Paris Brest Paris 2015 - 2nd one for me, 1st on fixed wheel
marcusjb
Posts: 2,412
PBP is the biggest long distance ride in the calendar. Every 4 years, 5-6000 riders (based on 2011 and 2015 numbers) ride the 1200km across northern France. First run in 1891, it is the one we all aspire to and spend the two years ahead of it discussing how we are going to ride it and then the two years after it swapping tales from it!
There are 3 groups on the road from the Vedettes (80 hours) to the Touristes (90 hours).
This was my second go at it and wanting to do something different, I rode it on fixed wheel (71 inches for those interested).
My report here:
http://www.marcusjb.com/blog/paris-bres ... glad-i-did
It isn't so much about the ride, more about the stuff that surrounds the ride. The ride went very well for me and was all quite straight forward. I was not rushing around this time as my wife was coming to meet me at the end. So I finished it in the best shape I have ever been in after any of my 1000km+ rides.
PBP is a truly amazing experience and is not beyond anyone with a bit of fitness and a lot of mental fortitude.
It has something to offer everyone from those wanting to race it (winner was a lone breakaway from Brest, TT'd it to Paris to get a modern record of 42:26 from memory) to those who will be on their limit all the way.
The ride is made ever so special by the support of the French. People open up their homes to feed you, sit outside their houses for days on end clapping and cheering and are just fabulous - they totally respect and admire you and shout Bon courage and bon route to you. If you are on le pignon fixe, then they will be truly in awe and shake your hand!
2019, put it in your diaries if you like adventure! Or 2017 for London Edinburgh London (1400km, lots smaller, better route with bigger hills and no roadside support)
There are 3 groups on the road from the Vedettes (80 hours) to the Touristes (90 hours).
This was my second go at it and wanting to do something different, I rode it on fixed wheel (71 inches for those interested).
My report here:
http://www.marcusjb.com/blog/paris-bres ... glad-i-did
It isn't so much about the ride, more about the stuff that surrounds the ride. The ride went very well for me and was all quite straight forward. I was not rushing around this time as my wife was coming to meet me at the end. So I finished it in the best shape I have ever been in after any of my 1000km+ rides.
PBP is a truly amazing experience and is not beyond anyone with a bit of fitness and a lot of mental fortitude.
It has something to offer everyone from those wanting to race it (winner was a lone breakaway from Brest, TT'd it to Paris to get a modern record of 42:26 from memory) to those who will be on their limit all the way.
The ride is made ever so special by the support of the French. People open up their homes to feed you, sit outside their houses for days on end clapping and cheering and are just fabulous - they totally respect and admire you and shout Bon courage and bon route to you. If you are on le pignon fixe, then they will be truly in awe and shake your hand!
2019, put it in your diaries if you like adventure! Or 2017 for London Edinburgh London (1400km, lots smaller, better route with bigger hills and no roadside support)
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Comments
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Chapeau, will have to have a full read sometime.
Lovely bike, would be my fixie of choice for such an event!0 -
Love the Tempo.
So 2 PBPs, on 2 different Condors, really does look like I need a new Condor for 2019?0 -
For the descent into madness stuff, here's a great album on Facebook (sorry!):
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205775370716042&type=3
Sleep is the key to PBP and plenty of people get it wrong and suffer terribly come the third night.0 -
WTF, you look too young to be 40! :evil:
As for the PBP on fixed gear, respect!
left the forum March 20230 -
Great work, I really enjoyed your kit write-up in Arrivee as well! Will you be doing LEL in 2017?- - - - - - - - - -
On Strava.{/url}0 -
WTF, you look too young to be 40! :evil:
As for the PBP on fixed gear, respect!
42 even! Riding a bike a long way makes time go backwards or something!
I reckon there was 30-40 fixed wheel riders on PBP - the majority British, quite a few Americans and a handful of others.DesWeller wrote:Great work, I really enjoyed your kit write-up in Arrivee as well! Will you be doing LEL in 2017?
Thanks! LEL - maybe. It's a fabulous ride for sure and so much better organised than PBP where everything is covered in a fine coating of chaos, but it doesn't have all the other stuff that makes PBP something I can not imagine not riding. I'd rather do different rides and not repeat things too much - so we'll see how I feel in 2017. I have guaranteed entry, so need not stress too much quite yet.0 -
Great blog Marcus and a great ride. Well done that man!“You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”
Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut0 -
A colleague of my wife took part this year. She had to drop out after about 1000k as she fainted at a control and had low blood pressure. That is some bike ride. Can't begin to imagine it having just done my first 100 miler.0
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Makes me want to do it now!0 -
Makes me want to do it now!
It is a brilliant photo essay and really does capture many of the things that make it unique. It really isn't about the bike ride, it is about the people who stand at the side of the road for days cheering you on, invite you into their homes and feed you and are just so passionate as they shout 'Bon courage' etc.
A good handful of Kingston Wheelers rode it this time, some first timers and some multiple finishers - there is plenty of experience you can draw from there.
It really is what you want to make from it and there is no doubt at the front end it is nothing but an out and out race. The winner this year in 42 and a bit hours sneaked away from the group at 600km and rode a solo breakaway for 600km! He was unsupported as well. 2 Audax UK riders, unsupported, went under 50 hours as well for a new AUK record.
