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Thuekr
Fixedwheelnut
@marcusjb
That was fun!
Second PBP for me. Wanted to do things differently, so opted for fixed this time (71 inches).
First time, I had followed all the advice about not hanging about in controls and just keeping on tiding. Consequently, I got round in a fairly respectable 76 hours, but this time I was determined to enjoy all the roadside stuff and soak up more of the stuff that makes PBP special. My wife was coming out to see me at the finish, so I didn't want to finish in the middle of the night, so sort of aimed for 86 hours this time.
I have enough pace on the road to essentially mean I was able to dick about completely - I stopped at so many road side stalls and enjoyed chatting with many new friends.
Fixed was fine - I was able to leave the gears for dead on all the climbs and then wait for them to come by on the descents. My arse took a beating on the long descents, and I got less able to spin as the ride went on - I could still climb, but descending much faster than 40kph became impossible.
I had a hotel at loudeac - it was weird but good to step out of the chaos and noise for a few hours.
The French love le pignon fixe and I got many compliments on my strength (ha!) for riding one.
My own ride was largely uneventful mechanically and bodily - my gentle pace and lots of time off the bike made for easy times.
I finished in 87 or 88 hours, somewhere around there, doesn't really matter. The last 60km I spent shepherding a rider on a Brompton who was utterly broken and looked very tight on his cut off, was lacking sleep, power etc.
I was always worried that PBP 2 would not live up to my first. But, I had a far better time, met more people and soaked up more experiences than I ever hoped for.
Brilliant ride.