PBP2015 - Notes to Self for 2019

[wilkyboy]

Strategy-wise, consider aiming for the earliest 90 hour start and riding hard initially to escape the bulge.

I started with the Special Needs at 17:15 on an upright, i.e. the earliest 90-hour start.  I might've done better if I'd started in the 17:45 group instead and had groups up the road to chase down.  When I say "done better" I mean "felt better", because this time there were no slower riders ahead of me to catch, only faster riders behind who caught me.  A LOT of faster riders, something like 4000 of them ...

[Assasin]

Nothing to change for next time.
We can reuse the nameplate too


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And we will have some decent 4 year old bearings next time 

[bhoot]

My B&M has quite a cut-off beam too and I've found it handy to have a reasonably powerful headtorch for the night, mainly so you can scan around at a junction for reflective arrows.

We couldn't pick up all the reflective arrows with our B&M Luxos - so we also resorted to using a torch to try to find them. Probably easier on the tandem as it was a stoker's job.

[Ian H]

A head torch is useful for any ride in the dark.

[SR Steve]

I had a small head torch with me in case of mechanical trouble or punctures in the night, but never had to use it.

I was running my Garmin Edge 200 via the Luxos U for the whole ride, so could refer to the GPS track on approach to junctions. I could generally see the arrows anyway because although the bright part of the beam was pointing down at the road ahead, I found that the much dimmer, upper portion of the beam was sufficient to show up the arrows.

Another advantage of a GPS track is that it shows the shape of the road ahead, so you are not caught out by sudden sharp bends and turns. This applies in the daytime as well as the night. Bends are not sign-posted in France as much as in the UK.

[JamesBradbury]

For me the advice is:-

Keep a banana with you at all times. And some chocolate.

[T42]

Chum saw one bloke riding with bananas strapped to the frame.

[αdαmsκι]

There is always the Jurek approach to banana transportation: click.

[T42]

A bit much for just one banana, though.

[Phil W]

Remember to take your shoes off when stopped , prevents you getting hot foot.

[Ian H]

Remember to take your shoes off when stopped , prevents you getting hot foot.

This only works if you're stopped for a significant length of time, chiz.

I never had this problem with Look Deltas, and am thinking about a switch to Shimano SPD-SL

New shoes and/or A520 pedals seemed to cure hot-foot for me.  Trouble is, I don't know whether one or t'other or both. 

[L CC]

I like the A520 pedals but they don't improve my hotfoot.
I still get it with sandals. This is the only cure:
(Ménéac)

[Chris F.cc]

My notes to self for 2019:

1. Overdo the preparation and training again but with less panic about; will I manage it? will I get shermer's neck? and more in a spirit of Arnold Palmer's response to his lucky hole in one: "The more I practice the luckier I get."
2. Riding down sounds fun.
3. Use Marcus' list and especially his tip to book a hotel. 8 hours sleep in a hotel room on Tues night means no probs with sleep dep and mainly overtaking people on the final 400k is good for morale.
4. Low five those kids on the way out but be aware that on the way back they're emboldened and will swing for you.
(Riding alongside jsabine when he slapped palms with one group of loveable urchins I said; "John are you sure that's hygienic? You don't know if they washed their hands the last time they did numero deux." John's instant reply; "Well I know I didn't.")
5. Accept the weirdness that, as on the qualifiers, you will meet fussballclub at every other control yet never actually ride with him.
6. Hope that the ACP have had the smarts to employ an events management company so that there may be beer at the Arrivee and some food vans.
7. Hope that your friend Adam is in Paris on business again and will whisk you away for Thursday night supper with his French colleague so they can bask in your reflected awesomeness.
8. Accept that Eurostar will cancel your return train and announce indefinite delays.
9. Consider NOT doing it again unless convinced otherwise. This year the objective was to see if you could do it. (Tick.) So what's the objective for next time? You had a great 2015 and probably won't be as lucky next time. If in 2019 you do have the squits and mechanicals and find yourself in hailstones battling a headwind along that monotonous route, ensure you have a very good answer to the question; "Why the hell am I doing this again?"

[Byronius Maximus]

Do it, rather than deciding not to early in the year and then following it regretfully on the internet.

[T42]

And hope that they put the finishing line & bike park closer to the check-in.

[Deano]

Learn more French!

I didn't think this four years ago, but I did spend more time talking to other English-speaking riders on the road then.

I think I was exposed to too much Yorkshire French this time around (riding with a lad from Donnie, travelling down with a lad from Boro..), and I felt I missed a lot, though I usually got the sense of what people were saying, and was nearly complimented on my French at Loudeac.

