PBP - Make any new friends?

[Manotea]

I was going to title this thread, "Meet anybody famous", except of course, we all are!*

My claim to fame was being rescued in the fog on the big climb before Brest by Michele Santilhano. I was on the side of the road, slumped over my bars as she went past, called out and got me back on the road again. As I got back into it we chatted and I mentioned it was my first 1200. "Mine too", she said, "though I did a 3000 last year. Not Audax though.".

Also Paul Rozelle, an American Fixer I met on the road. The week before he rode 4 x Tourmalet Ventoux in one shot (the three road routes plus the mountain track).

And the larger than life American Israeli fixer who was treating PBP like a grand tour, sleeping in a hotel each night (Edit: I think he is Shai Shprung on Randon)

And Seattle Randonneur Chris Heg who I rode with for a while on the first night who was interested in the AUK approach to DIY/GPS Perms.

*Somewhere in Germany there is an Assos clad racing whippet telling his mates about a mad englishman on a fixed gear bike with a massive saddlebag he rode with for a while who 'smoked the field on the climb to Vilaines...

[LEE]

Andy Reimer (# 5919) from Vancouver.

He dragged my sorry arse along when I was in danger of losing it.

[Simonb]

Benjamin and Yves who I worked with from Mortagne to Vilaines
Deiter who joined me and Alan Parkinson for Dreux -> SQY
The mad, mad, mad local roadie who towed me trough 10km of the Fougeres -> Vilaines section at 50kmh+ (against the rules, I know, but he was so insistent)

[Ray 6701]

Two little French kids that I stopped to give some haribo sweets to.  The French kids at the roadside were fantastic 

[MSeries]

Benjamin
Yves
Deiter
The mad, mad, mad local roadie who towed me trough 10km of the Fougeres -> Vilaines section at 50kmh+ (against the rules, I know, but he was so insistent)

You have been even faster if you hadn't had your trough with you, at least you had someone else tow it for 10km

[GrahamG]

Jim and Mark from Derby Mercury CC - schooled my arse in the way of PBP for the last 550km. Also, Tobias, Filthy, Akin, Luke, Needham Matt and Jeremy (can't remember user name on here!) of this parish all making our merry way on the Filthy bus.
Also the Faccombe three at the start and en-route. Steve of the Gospel Pass also at the start. The audax Ireland crew.

[Charlie Boy]

Also Paul Rozelle, an American Fixer I met on the road. The week before he rode 4 x Tourmalet in one hot (the three road routes plus the mountain track).

This was the guy I was sat next to at Villaines on the way back. I thought he'd said Ventoux, not that it matters, impressive whichever it was. Nice guy. Meeting so many people was a big part of the experience for me.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

It was Ventoux. Paul is known as The Octopus on some forums, a good bloke.

[L CC]

A nice american chap (I had run out of mp3 battery so wasn't singing) rode along with me about 15k into Brest. On a Merlin. I think he's 8238 Brian Madison. He took my picture on the bridge.
He was absolutely knackered there (32hrs in) but I see he had the right drugs/support/ strategy and finished in 69hr something. Well done.

[MSeries]

A nice american chap (I had run out of mp3 battery so wasn't singing) rode along with me about 15k into Brest. On a Merlin. I think he's 8238 Brian Madison. He took my picture on the bridge.
He was absolutely knackered there (32hrs in) but I see he had the right drugs/support/ strategy and finished in 69hr something. Well done.

I know an American called Brian Madison, one of my Cow-orkers in the New World. He never said he was doing this.

[L CC]

I know an American called Brian Madison, one of my Cow-orkers in the New World. He never said he was doing this.

Texan. Started 5 times, finished 3 (now). Small world or common name?

Also pulled 4834 (Japanese guy) who really really wanted to make small talk but I CBA and, erm, somewhat unceremoniously dropped him. O well. He finished too. Hope he now enjoys his tour of Brittany & Normandy.

[border-rider]

A couple of monolingual French riders; one from Brest to Carhaix and another from Carhaix to Loudiac at night.

Really funny guys, and we managed to communicate through the medium of my poor French OK.  I even taught them some Welsh

[border-rider]

and I met "the only Texas vegetarian" at the appalling Tinineac control.

[LiamFitz]

At Brest I met a french rider from Vannes who turned out to be the skipper of an inshore fishing boat.  He'd taken up cycling after retiring from playing rugby.  We chatted for a long time  on the way to Carhaix about the World cup

[marcusjb]

Two little French kids that I stopped to give some haribo sweets to.  The French kids at the roadside were fantastic 

Totally, even if you were flagging, seeing a little kid up in the distance made me straighten up and try and look like I wasn't struggling.

The local parents must love it - just send the kids out to the garden gate first thing in the morning and tell them to wave at every cyclist going past for the day!

I met several people OTP that I'd not met before - notably Toontra who helped me a lot towards the end when I was starting to flag and Justin from Leek (not often OTP, and not sure of his ID) - again a big help when I needed it the most on the very final section.

I rode large sections with Italians from the north of the country near Austria - there wasn't a lot of chatter though as we were very much head down and bashing the miles out.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

A Seattle Randonneur called Ryan who I kept meeting on the road as he spent a fraction of the time I did on the controls.  Two French guys who I rode with from Gorron to Villaines - they were good company - even asked me if I minded waiting while they stopped for a pee.  A mysterious Dane who hung onto my tail on the road to Dreux while I was trying to break warp speed to get the boring bit over with.  About one minute in five he would do a turn even if his legs were burning and that was just enough to keep me from blowing up.

