Author Topic: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?  (Read 22581 times)

Samuel D

(Clears throat in large empty hall.)

Audax is one of the murkiest worlds I have ever bumped into. I think participation would be higher if it wasn’t so obscure, bureaucratic, and shrouded in jargon and acronyms. I have absorbed superficial knowledge of many subjects by osmosis but audax completely resists passive learning.

In fact, I’m not even certain PBP is audax. Nor do I know if the word audax should be capitalised as I see if often. All I know is I have a Spa bicycle called Audax.

This is theoretical for me right now, but what concrete things would I have to accomplish to ‘qualify’ for PBP in 2019? How much would it cost in total? I live in Paris which may or may not help.

Leave aside the fitness. I have a fair idea whether that would be possible for me and what I would need to do in that regard.

Many thanks to any patient expert willing to reply.

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #1 on: 14 May, 2018, 02:22:55 pm »
To ride PBP next year:

1. In the early months of next year (2019), enter and pay the deposit amount.  The date when you can enter varies by what you do this year, see below.
2. To then qualify for your entry, ride an SR series in the specific time-windows for your country — they must be PBP-qualifying rides, which in the UK is all those of "BRM" status.  The time-windows for the UK are given here:  http://www.aukweb.net/events/pbp/, but they're different for different national homologating bodies.
3. Finally pay the balance of the entry fee, once you've qualified.
4. Turn up the day before to register (Saturday)
5. Turn up on the day to ride (Sunday for most riders).

The longer the BRM (or international equivalent) event you ride in 2018, the earlier you can enter in 2019.  I think you get your deposit back if you fail to complete the qualification, but I'm not certain on that.

Plenty more info here:  http://www.aukweb.net/events/pbp/.
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #2 on: 14 May, 2018, 02:26:10 pm »
Oh, and next year is PBP Randonnée — i.e. what the Brits call "audax". 

PBP Audax is a different event, run every five years, the next being 2021, I think — it's a captain-led, team event with everyone keeping together on the road, i.e. no slacking.
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #3 on: 14 May, 2018, 02:27:15 pm »
PBP Randonneur is a randonnee ridden by randonneurs, obviously. In the UK, randonneur brevets are known as Audax and are ridden by Audaxers. In France, Audax is quite a different thing run by the UAF and their brevets do not qualify you for riding PBP Randonneur. The next PBP Audax is in 2021.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #4 on: 14 May, 2018, 02:28:50 pm »
Cost to enter will probably be about €200-250, but you'll also have to buy your own food and wine along the way.
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

whosatthewheel

Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #5 on: 14 May, 2018, 02:35:49 pm »
Cost to enter will probably be about €200-250, but you'll also have to buy your own food and wine along the way.

Doesn't seem particularly good value if 200 quid don't get you any food. 6000 cyclists time 200 means over a million pound budget... one should be able to buy a few baguette with that kind of money...  ::-)

Chris N

Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #6 on: 14 May, 2018, 02:37:10 pm »
PBP brochure (an early draft) was linked here: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=107929.0  Worth a read.

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #7 on: 14 May, 2018, 03:26:53 pm »
Cost to enter will probably be about €200-250, but you'll also have to buy your own food and wine along the way.
Quick google shows $150 (euros) for 2015. In which case that is quite a jump  (especially if still no wine!)
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #8 on: 14 May, 2018, 03:38:48 pm »
Cost to enter will probably be about €200-250, but you'll also have to buy your own food and wine along the way.

Doesn't seem particularly good value if 200 quid don't get you any food. 6000 cyclists time 200 means over a million pound budget... one should be able to buy a few baguette with that kind of money...  ::-)

LEL was £330 and included food so £200 without food does not seem unreasonable.

Large events cost money to put on and don't scale directly with numbers (or event distance). Once you get past a few hundred people you run out of things that you can do cheaply (or free).
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #9 on: 14 May, 2018, 03:44:55 pm »
Cost to enter will probably be about €200-250, but you'll also have to buy your own food and wine along the way.

Doesn't seem particularly good value if 200 quid don't get you any food. 6000 cyclists time 200 means over a million pound budget... one should be able to buy a few baguette with that kind of money...  ::-)

Compared with any Sportive I've seen PBP is good value for money.  There is almost 400 linear miles of signage, marshalling, large venues seconded for eating/watering/sleeping and so on.
It's certainly not wildly out of line with Sportive costs.

Simply imagine you're doing almost 8 x 100 mile Sportives and it suddenly seems good value.
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

Aunt Maud

  • Le Flâneur.
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #10 on: 14 May, 2018, 04:03:19 pm »
If it's any help, 2015 PBP cost me about £360.anna few pence.

This was including cycling from London and return Eurostar, a couple of nights hotel in Plasir and all food and entry including the shirt ( which I'll wear only once, as I can't find it again).


YMMV and others may have a higher budget than mine. So for nearly a weeks worth of entertainment, it was good value for me.

rob

Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #11 on: 14 May, 2018, 04:17:54 pm »
Cost to enter will probably be about €200-250, but you'll also have to buy your own food and wine along the way.

