Author Topic: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?  (Read 16477 times)

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #75 on: 26 August, 2023, 03:03:24 pm »

No energy gels at the controls:
There was a stall selling gels and bars at almost every control if you looked for it.
It was usually associated with the bike repair outfit.
However , I  think that the gels were in plastic tubes like toothpaste , not the sachets that we are more familiar with.

 Sounds to me like he had a plan that didn't have any flexibility, which is a pretty dumb  plan.
 I think we should crowdfund a Carradice Barley for him.

frillipippi

  • from Italy
Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #76 on: 26 August, 2023, 03:22:42 pm »
If I remember correctly, Bjoern Lenhard had no support in 2015.

You know how they say... people who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it

Flâneur

  • ♫ P*nctured bicycle on a hillside desolate...
Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #77 on: 26 August, 2023, 03:37:04 pm »
having paid a third party to provide a drop box, it's hardly unreasonable to expect them to actually do so.

Seems like they did. Just that like lots of things at the controls, they weren’t clearly signposted, and few or none of the volunteers knew they were there (which given it was a third party service, isn’t unreasonable).

I’m not sure the drop box co would have expected someone fancying their chances at fastest time to be using their service.

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #78 on: 26 August, 2023, 03:39:47 pm »

No energy gels at the controls:
There was a stall selling gels and bars at almost every control if you looked for it.
It was usually associated with the bike repair outfit.
However , I  think that the gels were in plastic tubes like toothpaste , not the sachets that we are more familiar with.

 Sounds to me like he had a plan that didn't have any flexibility, which is a pretty dumb  plan.
 I think we should crowdfund a Carradice Barley for him.

All the ones I stopped at had pretty bog standard SIS or Powerbar products that would be familiar to most riders. There’s also a massive Decathlon metres from the Carhaix control. The stalls stocking SIS Beta Fuel were much appreciated as I was struggling with solid food in the heat of the day. I know it’s not exactly what the product was intended for but it’s a gentle, palatable way to get lots of sugar on board.

Bianchi Boy

  • Cycling is my doctor
  • Is it possible for a ride to be too long?
    • Reading Cycling Club
Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #79 on: 26 August, 2023, 04:27:44 pm »
K330: Steve Ferry. I packed shortly after Tintaniac with heat exhaustion. I stopped for what appeared to be ages and did not feel any better. Then thought it is only a bike ride and packed.

100% recovered with two days rest  :thumbsup:
Set a fire for a man and he will be warm for a day, set a man on fire and he is warm for the rest of his life.

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #80 on: 26 August, 2023, 04:56:39 pm »
As so many people have been talking about this Matt Page, I watched the video too.
Support makes a difference. If I had support it would make a huge difference - probably the difference between coming in at 90hrs or say 89hrs :-)

I wouldn’t under estimate how much difference support could make to your times.

No queuing at PBP controls for food, then joining another queue to pay for it.   No searching and possibly queueing for where to refill your water bottles.  No long walks between facilities. No real bulge to contend with.

Some control over the food you get at each control, and hot food as well if support have cooking facilities with them.   Instant swap over of water bottles with an alternate set already filled with your choice of hydration salts and / or energy powder for liquid calories. Quick resupply of solid food items to eat on the bike from a range you actually like.  A place to get some shut eye without delay if necessary. 

With support you can keep your stops as short as necessary and even bounce and be resupplied without queuing.

Because you’re getting the food and drinks you need without delay,  you will be able to get more rest when you need it, rather than standing in queues, and getting stuff you can digest.  You’ll ride faster as result with much reduced stop times.

Ability to dump spare clothes and kit for a hilly section in day time heat, or pick up a super light layers with uv protection for the heat . Then pick up night layers again and drop super light layers before a night section.

I can easily see it knocking quite a few hours off your elapsed, turning a full value rider into a comfortable sub 80 hour rider on PBP.


Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #81 on: 26 August, 2023, 06:01:39 pm »
The idea of support seems odd but if it's a race and allowed then I can see all the advantages. Having someone every 100km with clothing/nutrition and/or a mattress to get a couple of hours on must be a winner. Just roll into the control , out and meet your vehicle at a lay by.. can see that will save minutes. Might as well have the car just in front of you giving you the draft. Is that allowed or if no one sees it then it didn't happen?

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #82 on: 26 August, 2023, 06:12:40 pm »
Supporters’ vehicles are not allowed on the course, other than within 5km of controls, otherwise time penalties.

PBP isn’t a race but some people need penis-measurement contests. To be clear, fast finish times are very impressive athletic feats but they are not inherently better than any other PBP finisher IMHO.

frillipippi is correct and the first finisher at PBP15 was unsupported, the first time that had happened. Unsupported riders had finished under 50hr previously e.g. Henry Kingman at PBP99 https://milly.org/hkingman/pbp.html
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

ppg

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #83 on: 26 August, 2023, 07:39:45 pm »
IIRC the days leading up to my first PBP in 2003 were so very hot, excess mortalities in Paris etc., there was talk of abandoning the event.
Fortunately the weather broke just in time and it was just pleasantly hot throughout.

OTOH, 2007 was not good, it rained on me continually and the headwind even changed direction at Brest (though that might be my paranoia at work)

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #84 on: 26 August, 2023, 11:41:11 pm »
Could someone please post a link to the 'Matt Page Video'. 
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #85 on: 26 August, 2023, 11:45:14 pm »

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #86 on: 27 August, 2023, 07:02:30 am »
At the Brest control, at 7:00 I definitely would not class that as throwing the brevet card at the controller.
The guy is obviously tired and as above has been riding with arms on bars for hours. He tries to toss it onto the table for the controller but cant quite raise his arms enough. Controller bloke has a big grin too.

felstedrider

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #87 on: 27 August, 2023, 07:30:31 am »
Could someone please post a link to the 'Matt Page Video'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYH4laoEqWQ

Got half way through and was bored by the whinging about how flat the route was.  Yeah, you’re a great rider.  I get it.

