PBP 2015

[rob]

I don't usually do ride reports was asked to by my club president - this is therefore a bit more geared for people who have been less exposed to Audax..   Not being a big photographer for my own sake I didn't take any so this may be a bit dry :-

Part 1

On Sunday 16th August I found myself on the start line of my 5th 1230k Paris-Brest-Paris with successful completions in 99, 03, 07 and 11.   Improved fitness in the last few years, brought about by my time trial training, had seen my times drift down.   My previous best completion time, in 2011, had been 79h.   This time I had scheduled for a sub 72h finish.   With my wave of riders going off at 18:15 I had until the same time Wednesday evening to get back and hit my target time.   The overall cut-off was 90h, so if it all started to fall apart I could spend more time eating and resting and arrive back Thursday lunchtime.

The ride HQ for this edition was at the new Velodrome in St Quentin in SW Paris.    The waves of riders (approx. 300 in each) started to go off from 16:00 with the fastest groups leaving first, having an 80h limit in which to finish.   For those at the front this was to be a full-on race with support crews for some and no sleep.   We all had timing chips on our ankles but still had to get a brevet card stamped and signed at each of the controls on the route.

My strategy was to ride through the first night and get to Carhaix (526k) Monday evening to sleep for a planned 4hrs.   I was then to ride to Brest, make the turn and then ride back to Fougeres (919k) before sleeping again for another 4hrs.   From there I would ride the remaining 300k straight through to the finish.   This would make for a fair amount of night riding, but I had seen most of the course in daylight before anyway.

I was riding my faithful steel Condor Tempo, fitted with a 79” fixed and sturdy 36h wheels shod with Gatorskins.   I had a saddlebag containing a change of kit, warm night clothes, tools and food.   I planned to snack on sports bars and gels on the move, using a top-tube mounted tri-bag and eat proper food at some of the controls as and when the fancy took me.   Hydration was provided by 2 * 750ml bottles and a tube of nuun tablets.

After a quick speech from the organisers in English and French, the klaxon went and we were away.   The first stretches of the course were on closed roads around the edge of St Quentin (think Milton Keynes).   As always there was a mix of bike handling skill in the early miles and I used the opportunity to work my way up the group as gaps formed in order to avoid any crashes and to find the stronger riders willing to work together.   Eventually as we turned onto country B roads I could see the lead car 40-50 riders ahead and tucked myself in.   For the next few hours I enjoyed the steady drags working with different riders, slowing down for a chat with other British riders and then pushing on.   I made a mental note to keep snacking and drank both bottles in the first 100k.   During this time one of my rear lights jumped off and I stopped to pick it up, with the same thing happening a few miles later.   As we rode through Chateauneuf-en-Thymerais I noticed an open bar and stopped for a coffee, pee and bottle fill.   At this point I also ran a zip tie round the rear lamp to stop it coming off again.

The first stop was at Mortagne-au-Perche (139k) but it wasn’t an official control.   I stopped briefly at a makeshift bar in the car park and ordered a sandwich, only to be told they had no bread, so I downed a bottle of orangina.   I had a quick look inside and saw a huge queue for food so hopped back on the bike and set off on the next leg.   I was still carrying plenty of food so chose to have a bar or a gel every 10-15k to see me through to the first official control at Villaines (220k).   It was now pretty dark and I chased red lights, working in and out of small groups and then heading off on my own.   I also started to get caught by fast groups coming from the later waves of starters.   Riding at a brisk pace and not stopping at Mortagne meant I rolled into Villaines at 3:30am.   I filled bottles and had a breakfast of pasta, ratatouille, cheese, bread and rice pudding.   On the way out I bumped into Shussanah Pillinger, the first British female finisher of RAAM.   She still seemed tired from RAAM and I later heard that she had chosen to pack there.   I ended up having a 30 minute break, but I was an hour up on schedule on arrival.

Next leg was a 90k ride to Fougeres.   Being an hour ahead of the UK it took an age to get light.   I entertained myself by chatting to other riders – Danish, American and other Brits – finding several also riding fixed.   Fougeres (309k) was reached at 8am and I had successfully made it through the night without any dozy patches.   I had 50 minutes in hand over schedule so knew I had to spend less time at controls.   I had another sit-down meal but, as it was only 50k to the next check I planned to bounce through there quickly.   After some rolling roads between Mortagne and Fougeres, the leg to Tinteniac (363k) is flat and fast, so I was there before 11am, but only 30 mins ahead of schedule.   On this leg I met Keith from Leighton Buzzard who would prove to be very good company for the next 24hrs.   I grabbed a quick sandwich which ended up just being bread and butter as there were no non-meat options.   A banana and a bottle refill set me up and I rolled on together with Keith.

