Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Audax => PBP => Topic started by: markldn on 11 March, 2019, 07:08:35 pm
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As a newbie, keen to hear thoughts on what we should expect, what strategies will be useful. I presume most veterans took up the early departure times so advice will be most applicable to what you should think about if you are starting in one of the last departure slots (go club 2045 go!), i.e. battle with the bulge 101.
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As a newbie, keen to hear thoughts on what we should expect, what strategies will be useful. I presume most veterans took up the early departure times so advice will be most applicable to what you should think about if you are starting in one of the last departure slots (go club 2045 go!), i.e. battle with the bulge 101.
Did the back of the 90h start-ish in 2007 and 2011. A few things:
- don't assume there will be no beds - ask! You might have to wait but I made that assumption in 2007 and slept on the Baxters coach. In 2011 we were able to sleep at 3 controls without too much delay (St Nic, Loudeac return, Mortagne return).
- you can group-surf to get ahead, there will be lots of wheels to catch
- many of the controls have both a sit-down meal option and a quick option. Don't go for the sit down options if there are big queues and you want to get ahead of the game
- make sure you know where your bike is, it's easy to lose it in the dark and waste time finding it again
- make use of places at the road-side if they are available and not overrun, then get through the controls faster
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Not to sure if my plan A will survive but I am planning to push on through the first night working on the principle that a lot of people will be stopping and sleeping plus I imagine the first couple of controls will be bedlam .
Paul
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Ride all the way through the first night and next day. There are plenty of fast wheels to follow and you will likely clock your fastest 200 and 300 times of the year.
Many riders will still try and follow the principle of sleeping at night. Try riding through nights and dosing or sleeping in the warmth of the day. Dormitories were fairly empty late afternoons in 2015 and a few hours sleeping set me up to push on through the night. I like night riding , this may not suit you. Since it is out and back you will likely see stretches in daylight one way or the other. Once ahead of the bulge you can shift to more daylight riding if you want.
On the way back some of the pop up stalls had reclining chairs or mattresses you could grab a dose on.
You need to pay for beds , food at controls consider getting food outside the controls to reduce queuing time.
Riding slowly forward is faster than being stopped and not being able to sleep. So if you are not sleeping get up and get going. (Unless you stopped because you were falling asleep on the road)
The bit about remember where bike is. I lost about 2 hours looking for my bike across three of the controls. They were not busy when I arrived but were when I left so I did not recognise the bike park anymore.
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The more French you can speak the easier lots of things at controls will be. It's not essential, many get by with none. But even a few simple phrases will help you.
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Take whatever you need to sleep any place any time. I'm going to probably take an inflatable mat and a sleeping bag liner.
Have a plan but don't expect it to work out
You will find groups to ride with but don't expect it to last
Eat when you are hungry, there are loads of places on the route and 99% of them are friendly
It's an event with 5000 people so there are a lot of crazies. Don't mind if people draft you for miles. Don't mind if you try to get a draft with a group and they all wave and shout at you
Don't expect to get through controls quickly
You will have a "bad patch". Just keep riding, it will pass
Don't worry about GPS devices and batteries. The route is fully signed, just follow thousands of people
The weather might be too hot. Or it might rain. But Northern France is pretty similar to the UK so you are at an advantage compared to Southern Italians or people from Arizona
Brest is a shithole.
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Not to sure if my plan A will survive but I am planning to push on through the first night working on the principle that a lot of people will be stopping and sleeping plus I imagine the first couple of controls will be bedlam .
Paul
I'd be surprised if any 90 hour start riders stop and sleep before midday. Even if they wished to sleep earlier in the ride, they'd have to have built up a time buffer or risk being out of time at their next control. Fougères is at 306k and Tinténiac is at 360k.
So your Plan A is the same as the other 5000.
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Not to sure if my plan A will survive but I am planning to push on through the first night working on the principle that a lot of people will be stopping and sleeping plus I imagine the first couple of controls will be bedlam .
