Seven Challenges to Completing the 2023 Paris Brest Paris Randonnee
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- This video is about the seven challenges we think Randonneurs novice tot he Paris-Brest_Paris 2023 event may experience. We personally encountered these challenges when bikepacking the 2019 PBP route and we think they may explain why there has been such a high "did not finish" rate in the recent past events. We hope that by being aware of these challenges and taking steps to address these challenges, Novice Randonneurs may increase their chances of success at the 2023 Paris-Brest-Paris event.
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I completed PBP in 2015. The second and third nights was very cold, not winter cold but cold enough, bring extra layers. The hills are there, it was hillier than what I expected but I managed with no issues. My biggest problem was at the controles. In the first half of PBP all of the controles are jammed with tons of riders. On the 1200k and 1500k that I have ridden in the USA there will be around 30 to 90 riders total. So going into controles are usually not crowded and your time in the controles will usually not last long. But in PBP they are very crowded and will take a long time to get your food to eat and lines for the rest rooms are very long too. So your time will get eaten up in the controles and lose time to get a good sleep. The sleep deprivation is a challenge to deal with, so be prepared. If you pick to ride the 90 hours group, you will start late in the evening. Make sure you are used to riding in the night because you are going to ride through 3 nights in a row! Ride your own pace and try not to ride with anyone who is complaining or wants to quit. One of my friends quit at Brest with a crowd who decided not to climb out of Brest. Take it from me, the climb out of Brest was not bad at all!
Good luck on your 2023 edition of PBP, it is a beautiful ride, with wonderful people everywhere and an experience that you will never forget.
Doing a reconnaissance is a smart move. Thanks for posting your video of the route for those who can't visit themselves.
Thank you and see you on PBP 2023!
Beautiful ❣️nice Ride
Thanks for the information 👍
Thanks Regan, awesome video!
In August days are going to be better but be prepared for night can be very cold! 2015 second night was cold and instead of going through night I dropped on kitchen floor and slept 3 hours in Carhaix!
2019 second night was going to be cold so it was one of the reasons I DNF, especially we didn’t bank much time to sleep in Carhaix!
Rain both times I was lucky, no rain
Wind o yes we felt that in 2019, but was much better in 2015.
Climbing it so funny I didn’t feel and then didn’t remember and told Oksana that it’s just rolling hills and she was 😀upset with me! You told me just about rolling hills 😩
Jet leg maybe important but I would say rest is more important!
I you have 5 days before ride then you can allow 2 days of site seeing and 2 day before rest and night before 8-10 hours of sleep be any means
Navigation? No problem at all especially to Brest: signs are so good and you ride all times with chains of cyclists. On way back maybe because people take signs off for souvenirs
On side of the road often will be people offering coffee and water and pancakes, stop and enjoy and it’s for free!
It’s ok to sleep on side of the road but put alarm!!!!
Yes there is no winner and no prices, but the atmosphere and felling like you are in Tour de France is real! Finishing is best price, but not finishing and stay safe is good too!
Wow, Carhaix is a long way to go for your first sleep. I assumed most people would have their first rest in Laudeac.
They also say that the temperature really drops when you crest the mountain going from Carhaix to Brest. We felt it too and we were riding in the middle of the day!
Best wishes for your 2023 event!
Im enjoying your video series on PBP , not sure I will ever do it, but certainly getting a sense of it from your great coverage of ALL aspects.
be extra careful at the start and the first 20 km, there are usually 500 cyclists who start at the same time, and the risk of accidents is high. the nights can be cold, and as others have written there are a lot of people at the checkout once the 90-hour group has started. the first thing when you get to a checkpoint is to stamp the card, fill it up with water, buy food to take with you, and possibly eat at the checkpoint, otherwise, it's better to eat while cycling. 2007 was a very rainy, cold year, the road was covered with run-over snails, frogs and manure from the farmers, who did it hanging scary things on the bikes that didn't have fenders.
In 2011 the weather was better, but more people took part than in 2007.
In 2015 there was a new starting place, and even more people started, then the food ran out for those who had booked food at the start. Don't book food at the start.
I didn't get my prepaid food.
my tips are to have a bike with fenders, a front hub generator for lighting, and extra lighting set as backup, as well as a headlamp for reading signs, and fixing mechanical issues in the dark.
Don't rely on others to find the way, but you have to know where you are yourself. if you use GPS, make sure you can charge a power bank from the generator, to avoid messing with extra batteries.
good, wide tires for the roads are sometimes very bad, in 2015 I used Pari-Moto 650B x 38 mm, and a little lower gearing, 46-36-28 in front and 12-32 on my cassette on my MAP 650B Randonneur bike. so I could have a high cadence uphill.
In 2007 I was riding on the 622 x 26 mm, and 50-34 in front, 12-27? on my Rivendell, almost the same set-up in the 2006 PBP Audax.
then there is also the PBP Audax l'UAF where you cycle in a group, not allé libre, like the ACP PBP Randonneur.
Thanks so much for your insights. I will definitely look into fitting fenders. We don’t usually use those we we live so we didn’t think about them. Also extra lights are important to remember. I have not yet seen the notification on food prior to the start. Will keep you advice in mind. Best wishes if you are riding in 2023
Awesome reconnaissance of PBP route
Thank you for the thoughtful observations on the PBP route and the challenges. I believe the statistics you were looking for are available on the the official PBP website. Familiarity with any cycling route certainly helps with completing it. I think more than anything else it's a combination of preparation and mental toughness that will allow one to complete the PBP or any 1000km+ ride. The adventure is part of the reason we participate in randonneuring events and dealing with the unknown is part of that adventure. Successfully dealing with the unknown is one of the rewards for participating in these events. There are no prizes and we pay for our own medals when we choose to have them. The experience and the self-knowledge that comes as a result is the real reward. Qualifying for the PBP and having the resources to get to the start line is a success. Enjoy the ride.
Thanks for the insightful comment. Randonneuring is an interesting concept and I still struggle to get my head around the absence of race positions and prizes for these extreme endurance events. I will delve in to the PBP website to see if experienced Randonneurs have a higher success rate than novices. Many thanks for the advice. Best wishes for your future Randonneur events
Wonderful vlog, thanks for the great analysis.
Glad you have enjoyed the video. Hope you find it useful in your preparation for PBP2023
Excellent, interesting fieldwork. Provides some useful insights.
Thanks Terry. It was a strong reality check to ride the parcours. There’s a lot more climbing than what we are accustomed to in Saskatchewan. If nothing else it gave me the motivation to ride more elevation.
hey there, thank you for your recon and tips for long distance riding. i want to do pbp but just by myself like i did vätternrundan in 2019 1week before the main event. after that i rode 1000 k from my hometown in switzerland to spain. see more of my rides on komoot. wish you all the best for prep and your ride in 2023. dimitar
That’s amazing. Wow. Thanks I will definitely check out your rides. Hope to see you at PBP 23
Hi those tyres look big are they clincher aswell?
You have a "dry cold" in Canada? Must be from out west. Ontario says hello.
Great content btw. Thanks for scouting. I'm aiming for PBP2027.
Saskatchewan is cold but is manageable with a few insulation layers. Best wishes for your PBP 2027 event! It’s great that you are thinking and planning ahead!
Thanks a lot . Very Nicely explained 👍🙏👏