It’s on the next few legs where you start to remember how relentlessly hilly this event is.   The total ascent over 1230k is 11,000m.   In average terms it doesn’t seem a lot but with tired legs you really feel it.  As it was now mid-afternoon there were more spectators coming out.   Often families set up stalls outside their houses and offer cake, coffee and water to riders, usually for free.   For them the honour of helping out a rider on this massive endeavor far outweighs the cost of some sundries.   Small children hold their hands out for high five as you ride through villages.   Little things make a huge difference to a tired rider and it’s a huge shame that I didn’t stop more.   Maybe next time if I’m not in as much of a rush.

Loudeac (448k) was reached at 15:20, 15 mins ahead of schedule.   Whilst I was steadily dropping time I still had time in hand and I had a long break planned overnight which could be shortened if necessary.   Here I had another meal of pasta, bread, cheese and rice pudding.   Not having time for my usual coffee stops I was using the odd caffeine tablet to keep me alert – I had been awake since breakfast the day before.   On leaving Loudeac the roads get quite rolling with a few steep climbs in the mix.   It was at this point only that I regretted fitting the larger gear even though I did manage to winch it up all the climbs without having to walk.   

As the outbound and inbound routes are shared a lot of the time you do end up seeing riders going both ways.   I looked up to see a lone rider in German strip heading serenely in the opposite direction.   He looked like he was out touring so I assumed it was someone out on his own or a rider that had DNF’d.   10 minutes later a mini-peleton of about 20 riders appeared hammering hard and chasing the lone leader.   I later learned that the German rider had escaped the pack and went on to finish on his own, unsupported in under 42.5hrs – an incredible achievement from a rider that only took up long distance riding in 2012.   On this stretch I saw the leading UK riders, John Barkman and Howard Waller, both looking very strong on the way back.

On this stretch we were directed into a secret control at St Nicolas-du-Pelem where our cards were stamped and we grabbed a quick drink.   All these diversions robbed us of time, but I felt quite relaxed.   The roads continued to roll on the way to Carhaix (526k).   We reached the check just before 8pm, having ridden for just under 26hrs.   Being ahead of a lot of riders, but behind the fast guys the control was pretty quiet.   Having had cards stamped, I decided to skip eating and head straight to bed.   I walked to the dormitory and paid a few Euros for a bed.   It was just after 8pm so I booked until 00:30 for a planned 4hrs sleep.   I arranged with Keith to meet in the restaurant with a  view to getting back on the road at 1:30am.   Despite arriving at the control 30mins later than scheduled, we would be leaving 30mins ahead of scheduled for the long stretch to Brest and the turn.   Happy with a good ride to that point I had a quick wash and put some extra layers on, cleaning up the nether regions and applying a layer of sudocrem.   I put my ear plugs in (there were a lot of beds in the room) and drifted off for 4hrs of blissful sleep.

[rob]

Part 2

I woke up a couple of times during the night as I started to get cold.   I was under a single sheet but in a massive unheated hall.   Several hundred other riders didn’t seem to effect the temperature very much.   I was eventually moving at 12:30am and sat on the floor outside the hall adding extra layers and preparing to get back on the road.   I chatted to Aussie rider Dave Minter who was captaining a tandem this time round.   He commented that I was making good time as he was about to bed down for a few hours.   As I walked out of the hall there was a large queue of riders that were waiting for a bed.   I started to realise how well I was doing as I was in bed number 15 when I arrived and the hall was full when I left.   It’s a hard life at the back of the field where you sometimes have to sleep rough or go heavily sleep deprived just to get round.   I have been at that end of the field a few times in the past.

I had a breakfast of pasta, cheese, rice pudding and coffee with Keith, George Hanna and former National 24hr champ Stuart Birnie – the latter 2 on their way back to Paris having started in one of the fast groups.   Bottles filled we were off out of the check at 1:30am into the pitch black.   This was 30mins before I had planned to leave but I felt the buffer would be handy.   B roads in France are a delight with smooth surfaces and clear white lines enabling fast night pacing.   The road away from Carhaix features a steady climb up through the pretty village of Huelgot, not that this helped in the dark.   The roads were quiet and we caught and passed small groups of riders some of whom were trying to get to Brest without sleeping.   We were fresh from the rest at Carhaix so making good time.   This stretch of the course features the highest point as you climb over the Roc Trevezel which has featured on the Tour de France more than once as a Cat 3 climb.   The Tour has also passed through this area in July and the roads were still painted.   I saw the point where the Devil had marked the road to show where he was standing.

