More details of the move here, in French though. Rough translation below picture.
https://actu.fr/ile-de-france/rambouillet_78517/la-randonnee-velo-paris-brest-paris-quitte-saint-quentin-yvelines-rambouillet_18422102.htmlThe article features pictures from as far back as 2007, I'm in one of them. On the left in the green and white cap.
A rough translation is as follows.
We had several contacts with the agglomeration in the first quarter of 2018, which were more or less good. Then in the first half of 2018 we decided to look for another solution in case, before realizing that it would not be possible to organize the ride in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines ", explains Jean-Gualbert Faburel, in charge international relations at the Audax Club Parisien.
According to him, "a disengagement from the agglomeration". The allocated budget and the technical aids, such as the provision of the national velodrome or the securing of the course, would have been increasingly diminished.
The agglomeration had a role of logistic facilitator, in the technical and sanitary means but the possibilities were more and more reduced. There was a lack of will on the part of the agglomeration, "regrets Jean-Gualbert Faburel.
For Jean-Michel Fourgous (LR), president of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Audax would have "raised the stakes and investments."
Our services told them what they could do, and they went elsewhere. "
In addition, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines will host many international sporting events including the Ryder Cup of golf (25-30 September 2018) and the Olympic Games of 2024 with four sites in its territory.
"Agglomeration has the image of having a lot of money but we are suffering reductions in endowments, and the Ryder Cup and the Olympics are expensive. We refocused our investments on these events, "explains the president of the agglomeration.
Jean-Michel Fourgous is pleased that Rambouillet was chosen to be the departure city. "It remains in the Yvelines, it is very good that other cities are interested. There is no hostility with the organizers. "
It looks like St Quentin will be getting lots of profile from other events, and wanted to pull back from PBP.
It's a gain for the National Sheepfold though. A sheep-themed PBP might well tempt me out of retirement.
A boon for Rambouillet
It is thus the site of the National Sheepfold in Rambouillet which will welcome, for the first time, this test of 1 200 km, created in 1931.
The project will be co-organized by the Cyclotourists Club of Rambouillet (CTR), the City and the National Sheepfold.
The CTR has been contacted by the French Cyclotourism Federation to organize this event. The club then came to submit this project. We watched together how to best accommodate this event that still attracts nearly 6,000 bikes, considers Gael Barbotin, deputy mayor in charge of sport. It is interesting for the city because it devotes the idea that Rambouillet can accommodate large events of bicycles. This is entirely consistent with our local sports policy. "
The National Sheepfold will be the nerve center of this hike. It will host departures, arrivals, registrations, a catering and accommodation.
From August 12, cyclists will leave in groups of 200 to 300 people. They should return no later than August 22nd.
The change of venue one year before the event however caused delays and worries in the organization.
"Some participants had already booked hotels. In Rambouillet, there is less accommodation than Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, "worries Jean-Gualbert Faburel.
Another worry: the SNCF link between Paris and Versailles then Rambouillet which may be saturated in August, with the arrival of cyclists, and the N10, the main access to Rambouillet which will be partially prohibited to the public.
It's the easiest solution for organizing the start but for everything else, it's more complicated, "says Jean-Gualbert Faburel. However, he greets the enthusiastic welcome of the Rambouillet town hall, local clubs and the National Sheepfold.
Tourist benefits
2,500 volunteers will be mobilized. Beyond the sporting aspect, Gaël Barbotin keeps in mind the tourist benefits of such an event.
We will see how to mobilize merchants in August, which is a rather quiet period in the city, to accommodate cyclists and their companions. Because do not forget that those who come from far will surely want to take the opportunity to visit, to restore ... "
This ride, which takes place every four years, could be established in a more sustainable way in Rambouillet.
Florence Chevalier and Marine Delcros
