Low-down on PBP from ACP official meeting

[PeterM]

The following will also appear in Arrivee and on the AUK mailing list.  There's more, but this covers the important stuff...


Here are a few highlights that I gleaned from ACP's official presentation of the 2011 Paris-Brest-Paris, which will start on 21 (80- and 90-hour riders) or 22 (84-hour riders and sub 84-hour riders) August.

Entry

ACP hopes to handle all aspiring PBP riders and is planning for 6,000 entrants, with another 500 if the authorities and facilities permit.  AUK's quota is 385, but quotas are somewhat flexible.  (We had about 320 riders in 2007.)  A rider's nationality is determined by the nationality of their club.

Entry will be only via the PBP website  (Portail),  with payment online.  There is an English version of the website.  The entry fee is expected to be a little over €100 and will include cancellation and medical repatriation insurance.  There will be no need to submit any documents in support of your entry.  No more photos, medical certificates, or insurance certificates, although I'd  recommend you make sure you have your own travel insurance.  As before, no food at controls is included in the entry fee.

Riders who completed a BRM event in 2010 will be able to preregister for PBP for a nonrefundable fee of €30 (deducted from their final entry fee).  Preregistration dates differ according to the length of your longest 2010 BRM:  3 April (1000km or more), 17 April (600), 1 May (400), 15 May (300), 29 May (200).  If you have preregistered, you can enter from 11 June, paying the full fee and providing the homologation (validation) numbers of at least three of your 2011 qualifying rides.  You don't have to have completed all four qualifiers in order to enter.

You must convert your preregistration into a full entry by 20 June, otherwise you lose the priority granted by preregistration.

Riders who did not complete a BRM event in 2010 will be able to enter PBP from 20 June.  Entries will close on 17 July.  If PBP is oversubscribed, ACP will establish and administer a waiting list.

The Ride

There will be more starts to choose from.  Leaving aside the various starts for special machines,  the Sunday starts will be:  80-hour from 1600; 90-hour, in waves of 500 or so every half-hour, from 1800 to 2000; 90-hour, in groups of 20 or fewer, any time between 2100 and 2200.  The Monday starts will be:  84-hour at 0500; free starts between  0530 and 0800, to arrive by 1700 Thursday (81-83.5 hours).  The revised starts should help reduce bunching at controls.

You will collect your brevet card and other stuff the day before your start.  Same goes for the bike inspection.

The route is largely unchanged.  We'll ride past the castle in Fougères (by popular demand, apparently), and the Brest control will be in the city centre.  The run into the finish will be more direct than in 2007.

There will be an optional stop (not a control) at Saint-Nicholas du Pélem, midway between Loudéac and Carhaix.  This will have food and sleeping facilities.  ACP is exploring the possibility of other similar stops elsewhere.  As before, there will be secret controls.

Riders will have a brevet card plus a souvenir microchip worn around the ankle on a velcro band.  The microchip will register your precise start and finish times.  The mats for the microchips will be placed in the control buildings, so you pass over them as you go to get your card stamped.

You will need to wear a reflective gilet (no Sam Browne belts) conforming to EN471 at night and in poor visibility.  You can order a PBP-branded gilet with your entry at extra cost.

No rider will be credited with a time under 43 hours 56 minutes…

[LittleWheelsandBig]

You will collect your brevet card and other stuff the day before your start.  Same goes for the bike inspection.

<SNIP>

You will need to wear a reflective gilet (no Sam Browne belts) conforming to EN471 at night and in poor visibility.  You can order a PBP-branded gilet with your entry at extra cost.

So if you have a Monday start, you don't pick up your stuff and get your bike inspected until Sunday?

Does the reflective gilet actually have to be labelled as conforming to EN471 or just meet the requirements?

[PeterM]

So if you have a Monday start, you don't pick up your stuff and get your bike inspected until Sunday?

Does the reflective gilet actually have to be labelled as conforming to EN471 or just meet the requirements?