As we climbed the Roc the fog started to come in.   I had taken my contact lenses out before sleeping and set off wearing glasses and a cap under my helmet.   This started to cause me a few issues as I had to hold my head up to see under the peak of the cap but I was also struggling with the bright lights of returning riders causing my fogged glasses to affect my vision.   I kepy my head down and watched the white line as we made our way over the steadily graded climb.   With it being foggy we couldn’t see the radio mast at the top until we were virtually on top of it.   At this point, even though it was dark, I knew we had a long descent.   With the fog still being pretty think I started to spin down the descent.   Not wanting to waste the free speed I planted my front wheel between the white lines and hoped for the best.   Eventually we dropped out of the fog and normality returned.   At the foot of the descent is the village of Sizun where I have always stopped for a coffee in a bar that opens its doors for the whole of the event.  We dived in here for a large espresso and freshly baked croissants, chatting to a couple of Northern UK riders who were feeling the cold.

The run from Sizun to Brest is fast on rolling roads until you turn onto lanes through a couple of housing estates and down to a bridge across the harbor.   This is where a lot of riders stop to take photos but it was still pitch black and we were looking forward the breakfast.   We reached the control (614k) at 6am, 30 mins up on schedule.   Some riders were disappointed with this control, but I had no issues with a speedy breakfast of baguette, jam, crepes and coffee.   The toilets were a little medieval, though.   We left after 40 minutes into the breaking dawn.   It was on this leg where I started to say hello to Mr Tetchy.   There is a long drag out of Brest which seemed to go on forever and the morning traffic started to build up.   I struggled to push the gear as I started to feel a bit weary, looking over my shoulder Keith had disappeared.   I had arranged to meet some friends (Richard Thomas and Chris Tracey – both 4 time finishers), who were touring the area, for coffee in Sizun.   I texted to say that I would be there between 8 and 8:30.   As it turned out I made it back to Sizun at 8:30 exactly sitting down at the same café I used on the outward leg.   I used the time to drink coffee eat another croissant, put a new pair of contacts in and put fresh batteries in my lights.   Richard and Chris still hadn’t turned up at this point so I was about to leave when I spotted them.   They insisted on buying me coffee and I sat with them for another 30 minutes.   Whilst I was throwing away much needed time the meeting did wonders for my morale and I set back off with renewed legs, catching and passing large groups on my way back over the Roc.

As I progressed back towards Carhaix (698k) I realised that I had dropped some time but was feeling good so I chose to get my card stamped, fill my bottles and get back on the road.   I was carrying plenty of bars and gels so chose to take one of these on every 10 miles.   Annoyingly at Sizun I had re-set my computer so used it to monitor the distance between controls rather than total mileage.   7k after Carhaix we were pulled into a secret control.   There was no real queue here so I bought a chocolate crepe that was cooked on the spot.   Between Carhaix and Loudeac I rode with a Canadian, a couple of Australians and a guy from Edinburgh who was also on fixed.   I felt great and was back making good progress despite being down on schedule.   I planned to make it to Fougeres that night, but expected to reduce the planned sleep break to get back on schedule.   The roads to Loudeac were pretty busy and it started to get quite warm, but I hit the control (780k) at 3:30pm, about an hour down on schedule.   Having not heard from my family for 2 days I rang them for some well needed encouragement and also bumped into Keith again, who must have passed me earlier on.   

The next section featured some long climbs but also some very fast stretches where I worked with a few French riders who had started with the fast groups – you could tell by their red frame badges.   They rode well in a group and we shared turns on the front.   They were faster than me on downhills but I climbed more consistently.   Whilst we didn’t talk much it was an enjoyable stretch as we all worked towards a common goal.   I noticed they all travelled very light with small saddle packs or rucksacks whilst I was lugging my saddlebag round.   They must have been either supported by friends and family or choosing to get pretty cold at night.   I chatted briefly to another UK fixed rider, Simon Proven, but he quickly dropped away to stop for food at Quedillac.   I dropped away from the French group when we got close to Tinteniac as the pace became a little hot for me and I re-met up with Keith, reaching Tinteniac (865k) just before 8pm.   

I still wanted to get some decent sleep at Fougeres so grabbed another baguette from one of the outside tents.   Since the last pass through they had acquired some cheese so I could have a proper sandwich this time.   Keith had decided that he wanted a proper meal and was going to sleep for longer at Fougeres.   I was still hungry for a fast ride so we shook hands and parted company.   He finished 5hrs behind me but probably had more sleep.   

