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Paris-Brest-Paris is a 90-hour race that starts in the suburbs of Paris, goes to Brest via secondary roads in the countryside, and then returns to Paris. More than 7000 people from hundreds of countries partecipate, supported by thousands of official volunteers and random spectators around the route.
PBP happens every 4 years. It’s a really good think because I expect I'll need 3 years to forget the pain and remember only the fun parts. I watched tons of prep videos, but I still wasn't sure what to expect!
Preparation and Arrival in France
My start time was Sunday evening. My wife and I got to France on Thursday morning to get some buffer, just in case something goes wrong with the bike on the plane. We got a hotel in Paris rather than staying near the start, being close to a lot of good food was a requirement for my wife and for my mental preparation to the ride.
I spent Friday morning re-assembling the bike. I had borrowed a “ninja” case to transport it. It worked great, but I had to take the fork off to fit the bike in the bag. I spent 30 minutes getting bearings back into the headset. It just didn't fit! Until it did. I am sure there is some secret mechanic's trick to get them back on without pain and desperation, but it is still unknown to me at this date.
With the bike re-assembled, several croissants in my belly, bike formally "checked" at the bike check on Saturday, it was time for a good night of sleep. The last one for a while.
Part 1: Rambouillet --> Fougères (-ish)
The ride starts in waves. My start time was 8.15pm , one of the latest starts. Knowing how anxious I get, I left Paris early in the morning to take it easy and relax near the start. I went to the hotel in Rambouillet were I knew other SFR rides were staying. I met Max, Greg, Roy, and many familiar faces from rides in SF.
Above there is the bike in its full setup. The large saddle bag had tools, lots of extra clothes, and my backup lights; the handlebar bag had my food stash; and the little top tube bag was full of batteries for the lights, phone, headphone, and Garmin. I ended up carrying around 30,000 mAh of capacity, which was quite enough.
Started in the 90 hour group, at 8.15pm. I was expecting a crazed mass start, but people didn't seem to be in a hurry. I early got to the front and grabbed on a group of fast riders.
We went through forests, little towns, and I was always in full view of the group of people in yellow in front and behind me. I stayed with the fast group for a while to gain some time. We were passing slower groups in very messy overlaps, I am still wondering how nobody crashed.
The first stop was Mortagne-au-Perche (mile 73). Not a control, but a good place to get food and rest. So far I had a Perpeteum bottle and bars for food, and I had water refilled on the side of the road supported by many of the French people that came out to see the riders. At the food stop I got my first taste of a "jambon." It was delicious!
Stopping at Mortagne made me realize how cold it it was. Like shivering cold. I was happy that I had an extra jacket with me, without that I would have been in trouble. At this point I was wearing everything I had, I was hoping it wouldn't get worse.
Once back on the road, the cold more tractable. The terrain was a continuous up and down, with very little flat areas. Nothing too steep, but you had to keep pushing to move forward. There were a few fun descents thought!
It got dark, and slower. Some shops stayed open all night to serve the riders. I took advantage of it and got more food and water. Hard to get lost, as I was surrounded by reflective jackets.
I was finally at my first control, Villaines-la-Juhel at mile 129. Lines for the ritual stamping of the brevet card. Lines for food. Lines for bathrooms. A lot of waiting around. I didn't mind, I wasn't running for time, and it got me a chance to relax and warm up. I was hungry. The jambon was delicious, but it started to make my stomach very acid. I opted for getting real food at the cafeteria: pasta, chicken, and desert! The food tasted pretty good under this conditions, and actually fixed my stomach problems. I stuck with this type of food for the rest of the ride.
In the video, note the guy sleeping on the table, and the one sleeping on the floor on the right. This was just the beginning.
I biked through the night through an increasingly hilly terrain. It continued to be very cold, and I was looking forward to the sun. Occasionally we would go through little town, see some people cheering, and grab some food, until sunrise made the temperature a better.
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