So, how hard is PBP?

[mattc]

40 hours to Brest? Checks 2007 Brevet Card ..

Start control: 20/08 : 20h30
Brest control: 22/08 : 16h45

44hrs 15mins, n'est-ce pas?


[I reserve the right to edit this post when my basic arithmetic is exposed.]

[Salvatore]

Are you sure you started at 20h30?

30 mins after the first wave of vedettes and 30 mins before the 90-hour VS?

I'm sure I saw in the canteen at about that time.

[mattc]

Yes. I just want to point out to newbies that they don't have to choose the tourists start (90 hours)

agreed, 100%

I was much fitter and faster in 2003 than 2007, and the weather was a lot better, but I suffered more because of the start time.  I was a good 7 hours faster in 2007 despite Pete and I taking a pretty relaxed attitude to the whole thing.

Having tried the 90h start, 84 is certainly appealing, for the rasons you guys give. Also, on paper it sounds so do-able:
I can scrape round a 600 in 40 hours, so this is 2 of those (on slightly easier terrain) with at least 4 hours to grab much-needed sleep at some stage.
But what I expect to happen is that after 3 hours I will give up hanging onto very fast wheels, and spend the next 81 riding solo. [I've done that on a UK 600 and enjoyed the attention at controls, but once was enough!]

Anyway, lots of time to decide ...

[mattc]

Are you sure you started at 20h30?
...
I'm sure I saw in the canteen at about that time.

Correcto-mundo! I was yakking to you while my fellow 23h10 started queueing in the rain.

However, the brevet card doesn't know that; it shows SQY as open 20h30-21h30. Even taking 10pm as a start time makes for well over 40h to Brest. i think.

[Really Ancien]

If you Homologate there is a printed sheet appended to the back which gives the actual start time. They usually make some sort of mark on the top left of page 2 for the actual start time. I take it you're just giving the maximum time for Paris-Brest. They add the extra time after the first start to your time at all controls.

Damon.

[MSeries]

Yes. I just want to point out to newbies that they don't have to choose the tourists start (90 hours)

agreed, 100%

I was much fitter and faster in 2003 than 2007, and the weather was a lot better, but I suffered more because of the start time.  I was a good 7 hours faster in 2007 despite Pete and I taking a pretty relaxed attitude to the whole thing.

Having tried the 90h start, 84 is certainly appealing, for the rasons you guys give. Also, on paper it sounds so do-able:
I can scrape round a 600 in 40 hours, so this is 2 of those (on slightly easier terrain) with at least 4 hours to grab much-needed sleep at some stage.
But what I expect to happen is that after 3 hours I will give up hanging onto very fast wheels, and spend the next 81 riding solo. [I've done that on a UK 600 and enjoyed the attention at controls, but once was enough!]

Anyway, lots of time to decide ...

It wasn't beyond me and I ain't a very fast rider. My fastest 600 is 36 hours, that was the BCM in 2007. I have tried going with less sleep on a 600 and it's a false economy, I was not faster, needed more short stops.

The ride out to Brest was faster than that though, it had to be, IIRC the control closed after 36 hours (edit: 37.5 hours, which is my usual time approximately for a 600). The minimum speed is higher on the way out than the way back, at least in 2007 it was.

[MSeries]

My card says I started at 05:10 and got to Brest at 15:57 so that's 34 hours 47 minutes.

The start time is an estimate though, we checked in and got our first stamp well before we hit the road. I can't remember what time we actually rolled out, I assume they didn't let anyone got before 05:00 and they can't have known what wave I was in, wasn't the first.

[mattc]

If you Homologate there is a printed sheet appended to the back which gives the actual start time. They usually make some sort of mark on the top left of page 2 for the actual start time. I take it you're just giving the maximum time for Paris-Brest. They add the extra time after the first start to your time at all controls.

Damon.

Yes yes I know

But look - I was the last man off, at 23h10 (as per my printed sheet that you mention). So even if I DID only have until 16h45*, that is still 41hrs35m (?) - so i can't see how ANYONE could have only had 40hrs!

I'm beginning to smell a cover-up ...

*The Brest control close time printed in the B-card.

[dasmoth]

The ride out to Brest was faster than that though, it had to be, IIRC the control closed after 36 hours (edit: 37.5 hours, which is my usual time approximately for a 600). The minimum speed is higher on the way out than the way back, at least in 2007 it was.

Crikey.  And there was I thinking that maybe, just maybe, I could do this...

Looks like I need to get a bit faster!

[MSeries]

The ride out to Brest was faster than that though, it had to be, IIRC the control closed after 36 hours (edit: 37.5 hours, which is my usual time approximately for a 600). The minimum speed is higher on the way out than the way back, at least in 2007 it was.

Crikey.  And there was I thinking that maybe, just maybe, I could do this...

Looks like I need to get a bit faster!

Just to be clear I was talking about the 84 hour group times. If you are thinking 'maybe', with some application you probably will be able to do it.

