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hey currently the hardest ride i have done is the alpine classic (210km) with the longest being around the bay in a day (250km)
i want to do the Paris Brest when im 20, would this be asking too much?
i know little about the event currently, except that you have to do events to qualify
this may sound stupid, but how far is it nowadays, i know it used to be 1200km, and how much time do you have?
What are people's equipment set-ups?
How much training did you do leading up to the event?
How hard was it?
any information would be greatly appreciated
Thanks.
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PBP is approximately 1200 Km. You will have 90 hours from the time you start to the time you must finish. The clock never stops running.
To qualify, you must ride a sanctioned 200, 300, 400, and 600Km brevet within the prescribed time limits in 2011.
People do it on virtually any kind of bike that you can imagine, but standard road bikes seem to be most common. There are endless arguments on what is the best bike, but it's pretty universally accepted that comfort is more important than speed.
Most people do many long distance rides 200K+ in the year or two leading up to the event. Some fortunate few do little more than the qualifying events. Others train for years. A steady progression of long rides should be done leading up to the event. Multiple 600K rides would be good and even a 1000K if you can swing it. Longer rides become important so you can learn to deal with sleep deprivation and riding long miles on successive days. The biggest challenge is not physical. It's mental.
It's very hard. At 20 years old, it is likely that it would be much harder than anything you have ever done.
Google "paris brest paris" or go to rusa.org for lots of information.
Good luck to you.
hey currently the hardest ride i have done is the alpine classic (210km) with the longest being around the bay in a day (250km)
i want to do the Paris Brest when im 20, would this be asking too much?
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22youngest+rider%22+paris+brest+paris
i know little about the event currently, except that you have to do events to qualify
this may sound stupid, but how far is it nowadays, i know it used to be 1200km, and how much time do you have?
http://www.google.com/search?q=paris+brest+paris
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris-Brest-Paris
http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/pbp/main.html (in particular is rather good)
What are people's equipment set-ups?
http://www.google.com/search?q=paris+brest+paris+equipment+advice
How much training did you do leading up to the event?
http://www.google.com/search?q=paris+brest+paris+training+advice
How hard was it?
http://www.google.com/search?q=paris+brest+paris+brutal
http://www.google.com/search?q=paris+brest+paris+%22very+easy%22
any information would be greatly appreciated
one tip is that randonneuring is largely about being self-sufficient.
;)
Look up the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association site for tips on how to prepare for long rides like the PBP.
You know the next one is in 2011, right?
Still 1200 kms. Still 90 hours, including all breaks.
The equipment varies from person to person ... it's all something you'll discover as you increase your distance.
Lots of cycling.
The first one I did in 2003 was the hardest ride I'd ever done to that point (and I'd done the RM1200 before). The second one I attempted in 2007 was harder ... and I'd done two other 1200Ks in between.
My goal is to also do PBP 2011. I've started training this spring, and my max distance is currently 71 miles (114 km). Because Randonneuring is mostly self-sufficiency, I've been taking everything that I would need for a brevet with me on every ride I take. This way, I'll know what everything is when I need it. This includes rain gear (jacket and helmet cover), chain tool, spare tubes, multi tool, patch kit, CO2 inflator (which is about to get tossed because the one time I used it, it didn't even get me to 60 psi) and 5 hours worth of water (5 x24ounce bottles, this is more of a courtesy to businesses). I've used every tool on my bike for one thing or another and can fix anything, except for a broken spoke.
I'm expecting for PBP to be the toughest thing for me to have done to date, and I'm slowly getting my self ready for it. 1200 km is 745.7 miles with a 90 hour cut off. Maintaining an average ride speed of 10 mph will allow somebody to finish in 74.56 hours in the saddle and will give you about 15 hours for breaks and sleep breaks. My plan is to average 13mph so I can have 57.4 hours in the saddle and will give me about 32 hours for breaks. I'm currently averaging 16 mph ride times for 100 km (62.2 miles), so I should be able to maintain close to 13 mph average during PBP.