Doesn't seem particularly good value if 200 quid don't get you any food. 6000 cyclists time 200 means over a million pound budget... one should be able to buy a few baguette with that kind of money...  ::-)

Add up the cost of qualification/training/travel/equipment and see if you really care about 200 quid.

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #12 on: 14 May, 2018, 04:28:10 pm »
Cost to enter will probably be about €200-250, but you'll also have to buy your own food and wine along the way.
Quick google shows $150 (euros) for 2015. In which case that is quite a jump  (especially if still no wine!)

I was going off the top of my head — my memory's not that long ... so, probably €150-200 and still no wine :)

And even without the wine, it's an extraordinary experience and well worth the entry price and travel and qualification and everything else, at least once :thumbsup:
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #13 on: 14 May, 2018, 04:52:11 pm »
And even without the wine, it's an extraordinary experience and well worth the entry price and travel and qualification and everything else, at least once :thumbsup:

This mainly.  The 1200k ride itself is a mere part of the experience, which starts with a 200km qualifier and, in my case, ended with the most fantastical ride back home afterwards

I have to admit to enjoying the ride there and the ride back much more than PBP itself.  However it's provided me with memories and pub stories for a lifetime. Cheap at twice the price.

Whenever I watch this I forget the bad bits and want to do it again... https://youtu.be/ZPRxZeQTSDE
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #14 on: 14 May, 2018, 05:03:46 pm »
French BRM calendar here: http://jeanpba.homeip.net/?page=90&onglet=1

I'd add that were I still capable of qualifying I wouldn't quibble at the cost: PBP is wonderful.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

cygnet

  • I'm part of the association
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #15 on: 14 May, 2018, 05:15:13 pm »
2. To then qualify for your entry, ride an SR series in the specific time-windows for your country — they must be PBP-qualifying rides, with in the UK is all those of "BRM" status

My bold. I though I could ride qualifiers in any country (e.g. Australia in November).  Is this right?
I Said, I've Got A Big Stick

guidon

  • formerly known as cyclone
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #16 on: 14 May, 2018, 05:24:11 pm »
It may be cheaper and possibly easier if you joined the FFCT or a french touring club (why not the ACP?) if you live in Paris....The schedules published in France are more time constricted - that is that there are less events over a shorter calendar period than AUK imho...

You could ride some BRM events this year to enable to pre qualify - that is able to register for entry earlier in the year which may relieve some stress and jitters!

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #17 on: 14 May, 2018, 05:47:18 pm »
2. To then qualify for your entry, ride an SR series in the specific time-windows for your country — they must be PBP-qualifying rides, with in the UK is all those of "BRM" status

My bold. I though I could ride qualifiers in any country (e.g. Australia in November).  Is this right?

Correct.  Any ride that is "homologated" with ACP (joined into the central ACP results table in Paris) can be used as a qualifier, because it's the homologated result that's used, rather than the local result.  Joining it back to YOU as an individual might be slightly trickier, but it has been done many times, IIRC.
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #18 on: 14 May, 2018, 05:48:33 pm »
You can ride qualifiers in any country but the qualifying windows differ between countries. A November BRM in Germany won't count towards PBP qualification, an Australian one will.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

cygnet

  • I'm part of the association
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #19 on: 14 May, 2018, 06:00:52 pm »
 :thumbsup:
I Said, I've Got A Big Stick

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #20 on: 14 May, 2018, 06:16:05 pm »

Whenever I watch this I forget the bad bits and want to do it again... https://youtu.be/ZPRxZeQTSDE

Nice matching jerseys at the start (and at regular intervals throughout)  ;) ;)
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

Phil W

Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #21 on: 14 May, 2018, 08:59:02 pm »
The entry fee was €115 euros in 2015. The cost of the jersey was €30 euros.  The pre ride meal was €13 euros. If you remember your userid and password you can still log in to see these details.


Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #23 on: 14 May, 2018, 09:18:56 pm »
I think you also paid a €30 pre-registration fee although this was taken off the final cost (€110 in 2011). Ah yes, found my receipts.

I then bought a gilet (€20) as it wasn't included back then, pre-ride meal (€13), jersey (€30) and a camping space (€10) that I didn't use.

I also paid €30 and €39 for cheap F1 hotels the night before and the night after (didn't use the one for the night after, too scared I'd oversleep as I had an early flight the next morning, just slept in the airport terminal).

£156 for flights LHR<->CDG including bike as extra baggage coming back. Can't remember how much the RER/Metro was between CDG and StQeY and vice versa.

A chunk of money to filthy to take my bike over to Paris for me in his van as I didn't trust BA (didn't care if they damaged it on the way back, they didn't).

Probably €150 in food/beer before/during/after the ride.

So the ride itself was 1/4 of my costs (it's probably cheaper if you don't fly there/back, or if you camp).
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: Paris–Brest–Paris in 2019 – what steps to get there?
« Reply #24 on: 14 May, 2018, 09:22:13 pm »
I am known as ‘Mr Scrooge’ in my house. PBP is reasonable value for money. My advice is to do it. Most of the positives, money just can’t buy.