Aug 21-25 - PBP 2011

There's so much to write about that it's hard to focus. Perhaps my inability to focus is because my eyes are still tired, it's dark in the room, the screen is too bright, my brain is fried :).

The biggest thing about PBP is the people. Thousands and thousands of people along the route take time to stand in singles, couples, small groups, families, at tables with beer and wine, at tables giving out water/soft drinks/food (some expecting donations) ... over and over and over again -- "bon courage" ... "bon chance" ... "bonne route" ... and our bonjour / bon soir / merci in return. Kids sit up on stone walls clapping; cars toot their horns; even dogs, who mostly ignored us, seem to bark with joy rather than anger. Day or night, and we did ride at night, people were out there cheering us on. We were mooned once, by a group of laughing teenagers.

Next I'd have to say would be the riders. Having 5000+ riders changes things. The rolling countryside mostly allows you to see a long string of riders ahead and behind. Groups form and break up on the climbs but there are always riders ahead to join up with or behind to drop back with ... or not. For a while you see riders coming and going. It's mostly an out and back route so the faster riders are already on their way back when you're still heading out. Having some riders start at 6am the next morning means that those you see coming towards you as you head back are either stragglers from the early groups ... and you can tell those who aren't going to make it ... or easy rolling strong riders from the 6am / 84 hour group.

The vast majority of bicycles are of the two-wheeled road bike variety but there are many tandems, triples (saw one on the road), recumbents, enclosed recumbents (look like little cars), trikes ... and I even saw one tandem recumbent with the riders back-to-back.

Other than one stretch, the hills are never ending. Easy grades for the most part, sometimes very long, climbing doesn't stand out in your mind when you think back on this ride. Having said that, 30,000+ feet of climbing isn't insignificant ... it is a factor.

Weather was also a factor in the ride but here again, everyone's experience is different. We (Hamid and I) didn't get caught in any heavy rain. Some did. The temperature was ideal, although truth be told I'd have preferred that all three days be like the third day -- sunny and glorious. I'm not counting the fourth day because I finished before the day really got going.

Leaving at 9:15 p.m. with the free start was a great decision. Those who left from 6-8pm had to stand around for hours on a very hot day. We rode as far as Loudeac, getting there around 8:30 p.m. the next day. I'd have thought that we would have been there sooner, but hadn't counted on the climbing, thinking more about the speed and the flat of the Miglia that first night. We had some light rain on and off that first day and I donned and dofffed my rain coat a number of times.

Shab and Sandy were there at the day's finish cheering us on. The hotel was close and we showered, changed and walked a hundred yards to a little restaurant. The hotel room was not great, but better than sleeping on the floor of a Control. It's all relative. Sandy and Shab kept each other company in the lobby while Hamid and I slept; seeing us off at 2:15 a.m. after the hotel breakfast.

450 kms under or belt and 300 planned for the second day, it should have been shorter, but wasn't. We got separated early on and finished about an hour apart -- about the same amount of time that Hamid slept at his table in Carhaix at the Control.

The second day featured many small towns, more climbing, more people, but the bridge across the harbour in Brest was by itself the price of admission ! The old bridge, seaward from the new, is now only open to cyclists and pedestrians. Riders who came through there in the dark missed this highlight of the ride. That second day was out and back -- Loudeac to Brest and back to Loudeac. Shab was there to meet us again, Sandy having gone to Paris, and our sleeping and leaving was basically a repeat other than Shab brought dinner back from the restaurant as take-out.

On the third day, retracing our steps (?) towards Paris, the weather was perfect. Hamid was getting sleepy however and I had to wait for him to catch up, every few kms. That's hard on the legs so from the second to last Control for the day I went on by myself but he pushed hard and finished only a few minutes behind me. That night we stayed in Mortagne au Perch; the hotel room was wonderful (even Shab approved of this one); Shab picked up pizza.

Hamid was pretty fried from his final push the day before, so he slept an extra hour; I hit the road about 12:30 a.m. With only a short ride ahead of me -- 140 kms -- I was ready to get it over with. The weather was again perfect; I ate at the Droux Control after 75km; I finished up before 8am, seeing Shab at the end. I waited with her for Hamid to finish, which he did a little after 9am, then headed to my hotel getting an early check-in, breakfast, shower and change.

I have to mention the cows. The cows were different. The cows didn't pay any attention to us, didn't even turn around. Would that be because they can't possible watch 5000 riders and do any eating ? They're certainly more used to cyclists on the road than their North American counterparts !

The cows didn't clap, didn't moo, just went about their business as if we weren't there.

The post-PBP day went quickly -- Stephen joined me and we went to the Carrefour (big grocery store), met Sandy at the RER (subway vs train), had lunch at the downtown mall and then came back to the hotel. I then caught an hour sleep before doing my bike packing thing.

We had a group dinner with the Ontario Randonneurs that was lots of fun, then we slept. I've got to get out of here shortly to pick up the rental car, and have breakfast. Sandy has to get up (yes, still in bed at 9:15), do her hair and then we must check-out and move to the next phase of our trip.

Onward ... more on all of this later !