Paul
I'd be surprised if any 90 hour start riders stop and sleep before midday. Even if they wished to sleep earlier in the ride, they'd have to have built up a time buffer or risk being out of time at their next control. Fougères is at 306k and Tinténiac is at 360k.
So your Plan A is the same as the other 5000.
You will see a surprising number of bodies asleep on the side of the road on the first night, and some not very far in. i can only imagine, a combination of travel fatigue, jet lag, a foreign country, and adrenaline wearing off being the reason. Plus as LEL 17 demonstrated a number of riders did not want to ride through that first night.
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A 90hr starter sleeping before Loudiac has a much higher chance of DNFing. I slept earlier than that once but made it round bouncing against the time limit for a fair while. I don't recommend it.
Earlier 90hr starters should be aiming at Carhaix and faster early 90hr folk will make Brest before sleeping.
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Not to sure if my plan A will survive but I am planning to push on through the first night working on the principle that a lot of people will be stopping and sleeping plus I imagine the first couple of controls will be bedlam .
Paul
I'd be surprised if any 90 hour start riders stop and sleep before midday. Even if they wished to sleep earlier in the ride, they'd have to have built up a time buffer or risk being out of time at their next control. Fougères is at 306k and Tinténiac is at 360k.
So your Plan A is the same as the other 5000.
I didn't say it was the perfect plan ;D
Paul
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Earlier I’ve ever slept is St Nic which is between Loudeac and Carhaix. I had a lie down at Loudeac during the day in 2015 (80h start). I could not sleep. It’s way too noisy during the day. Don’t repeat my mistake. It just meant less time in hand at Brest.
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Try and ignore the starting euphoria. Riding hard and nervous from the start eats into your reserves like nothing on earth. Assuming another 1230 km course, 20 kph average speed on the road will get you round with nearly 29 hours for resting.
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I'd be surprised if any 90 hour start riders stop and sleep before midday. Even if they wished to sleep earlier in the ride, they'd have to have built up a time buffer or risk being out of time at their next control. Fougères is at 306k and Tinténiac is at 360k.
<snip>
You will see a surprising number of bodies asleep on the side of the road on the first night, and some not very far in. i can only imagine, a combination of travel fatigue, jet lag, a foreign country, and adrenaline wearing off being the reason. Plus as LEL 17 demonstrated a number of riders did not want to ride through that first night.
I agree a clear takeaway from Phil's 'bodies on the side of the road' experience is that it's foolish to start 'less than fully loaded' with sleep. So riders should design their pre-race timings (arrival time and extraneous activities) to minimise any risk of that.
Noone on the PBP 80 hour starts will stop before they've done 300km unless they have wellness issues. And from the starts later in the evening, if fuller value riders stop and sleep before dawn they risk being out of time at the following control unless they are quick on the road (in which case they'll surely push on anyway).
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I'd be surprised if any 90 hour start riders stop and sleep before midday ...
You will see a surprising number of bodies asleep on the side of the road on the first night, and some not very far in. i can only imagine, a combination of travel fatigue, jet lag, a foreign country, and adrenaline wearing off being the reason. Plus as LEL 17 demonstrated a number of riders did not want to ride through that first night.
I agree a clear takeaway from Phil's 'bodies on the side of the road' experience is that it's foolish to start 'less than fully loaded' with sleep. So riders should design their pre-race timings (arrival time and extraneous activities) to minimise any risk of that.
Totally agree (and it's what made the biggest improvement for me when riding my 2nd PBP).
but ...
And from the starts later in the evening, if fuller value riders stop and sleep before dawn they risk being out of time at the following control unless they are quick on the road (in which case they'll surely push on anyway).
I can't agree with that as a blanket statement, sorry :) Take the Bristol 9pm start 300km in November - I slept at about half-way (like perhaps 4-5 others). post-dawn I hoovered up at least a dozen riders who were looking dozy. Finished with an "adequate" time buffer.
PBP has more generous time limits.
Similarly, I recall Jo Wood passing me (at about Mach 3) in the early hours on PBP. He'd had a roadside nap - he said later that he just couldn't stay awake, but felt fine when after he got going.