Good luck, and hope to see you there.
flyingcadet
5 hours worth of water as a courtesy to businesses??? I don't understand. Buy a Coke if you feel guilty filling your bottles from a tap. Ditch the extra water.
BTW, get a fiberfix kevlar spoke and you'll be able to fix a broken spoke without removing the cassette.
You're in Australia and if you have done the Alpine Classic, you already have been a member of Audax Australia. All the qualifying events in Australia are organised by Audax Australia. Go to the AA website at http://audax.org.au/public/ and you will find plenty of information there, including stuff about PBP (not in great detail, mind).
As you have done Around the Bay, you also will presumably be a resident of Victoria -- and the Victorian region is one of the most active randonneuring regions in the world. Get a hold of Ryan Bath (secretary) or Merryn Rowland (Vic region rides co-ordinator) and invite yourself along to a Victorian Region club night. The AA website should have details of when and where on it. IF not, PM me.
If you become/are a member of AA, you also will receive the quarterly newsletter Checkpoint. The AA website has some back-copies available in pdf format and they contain a heap pf information that will help you in your journey to Paris over the next 3-1/2 years.
Around 120 Australians went to PBP last year, and you will meet quite a few of them on Victorian rides. Keep an eye out for people such as Barry Moore (national vice-president of AA), Peter Moore (Barry's brother and a rider who has completed four or five PBPs and runs Abbotsford Cycles under Richmond Railway Station -- call in and see him), Leigh Paterson, Kathy Temby, Russell Hamilton, Russell Fremantle, Martin Haynes, Stephen Rowlands, and others.
Plus, if you want to try out a 1200 before PBP, there is no better an event than the Great Southern Randonnee over 1200 km later this year, starting in Anglesea and traversing a route that includes the Great Ocean Road, and into the Grampian Mountains.
Long distance riding does require a certain degree of maturity in outlook and judgment that starts right at the planning stage. That maturity is not dependent on age.
An other regular poster here, LWaB, is a real veteran of PBP and has done it in various deliberately tougher ways than you would imagine. He has an intimate knowledge of its history, and likely can tell you of youngsters from England who have done the event (one of them a girl -- so if she can do it, so can you :D ).
Fulfilling the stereotype...
There are always several 18 year old riders at PBP, the minimum age allowed. The youngest Brit last year had his 19th birthday during the event and is a great bloke. In 2003, the youngest British girl rode less than 2000 km between January and the start of PBP (it takes 1500 km to qualify). The youngest rider in '99 was Vicki Brown, celebrating her 18th birthday a week before the start. At 20 you'll be fine, provided you are prepared for the adventure.
Peter Moore is one of 2 Aussies to have completed 5 PBPs. 6 Americans and 2 Canadians have completed 6. 2 Brits have ridden 7, a Spaniard has done 9 and 5 Frenchmen have finished 10. Everyone I've spoken to said it doesn't get any easier. Almost certainly, 6 out of 7 'newbies' will finish the next PBP, as will 6 out of 7 'old hands'.
There is plenty of useful information already posted but here are some 'odds and sods'. The traditional wisdom is 'if you can qualify, you can finish PBP' but riding an additional Super Randonneur series the previous year seems to calm the nerves while qualifying. Determination is the major part of riding brevets but training certainly helps.
tomoscotto, like spokenword is saying, you can find a lot of info online just using search engines and reading forums.
I'm also in my 20s and want to do PBP in 2011. Just a few months ago I didn't really know that people were cycling such long distances. I had heard of Paris-Bordeaux and PBP but somehow I thought only pros were doing this sort of thing.
I've been cycling for years, but I don't know many other cyclists and the ones I know just ride around 100 km. So maybe that's why I never went further myself.
But a few months ago I had a revelation when reading Dave McLoughlin's journal (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=3134&v=1S5) on crazyguyonabike. This guy is touring from Ireland to South Africa, but when he was in France he cycled 500 km in about a day (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3Tzut&page_id=67363&v=hp) and a night (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3Tzut&page_id=67364&v=hY), just taking short breaks. I asked myself: do people really do that?, I started reading forums, PBP reports, various blogs, visiting Audax club sites and that's basically how I discovered about long distance cycling.
