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One of the great things about PBP are the locals. Little problem finding a coffee, chair, barn or even a bed within 15 minutes of wanting one pretty much anywhere where you are on the route.
Reminds me, read elsewhere that this year the shopkeeper in Weobley (penultimate control of the Bryan Chapman 600) looked up on the t'Interweb to find which weekend the event was running so he could open up early on the Sunday, such is the influx of tired Audaxers looking for supplies and receipts.
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Yeah but that's a false idea.
As you're aim isn't to see how long you can stay awake for, it's to see how fast you can get PBP. If you want to push yourself, ride harder, don't not sleep.
You don't need to sleep much, but even powernaps will mean you'll be able to actually push yourself harder. -
I dunno. They might. Thinking about it. What 1400k so maybe 45h riding. But still, a 20min powernap would do more good than you'd lose from 20min.
Also riding that deep into sleep debt is asking for something bad to happen.How long would it take you though? As you're not going to be riding in a fast group so will lose 4mph. So there is that too.
And caffeine. Good US army studies say 200mg every 2h to deal with sleep debt. (but you'd know that)
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Yeah, I dunno, I'll see what happens. I ran low on food during the 600 so that probably contributed to a general feeling of 'meh' through the early hours. With the 'festivities' associated with PBP I reckon it'll be a lot more motivating. I really don't know. To be honest, I'm more worried about riding my road bike (rather than PX) than the sleep thing. I won't have done any long rides on that (due to TTing) before the PBP so I could end up in bits if it's rubbing me up the wrong way, if you get my drift.
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How many hours did you complete your 600 in?
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"The more you turn east, the more riders you face beside the road, sleeping completely dressed up in the green gras.
We were facing a marocan randonneur, dancing on the streets, singing Arabic songs and clapping his hands.
guys were getting slower and slower and than they fell off with their bikes. They don´t get up, they continued sleeping in the grass. "
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I would imagine, there are plenty of people in the first three waves who have overestimated their ability to finish in that time.
On WCW the quickest finisher was 30.5, one chaps wife turned up to collect him at 5:00pm as he said he would be done by then, she was still waiting at 10:00pm when I went home.
That said, looking at previous PBP finish times ~44 hours is insane!
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I would imagine, there are plenty of people in the first three waves who have overestimated their ability to finish in that time.
And I will greatly enjoy mowing all of them down, making 'pew pew pew' noises from my imaginary gun deck just before passing them, mouth-closed, no-hands, fiddling with my gloves straps, maybe asking them for the time..
44hr finish time is gonna be a bunch of hardnuts all working together though. Not solo man, not poor little ol' me. :)
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The fastest lot (~44h) will get through on no sleep.
Anyone other than that is going to need at least some sleep, even if it is just powernaps.
My PBP went something like this:-
Bike went over to Paris in the back of van of someone from yacf. I flew out Saturday morning, registered/etc, stayed in a cheapo F1 hotel in Plaisir (~10km away). Ambled about on Sunday morning, got to the start around midday and wandered about talking to various people. Pre-ride meal (massive bowl of pasta) worked a treat. Spent the rest of the time avoiding beer.
I started Sunday 8pm and rode through the first night with a little 30 minute doze on some grass at the roadside at some point in the night (I'd been feeling shit in the run up to PBP and didn't get a good nights sleep the night before. A combination of thunderstorm and apprehension about the ride).
Rode through the whole next day and slept at Loudeac (449km) getting in there at 11pm on Monday. Probably had a 2 hour sleep there, clean kit on. Wasn't enough, had a 40 minute powernap in a shed somewhere between Loudeac (449km) and Carhaix (525km).
Tuesday morning, up and off to Brest (618km) and back to Loudeac (782km) with a powernap somewhere before Carhaix (703km), lovely panache in Sizun too. Got in to Loudeac at almost 3am on Wednesday. Had a 1 hour sleep at Loudeac and clean kit. Got there later than I wanted as I'd stopped to help someone out for 45 minutes who had problems with a front light. Ended up lending them one of mine.