Sadly less people riding together on the road than last time - perhaps because poor form on the first day and a long sleep meant I was out of place.

[Panoramix]

At Brest I met a french rider from Vannes who turned out to be the skipper of an inshore fishing boat.  He'd taken up cycling after retiring from playing rugby.  We chatted for a long time  on the way to Carhaix about the World cup

I think he is on the French forum.

[red marley]

Not a new friend as such, but it was great to ride with Arn0 again (of this parish, one of the few, if not the only, French fixed riders). The last time we rode together was PBP 2007.

Had a great stretch from Loudeac to Tinteniac with a rider from Devon. He had not done many audaxes, but plenty of club riding and sportives. Great company on the road and pretty nippy.

Great also to meet up with many others from here at various points on the ride.

I'd second the idea of RUSA style name plates. Not just for PBP, but any audax ride. They worked well for many of the USAians with racks, but for AUK I think we might need something a little more Carradice-friendly.

[valkyrie]

I enjoyed lots of good company on the road, shame I'm so rubbish at remembering names. Anyway, nice to meet Vorsprung at the start and at several controls before riding together into and out of Carhaix. Carl from San Fransico was good company on the return from Brest to Carhaix, we had a great time chasing down big groups on the descent off the Roc. The Seattle Randonneurs were an interesting bunch of guys, although some of them seemed to be taking things awfully seriously and I did get sent to the back of the bunch for not having mudguards. Alex and Sam (both of this parish but I forget their names) gave me a real lift when I met them on a fairly tedious stretch before Fougere on the way back, while Mr Bunbury was good company but intent on pressing on at Fougere where the rest of us stopped.

Not a new friend but the biggest surprise for me was meeting Roberto at breakfast in Fougere on the way back. He'd started with the Vedettes and is faster than me but illness had slowed him down. That led to the formation of a cracking little group of Sam, Roberto, Euan (non-YACF) and myself that mostly stuck together until the finish.

[Deano]

Andy Reimer (# 5919) from Vancouver.

He dragged my sorry arse along when I was in danger of losing it.

Top bloke - he gave me a spare innertube when I flagged him down at the side of the road and refused all payment. Most remarkably, it was a size which wouldn't have fitted his tyres, so fuck knows why he had it.

[Deano]

Also Paul Rozelle, an American Fixer I met on the road. The week before he rode 4 x Tourmalet Ventoux in one shot (the three road routes plus the mountain track).

I met him at the end - he mentioned that too. 

I also met Peter the Hungarian bike messenger who rode to the start from Berlin, and rode around in a knackered old wifebeater and corduroy shorts. Had a great laugh with Tony Gillespie from Perth into Mortaigne on the return, leapfrogged with Geert the smoking Dane, and rode loads with Sven the Flemish hipster. We shared a bottle of Breton cider on the run back into Paris.

Plus plenty of YACFers - Paul D made me laugh at Dreux, I talked shit* with Danial Webb and boab and Greenbank at Villaines, kept running into partsandlabour on the road, and kept seeing redlight at the controls.  Plus loads of others.

*not a metaphor

[Pete Mas]

and I met "the only Texas vegetarian" at the appalling Tinineac control.

I met him too - on the road. Such an extravert. we chatted for about 20 mins then he moved on to chat with others. He loved my retro Quoc Pham leather shoes, and we had both cycled with Lttlewheels and Big on long rides. He in Texas and me in Italy.

[Jedrik]

Bloodyhills and Van Broad were in the same hotel and since we talked a bit more when I was pretty fresh I even remember their names.

Then there were three YACFers who I met at the selfs of nearly every control for the first half of the ride. Talking to them again and again was oddly reassuring, like "everything is going to plan, we'll all make it for sure" - but for whatever glitch in my memory I can't remember their names. If they remember talking to me (german female, orange YACF-shirt up to Loudéac, recumbent rider), I'd be happy if they'd tell me, so I could put names to their faces.

While riding I talked to a canadian living in Paris riding a raptobike, an american rider on a musashi, and a german riding a M5 and really enjoyed the special attraction to others with "special needs" and found (again): Company makes you goes faster without you noticing it.

[Bairn Again]

Managed to meet a few yacf'ers in person for the first time - Danial, Mattc included, which was nice.

Also, on the dull stretch between Longny au Perche and Dreux I found myself separated from neilmc (laurel and hardey episode in the dark) and towing along a group of about 8 other riders (poor sods) none of whom seemed keen to do anything other than sit behind me.  I was a bit tired and tetchy.   

This lady http://teamjdrf.org/linda.html appeared and did the decent thing, by riding alongside me and introduced herself.  We rode together to Dreux chatting, which was exactly what I needed. 

I also bumped into a US based rider doing his first PBP at Dreux who Id first met on the train from Paris to the start.  I didnt get his name but we had a good laugh about how different we both looked from when we first met.     

[arabella]

This lady http://teamjdrf.org/linda.html appeared and did the decent thing, by riding alongside me and introduced herself.  We rode together to Dreux chatting, which was exactly what I needed. 

Her mum wasn't riding too was she?  I met a lady in the showers at Loudeac looking similar whose mum was also riding - would like to know if mum finished.