Yes, on the bike inspection, etc.  I assume so, on the gilet.

[border-rider]

Fantastic info.  Thanks Peter.

[PeterM]

It's perhaps me but it looks a challenge for anyone who pre enters and then relies on a late qualifier. Unless it's very slick getting the homologation numbers for events the window looks tight.

No, that shouldn't be a problem.  Turnaround for the homologation numbers is very quick.  Late qualifiers are in the hands of efficient organisers, and ACP is good at providing the numbers (less so at sending the stickers, but that doesn't matter in this respect).

I'm expecting an auto-checking system on the PBP website as in 2007, when it would autopopulate your qualifiers.

[Von Broad]

Entry will be only via the PBP website  (Portail),  with payment online.  There is an English version of the website.  The entry fee is expected to be a little over €100 and will include cancellation and medical repatriation insurance.  There will be no need to submit any documents in support of your entry.  No more photos, medical certificates, or insurance certificates, although I'd  recommend you make sure you have your own travel insurance. 

Well, [typically I'm still dithering], but that takes a whole lot of hassle out of entering for the event doesn't it, both for the riders and for you Peter! Damn site easier than 2007.

[simonp]

The lack of requirement for a medical certificate is a slightly surprising change. I suppose checking these things for 6000 (!) riders just adds extra work. The repatriation insurance is good too though having your own insurance does seem like a good idea.

[PeterM]

Well, [typically I'm still dithering], but that takes a whole lot of hassle out of entering for the event doesn't it, both for the riders and for you Peter! Damn site easier than 2007.

Yep, I'm redundant, except as a source of advice.  If it helps with the dithering, you feature in the PBP 2011 brochure...

[PeterM]

The lack of requirement for a medical certificate is a slightly surprising change. I suppose checking these things for 6000 (!) riders just adds extra work.

ACP received many "certificates" in languages no one in the club could understand.  So they've sensibly ditched the requirement as meaningless.

[mattc]

It's perhaps me but it looks a challenge for anyone who pre enters and then relies on a late qualifier. Unless it's very slick getting the homologation numbers for events the window looks tight.

No, that shouldn't be a problem.  Turnaround for the homologation numbers is very quick.  Late qualifiers are in the hands of efficient organisers, and ACP is good at providing the numbers

Oh dear ...  
My 600 is on the last weekend, and was going to be a postal finish. I think I'll have to come up with a more forceful approach than I used last year. I already have (at least) 1 entrant who will ride PBP (plus me and my helper!), so this will be an issue.

EDIT: thanks Peter 

The route is largely unchanged.  We'll ride past the castle in Fougères (by popular demand, apparently), and the Brest control will be in the city centre.  The run into the finish will be more direct than in 2007.

Thank f*** ...

[frankly frankie]

To give you an idea of the level of urgency, at the final qualifier 600 4 years ago, AUK's validators were present at the finish control ...
So postal finish  

(Its the same for us, Sheila's 600 is usually a postal finish but for this year only, we're guaranteeing a finish controller on duty for both the 400 and 600.  Of course, some idiot will probably post his card anyway, thus throwing a spanner into the well-oiled machine  

In some ways it's the late 400s that are even more critical, because this is the '3rd qualifier' and people will be hoping to have this info by 11th June.

[mattc]

It's good to know this so early, I'm sure I can sort something out by June.

Can i submit non-BRM people later? _{(or some variation thereof ...)}

[pizzicatooff]

To give you an idea of the level of urgency, at the final qualifier 600 4 years ago, AUK's validators were present at the finish control ...
So postal finish  

I think there were three 600km qualifiers on the final weekend in 2007. I don't know which of these was attended by the validation secretaries, but they weren't at Mytholmroyd.

My recollection is that I went home shortly after the 10:00pm finishing time on the Sunday and sorted out the finish list on the website, emailed it to the validation secretaries for good measure, then returned to Mytholmroyd to run the overnight sleeping etc., for those staying over on the Sunday night.