If your body needs sleep, you will probably be better off sleeping (I'm not talking about 4 hours!). To quote Mr S.Abraham - "the best way to stay awake is to sleep". I wouldn't PLAN to sleep on the 1st night, but as people also keep repeating - you need to be adaptable. Likewise sleeping early on the 2nd evening/night - if your body needs it, and there is somewhere quiet/comfy, then do it! It doesn't matter if you haven't reached Loudeac/Carhaix/Brest/500km/whatever-crazy-fixed-target.
n.b. almost everyone will agree with YOU not me, if they've ridden PBP!
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I didn't sleep on first night and still failed dismally to make Brest in time after 3 hour sleep on night two. I was too slow, spent waaaaaay to much time in controls and was generally underprepared for the long queues, navigating around controls etc.
This time I will be riding a little quicker and keeping moving forward at all times. I will have just enough gear to sleep for just about long enough anywhere (bivi bag and light down jacket: 500g). I will carry enough food for night one in the format of disgusting meal replacement powder. I still intent to ride through the first night but this time I won't really be stopping for long until Brest < then figure the rest out from there.
I also really failed to fully comprehend how time in hand worked for PBP, it seems to have it's own logic!
Also if you are on the slower end of the spectrum get used to the idea that you are not going to sleep much. You need *some* otherwise you will get into serious hallunication land, but it less than you think :-)
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Plus, if it's your first time, bear in mind that the control times are front-loaded — you have LESS time to get to Brest than back again, so you are EXPECTED by the organisers to get a move on for the first half. It's the old "race out, tour back" thing. So you MUST keep moving forwards for the first two days or risk being out-of-time compared to a UK brevet.
That said, in 2015 I slept face-down in an omelette in Goron for nearly an hour on the first night (there's a photo somewhere; I've never seen it), and then half an hour in the shade in a field gateway later in the afternoon, before stopping to sleep at Carhaix (the control before Brest) on Monday night.
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The bit about remember where bike is. I lost about 2 hours looking for my bike across three of the controls.
My trick was to ride a "quite recognisable bike" and park it in the vélos speciales section whenever I could. This won't work for everyone, but worked a charm for me ;)
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...and faster early 90hr folk will make Brest before sleeping.
As did at least one full value rider last time around ;)
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Any strategy depends on how used to sleep deprivation you are, and how fast you can ride. A 600 qualifier that starts at 10am, and fast rides in July and August can give you some of that.
I did make a video on strategy for LEL.
https://vimeo.com/205787486
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Brest is a shithole.
Unfortunately , it can't be avoided.
Aim to get there in the dark if you can, kip for a few hours then set off looking for breakfast on the way out of town.
The psychological boost that you get from leaving town and seeing the long trail of riders behind you is not to be underestimated.
However, if you have a late start time on Sunday, you will have to minimise the faffage and sleeping on the way out to get yourself into that position.
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Take whatever you need to sleep any place any time. I'm going to probably take an inflatable mat and a sleeping bag liner.
Have a plan but don't expect it to work out
You will find groups to ride with but don't expect it to last
Eat when you are hungry, there are loads of places on the route and 99% of them are friendly
It's an event with 5000 people so there are a lot of crazies. Don't mind if people draft you for miles. Don't mind if you try to get a draft with a group and they all wave and shout at you
Don't expect to get through controls quickly
You will have a "bad patch". Just keep riding, it will pass
Don't worry about GPS devices and batteries. The route is fully signed, just follow thousands of people
The weather might be too hot. Or it might rain. But Northern France is pretty similar to the UK so you are at an advantage compared to Southern Italians or people from Arizona
Brest is a shithole.
I'll be following some of that advice (except the mat, the sleeping bag liner, and the plan).
Re Brest: you get to leave again pretty soon. Otherwise, I shall reserve judgement until I've visited it in leisure-time.