As I said, I've read a lot of things online, and it's good to have some advice on some dos and don'ts, but I think that I will figure things out mostly by training a lot.
I'll just use my current bike, a steel racing bike that was bought from a supermarket in France over 10 years ago for about 300 euros. I'll start by doing a few centuries on that and see what I need to change from that experience.
I just want to add the best advice I heard about riding PBP (I got it from Rowan before the start in Paris): don't forget to HAVE FUN!!
tomoscotto -- just to provide a less smart-alecky response: the advice that I've given to friends who've expressed interest in PBP or randonneuring is to take things one ride at a time. It's always good to have PBP as an overarching goal and four years is a lot of time to prepare, but it's easy to burn out if you go really hard in the first couple of years and lose your enthusiasm by the time 2011 rolls around.
So, yeah, if you want to get into randonneuring, find a 200k brevet and train up to ride that. If you like it, sign up for a 300k. Think about the equipment that you used in a 200k and about what you might want to change for your 300k. Think about how your ate in your 200k and how you felt and whether that should mean changing your diet in the 300k or if you ought to stick with what works. If you like the 300k, sign up for a 400k.
When you complete the 600, then start thinking of a 1200 like PBP. Every ride trains you for the next longest one. Treat the shorter brevets as events in and of themselves and you'll find that each one has lessons that they can teach you.
Enjoy the journey even if your eye is on the destination.
5 hours worth of water (5 x24ounce bottles, this is more of a courtesy to businesses).
All you need are 2 bottles. Buy your water from the businesses when you need to fill those. I rarely get tap water from anywhere, you just never know where that water has been. Ick.
All you need are 2 bottles. Buy your water from the businesses when you need to fill those. I rarely get tap water from anywhere, you just never know where that water has been. Ick.
I'm a poor college student that pinches pennies. If I can provide it to myself for free, then I'm not going to bother buying it, in this case water. Now, the courtesy to businesses is that I feel it is rude to ask for free water without buying anything. I'm not a big soda drinker, so I'm not willing to buy a coke or something to make myself feel better. Besides, I look at it like this. I am utterly self sufficient for 5 hours with my set up. This means that I do not have to worry about refilling or buying more. I can just keep going. If my two bottles are empty, I stop and swap 'em out, less than a minute. How can I make this better? I have a 3 liter camelback bladder waiting for the dog days of summer....I'm crazier than most realize :D
I suffer more from aerodynamics (Panniers) than from added weight, so I don't keep worry about the weight.:beer:
flyingcadet
I'm a poor college student that pinches pennies. If I can provide it to myself for free, then I'm not going to bother buying it, in this case water.
According to analytic cycling (http://www.analyticcycling.com/ForcesLessWeight_Page.html), the 8 pounds of water that you are carrying (5 x 24 oz. bottles ~ 1 gallon of water ~ 8.33 lbs.) will slow you down such that you will require an extra 1.5 hours to complete a 200k brevet (assuming 20 lb. bike and 150 lb. rider)
One gallon of water (your 120 fluid ounces) weighs about 8.33 pounds on your bike and costs about $1.30 in the States. Assuming you need to consume 250 calories per hour of riding and you are feeding yourself on fig newtons,you will need to spend an additional $1.00 on food (assuming 4 fig newtons @ $.25 ea) and probably another $0.25 cents in additional water.
So, you're basically adding an extra 90 minutes to your ride to save five cents.
That's what we call pennywise and pound foolish.
So, you're basically adding an extra 90 minutes to your ride to save five cents.
This breakdown is as good as the magazine review of new cranksets where the difference between lightest and heaviest was something like 20g, which they said is about the same as taking off your sunglasses.