[Deano]

8. Tandems. Tuck the FUCK in, and hold on tight. NEVER. EVER, waste a tandem tow. If they're going just that bit too fast for you, work that bit too hard to stay the fuck on, because overall, they WILL save you energy, and time. Don't box them in on the descents, tuck the fuck in behind, and hold on tight. Next climb, take the time (there could be a lot!) to get your breath back, take in the surroundings, and admire the backside of the stoker.

That wasn't my experience of the ride, sadly, though Jules and Steve had a great tale of towing scores of riders along for miles.

Dave and I did catch up with a tandem at nearly-the-top of a climb, and I remember commenting (loudly enough that they could have heard us) that there was no point in overtaking them when we were about to descend. We tried to stay behind them, but it quickly became clear that we were going faster on the descent than they were - even Dave, who probably weighs less than his bike.

Mind you, we did encounter one German guy on the 84-hour start who really got on my nerves. He was built like a Panzer, and went uphill like one. Which was fine, except that he descended like a runaway train, and on some of the gentle rolls near Villaines outbound, he'd come past us just before the start of the climb, and nearly come to a stop. After the fourth, fifth, whatever iteration, I was immensely pleased when there was a climb long enough to drop him forever, and I made sure to overtake him riding no-handed, casually chatting to my mate. Never saw him again.

[madcow]

I have just read Redlight's ride report and he commented about Villaines control feeding half of the town's population. I know Brits love to queue , but this is your chance to break the habit of a lifetime.
At any control , if there are members of the public in the food queue, just walk right past them and put yourself at the head of the queue. No-one should object and if they do just shrug your shoulders Gallic style.
At Villaines in 2011, I was grabbed by the arm and propelled to the front of the queue .

[Aunt Maud]

If Villaines was the control with the whopping great hall, there was a specific line for riders only to get food.

[Karla]

Remember to take your shoes off when stopped , prevents you getting hot foot.

This only works if you're stopped for a significant length of time, chiz.

I never had this problem with Look Deltas, and am thinking about a switch to Shimano SPD-SL

What do you use atm?

[zigzag]

note to my future self that pbp is hilly (at least that is how stravistix classifies it)

[Phil W]

Getting to / from Paris

1. There is a new direct train service across London to Brighton.  Consider using it to shortern the UK side riding on busy roads. If getting daytime sailing consider a London overnight ride instead.
2. Potentially ride from Dieppe to Paris in one go on the way to PBP; as the overnight ferry means you will be underway by 6am.
3. Consider a shared cabin or day time sailing as sleeping on ferry on floor or seats was awful. 
4. Use the new and shorter route you have found that uses the paved cycle tracks through the forests on the outskirts of Paris to avoid the built up areas, distance 178km; only an extra couple of hours riding beyond riding to Vernon.
5. If day time sailing consider stopping short at hotel in Cergy ~ 136km. There is also a new 2 metre wide paved cycle track from Gornay in Bray to Beauvais.  It adds 20km overall but splits trip down into 108km and 91km; so might be a good option from a day time sailing. Cathedral, restaurants, and various hotels.
6. Take a closer look at restaurants / shops on route, as fairly sparse offerings outside Paris.
7. The route in 2015 was 133km Dieppe to Vernon, then 68km Vernon to St Quentin velodrome.
8. Ride back in one as per 2015, but via new route.  An 8am start, take 12-13 hours elapsed with long lunch, eat around 9pm in Dieppe, midnight sailing.

[Tomsk]

^ This! The finely honed distillation of experience.

I like the idea of going via Beauvais for a change, instead of Vernon

[Pete Mas]

On such a long ride it's essential to make sure you have as few issues as possible with contact points, so have a bike-fit or at least a good self-check of your position. Saddle sores, numb hands or back pain are no fun at all. The first time I rode PBP I made the error of having my saddle very straight, so there was too much pressure on my hands, leading to problems with the ulnar nerve, and numb little (and ring) fingers for about 3 months afterwards. The roads on PBP are generally good with far fewer potholes than in UK, but many have a rough finish, so you have to watch the vibrations over 1200km. Gel mitts and bar tape are both worthwhile additions.

A more upright position on the bike may be less aero-dynamic, but could help you avoid neck and shoulder problems later in the ride.

The qualifying rides should give you an idea if whether you are on the right lines. If you suffer any issues on the 400 or 600, then it will only be worse at PBP, so sort it out before you get there.

[Ian H]

Assuming I decide to enter, I shall doubtless be landing at Le Havre (occasionally Caen, for variety) and riding there and back as previous times.