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I'm grateful for all the help I had over the years from all the control towns. They've put in sponsorship in the past. That seems to have diminished. Perhaps the ability to monitor the reaction to their hospitality over the web has had a bearing on that.
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I liked the little flags they gave out in Brest last time — very proud of their local region, and it slotted nicely into the side pocket of my Carradice. I snapped it off, though, getting my leg over to remount later in the ride ...
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Any strategy depends on how used to sleep deprivation you are, and how fast you can ride. A 600 qualifier that starts at 10am, and fast rides in July and August can give you some of that.
I did make a video on strategy for LEL.
https://vimeo.com/205787486
Your final line of commentary was a bit of a tease - I was all ready for footage of a massive pile-up :(
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A lot of that footage is from PBP 2015. It's in HD, so you can cross-reference the numbers of the riders carrying rucksacks to see if luggage-carrying style has any bearing on finish times.
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I'm finding these tips really helpful, except I've now started worrying about not being able to find my bike at busy controls ::-)
Another newbie question, given that I don't want to looking for ATM's on the ride, how much cash would people recommend carrying during the ride?
Related but maybe impossible to answer, is it better to buy Euros now or wait until July?
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I'm finding these tips really helpful, except I've now started worrying about not being able to find my bike at busy controls ::-)
Another newbie question, given that I don't want to looking for ATM's on the ride, how much cash would people recommend carrying during the ride?
I think I had €200 or so (although I was there for a bit before and after) and I go to Europe semi regularly so having some left over is never a problem for me.
You'll ride through small towns where cash machines are easy to stop at (usually there's one at the post office - La Poste - which is generally easy to spot).
Related but maybe impossible to answer, is it better to buy Euros now or wait until July?
Given the big unknowns the optimal strategy to try and minimise cost is to buy half now and half closer to the time. That way if there is a wild swing you're only half as affected.
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I can't remember how much things cost - but here's my rough memories:
Dorm bed - 3-5 Euros
Shower - 2-3 Euros
Quick grab and go meal - 4-5 Euros
Bigger meal at controls - 10-15 Euros
I also ate at proper restaurants and expect to pay 15-20 Euros for lunch, coffees 2-3 Euros at cafes. McDonalds similar price to UK. McFlurry cravings satisfied.
As per greenbank, I think I probably had 200 Euros cash or so on me for the ride.
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Related but maybe impossible to answer, is it better to buy Euros now or wait until July?
You should have got them on Monday... They will only get more expensive in coming weeks, but may get drastically cheaper, or *REALLY* expensive come about about 1st of April...
When it comes to getting Euros, the cheapest way is usually to mug the first cash point you find on French soil (don't use the one on the ferries, or in the eurostar terminals).
I'd make sure you have a small bag of coins as well as notes, many places will want 50c if you want to pee, and they won't like you trying to pay with a 20 euro note...
J
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Most supermarkets will accept card payment (Maestro)
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We're getting away from speed & cushions so I'll add something else a bit OT: remember to pump up your tyres at least once on the way round. Last time I forgot to: I made it round then got pinch flats back & front on a speed bump going into the campsite.
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Most supermarkets will accept card payment (Maestro)
Maestro is pretty much NL only, no UK banks issue it. UK banks issue: Visa Debit, or Mastercard Debit. Something many Dutch people seem to not realise, as their Maestro works in most places (except for online payments), but the reverse is not true. This is a problem in Amsterdam where you have an increasing number of shops and bars going card only, they accept Maestro and V-pay only. Effectively making them shops for locals only. This is because Maestro is 2c per transaction at 500 transactions per month, where as at such low volumes, visa and mastercard are 20c+3.4%. Accepting Dutch only cards would be fine if they took cash, but it seems the Dutch are scared of such things... But I digress. Don't rely on a uk issued card working everywhere, carry some cash, hope.
