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Part 4: Loudeac --> Rambouillet
Once morning came, it got warmer and more pleasant. The big groups of riders that were common in the first part of the ride were more rare. I spent lots of time riding alone.
At every town, the riders would congregate near food sources. I was several hours ahead of my cutoff time, and I stopped a few times to refill my bottles and eat good French pastries.
No doubt the best part of this part of the route was the entrance to Villaines-La-Juhel. I got there in the afternoon, and it seems that the entire town was out partying and watching people come in. Riding through the barricades with the crowd cheering gave me a big boost in the morale!
At this point, I felt good. Riding through the day talking to people, stopping to get food and water, eating several lunches and dinners to continue fueling the ride. My next goal was Mortagne. Once I was there, I knew I was sooo close to the end!
Riding at night was much colder, and less people to talk to, but I kept going. The random shops were great stops for water refills and a bite to eat.
Towns were pretty at night. I had a good time, several hours in the bank, so I wasn't rushing anymore, and I could enjoy more the landscape.
Once I got to Mortagne-Au-Perche, I was feeling tired. I was riding with a group that was continuing straight to the finish to get better times, but I felt that I needed to take it slower and make sure I would actually get to the end. I slept for 3 hours, which turned out to be too long. I woke up without feeling as refreshed as the other times, and getting on the bike was hard. The coldness of the night did wake up me quickly though! Feeling so close to the finish felt good. The sun came up, and the road flattened.
Dreux was the last control, just 25 miles out of Rambouillet. I stopped again to get breakfast (which included pasta and chicken, of course). I was tired, and people were sleeping everywhere they could. I was so close, and I was looking forward to the end!
"A Paris-Brest is a traditional French pastry named after an old bicycle race between Paris and the city of Brest in Brittany. The pastry was created in 1910 and its circular shape is meant to represent the wheel of a bicycle. However, it is NOT meant to be used as a spare tire. You’ve be warned."
Finally, the arrival!! Being again in the forest around Rambouillet gave me energy again. At this point I didn't want to waste any time. I pushed with what I had (which wasn't much) to get through these last miles. I was expecting scenic arrival ... but it wasn't. We went into the castle's park, and we had to bike through tons of people walking on the street, caravans, cars maneuvering to park.. until you get to the big sign, and another route through a courtyard to get the final time. Yay!
After passing through, I parked my bike, got my brevet card stamped, and got my medal. My final time was 85:25 hours. It was an amazing experience!!
Post PBP -- Wrist Problems and biking
After I got back to the hotel, I took a shower and slept for a few hours. The excitement of the ride didn't make me feel any of the pain.
That came a couple of days later. Maybe it was the saddle sore, or maybe it was just the wrong ride position, but three fingers in both hands started tingling, pretty badly.
I stopped biking for several months, both to try to make the inflammation go down, but also because I wasn't feeling it anymore. I had no interest in getting on my road bike again. It took me two months just to get back on any ride, and even more to get my head back into enjoying riding. It was very surprising to me!
In Jan I was fully recovered, with no more tingling at all, and back into a better mental state. Maybe ready for 2023?
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