Paris-Brest-Paris
It was a dream come true--10 years after my very first century, here I was watching the picturesque countryside of northern France roll on by in one of the world's most historic races. ""Allez, et bon courage!"" (Photo: maindruphoto.com.)
Paris-Brest-Paris is the granddaddy of all ultra-cycling rides, being the oldest, most prestigious amateur cycling race in the world. It was a major dream of mine, one that was fulfilled in August 2003. Unfortunately I never got around to writing a full report (ridiculous considering that this was one of the top highlights of my life), but here is a collection of data to recreate the experience.
Photo Journal
A photo journal of my ride is here.
My Progress
One could have followed the race by visiting the links below. The race began on Monday, August 18, at 10:00pm (French time). It ended 90 hours later, on Friday, August 22, at 4:00pm. I was rider #4462.
- http://www.audax-club-parisien.com (in French)
- Use babelfish.altavista.com to transform/translate the above site into English(copy and paste the above link into Babelfish’sform field for “Translate Web Page”, and select “French to English”)
Itineraries
- History of the race (courtesy of Randonneurs USA)
- Official Route Sheet (DjVu, 53kB)
- Map of the start, finish, and festivities in Guyancourt (St. Quentin en Yvelines) (DjVu, 253kB)
How I Qualified for PBP
To qualify for PBP, one must complete a series of brevets of 200, 300, 400, and 600 km, in order, within the specified time limits, in the same year that PBP is being held.
Statistics
- 1225 km (762 miles)
- 10:00pm start, 10:45am finish (3.5 days later)-> 84:45 hours total
- Average speed: ~13 mph rolling, 9.0 mph overall
- Maximum speed: ~40 mph
- Climbing: maybe ~35,000 feet
Rating
- Scenery: 5
- Organization: 5
- Food: 0 (purchase your own at checkpoints)
- Weather: 5- (perfect temps except the last night which was very cold; no rain)
- Relative Difficulty: 5
- Overall Rating: 5+. The best ride ever!!!