I'm sorry, but I'm not seeing your benefit. If I were to buy a gallon of water for $1.33, I would have to break it up into about 5 24ounce bottles anyway, and then still transport it. To do what you are suggesting, I would have to buy a 24 ounce bottle of water every time I run out of water. on a 5 hour ride, I will have to buy 3 bottles of water at $1 each (again, assuming I start off with 2 bottles that I have filled myself). Using you cost estimate for fig netwons (I use cliffs, which are about the same $-wise), fueling myself for the extra 90 minutes is worth it. Because I would be saving $3 dollars by not getting water, but I'd still spend a dollar fueling myself, so I would have a net savings of $2 dollars. That is a lot more than 5 cents.
I would have to say that you argument for weight savings appears to be dead on, but your argument for money savings was a little off. I don't know about where you are from, but here, it may cost $1.33 per gallon, but once the distributors break it up into 24 ounce bottles, they crank the price up to about $1 to a $1.50 per bottle. You're paying for the convenience of the smaller bottle.
flyingcadet
All you need are 2 bottles. Buy your water from the businesses when you need to fill those. I rarely get tap water from anywhere, you just never know where that water has been. Ick.
In the United States, tap water is regularly analyzed to ensure it's safety. There are strict standards for impurities. Bottled water is much less regulated, though fortunately, most companies draw their supply from municiple water supplies and simply run it though some filters and perhaps add a few minerals to adjust the taste.
There are certainly places in the world where tap water is not guaranteed safe to drink but I didn't realize that Canada was one of them. I'm really surprised but I'll keep it in mind should I come up there.
In the United States, tap water is regularly analyzed to ensure it's safety. There are strict standards for impurities. Bottled water is much less regulated, though fortunately, most companies draw their supply from municiple water supplies and simply run it though some filters and perhaps add a few minerals to adjust the taste.
There are certainly places in the world where tap water is not guaranteed safe to drink but I didn't realize that Canada was one of them. I'm really surprised but I'll keep it in mind should I come up there.
In Canada, especially if the water is well water which it often is in the small towns we cycle through, it can be contaminated with e-coli. E-coli in the well water killed a bunch of people in a small town in Ontario a few years ago. Throughout the prairies, throughout the summer, various small towns will have their water tested, and will then issue "boil water" bans, if the e-coli content isn't too bad ... or "bottled water" bans if the e-coli content is really high.
In addition to that, spring run-off can give water the flavor and color of a muddy stream ... it's actually quite disgusting, and again, many communities will recommend boiling the water or buying bottled water ... not so much because we're going to get sick or die from it, but because the water looks and tastes horrible. (For about 2 months in the spring here in Red Deer, you want to buy bottled water for that reason)
And in addition to that, in some parts of the prairies, they get their water from lakes. In the heat of the summer, these lakes can develop a high infestation of algea ... which gives water a very swampy taste, and again the color of a muddy stream. During these times towns and cities will issue boil water bans, and will also recommend buying bottled water. If Winnipeg, for example, gets hot in the summer (which it does 5 summers out of 6) they'll have a problem with algea in the water for a few weeks.
As a cyclist cycling through some small community out in the middle of nowhere, you don't know what the water situation in that community is. Occasionally, if the situation is really, really dangerous, they might post signs on the highways as you go into the community, and also in restaurants and washrooms, etc., but they don't always do that ... you can't count on being informed. And if it's just a matter of the water tasting foul, with a recommendation that it be boiled, there won't be signs. If you talk to the waitress in a restaurant or the person behind the counter in the convenience store or grocery story, they might tell you what the situation is ... or it might slip their minds.
In my early days of Randonneuring, I used to just fill up anywhere, and if you've got an opaque bottle and the washroom is a bit dim, you don't necessarily see that the water going into the bottle is the color of weak tea. It's later, down the road, when you take a swig of it that you discover you've got sludge water there.
