PBP terrain

[rob]

The advice when I first started was to do 2 series and make one of them hilly (BCM, Wessex series, etc).   There was also something about being able to do a 600 in 32hrs.   This has turned out to be rubbish.

Last time round I just did flat qualifiers but did do an element of speedwork.   

PBP is relentlessly rolling but not what you'd call really hilly.   In 2011 I used 70" and it was a bit spinny on the long descents causing a lot of hand/arse discomfort with the bouncing.   In 2015 I geared up to 79" which was much better with the only bits I found hard being Loudeac to Carhaix on the way out and the little steep bits in the forest 20k from the end.

[alotronic]

Having done a mellow fixed SR in the Essex regions last year I think up thread emphasis on the right gear for downhills is probably right, I would certainly plan on using something a tooth less spinny than usual for england that's for sure. I am normally a spin on 70 kinda guy but would think a 74/76 would be the business for a fixed PBP. But then I would always have a smaller spocket on the other side - and maybe a freewheel in the saddlebag!

[Ivan]

I started on 79", but my achilles started to play up on day 4 to the point I could no longer stand on the pedals, so had to flip to 74", though not really sure if it was the high gearing that triggered it, or that fact that I wasted a couple of hours recovering a stolen brevet and had to push hard to make up time.

Interestingly, there was four us all riding fixed together in the 84h group, all with different gear inches which meant we would naturally separate on every climb and descent, seemingly far more than when riding with geared companions.

[wilkyboy]

I ran an Audax called the Rutland Weekend for 3 years. It ran from Baldock to Bottesford and back. It is pretty similar to PBP but without the clapping crowds. You could do it as a DIY Here is a link to the GPX - which may not quite match the actual route of the event. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/4622632

This is plotted by the routesheet rather than a recorded GPX : https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2691979.  It's a nice route, I enjoyed it, but I was dropped within five minutes of the start and the only other riders I saw all day were a couple of guys who started later than me and passed me    Another lonely day on the bike ...

[Alex B]

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2691979.  It's a nice route ...

Ooh, that road between Baldock and Ashwell via Bygrave. On of my faves in these parts. Is PBP really as undulating as *that*?

[Phil W]

I ran an Audax called the Rutland Weekend for 3 years. It ran from Baldock to Bottesford and back. It is pretty similar to PBP but without the clapping crowds. You could do it as a DIY Here is a link to the GPX - which may not quite match the actual route of the event. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/4622632

This is plotted by the routesheet rather than a recorded GPX : https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2691979.  It's a nice route, I enjoyed it, but I was dropped within five minutes of the start and the only other riders I saw all day were a couple of guys who started later than me and passed me    Another lonely day on the bike ...

Oh thanks for that I have 200,400,600 DIYs from the house. I will add this as a 300 to complete the list.  Might ride it in October or November all being well.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Just reflecting on this, and on the recent West Highland 1000.  The two rides that I would say have a similar profile that I've done are mentioned above - the Heart of England and the Rough Diamond.  The difference is that after a certain number of kilometres (in my case about 600) the description of "hill" becomes a lower and lower hurdle until the point at which the elevation onto the Forth Road Bridge can seem like a significant climb, whereas earlier into the ride a 180m ascent can pass as "was that it then?"

In terms of meters of ascent per kilometre, PBP is flatter than most long AUK rides, but it won't seem that way.

The only advice I can offer is to practice climbing when fatigued.  I achieved this by accident through getting dropped on long hard CC Basingstoke club runs and having to make my way home with two pieces of jelly attached to my hips.  And it was only on my first PBP that I realised this had really helped because I had worked out how to climb when knackered.  I guess you could simulate this by doing a 4-hour ride on water and including an ascent of something in the order of Box Hill as the last climb before home.  This sort of thing trained me to ride at a vaguely acceptable pace when in an unacceptable condition, which is where IMHO most of us will endure at some point during PBP.

[Chris S]

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2691979.  It's a nice route ...

Ooh, that road between Baldock and Ashwell via Bygrave. On of my faves in these parts. Is PBP really as undulating as *that*?

Yes. That rolling open prairie round there is EXACTLY what PBP is like.

[simonp]

I was surprised in 2015 how hilly the bits round Loudeac were despite having been there in 2007 and 2011.

Being there in daylight made a huge difference to my impression of the terrain. It's quite lumpy there.

The ride from Mortagne to Dreux and beyond is pretty dispiriting on fixed on the way back. There's just a very slight hint of descending, that seems to go on forever. I was so pleased to find some hills again as we got nearer to the arrivee. The rollers around Loudeac on the way back were a laugh - spin like mad down one and see how far you can get back up the other side. Reminds me of the A466 on the old Bryan Chapman route (the bit before Monmouth).

I did fixed in 2011 and in 2015, and did the 90h start in 2007 and 2011, and 80h in 2015. I plan to use gears and be on 80h if I make the start next year.

Currently not looking that likely, as I am enjoying rowing. If the club gets a competitive 8 together then I will need to be spending a lot of time on the water when I would be riding qualifiers.

[quixoticgeek]

Being in Noord Holland, everything with any sort of incline is going to be classed as hilly. I'm wondering tho if anyone can help put some perspective into the terrain of PBP.

When people say hilly, are we talking short, sharp punchy hills (ala Limberg 5-20% over 1km), long rolling undulations (1km up at 3%, 1km down at 3%),

What's the typical max gradient, largest ascent etc..? Either way, I'm guessing I'm going to be spending a fair bit of time training in the Ardennes...

J

PS Makes me wonder about a reliable metric for quantifying the hillyness of a route...

[LMT]

PBP for me was very much rolling terrain, numerous and I mean numerous rolling hills in the region of 3-6% which are relatively short.

Maybe 3 or 4 hills that really were a test and you had to sit back and go into climbing mode.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Steep hills are rare; I can recall three.

I think of most of it as long rollers but flatlanders describe it as hilly throughout. When going well, I can hold the same gear on the back for fairly long distances, just swapping between chainrings going up and down and standing over the top.

[Greenbank]

You can pore over the profiles here:

https://ridewithgps.com/events/11783-pbp-2015

The longest climb is probably Roc'h Trevezel which is about a 17km long climb at 1.5% (according to that RWGPS link). It's in Stages 7 and 8.

[Phil W]

Rolling, nothing super steep. My front shifter broke about 400m into PBP 2015. So I did PBP entirely on my middle chainring of 39t and lower half of my cassette.  Apart from the last flatter bit where I stopped to reclamp the front derailleur cable to get my big ring of 50t.

[quixoticgeek]

You can pore over the profiles here:

https://ridewithgps.com/events/11783-pbp-2015

The longest climb is probably Roc'h Trevezel which is about a 17km long climb at 1.5% (according to that RWGPS link). It's in Stages 7 and 8.

Excellent, that gives me graphs I can look at and understand. Verdict: Limberg here I come!

J

[Ian H]

Start your season on the fixed and you'll soon get an idea whether you want to continue into PBP on the same machine.

[Redlight]

Bear in mind that, although it's an out and back route (mainly) the second 612km are hillier than the first