2023

[Ivo]

I wouldn't say victims of success.
I would say victims of the inertia of many French clubs. There are only about a dozen club, mainly centered in Brittany, the north and the Paris area offering brevets in non PBP years. This decreases the experience of French riders and causes that many don't have an option within reasonable distance to do brevets the year before PBP.

[Wycombewheeler]

I wouldn't say victims of success.
I would say victims of the inertia of many French clubs. There are only about a dozen club, mainly centered in Brittany, the north and the Paris area offering brevets in non PBP years. This decreases the experience of French riders and causes that many don't have an option within reasonable distance to do brevets the year before PBP.

That's a bit of a weak excuse in my opinion, the requirement isn't to do multiple 200s in the previous years it's to do one long ride. Riding a 600 or 1000km brevet certainly justifies travelling somewhere else.

My 2018 pre qualifier was borders of Belgium, it's not like I completed a pre qualifier in my home town. There is nothing stopping the French riders doing the same, rather than just assuming they can get a place, when 2023 rolls around.

The argument is whether priority on PBP should be for people who routinely do randonees, or French people. There is nothing stopping the French from completing randonees for early entry. But other people cannot become French to qualify.

[postie]

But its a french event,  relying heavily on french volunteers , LEL is no different it guarantees a place to every member
Is what it is.

[bhoot]

.... it guarantees a place to every member

Before I get emails from members wondering why they aren't on the LEL eligibility list, I just want to clarify that you must have been an AUK member continuously since 12/09/18 and must renew again this year by 31/12/21.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I agree with postie.

PBP is a quintessentially French event and it is right for French riders to get preferential entries which account for the variable nature of brevet riding in France in non-PBP years. A big part of the support in controls and at the roadside is because there are many ‘local riders’ taking part.

[Wycombewheeler]

But its a french event,  relying heavily on french volunteers , LEL is no different it guarantees a place to every member
Is what it is.

The majority of those volunteers will likely be regular randonneurs or ex randonneurs not those people from other areas of France demanding priority when the pre-qualification standard was very easy to meet.

, LEL is no different it guarantees a place to every member

Not to every member, only those with continuous membership for several years.
As you say it is what it is, and I have no worries about getting a place, so I don't really care one way or the other.
The issue is the complaints that somehow they messed up last time. When anyone that wanted to ride could have completed a 400 in 2018 and got a place, and even those that didn't may well have been OK, if they had just persisted with their SR series.

The only people who missed out are those who aren't interested in randonneuring, except when it's PBP

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I don’t have a major problem with French folk only randonneuring 1 year in 4. Many people don’t make long distance riding their main aim in life.

[LateStarter]

When I saw the original story I thought it was very positive for us all, an extra 1000 places over 2019 for local French riders to help guarantee local support, (noting it is only 500 over the 2015 actual French riders) and an extra 500 for the rest over 2019 (1500 over 2015) so good for everyone. The challenge will be pumping an extra 1500 riders through the controls. I assume if there is going to be a local quota / reserved places it will have to apply down to each of the start group levels / time limits? Hopefully the message is going out NOW from the regional clubs (worldwide) that a longest BRM ride in the next 12 months is going to be a very good idea (assuming that is going to be the prioritising system for 2023)?

PS Just noting that 2000 plus/minus about 200 has been the fairly static French participation at each PBP for the last 10 editions (back to 1983) except 2019 when it dropped to 1535, (the lowest since 1979). Non-French has grown over the same period from about 400 in 1983 to over 5000 in 2019. 2023 is proposed to be 2500 French / 5500 Rest-of-world (total 8000), seems reasonable?

  PBP   French   Others   Total
1975     625     104    729
1979   1636     245    1881
1983   1828     369   2197
1987   1915     775   2690
1991   2208   1180   3388
1995   1761   1215   2976
1999   1971   1716   3687
2003   1996   2188   4184
2007   2240   3070   5310
2011   2037   3188   5225
2015   2012   4037   6049
2019   1535   5138   6673
2023   2500   5500   8000

[Suffolk Born]

LATEST STATEMENT FROM ORGANISERS:

Report of the presentation

Paris Brest Paris 2023

Friday, November 19, 2023 we received the organizers of paris-Brest-Paris, came to present the next organization and meet the managers of the reception point of Mortagne as well as elected officials, partners and local press.

Present at this meeting were Dominique Vaux for the town hall, Adèle Gautier-Lamiroté director of the carré du perche and head of the tourist office, Crédit Mutuel, the journalists of Perche and Ouest-France,as well asseveral members of the club ofcyclos hikers of the perche.

A new management team of the ACP (Audax-Club-Parisien) presented itselfas

Luc Coppain President, Philippe Guillée responsible for the course, Jean-Pierre Chardon head of the project and Jean-Pierre Pendu consultant.

For this new edition, which will be the 20th, the ACP is calling on an event provider, Jean-Pierre Chardon, to bring a new way of working to this world-famous organization, which continues to grow and which is now the largest cycling tour in the world, the first edition having taken place in 1895.

The 2023 edition will take place from 20 to 24 August.

- 8000 participants including 2500 French

- 70 countries and 5 continents represented

- Course 1200 km 10.000 meters of elevation gain

- 5 regions, 9 departments and 180 municipalities crossed

- There will be no more control of thebikes before the start but more control on the course especially on the safety equipment ...

Some modifications are announced in particular on the course in Bretagne to no longer take the same roads on the outward and return journeys in order toavoid the crossing of the participants, to facilitate traffic.