It happened to me on the RM1200 ... I wasn't listening to the radio (until I finished the ride) and didn't hear that they were having water issues in Kamloops (so it doesn't always happen on the prairies, sometimes it happens in the mountains too). I filled my bottles in the motel, and put them in the fridge to chill. At 10 pm, we started the ride, and a short while later I took a drink ..... YECH!! I made it to the first control drinking the bottle I had my gatorade in because that one tasted marginally better (because of the flavoring) ... and I refilled that one at the first control, and the taste got only slightly better. When daylight came, I emptied out my water bottle (the one that did not have gatorade in it) ... and you couldn't have told the difference between it and the gatorade bottle ... the water that came out of that bottle was ORANGE, with sediment in the bottom! I developed a sore throat early on in that ride, and I suspect the water was part of the cause.
On other occasions, it is really obvious ... you walk into the washroom, and you know the water is bad ... you can smell it.
Oh, and Canada isn't the only place ... Rowan and I stopped at a little park in a small town in Australia. There were signs up about not drinking the water, and when we went in the toilet, it was obvious why not ... the water was BLACK. Literally BLACK. It was bore water (well water). Great for flushing toilets ... not good for anything else.
And so ... I buy my water.
here's a great article/survey about 2007 PBP equipment choices: http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/BQPBPEquipsurvey.pdf
economics aside, i don't see an issue with carrying your own water, even five bottles. sure it may slow the rider down a bit, but if they can still make it in time, no problem. some bikes have three bottle-cages anyway, so an extra two bottles isn't all that crazy. no to mention that the weight obviously gets smaller & smaller with each sip.
having said that, on our local brevets it is considered a courtesy to buy something at a checkpoint when it's just a general-store and the cashier is signing brevet cards. they won't be as enthusiastic about volunteering unless the riders are customers as well. so buy some gum at least!
best of luck training! hopefully i'll be at the starting line for the 2011 PBP too.
flyingcadet -
In the case of potentially contaminated water, for someone that doesn't want to continuously drop money on bottled water, you could save the weight of carrying 5 litres of water by carrying a mini-filter. It's not as time-efficient as a quick pit stop to buy a litre of water, or swap out empty bottles for full, but in the long run it's more cost effective. An even quicker option is a filter-top bottle with replaceable cartridges.
what about those pills that make water drinkable? i used these once when camping (moldy water from a lake/pond), they made it taste ok and we didn't get sick.
http://saratogatradingcompany.com/potable_aqua_purification_tablets.html
here's a great article/survey about 2007 PBP equipment choices: http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/BQPBPEquipsurvey.pdf
I think I recognize spokenword's wonderful Club Racer on page 23 of this report.
It's important to note that the survey was of RUSA riders only, I'm sure the results would be a bit different if the survey had included riders from other countries.
I think I recognize spokenword's wonderful Club Racer on page 23 of this report.
It's important to note that the survey was of RUSA riders only, I'm sure the results would be a bit different if the survey had included riders from other countries.
Yes ... especially if they had included the British!
what about those pills that make water drinkable? i used these once when camping (moldy water from a lake/pond), they made it taste ok and we didn't get sick.
http://saratogatradingcompany.com/potable_aqua_purification_tablets.html
The problem with using chemical purifiers (peroxides, hypochlorites, iodine and the new oxidizer saline systems) is that you have to wait between 90 and 240 minutes before you can drink your water. Mechanical filtration, while it won't catch viral contaminants (which are fairly uncommon), is ready immediately and in the case of brackish or tannic water it will remove sedimentary particulates that chemical purifiers leave behind.
The problem with using chemical purifiers (peroxides, hypochlorites, iodine and the new oxidizer saline systems) is that you have to wait between 90 and 240 minutes before you can drink your water. Mechanical filtration, while it won't catch viral contaminants (which are fairly uncommon), is ready immediately and in the case of brackish or tannic water it will remove sedimentary particulates that chemical purifiers leave behind.
good point!
It's important to note that the survey was of RUSA riders only, I'm sure the results would be a bit different if the survey had included riders from other countries.
i don't doubt that.. what major differences do you think we'd see with non-RUSA randos? less carbon fiber perhaps?