Wednesday: Dozies in the afternoon so I had an hour long sleep on some grass at the roadside somewhere between Fougeres (921km) and Villaines-la-Juhel (1009km). Bliss. Another couple of panaches in the sun in the early afternoon. Got in to Mortagne-au-Perche (1090km) at 2.30am Thursday. 45 minute sleep there with my head on a table in the hall and then pushed on to Dreux (1165km). Felt so much better as the sun started to come up.
Thursday: Arrived at Dreux (1165km) just before 8am, a shower (the first of the ride, nice) and fresh kit made me feel superhuman and romped the last 65km back to Paris (1230km) finishing around midday for 87h53.
So, during the ride it was not even 6 hours sleep in total. Despite all of that sleep deprivation I sat around drinking beer at the finish until about 7pm and then made my way across the city (by RER and Metro) to CDG airport. I had a cheap F1 hotel booked nearby but I knew that I'd miss my 7am flight if I went to a hotel so I checked with the airport staff and there was no problem sleeping in the terminal (except for being woken up in the middle of the night by security who wanted to see proof I had an early flight the next morning).
Friday: Woke up in the terminal (4 hours sleep maybe) with the noise of people starting arriving, checked in and handed bike over to oversized luggage (used a clear CTC bag but by this point I could care less if it got smashed to pieces). Got to Heathrow, mate picked me up and drove me and bike back to SW15 (I had considered riding home and could have but laziness won). Said hello to my parents who had been staying at my house to go to some Proms. Stuck filthy kit in the wash. Parents left, I had a bath (and slept in that for 45 minutes). Picked up my pre-packed bag and set off for the Portsmouth. Slept on the train from Clapham Junction to Portsmouth. Ferry over to the Ryde on the Isle of Wight, train to Shanklin. Picked up by Mrs GB and MiniGB and off to a house that Mrs GB's family had rented for a week for a family celebration. Somehow stayed up until 2am for family party (was pretty much the last one up). Was left to have a lie in the next day (Saturday) and woke up hungry at 1pm. Spent most of the remains of the day eating and sitting in a jacuzzi.
Doing it again (2019 probably) I'd want to be faster (probably taking gears rather than fixed), sleep more and take more photos.
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F1 hotel in Plaisir
That's where I'm booked.
Spent the rest of the time avoiding beer.
Failed before you started. Tut tut
My plan is:
Get Eurostar over and do bike inspection on Saturday
Drink beer until I pass out (hopefully in my own hotel).
Get to start on Sunday
Ride to Brest as fast as possible, turn around and ride to Paris as fast as possible.
Sleep in hotel, as above
Get Eurostar, ride home, drink beer and eat steaks until dead -
F1 hotel in Plaisir
That's where I'm booked.
Very basic and odd automated showers, but clean room and no problems with bike in the room (since there isn't really anyone manning the hotel). No chance of leaving anything there (unless you pay for the room whilst you're riding the event).
Get the breakfast at the hotel but then go into StQeY and there are loads of cafes there for 2nd breakfast, lunch, etc plus food available near the start. I assume you're starting sometime between 4pm and 5pm so that's perfect.
Bike with Eurostar could be interesting. Sometimes it can take up to 24h to get there (it's not guaranteed to be on your train). Would be worth looking into this in advance and maybe dropping it off a day early to guarantee it'll be there when you get there.
Dunno if there's an official consigne (left luggage) at the start this year (there was in 2011). I used that as I didn't have any other option.
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More PBP stuff to carry suggestions here:
https://marcusjb.wordpress.com/2015/06/06/paris-brest-paris-2015-my-packing-list-part-2-stuff/
Everyone's different and again, there will be those who ride it with next to nothing and those that have two fully loaded panniers.
The choices you need to make for PBP do differ to a typical UK ride and the chances of being rescued and helped on PBP are somewhat greater than at 2:30am up a Welsh mountain - so spares may be minimised (obviously tubes etc. are essential wherever, but spare cables etc. might be taking things too far).
Anyway - that's it for stuff I am taking.
skinny
Greenbank
hippy
mustardbeak
scultura
marcusjb-
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PBP 2015 / Paris - Brest - Paris Audax
Posted by
@The_Seldom_Killer
I'll try not to do that.
Maybe I should try that two phase sleep deprivation training and see if I can actually do the thing without any sleeping. I'm not sure I'll make it through the second night alive..