Gonzo Bob

I did something similar during Paris-Brest-Paris in 2003. I was coming into a village and could see the fluorescent green arrow way up ahead but I couldn't yet tell what direction it was pointing. And before I could get close enough to tell, a large delivery truck parked in front of it (it was at a "T" intersection and must have been on the side of a building). No problem - the guy way ahead of me was close enough to see before the truck got there - he turned right so I'll just follow him. I rode all the way to the next village (about 10 miles) and when I didn't see any PBP arrows, I realized that I had taken a wrong turn. So I had to backtrack. I was planning on finishing that day but the lost time meant I would be finishing in the dark. So when they told me at the last control that vandals have taken many of the reflective arrows or even turned them to point in the wrong direction and to make sure to follow the arrows painted on the road, I decided to sleep there and finish the next morning.