I think I recognize spokenword's wonderful Club Racer on page 23 of this report. yes, indeed! though, I lament that it was taken after I had to detach the front fender (a screw holding it in place in the fork crown had loosened and I removed it at Mortagne Au Perche) The fender does bring that whole front together.
I don't doubt that.. what major differences do you think we'd see with non-RUSA randos? less carbon fiber perhaps? not necessarily -- Italians and Germans seemed rather fond of modern racing technology. I think, if one were to make sweeping generalizations ...
... the British will tilt the scale towards steel touring bikes
... the Italians and Spaniards will reduce the presence of fenders
... the Canadians will increase the amount of stickers, pins and maple leafs affixed to a bicycle or a jersey
... the Japanese will reduce the average number of yellow waterproof jackets.
but, I found, if anything, Americans are not alone in their love for high-tech sleekness; and aficionados of classic steel are also a pretty international bunch.
i don't doubt that.. what major differences do you think we'd see with non-RUSA randos? less carbon fiber perhaps?
Oh yeah.
The British riders, for example, are the ones on the bicycles they pulled out of the local junk heap and built up into something rideable (an Aussie rider I know did that too!). They are the ones who are on the fixed gear bicycles, the tricycles (like the one you had when you were a kid, but bigger), the triplettes (a tandem for 3) ... stuff like that. They seem to like to add the challenge of a unique piece of riding equipment.
Check out some of the photos and info on the Audax UK site:
http://www.aukweb.net/index2.htm
When it comes to "what bike should I get" for randonneuring. Over the years I've been doing it, I have seen just about every type of human-powered equipment out there on the course. And then, just when I think I've seen it all ... someone came to the 2007 PBP with a "push-me pull-you" recumbent tandem!!
So as for equipment ... that's all up to you. Experiment ... see what works and what doesn't work. Go to some of the rides (ones that have other riders) and see what they are doing. If you think you'll like something they've done, give it a try ... you never know, it might work, it might not. Believe me, in the 2007 season I was not riding the same setup as I did in 2006 ... and definitely not the same setup as when I started randonneuring in 2001.
... the Canadians will increase the amount of stickers, pins and maple leafs affixed to a bicycle or a jersey
And on our legs! Well, maybe not on the 2007 PBP, it was too cold and wet to get out of the tights, but given a more sunny and dry international event, I'll have Canadian tatoos all over my legs. :)
Continuing with the sweeping generalizations ...
Canadians seem to be sort of a cross between the Americans and British when it comes to what we bring ... with a healthy dose of Canadian thrown in. You'll always find a few Canadian bicycles in the mix ... especially if I'm there! :)
I would have to say that you argument for weight savings appears to be dead on, but your argument for money savings was a little off. I don't know about where you are from, but here, it may cost $1.33 per gallon, but once the distributors break it up into 24 ounce bottles, they crank the price up to about $1 to a $1.50 per bottle. You're paying for the convenience of the smaller bottle. For many brevets, I've been fortunate enough to ride with other randonneurs, and we'll stop together in a convenience store and pool money to buy a gallon of water then split it up amongst ourselves; hence why I used it as an example.
Of course, one can rejoinder that such group purchases are the exception and most randonneurs ride solo, the calculation was admittedly a little off-the-cuff and is open to variable interpretation. I just intended to show that pinching pennies simply for the sake of pinching pennies isn't always a wise decision, especially if the resource in question is already relatively cheap (at least relative to, other forms of fuel)
If you wish to add 90 minutes to your ride to save $2, that's your choice, but realize that you're essentially paying yourself a wage of $1.33/hour and your time might be more valuable than that..
woah, thanks guys was not expecting such a huge number of responses...
thanks *Rowan* yes as the event draws closer i shall join you at one of those meetings, thanks.
im a little overwhelmed at the information available, so i will say just a few direct questions..
does anybody have any previous training plans available, or even just a rough idea, how many k's a week i should be doing now etc... i will keep a eye out for audax rides and do whatever rides are reachable (yes Melbourne, Australia).