This time around I'm hoping to use a netbook and mobile internet connection to cut out the trip home. These should also be available to anybody needing to make a late PBP entry afterwards.

Regards

Chris

[LEE]

No rider will be credited with a time under 43 hours 56 minutes…

What about the return leg from Brest to Paris?

[PeterM]

You must convert your preregistration into a full entry by 20 June, otherwise you lose the priority granted by preregistration.

Just to clarify, "full entry" means paying the entry fee and completing the entry process.  You don't have to have the homologation number of your fourth qualifier in order to do this (you can provide it later).

[Ivo]

ACP hopes to handle all aspiring PBP riders and is planning for 6,000 entrants, with another 500 if the authorities and facilities permit.  AUK's quota is 385, but quotas are somewhat flexible.  (We had about 320 riders in 2007.)  A rider's nationality is determined by the nationality of their club.

Interesting point turning back the clock to 2003. Especially intersting for those riders affiliated to more than one club in various countries. I know of a few such riders, myself having three club memberships in 3 countries.

[Andrew]

Just to clarify, "full entry" means paying the entry fee and completing the entry process.  You don't have to have the homologation number of your fourth qualifier in order to do this (you can provide it later).

Thanks for the clarification. That was how I initially interpreted it but the responses of others had me wondering! 

[arvid]

ACP hopes to handle all aspiring PBP riders and is planning for 6,000 entrants, with another 500 if the authorities and facilities permit.  AUK's quota is 385, but quotas are somewhat flexible.  (We had about 320 riders in 2007.)  A rider's nationality is determined by the nationality of their club.

Interesting point turning back the clock to 2003. Especially intersting for those riders affiliated to more than one club in various countries. I know of a few such riders, myself having three club memberships in 3 countries.

More interesting: it is relatively easy to become a member of a club in a different country. That's an interesting option for the countries who have less places now than participants in 2007.

[EdinburghFixed]

As I read that, I couldn't help wondering if it would be possible to affiliate to a club from Sufferlandria... damn it! 

[Hummers]

Thanks Peter.

H

[Salvatore]

ACP hopes to handle all aspiring PBP riders and is planning for 6,000 entrants, with another 500 if the authorities and facilities permit.  AUK's quota is 385, but quotas are somewhat flexible.  (We had about 320 riders in 2007.)  A rider's nationality is determined by the nationality of their club.

Interesting point turning back the clock to 2003. Especially intersting for those riders affiliated to more than one club in various countries. I know of a few such riders, myself having three club memberships in 3 countries.

I would have thought that Esperanto CC might object in principle to being associated with a particular country.

[Ivo]

ACP hopes to handle all aspiring PBP riders and is planning for 6,000 entrants, with another 500 if the authorities and facilities permit.  AUK's quota is 385, but quotas are somewhat flexible.  (We had about 320 riders in 2007.)  A rider's nationality is determined by the nationality of their club.

Interesting point turning back the clock to 2003. Especially intersting for those riders affiliated to more than one club in various countries. I know of a few such riders, myself having three club memberships in 3 countries.

I would have thought that Esperanto CC might object in principle to being associated with a particular country.

Actually, BEMI is affiliated with the FBC-BBR.

[frankly frankie]

To give you an idea of the level of urgency, at the final qualifier 600 4 years ago, AUK's validators were present at the finish control ...
So postal finish  

I think there were three 600km qualifiers on the final weekend in 2007. I don't know which of these was attended by the validation secretaries, but they weren't at Mytholmroyd.

Naturally, they attended the one with the most riders.  
Respective organisers' reputations for a) efficiency and/or b) catering, may also have been a consideration  

[Exit Stage Left]

I'm working on a video of the interviews I did with Jean-Gualbert Faburel and Jennifer Wise in Paris. It's a bit of a learning curve using a new camera in addition to the two I know well already and a new video editing program. It's been nice to put faces to names, you'll be able to do the same soon.

[cyclone]

Not that the subject will go away but could we have Peters thread starter as a "sticky"?