A new software for the management of volunteer teams is planned, the computer monitoring of participants set up in 2019 will be renewed.

Thank you to the participants of this first meeting which will call for others.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

The first PBP race was in 1891. I don’t know where 1895 comes into it.

No cycle check the day before this time. I suppose not too many riders were failing their bike check in recent editions.

I wonder if we do Roc Trevezel in both directions next time.

[Lightning Phil]

The African continent not represented ?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Some folk figure that Europe and Asia is one continent.

[John Stonebridge]

Interesting

This opens the door to a Carhaix - Carhaix route with no retrace, some 170km potentially v. 50km previously.

Something might be lost in not crossing the Roc twice (and visiting Sizun too for that matter) but I guess that catering for up to 8,000 participants will mean some compromises
 

   

 

[Ivo]

Interesting

This opens the door to a Carhaix - Carhaix route with no retrace, some 170km potentially v. 50km previously.

Something might be lost in not crossing the Roc twice (and visiting Sizun too for that matter) but I guess that catering for up to 8,000 participants will mean some compromises
 

When I read various other local newspapers which are mentioned on Facebook, I get the impression that for a large portion of the route the outbound route won't be the same as the inbound route.

[Wycombewheeler]

I wonder if we do Roc Trevezel in both directions next time.

doesn't sound like it

Some modifications are announced in particular on the course in Bretagne to no longer take the same roads on the outward and return journeys in order to avoid the crossing of the participants, to facilitate traffic.

I wonder what the note about bike checks on the course mean, will they randomly stop people and give their bike a check? Would be hard to split a single rider out of a large group

[John Stonebridge]

I wonder if we do Roc Trevezel in both directions next time.

doesn't sound like it

Some modifications are announced in particular on the course in Bretagne to no longer take the same roads on the outward and return journeys in order to avoid the crossing of the participants, to facilitate traffic.

I wonder what the note about bike checks on the course mean, will they randomly stop people and give their bike a check? Would be hard to split a single rider out of a large group

My guess is that they might just pare it back to rely on the existing arrangements where the motards out on the road check for adequate lighting and requisite hi viz and will order errant riders to pull over and fix the issue.  The possible time penalty sanction should be enough to ensure compliance.  For anything else there probably nothing much to check as most riders (rightly) prep their bike to within an inch of its life for PBP.       

[Wycombewheeler]

The African continent not represented ?

Some folk figure that Europe and Asia is one continent.

more likely

"An alternative five-continent model is the one adopted, among others, by the Olympic Charter, which excludes Antarctica as uninhabited and lists the following five: Africa, Europe, Asia, America, and Oceania"
Remembering that the five rings on the Olympic flag represent the FIVE continents, even though most people consider north and south America to be separate continents

[Daymatt]

An informative  interview with the PBP Project Manager on the final plans for PBP 2023


https://www.renehersecycles.com/pbp-how-to-qualify-and-prepare/

[Bobby]

Just to be 100% sure... I assume I have until 31st Oct to ride any BRM events to help with entry next year?

[I've been off the bike for months, but mojo returning & so I wouldn't mind keeping my options open for next year...]

[John Stonebridge]

Just to be 100% sure... I assume I have until 31st Oct to ride any BRM events to help with entry next year?

[I've been off the bike for months, but mojo returning & so I wouldn't mind keeping my options open for next year...]

Yes - 31.10.22 - and the longer the BRM event the better your chances of a place on PBP & choice of start time.

In 2019 I believe that pre registration stopped once opened to riders who had completed a 300km BRM the year before (but not 200kms).  This thread documents the unfolding drama in early 2019 -> https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=110768.0

However as it turned out in 2019 there were such a significant number of pre registrations that were not converted into final confirmed places, it transpired that anybody who completed their SR in 2019 could have got a place, even if they hadnt pre registered - as long as they completed their 2019 SR in the required  window. 

However, the twist in the tale is that the pre registrations NOT converted to confirmed places happened relatively late in the 2019 SR window by which stage it was too late for some riders ie those who had [entirely reasonably] taken the lack of ability to pre register as a sign that they wouldn't get a place and as a result hadn't started their 2019 SR. 

Moral of the story

(i) If very keen - do as long a BRM event as you can by 31.10.2022 - last time a 300km BRM event in 2018 was enough to pre register 
(ii) Even if you don't do any BRM events in 2021/22 do not assume you wont get a PBP place - start your SR in 2023 if you are in any way interested in PBP.   

 

[grams]

That’s not right. Pre-registration was available to 200 km riders and even to non-entities, though pickings of the 90 hours slots were exceedingly thin by then.

[John Stonebridge]

That’s not right. Pre-registration was available to 200 km riders and even to non-entities, though pickings of the 90 hours slots were exceedingly thin by then.

fair enough.  I stand corrected (I lost a bit of interest in pre registration last time once it got to the 300s tbh).   

[Bobby]

Thanks - there are only 2x200 BRMs I can possibly try for before the end of October… so will sign up & hope my legs can remember how to ride   

[D.A.L.E.]

(ii) Even if you don't do any BRM events in 2021/22 do not assume you wont get a PBP place - start your SR in 2023 if you are in any way interested in PBP.   

 

Deano reminded me the other day it was PBP next year ( ), so that's my plan.

Surprised theres no late season 200 BRMs this year (except for one or two down South), I always thought there was a bunch.

[Ivo]

There'll be a few just a ferry ride away. Plenty of them in the Netherlands and Belgium, a few in France. There's even a 600 in september available.