im interested in the actual bike set-up of others,
currently i ride a aluminum 105 equipped road bike, should i look into steel? could i get by without panniers and mudguards? do people sleep on the side of the road, or find someplace to stay, is that (accommodation) organized?
also my dad (who is 60) is planning on also doing it for the first time, any other oldies out there?
even just a rough idea, how many k's a week i should be doing now etc... i will keep a eye out for audax rides and do whatever rides are reachable (yes Melbourne, Australia).
im interested in the actual bike set-up of others,
currently i ride a aluminum 105 equipped road bike, should i look into steel? could i get by without panniers and mudguards? do people sleep on the side of the road, or find someplace to stay, is that (accommodation) organized?
also my dad (who is 60) is planning on also doing it for the first time, any other oldies out there?
Ride as much or as little as you like for the next year or two. It won't make much difference to how you cope with PBP in 2011.
You can ride any bike and finish PBP, just make sure it is comfortable.
The oldest finisher last year was about 80 AFAIR. The average age was about 50, so most of them are oldies. ;)
Visit Abbotsford Cycles for some face-to-face advice.
They are the ones who are on the fixed gear bicycles, the tricycles (like the one you had when you were a kid, but bigger), the triplettes (a tandem for 3) ... stuff like that. They seem to like to add the challenge of a unique piece of riding equipment.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/images/1703goodies_competition.jpg
I don't think the Goodies participated in any randonneur events but it was a good TV show!
Ride as much or as little as you like for the next year or two. It won't make much difference to how you cope with PBP in 2011.
+1
I went from riding 4000 km/year in 2005 (mostly commuting with one century and one long weekend tour) to riding in a full brevet series in 2006 and then doing another series and PBP in 2007. My yearly mileage total for 2007 was roughly 10,000 km.
I met people who finished PBP and had just started cycling in 2007.
Physical training is only a small part of it. If you can ride an imperial century in roughly eight or nine hours, your level of fitness is generally within the acceptable bounds of randonneuring. Mental fitness and willpower is another part. That can only really be trained by doing the brevets, which is why I say that you should take your preparation one ride at a time.
you don't necessarily need to start a full super randonneur series right now. If you do and maintain the regimen for the next four years, great. If you complete a 1200 like the Great Southern before 2011, excellent. If you slack off throiugh 2009, then no big deal. If you do a little bit of bike touring and multi-day bike camping expeditions in 2009, to get used to being on a bike for multiple days and do your first SR series in 2010, then that's fine too. If you go really hard and aggro now and wind up hating your bike by 2011, then that's bad.
as far as tomoscotto's other questions ...
aluminum tends to be discouraged as it can be uncomfortable over distances. With that said, it's not totally extinct in the randonneuring scene. Take it on an imperial century and see how it feels. If you can ride it comfortably for 50 miles but find that your butt, hands or knees start hurting in the second 50, then think of getting something else. If you can ride it comfortably for the entire 100 miles, then hold on to it and re-evaluate after you've taken it on a double imperial century..
lots of people use large expedition seat bags from Carradice or Ostrich to carry gear on their bikes. These do not require frame braze-ons for racks. You can also clamp a bag to your handlebars for easy access to food and clothes while on the bike. Front rack mounted bags tend to be more stable, but you need rack braze-ons to pull this off.
re: sleeping
given a certain level of fatigue, randonneurs will sleep anywhere. Search the forums for a thread about sleeping in cemeteries.
does anybody have any previous training plans available, or even just a rough idea, how many k's a week i should be doing now etc... i will keep a eye out for audax rides and do whatever rides are reachable (yes Melbourne, Australia).
im interested in the actual bike set-up of others,
currently i ride a aluminum 105 equipped road bike, should i look into steel? could i get by without panniers and mudguards? do people sleep on the side of the road, or find someplace to stay, is that (accommodation) organized?
also my dad (who is 60) is planning on also doing it for the first time, any other oldies out there?
Completed PBP in 2007 and, most importnatly, had a lot of fun at it.