Utterly disconnected with the experience of the average participant.  Lacking respect for the event.


marcusjb

  • Full of bon courage.
Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #88 on: 27 August, 2023, 07:45:18 am »
Did this guy do any research at all? Did he reach out to the pointy end AUKs like zigzag and veloboy etc?

I am sorry it wasn’t how he expected but it all sounds like he had done little research and he reacts like a petulant child.

Doesn’t sound he’ll be back to try again.

I will say the company operating the bag drops appear to not communicated with controls etc well - even at the non pointy end at Loudeac, people asking where their bag drops are were met with Gallic shrugs.
Right! What's next?

Ooooh. That sounds like a daft idea.  I am in!

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #89 on: 27 August, 2023, 07:56:03 am »
I thought the company would send a txt or have some signage but maybe not. All looks hard work. Kudos to those of you who did it and I know some of you have done it numerous times. Does the 4 year gap make the memories fonder?

frillipippi

  • from Italy
Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #90 on: 27 August, 2023, 08:02:37 am »
Did this guy do any research at all? Did he reach out to the pointy end AUKs like zigzag and veloboy etc?

I am sorry it wasn’t how he expected but it all sounds like he had done little research and he reacts like a petulant child.

Doesn’t sound he’ll be back to try again.

I will say the company operating the bag drops appear to not communicated with controls etc well - even at the non pointy end at Loudeac, people asking where their bag drops are were met with Gallic shrugs.

Then may I suggest next time (if a next time's going to happen) ask "Casa Italia" if they accept foreigners' bags? Bags carried in one place, Quedillac, which is very convenient though because it splits the route in three legs of about 400 km each. Conspicous marquee, impossible to miss it. Fair prices.

felstedrider

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #91 on: 27 August, 2023, 08:05:59 am »
I thought the company would send a txt or have some signage but maybe not. All looks hard work. Kudos to those of you who did it and I know some of you have done it numerous times. Does the 4 year gap make the memories fonder?

The 4 year gap makes you forget how hard it is and happily start the qualification process all over.

I didn’t swear off going again but there were some dark moments on the climbs on Tuesday.

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #92 on: 27 August, 2023, 08:11:18 am »
Does the 4 year gap make the memories fonder?

Most of the veterans I know will have forgotten the bad bits by late September and by November will be planing their 2027 campaigns.

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #93 on: 27 August, 2023, 09:19:54 am »
Does the 4 year gap make the memories fonder?

A few times I've needed 8 year gaps.
You're only as successful as your last 1200...

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #94 on: 27 August, 2023, 09:34:40 am »
Does the 4 year gap make the memories fonder?

A few times I've needed 8 year gaps.

That's what happened to me. Missed 2019 [mainly because I hadn't done a pre qualifier and thought it would be impossible to get in. How wrong I was].
Although if I miss anymore 8 yr gaps I'll be going round not on a recumbent trike but in a recumbent herse.
As time passes, what I'm beginning to find morbidly fascinating is not whether I want to do the ride, but whether I actually physically can!
Garry Broad

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #95 on: 27 August, 2023, 09:41:02 am »
R200: Melville Kirkland

Mel makes me laugh.

I met him in Rammers [not my dreadful abbreviation, but made me smile], so I know he was there.
And yet there is no recorded data for him.
But Maindru photos show him clearly riding......somewhere. Doing something.
I can only imagine he either couldn't be bothered to put his wrist strap on, or didn't even bother going into any of the controls. I would imagine it's the former.
He seems quite happy to run his own program.
Anybody catch up with him?

He would have made a good MI6 agent in the cold war.
Garry Broad

Flâneur

  • ♫ P*nctured bicycle on a hillside desolate...
Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #96 on: 27 August, 2023, 09:47:10 am »
It wouldn’t be a missing wristband, but a missing frame plate - that’s where the chip was. I guess it could be yanked off possibly leaving the frameplate intact

Frameplate presence was one of the things the scrutinisers checked AFAIK

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #97 on: 27 August, 2023, 09:53:48 am »
It wouldn’t be a missing wristband, but a missing frame plate - that’s where the chip was
Ah ha..of course, thanks.
Garry Broad

CrazyEnglishTriathlete

  • Miles eaten don't satisfy hunger
  • Chartered accountant in 5 different decades
    • CET Ride Reports and Blogs
Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #98 on: 27 August, 2023, 10:04:40 am »
Supporters’ vehicles are not allowed on the course, other than within 5km of controls, otherwise time penalties.

PBP isn’t a race but some people need penis-measurement contests.

frillipippi is correct and the first finisher at PBP15 was unsupported, the first time that had happened. Unsupported riders had finished under 50hr previously e.g. Henry Kingman at PBP99 https://milly.org/hkingman/pbp.html

So all the camper vans and vans I saw on route just happened to be randomly driving along the PBP route?  :facepalm:   I'm not sure if I'm jealous because Mrs CET would deffo not spend 3 days of her life driving a campervan around some not hugely exciting bits of northern France, or satisfied to be married to someone who has sufficient common sense not to spend 3 days driving in support of a husband riding around northern France. 
Eddington Numbers 130 (imperial), 183 (metric) 574 (furlongs)  116 (nautical miles)

Re: Anybody know what happened to any of the following?
« Reply #99 on: 27 August, 2023, 10:12:08 am »
Going off topic, but all these support vehicles (as in bike races) hardly makes it a green sport. I wouldn’t want anyone driving 100s of km supporting me. I’d do the ride again, now I’ve discovered Grimbergen.
Bikes are for riding, not cleaning!