I was undecided what time to go for in 2007. I discussed it with my clubmates and they gave me confidence. A friend then offered to ride with me, he had two PBPs under his belt, but the offer was on condition we'd do the 84. He had ridden the last 100km of the 2007 BCM with me and thought I'd manage the 84 OK. We did. I hung onto his wheels at times  I must admit, but in the last two days I think he flagged more than I did so in the end it was a great team effort.


Go for it.

[Greenbank]

If I ride (and I hope to) it'll be the 90 hour.

[simonp]

It's asymmetric but on the 90h group, you get more than 40h to get to Brest.  I got there in 40.5 hours or so, and was about 2h40 inside the time limit.

The 20h30 - 21h30 at the start control is a bit confusing.  However, if you add 90h to 21h30 you get the 15h30 finish time, showing that the nominal start time used for the controls is 21h30.  Hence you get 43h15 to get to Brest; not as fast as standard 15kph; I make it about 14kph.

I thought Salvatore said he had 40h to get to Brest in the 84h start.

[Ian H]

I've just pootled round the three times I've done it. I was a bit close to the limit in 99, on fixed, but I didn't know that till I saw the published results. My belief is that clock-watching induces nervousness that saps your energy.

[Martin]

I was the last man off, at 23h10 (as per my printed sheet that you mention). So even if I DID only have until 16h45*, that is still 41hrs35m (?) - so i can't see how ANYONE could have only had 40hrs!

I was in the same 23.10 group (IIRC we had our cards stamped in the tent about 22.55 and didn't actually cross the line until 23.19) and arr Brest 14.50 which seemed about average as the bulk of UK riders were there at tthe time; presumably the 84 hr group only had 35hrs 45 with an 05.00 start?

the homologation sticker in the back of my card matches the written in times more or less exactly; it's a printout of the swipe card times. What would be useful to know was what time we departed each control.

[MSeries]

According to my Brevet card, the 84 hours group had 37.5 hours to get to Brest. 18:30 was the closing time.

[Martin]

According to my Brevet card, the 84 hours group had 37.5 hours to get to Brest. 18:30 was the closing time.

of course; a different brevet card for each group

[Really Ancien]

According to my Brevet card, the 84 hours group had 37.5 hours to get to Brest. 18:30 was the closing time.

of course; a different brevet card for each group

The inside leaves are all different colours, matching the frame numbers, Red for the Vedettes, Blue for the Randonneurs and Green for the Touristes. Some people aren't happy until they've got the set.

Damon.

[Mr Larrington]

The second one wants a reflective flag at 1.5m for recumbents.

Awesome, combined with my pedal reflectors visible only to astronauts and beetles, a reflective flag to help anyone who comes past with side-mounted headlights. Really, you'd think people would give basic thought to these things!

We subsequently discovered that the flag thing for Dark Siders was recommended, but not compulsory.  And a good thing too, as otherwise I'd have had to drill holes in my tailbox.

[MattH]

I ate all the wrong things - went to the 'French' counters for coffee and sandwichs jambons - to avoid the queues.

That's one of the things that worries me a little about PBP. In the UK I can scavenge food from little shops, garages, village post office, whatever. I know the food, I know what agrees with me. All that goes out of the window when riding in foreign parts. I know the French typically have good food, but if it's not Ginster's pasties cold from the garage fridge or Yazoo milk shakes, my body might react differently to it.

[MSeries]

I ate all the wrong things - went to the 'French' counters for coffee and sandwichs jambons - to avoid the queues.

That's one of the things that worries me a little about PBP. In the UK I can scavenge food from little shops, garages, village post office, whatever. I know the food, I know what agrees with me. All that goes out of the window when riding in foreign parts. I know the French typically have good food, but if it's not Ginster's pasties cold from the garage fridge or Yazoo milk shakes, my body might react differently to it.

You have plenty of time to get used to other food. It's what training is for.

[simonp]

I had no problem with the food whatsoever.  Pastries, baguettes, roast chicken, rice pudding, that kind of thing.  All fine.  The French aren't some kind of alien species that live on blue ink, and the food at the controls is generally chosen to fuel cyclists.

[Hot Flatus]

I was quite surprised at just how poor the food was at the controls I ate at.  I lived in France 20 years ago and I genuinely expected better.  If I attempted it again, which I doubt I will, I'd be doing my best to eat at cafes, bakeries and restaurants and sod the time.

[border-rider]

I was quite surprised at just how poor the food was at the controls I ate at.

It was variable. Some were a bit meh, some very good indeed.  There's always a local cafe as an option.

[MSeries]

Mass catering, not cordon bleu. It was pretty much what I expected. As I said up thread, one can train oneself to survive on that sort of thing for a few days. Beer made it all palletable .

[SandyV]

MattH - one word you need to know "puree" (pronounced puray but I can't do accents on my keyboard) = mashed potato and was available at most controls  -  and also potage - soup and that alltime favourite "pain au chocolat" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain_au_chocolat

Maybe we should start a thread with French terms you should know, like

dormitory - dortoir
where can I sleep? - Où peux-je dormir ?

Edit: thread now started on this topic