[tangent]Many UK government agencies now don't take credit card, Dutch banks only issuing Maestro, meant I was unable to pay my student loan, until I managed to get a mastercard debit card issue by a German bank... This also court a number of people out in January when it came time to pay UK tax...[/tangent]
J
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The only places I've had issues using my Pre-Paid Mastercard (CAxtonFX) are:
Albert Heijn in Bergen, NH - Just handed over the cash, thankfully wasn't in a CnP only lane
A bus in Langesund, NO - No card worked, probably wanted to work with on card authorization
A market stall in Bergen, NO, Visa Credit card worked
My previous Mastercard Debit cars did have a Maestro logo on the back (because Switch and Solo were integrated into Maestro), but I'm using Visa Debit now.
And according to Wikibolloksica Mastercard Debit is not the same as Maestro, so I guess UK banks have moved, as have many others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maestro_(debit_card)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debit_Mastercard
What's interesting in the info on Debit Mastercard is it stating that one of the reasons for UK banks switching to that scheme is because of worldwide acceptance...
The differences in the Visa debit card schemes seem to be easier to understand
Visa Debit - can pay more than available funds
Visa Electron - Can't pay more than available funds
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[tangent]Many UK government agencies now don't take credit card, Dutch banks only issuing Maestro, meant I was unable to pay my student loan, until I managed to get a mastercard debit card issue by a German bank... This also court a number of people out in January when it came time to pay UK tax...[/tangent]
J
I dont quite understand this last part, why go to the trouble of using a German bank? - I live in NL and often have to pay a UK(Pounds) bill or transfer funds to family members in the UK, i use revolut now for my UK/Euro transactions. You can hold both currencies on your account and switch them around, easy to move any funds you have from your dutch bank too. The attractive part is that you can move your funds from pounds to euros and vice versa real time using market rates (dont do this in the weekend when markets are shut)... and there is a free version which works fine for me because i dont use it for any major transations.
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Random brain dump from my 2007 and 2011 rides:
Take a tiny cafe lock to stop your bike from being moved when you're in controls. Make sure it's a combi not a key and an easy to remember number.
The number of riders coming up the hill out of Brest towards you will be depressing. Just think how good it will feel when you are one of them waving at the depressed riders yet to make the turn.
The Roc goes on for a while but isn't steep, you're just tired.
Take a few press-seal sandwich bags for carry out food (and for your brevet card if it hoons it down).
Have pocket food in a pocket (or top tube bag as is the fashion at the moment) that you can access whilst riding so you don't have to choose between staying on the group that's working nicely or stopping because you're staving.
Don't miss out on the village patisseries on the way back.
The official photographer will be somewhere in the first 100k ish, so that you still look human for the pictures. Fix up look sharp if you want a picture worth buying.
The Brits shout 'clear', everyone else seems to shout 'free/frei'.
Stick a Union flag sticker on your bike if you want people to talk to you in English, stick a St George's flag on your bike if you want people to ask what country you come from.
Don't feel obliged to eat at controls; some of them are a rip off and some serve shite food.
If eating in a cafe / restaurant / bar along the route, ask what they can cook quickest or what they would recommend; everyone on the route knows what's going on and that you're not there for a leisurely four courses.
There's cheap good espresso coffees at pretty much all controls, take care not to OD on caffeine like I did in 2011 by drinking my normal amount of coke on a ride *and* the coffees.
Don't expect to find an empty bus stop for a nap from night 2 onwards.
Think carefully before going to the medics at controls for something minor; if you look like death they can stop you from continuing if they think it's in your best interests.
As said in a previous post, you get to see everything twice, so don't be afraid you're missing things if you're swift though controls and focussed on riding on the way out. Race out, sit on a bench smoking at every control on the way back.
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I rode straight through to Brest , got there 3 am second night , proper beds only 2 to a room . Great weather last time . I had an 8 hour stop with sleep and refueling etc. Will try again , but a bit older fatter and slower so not sure I will be able to get there so fast
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Random brain dump from my 2007 and 2011 rides:
Is this you at St Martin? If it is, then you forgot the tent at Loudeac. Same clip as on the Scenes at Brest thread.
https://youtu.be/HSCzDorP7vw
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Random brain dump from my 2007 and 2011 rides:
Is this you at St Martin? If it is, then you forgot the tent at Loudeac. Same clip as on the Scenes at Brest thread.
https://youtu.be/HSCzDorP7vw
Bloody hell, didn't think I was ever that young. :thumbsup:
Further tip: don't have fixed sleep stops provided by family / friends who have put themselves out to assist, you feel obliged to waste time even if they don't fit with how your ride is panning out.
