody got up from that accident. The velocar rider had to crawl out from under his upside down vehicle.

Overall I think I got about 10 hours of sleep.

The latest arrival time for the 9:30 pm start was 3:30pm friday. But: (1) there were more than 4 waves for the 90-hours departures, each within about 15' difference, and each subsequent wave benefits, of course, of an arrival time extended by the same amount of time; (2) I heard from the people who organized checing in Brest (maybe ACP folks, but not sure) that they had extended the closing time for Brest and all subsequent controls by two (2) hours for obscure reasons I have not understood. It seems ACP or their database got a mixup in the departure times among all different 90-hours waves and thus extended latest time for arrival at the SQY final check point to 5:30 pm. I have looked for Machka along the ride and do not believe I saw her (given with no guarantee)

At Brest they tood me about the extra two hours, but sounded like they were pushing back the total time by two hours. In reality they were telling me that Brest was closing a couple of hours later than it normally would. Why they were telling me this (I was in 2-3 hours before closing), I have no clue. To avoid confusion they should have put up a sign, in various languages, saying exactly what they meant.

Other people had the same impression.

Avez-vous réussi à terminer PBP?
Si oui ,félicitations,si non ,c'était extraordinaire de l'avoir tenté.
Robert

looks like spokenword made it in. still looking for official results, but the site isn't updated. it shows he cleared the last control, but i'm not sure how to double check his time vs. start time and control open - close times. i'm assuming it lists him finishing - so - well done! (and well done even if my assumption is incorrect!) I started in the third wave of riders heading out at 2210 on 20 August, and right off the bat, I wasn't a happy rider. Legs felt weak, French roads felt fairly tight and it was a little nerve wracking riding in a peloton of 100+ riders on rain slick streets.

and, as ronsmithjunior, says ... it was raining ;) a cold, hard miserable rain that felt like an early onset of winter. The combination of all of those factors on top of having to ride 140km just to get to a point where I could eat some food and wash my face made me wish for death. I was seriously doubting if I would even make it as far as Brest.

Then, in the village of Maurepas, there was an open cafe, a midnight oasis of light and warmth and company. I got off my bike, walked inside and tried to edge my way to the counter. A local spectator cut in front of me and before I could WTF my way past him, he got the bartender's attention and ordered a cafe. Then, the local turned to me and asked, "Vous voulez une cafe aussi?"

I gave a slightly test "Oui" then after hearing my accent, he switched to English and said, "it is my policy to only buy drinks for riders who will finish the Paris-Brest. If you promise that you will finish, then I will buy you a coffee. Will you finish?"

I said, yes. He bought me a coffee. I finished. :)

I cleared the final rotary at St. Quentin-En-Yvelines and was off my bike by 1530, but the lines at the control to get that final stamp and card swipe was so long that I wasn't "done" until 1600. I might have been able to finish earlier, but I arranged it my girlfriend to meet at the finish around 1500, and I figured that I'd give her a little extra time to get from the station to the finish. I also did a good chunk of the ride with a quartet of New England randonneurs whom I rode with during this year, and while it was a bit tricky juggling all of our various schedules and riding habits, I will say that the emotional support and encouragment that we gave each other played a massive factor in finishing.

The rumours that we were hearing was that over 1000 riders (20% of the field) had abandoned just after 24 hours from the ride start. It was a miserable PBP and I don't begrudge anyone who didn't want to finish it. It was a risky business with so many riders on so many slick roads. I spoke to more than a few who were abandoning because of injury, stupid little crashes that come about because you're riding with a bunch of cyclists who come from 20 different countries with 20 different languages and forms of cycling etiquette.

A longer report will certainly follow when I'm back home and not paying for internet access by the minute.

... but, yes, I'm done! Congrats to all of the other riders, regardless of whether they finished or not. Under those conditions, even making it as far as the 140km to Mortagne au Perche seemed like an epic achievement.

Yeah, I knew she'd withdrawn, I was just wondering if anyone had heard from her since......

as in she isn't banged up or something?
her and rowan dropped out somewhere before the turnaround... due to the weather. i think there's a quote in here somewhere...

Wow spokenword. That sounded like an unpleasant event this year. It's good to hear you made it tho.
Congrats to you and big thumbs up to all the riders who attended!

I finished. :)




beers and dinner are on me the next time i'm in boston town!
congrats! :)

damn! you did it. PBP! well done spokenword!

way to go spokenword! :beer::beer::beer::)

Congrats spokenword!! I heard someone else who said it was the hardest thing he had ever done. One to be proud of then?

The kicker about the weather is that today (Saturday) was absolutely wonderful. Clear blue skies and warm temps. It made me want to ride my bike, which I did for a short bit here in Versailles.

Btw, I have to say that the French people are great. They really are something else.

The kicker about the weather is that today (Saturday) was absolutely wonderful. Clear blue skies and warm temps. It made me want to ride my bike, which I did for a short bit here in Versailles.

Btw, I have to say that the French people are great. They really are something else.

Don't say that out loud anywhere in the US or you'll be shot on the spot :eek:

Don't say that out loud anywhere in the US or you'll be shot on the spot :eek:

Not by me!:eek:

Not by me!:eek:

There are certainly exceptions to the rule :)

Congrats ronsmithjunior!! that was a major effort. Nothing worse than starting a ride with wet stuff persisting down. one you can chalk up and be proud of.