As you're no doubt gathering, there are as many approaches to randonneuring as there are randonneurs. Here's my $.02: Ride as much as you like in the next two years. Do some occasional longer rides. Check out your local randonneuring scene and ride their shorter rides. If you're really into it, try the 400K and 600K. As a first-timer, you're likely best off doing a complete SR series the year before PBP; it'll boost your confidence. Do a 1000K if you want, but don't stress about it if you don't. I think you get essentially the same value, experience-wise, out of a 600K as a 1000K.
AL bikes are rare but not unheard of in randonneuring. Tend to be too harsh of a ride. But if it works for you, go for it. Lots of folks choose steel but you'll see a lot of carbon and Ti out there, too. Although comfort is king, it's *your* comfort that matters, and what's comfortable for us younger folks (I like this sport -- I'm on the very young side of the scale at 35!) isn't comfortable for the 50+ crowd. Racing geometry, and even racing saddles, are common. But you'll see a lot of touring bikes and Brooks saddles, too. I used a Caradice Super C bag to carry my gear and no mud guards on my carbon racing bike (and I have never had support on a brevet). Go with what works for you.
You'll see folks sleeping in every possible place. My favorite was seeing some dude crashed out in a phone booth. (He was a big guy, too.) Personally, I like good sleep and can't imagine getting good rest on the side of a road in the mud, in the cold rain. Work on increasing your rolling average (short, fast rides) and keeping non-sleeping time off the bike to a minimum so that you can bank enough time to get some meaningful rest on the 600K and longer events. I've found that getting good rest on the ride eliminates many randonneuring show-stoppers and makes for a very enjoyable experience.
Good luck, and see you in Paris!
Where to sleep at PBP:
- Hotels: there are some hotels in the control towns, but the options are fairly limited. I can't give much specific advice since I haven't used them, but I have read a fair number of complaints about people having issues getting to their hotels or having problems at their hotels. Anyone have specific experience?
- Control sleep areas: lines may be long, but I've had pretty good luck going this route. A cot or gym mat with blanket, with a volunteer to wake you. Many people try to get to the same control (Loudeac) before sleeping so it gets crowded on the way out to Brest (99, 03, 07)
- Control dining room: face plant on the table, or curl up under the table or in a corner. Not the greatest, but it can work. Something to cover up with is nice to keep from getting chilled. Most people try not to step on you but it gets crowded (99, 03)
- Outside on the lawn or on the side of the road: not advised in the rain, you need something to sleep on and cover with (space blanket with jacket can work). Easy to get very chilled and not get much rest, depending on how cold it is. The ground can be very damp even in a dry year. (99)
- On a park bench: in the rain a space blanket can let this work, but it's not the most comfortable (07). Too sleepy to ride any further doesn't leave much choice.
- A barn doorway: really strange noises in the night but it was mostly dry (07)
If you sleep somewhere other than the control sleep area you'll probably need an alarm to wake yourself.
Bike material:
- Bike fit is probably more important. If you ride a lot you're likely to upgrade your bike between now and 2011, so look at bikes and see how yours fits 200 miles into a ride. I feel much more comfortable on my current steel Waterford than I did on my Al Cannondale, but the biggest difference is the bike fit and the components rather than the frame material. Carbon looks good, though, and I may consider it if I can find a good Audax-style frame with fender and luggage capability.
Age:
- There are lots of older riders out there! More older ones than younger ones, actually.
Good luck but remember -- don't burn out! Have some intermediate goals and ideas, don't just focus on PBP in 2011.
Mark W
Hi, I rode the PBP in 2003, but missed the 2007 event.
I'll be 49 in 2011 and it'll be great to do it again before I turn 50.
2008 has seen me back on the bike, 2009 will have some longer brevets (200s and 300s) 2100 will have 400s and a 600 ready for the qualyifing rides in spring 2011.
My biggest difficulties are that I live in middle-of-nowhere France and I'll have to drive around a bit to get to official brevet rides. Plus I work in a factory on shifts, and I'll have to start taking days leave to do the rides. It'll be tough on the family.
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