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I suppose the best advice I can offer is "don't plan to finish in 90 hrs" try to finish quicker
I think I went along with an 80hr plan in 2007 (not mine I will add) which went out of the window on the first night. I then revised it to 85hrs so I had a cushion; you may well need it too as you will have no idea what may happen
(in my case ankle failure in both legs at 1000k)
IIRC the timings help you as you have to get to Brest in 40 hours so that's a built in cushion
I planned my two sleep stops at Loudeac; unfortunately so did everyone else...
also no amount of personal support is going to help you turn the pedals, if anything it's an easy ride home if you pack
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I'm finding these tips really helpful, except I've now started worrying about not being able to find my bike at busy controls ::-)
I've add3d a big ball of string to my equipment list. Retracing to my bike should be simple ;)
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Random brain dump from my 2007 and 2011 rides:
Is this you at St Martin? If it is, then you forgot the tent at Loudeac. Same clip as on the Scenes at Brest thread.
https://youtu.be/HSCzDorP7vw
Bloody hell, didn't think I was ever that young. :thumbsup:
Further tip: don't have fixed sleep stops provided by family / friends who have put themselves out to assist, you feel obliged to waste time even if they don't fit with how your ride is panning out.
The other bloke outside the phone box at the top of Shap in 2003 in this video is Stewart Bond. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPyYn0aRrEo
At PBP that year he was supported by his son, and he realised at one point that this was the closest relationship they'd shared for a long time, so he stopped in order to spend more time with him.
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Random brain dump from my 2007 and 2011 rides:
Is this you at St Martin? If it is, then you forgot the tent at Loudeac. Same clip as on the Scenes at Brest thread.
https://youtu.be/HSCzDorP7vw
Bloody hell, didn't think I was ever that young. :thumbsup:
Further tip: don't have fixed sleep stops provided by family / friends who have put themselves out to assist, you feel obliged to waste time even if they don't fit with how your ride is panning out.
Sweet.
BTW the baby photo taped to a stem towards the end of that clip is Rob junior who was under 1 at the time. Not entirely sure how I got away with that trip.
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I'm finding these tips really helpful, except I've now started worrying about not being able to find my bike at busy controls ::-)
I've add3d a big ball of string to my equipment list. Retracing to my bike should be simple ;)
Like it!
Actually the best suggestion so far was from Ivo - he plans to use a bike with a stand. Genius :thumbsup:
(I'd add that this is a real problem - although I rarely got to a bike-park before a crowd arrived, I did waste several highly stressful minutes at Villaines-de-BEDLAM hunting for my beloved steed :facepalm: )
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I'm finding these tips really helpful, except I've now started worrying about not being able to find my bike at busy controls ::-)
I've add3d a big ball of string to my equipment list. Retracing to my bike should be simple ;)
We go to the Semaine Federale, where there can be twice the number of bikes at the welcome points, which are generally 25 miles or so apart. I've taken to flying the Duchy of Lancaster pennant from a pole attached to the back of the bike. It's actually quite useful as a marker for other riders, and gives a precise indication of where to form an echelon.
It's also a conversation starter. It has led the Normans and Angevins to theorise that England is actually a Norman/Angevin colony, which is a fair analysis of the Plantaganet period. The people of Western France don't need much encouragement to think of themselves as separate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angevin_Empire
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1507800_754624444575168_4080683267175479253_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr3-1.xx&oh=e96c4d627ac5d209ab6e4a3d5bc8c28b&oe=5D029761)
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I'm finding these tips really helpful, except I've now started worrying about not being able to find my bike at busy controls ::-)
I've add3d a big ball of string to my equipment list. Retracing to my bike should be simple ;)
There is an eminent member of this forum who, having started perhaps a little under-prepared one year, decided at one point that it was important to hide his cycle in a field. Walking down the road about an hour later he came to and realised what he'd done and had to spend some time searching for the machine.