It was just over 50k to Fougeres where I intended to sleep.   I put arm warmers and my gilet on as the sun was about to set.   This leg was pretty fast as the roads were fast and, for the most part, flat.   I rode mostly on my own, thinking only of my next sleep break.   Making it to Fougeres (919k) at 10:45pm in the dark.   I had originally planned to shower here and get 4 hours sleep.   I found the showers but they had been closed off and some riders were sleeping on the benches there.   It’s amazing how your standards slip on a long ride but I decided that I didn’t need a shower but got changed into clean kit and wiped myself down with some carried wet wipes, re-applying sudocrem to my sore parts.   I booked a bed from 11:15pm asking to be woken up at 2:30am.   Whilst this was only 3hrs sleep I felt it would do and I planned to get back moving again at 3am.   I laid down on a crash mat in a room with 12 other riders, initially stressing about what was still to come, but then realising that I had 310k to do and over 30hrs to it.   At this point I passed out.

[rob]

Part 3

After 3hrs of pretty deep sleep I woke 10 minutes before my scheduled wake-up call so got up.   Sitting on the floor in the hallway I put some extra layers on and then went to have a quick wash and brush my teeth.   Here I bumped into round-the-world cyclist Richard Evans, who I hadn’t seen since his welcome home party in London last year.   He had started with the fast groups but had taken a bit longer sleep break.   It was now 2:30am and dark and chilly outside.   The restaurant was, unsurprisingly, quiet and I had a leisurely early breakfast which could have been a late dinner – at this point it was hard to tell.   Time of day takes on different meaning by the time you get into day 3 or 4 of an ultra ride.   I gathered outside with Richard and his riding companion at 3am and we set off for the last day of the ride.

We worked at an even pace on and off with other groups through the black night.   After 2 hours we found a road-side stall in a village.   They were offering coffee and fresh made pain-au-chocolat as the person running the stall was the local baker.   We sat on the church steps at 5am weeding our hunger and warming ourselves, eventually being joined by a local cat who seemed to enjoy the company.   I felt the need to keep moving with my target time still in mind so left the others and pushed on on my own.   It wasn’t that hilly between here at Villaines and I started to make good time again.   The roadside break, however, had cost me a bit of time and I arrived at Villaines (1008k) with a minute in hand over my schedule at 7:20am with it just getting light.   One of the features of the Villaines control is that it takes over the centre of the town, with the control facilities on one side of the road and the restaurant and sleeping quarters on the other side.   I controlled quickly and then walked over to the restaurant, ordering more pasta and rice pudding which have become my staple diet.   Here the local children take your tray for you and carry it into the dining area, proud of the fact they have helped a tired randonneur.   I sat on my own in a very quiet dining room eating and contemplating whether I would get back on my planned time.   Finishing in the 90hr limit wasn’t an issue and getting back today was fine but would I make it by 6:15pm ?

I set off a little demotivated, but the sun was up and it was turning into a beautiful day.   I has set off still wearing a few extra layers but was getting too hot within about an hour.   I then had my first fir of the dozies which I hadn’t suffered with at all during this ride.   I found myself drifting off and getting a bit wobbly so had a 5 minute break.   I took off my extra layers getting back into summer day-time kit and dug my headphones out hoping that music from my phone would get me motivated.   This all seemed to do the trick and I started to feel much better, singing to myself as I rolled up and down gentle hills on the way to Mortagne (1088k).   On the way out this control had been chaos, but today it was empty.   I checked in 15 minutes behind schedule and went to the diner.   Here they made me a huge omelette with creamy mashed potato which I washed down with orangina.   It was the best meal I had got through on the whole ride which also made me think that I should have spent more time at the controls.   I chatted with Nigel from the Derby Mercury who was wearing a neck brace.   His neck had given up the previous evening and he was limping home but well inside the cut.   He asked if we could ride together which I was initially concerned about as I was now close to missing out on my target.

Nigel was actually a strong rider and dropped me a couple of times on the steep climbs away from Mortagne, but I passed him at the roadside a couple of times as he tried to keep his neck comfortable.   On the flatter stretches he sat tight on my rear wheel, while I got down on the drops and set a strong pace.   At one point I looked back to see that he wasn’t there any more, so I eased off a little to see he re-appeared.   After a few minutes I could see that he wasn’t catching up, so went back to my original plan and pushed hard on the now flat roads to get to Dreux (1166k).   I checked in 28mins down on plan and thought I was going to make the finish 30mins later than planned.   I sat on the floor emptying my bottles and did some mental arithmetic.   If I went and checked in, grabbed a snack, filled bottles and set off quickly I has 2.5hrs to do 64k.   I knew the last bit home was pretty benign apart from a couple of steep climbs about 20k from the finish.   I ran into the check, got my card stamped, grabbed another pain-au-chocolat and ran back to the bike.   I took the bag of jelly babies that I had carried for 3 days out and filled my tri-bag with them.