The other end of the scale, which I witnessed for the first time this time, is people on the very edge who have not enough speed on the road to manage sleep properly.
There are those who overcome some physical limitations and plenty of amputees can be seen on the road. The first completion on a handcycle this time.
I class myself as lucky enough to have enough speed on the road to be able to enjoy it, relax and soak it all up. I raced around in a fairly respectable 76 hours in 2011, but ever so pleased I was taking it steady this time and experience some amazing things.
I do fancy doing it with the vedettes and 'going for a time' - but it would take a lot of work and focus for the season. I reckon I have got 65 hours in me.
It is an incredible experience and one that creates so many memories that will live you with you forever.
It is hard, no doubt, but any rider with decent fitness and a good build up to learn about looking after yourself on the road (how to eat, drink, sleep etc.) stands a good chance of success if they have the mental fortitude to handle it.
I highly recommend it!0 -
And it is a superb ride for fixed, nothing too steep, though it is never flat. There is around 11000m of ascent on the 1200km. Romping up the hills past all the gears and then waiting for them to come zooming past on the downs!
The descents are longer than we are used to in the UK and can take quite a toll on the behind - my only real issues this time we're all to do with descending and my arse.
It does give the French supporters even more to cheer you on about as well! I came into Loudeac and there is a little short ramp up where a geared rider clattered their gears and caused me to nearly stall - I had to do a bit of a crank bender to wrestle the bike up it which got a gasp and a full on 'ooh la la, le pignon fixe' from someone in the crowd! Made me smile.
Plenty of people at the controls will call you 'tres fort' for riding on t'cog and the French really do seem to respect it a lot. Weirdly, the majority of fixed riders are British and American, very few continentals ride on fixed it seems.
It was nice on the ride down to Paris where 4 out of 8 of us were fixed.0 -
Having enjoyed the Strava report which you linked, I wondered if you knew about this film (two slightly different trailers).marcusjb wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-o5rd-D_bE
https://vimeo.com/147332718
It’s been available as a livestream version (for a relatively small fee) on the film’s website and as DVD from Amazon Germany for 7 months, while as from May it became available to cinemas (I saw it at my local independent one in June).
On Youtube one can find privately-made videos of individual or clubs riding PBP, which also give some idea of the event, but this film is more comprehensive as well as more professional.
Interesting and entertaining, as well as informative about PBP, it follows the progress of three riders, as well as meeting and speaking to other riders (Incl. Brits) and to those involved in the supporting logistics. One comes away feeling nothing but admiration for those who took part, irrespective whether they made it to the end or not.0 -
^ that film does look good. I saw the trailer. I will have to watch it over the dark winter months!
For anyone interested in long distance, next year is Europe's second largest ride - London Edinburgh London
1400km
I think the capacity is around 1300 riders next year.
Different ride to PBP, but a great ride. Much more interesting route, some bigger hills etc. Controls are staffed largely by volunteers from the long distance world, so it's great fun seeing people you've met from over the years as they help you out and bring you food etc.
Little of the road side support and parties of PBP sadly!
Demand is expected to be high for the places, so sign up to the mailing list and keep on eye on registration (like January sort of time).
You have nearly 117 hours to complete the event, so it's only around 290km a day (the bottom speed of long-distance events drops as you go longer and longer than 1300km has a bottom speed of 12kph. PBP you need to cover around 320km a day,m but it's a little more complicated than that, but I really do not need to bore you with the sliding lower speed limit! Just ride more than 320km a day and you'll be fine.).
https://londonedinburghlondon.com/0 -
Registered interest... Longest ride to date is 255km though... And I suspect the dates are going to be right in the middle of when I'm doing my MBA dissertation so it might not be a good idea.0
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bobmcstuff wrote:Registered interest... Longest ride to date is 255km though... And I suspect the dates are going to be right in the middle of when I'm doing my MBA dissertation so it might not be a good idea.
That's far from the worst preparation ever clearly (the 255km ride, not the dissertation, which may be an insurmountable challenge).
Day 4 of the last one, I met a lad on the ride, he'd only ever ridden 100 miles before (and we were now probably somewhere around 1100km into the ride). Sure, he was suffering a bit, his knees hurt etc. - but he got to the end just fine.
Whilst the physical side is important; like most endurance events, it's all in the head.
So long as you are comfy on the bike*, then riding long distances at a moderate pace is a lot easier than it sounds. 280km a day is, even at a very conservative 20kph, 14 hours of riding. That's 10 hours to eat, sit around chatting with your mates, shower and sleep.
It doesn't help when films like the above do all the macho posturing (it's harder than an ironman and all that - now, I have never done an ironman, but I know a lot of people that have and they have to work really fecking hard for that.). Sure, we go through some very dark times on long rides, be that the weather, the terrain, screwing up feeding, lack of sleep or whatever - but rarely do you need to be a supreme specimen of physical perfection (and that's one of the things I love, we're not really amazing athletes, there's a huge range of ages and shapes and sizes, but we all have the mental fortitude to get through the dark times and know it will get better, maybe in an hour, maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after, but it will get better! It is best described as ordinary people doing extraordinary things.).
Physical fitness and speed do help you get more sleep of course.
But, overall, anyone who has mental resilience and a desire to finish, has a damned good chance of doing so.
* best way to get comfy is of course to ride many thousands of km on the setup you plan to use, this also has the added benefit of getting you fitter and faster!0