He did finish in time.
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Further tip: don't have fixed sleep stops provided by family / friends who have put themselves out to assist, you feel obliged to waste time even if they don't fit with how your ride is panning out.
... unless said friends or family know they are there for your convenience and have low expectations on anything from you..
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Further tip: don't have fixed sleep stops provided by family / friends who have put themselves out to assist, you feel obliged to waste time even if they don't fit with how your ride is panning out.
... unless said friends or family know they are there for your convenience and have low expectations on anything from you..
In 2011 Heather got a sat-nav shortly before departure, it failed to load maps. So navigation was a constant problem for her, and by extension, for me. I had to wait for her to arrive at Dreux, when timings were tight for a sub-84 time.
It would have been impossible to carry out my project without her, and the sub-84 bit was a last-minute idea, but being supported is a two-way street.
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I can't remember how much things cost - but here's my rough memories:
Dorm bed - 3-5 Euros
Shower - 2-3 Euros
Quick grab and go meal - 4-5 Euros
Bigger meal at controls - 10-15 Euros
I also ate at proper restaurants and expect to pay 15-20 Euros for lunch, coffees 2-3 Euros at cafes. McDonalds similar price to UK. McFlurry cravings satisfied.
As per greenbank, I think I probably had 200 Euros cash or so on me for the ride.
That's about what I lived on in 2015. I'd been on holiday in Ireland a few weeks before, and on the last evening, went to the horse races at a tiny little town in the west. I had no luck in the first 6 of 7 races, so in the last I put 5Euros each way on horse number 7, race 7, 7 horses. The Irish, unswayed by superstition, had left this the outsider a 25-1. The jockey took a wide line to avoid rain-softened ground and it romped home by 13 lengths. So I ate and slept my way around PBP courtesy of Seamus McCoy Bookmakers, Ballinrobe. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Just reading the comments about trouble finding your bike when leaving controls, has given me a thought. The other week, on returning to my bike locked up in the city centre, someone had helpfully added brightly coloured saddle covers advertising a local restaurant to all the bikes in the rack. I didn't think anything of it and shoved it in my bag, but it weighs next to nothing and could easily go in my top tube bag. Might be a useful addition to make my bike stand out in the PBP bike parks.
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Just reading the comments about trouble finding your bike when leaving controls, has given me a thought. The other week, on returning to my bike locked up in the city centre, someone had helpfully added brightly coloured saddle covers advertising a local restaurant to all the bikes in the rack. I didn't think anything of it and shoved it in my bag, but it weighs next to nothing and could easily go in my top tube bag. Might be a useful addition to make my bike stand out in the PBP bike parks.
May I be the first recumbent rider to suggest that riders of boring, hard-to-see bikes should get a flag? :D
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Just reading the comments about trouble finding your bike when leaving controls, has given me a thought. The other week, on returning to my bike locked up in the city centre, someone had helpfully added brightly coloured saddle covers advertising a local restaurant to all the bikes in the rack. I didn't think anything of it and shoved it in my bag, but it weighs next to nothing and could easily go in my top tube bag. Might be a useful addition to make my bike stand out in the PBP bike parks.
Good point :thumbsup:
If you have a Brooks saddle, these freebie covers squeeze securely up into the nose of the saddle until you need them. I have a scruffy black one that conveniently disguises my Brooks when bike left around town. The rest of the time, the cover's stuffed between the rails in the nose somewhere :thumbsup:
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In last two PBPs I found my bike easy to find by the small crowd of locals pointing at the fixed gear drivetrain. ;D
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In last two PBPs I found my bike easy to find by the small crowd of locals pointing at the fixed gear drivetrain. ;D
No-one noticed mine, so I suspect it wasn't the drivetrain that caught their attention. What on earth were you wearing??