Nigel still hadn’t turned up so I jumped back on the bike and set off on a mission.   Heading out of town the oncoming drivers were gesturing at us to slow down so I eased off on the first descent.   There was a rider motionless on the deck with his carbon frame snapped in two.   It looked like he had hit a car head on after taking the bend a bit wide.   The motorbike marshalls had just turned up and waived us through.   This out me off my stride a little, although I later found out that the rider was hospitalised but was fine.   I caught 2 Frenchmen with vedette frame numbers who seemed to be taking it easy but also weren’t that keen to let me ride off.   Each time I did a turn on the front they would come past and then the pace would slow so I would return to the front and lift things again.   I started to get a bit frustrated, but eventually they got the message and rode off without me.   I don’t usually crave company on long rides and am very happy in my own little world so the last couple of hours suited me fine.

There were still spectators at the roadside cheering us on and I got my last few high fives on the way through the last villages.   Shouts from the roadside would tell me how may kilometres I had to go and the numbers dropped from 40 to 30 to 20k.   I fuelled on jelly babies and drank the remaining water that I had filled with at Dreux.   Through the Rambouillet forest 20k from the finish I winched my way up a couple of steep climbs, cheered on by locals, more so when they spotted my fixed.   I continually checked my watch to see how much time I had left.   I went round the Trappes by-pass and seemed to stop at every traffic light.   I didn’t want to jump a light and risk a traffic violation, although other riders seemed less bothered.   I crossed the final roundabout and entered the park that led to the finish.   My watch said 18:05 – 10 minutes to ride what was 3 or 4 ks.   My mind played tricks.   I put the hammer down and sprinted round the park which was pretty quiet at this time.   At the far side I was directed right onto a gravel track past a handful of spectators and over the final timing mat.   As I heard the reassuring bleep I looked at my watch and it said 18:13.   2 minutes to spare.   I dumped my bike in the bike park and had a little sit down, quietly congratulating myself on the achievement.   (In the end I was credited with 71h56m as we started 2 minutes later than scheduled).

The finish was an anti-climax.   Although inside the velodrome it was pretty low key.   The finishers meal was chicken pasta but, not eating meat, I was presented with 2 bread rolls and a coffee.    For some reason I couldn’t eat and sat at a table chatting to some other British finishers.   Eventually it was getting towards 8pm and it was a 5 mile ride back to hotel.   I rode back, checked in, showered for the first time in 4 days, texted home and updated facebook and then fell asleep.

I spent the next day hanging round the velodrome and chatting to the finishers.   I had timed my finish quite well as it rained for most of the Thursday morning with riders finishing looking pretty wet.   It’s emotional watching riders at the back end of the field making it back just in time at the limits of their endurance.   This wasn’t gloating, I’ve been there.

Will I ride again ?    I said I wouldn’t but I’m tempted to either improve my time again or maybe turn it into a fast tour, taking the time to talk to people more.   If I ride again in 2019 and 2023 I will be able to get to 7 finishes by the year of my 50th birthday.   Something to think about.

[Touring Sec]

Rob thanks for the tow when I could not lift my neck your back wheel was a mighty fine view. I had to take a break on the way into Dreux I had stopped eating and drinking so started to bonk big time. Knowing that I was not going to make it in 72hrs I took a long stop at Dreux and another on the road to St Quentin. Got in for 74.5hours at 8:00pm on Wednesday night, before demolishing the beer barrel in the velodrome. I must have just missed you as I came in.
See you in 2019 or on the road some time before then.

[rob]

Rob thanks for the tow when I could not lift my neck your back wheel was a mighty fine view. I had to take a break on the way into Dreux I had stopped eating and drinking so started to bonk big time. Knowing that I was not going to make it in 72hrs I took a long stop at Dreux and another on the road to St Quentin. Got in for 74.5hours at 8:00pm on Wednesday night, before demolishing the beer barrel in the velodrome. I must have just missed you as I came in.
See you in 2019 or on the road some time before then.

Good to hear from you again.   Was chatting to a couple of your clubmates in the velodrome after finishing.

As I was heading home to the hotel I saw you just coming into the finish but was too far away to shout.   Glad you got round.