PBP 2015 / Paris - Brest - Paris Audax

You're not exactly selling it

Thats what i was going to say ! Permanent bum damage without even going to a bar !!

A lot of @hippy

http://youtu.be/CmiYB_I5iBE

Yeah, hindsight is a wonderful thing. I won't be making the same mistake again. The hotel will be as close as possible (I think they're building a new one right next to the 'drome) and of higher quality.

I just went out and smashed 80k. Feel really good apart from the fact I had about 5 dickheads try to occupy the same space of road I was already in. 1250k across France and I have one close pass, compared to a couple of hours near London and I have half a dozen. Cunts.

and he's back...

It's awesome. Fuck the ailments.

This. Like Sven Väth at The Omen ca. 1989.

You into Sven Vath? I have some of his early 90s sets around here somewhere.

.

Back from holiday with the family (was keeping up with progress on Twitter).

Top work everyone.

Back on fixed for 2019? (If not LEL[1] in 2017...)

1. LEL is just like PBP but longer (1430km vs 1230km), hillier (slightly) and with almost none of the roadside support from the locals
   

Arse has healed, Achilles still a little sore but will try to run to work tomorrow. Definitely feeling the slumps in energy vibe and want to eat everything. Now trying to focus on next challenge.Apropos nothing, Nathan from Trans Am posted up this link to 1985 RAAM documentary, it's riveting stuff;
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pFN2xUyYvTg
Cool Exocist background music.

LEL doesn't excite me for that very reason -also as a Dutch guy said on PBP "English Audaxers don't like people very much" 😆

I'm definitely up for riding LEL.

New website for LEL 2017 appears on 1st September. Pre-registration open on 16th September.

http://www.londonedinburghlondon.com/

I'm up for it, I definitely enjoyed it in 2009, it was my first ride >600km. Quite different (not suprisingly) from PBP.

Might try a geared bike for a change this time; at least there's no problem with aero-bars.

What's the course record? :)

Quite a few pints I would imagine.

Is that you rocking the sharkpits in the video?

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.

holy guacomole!

Lovely write up.

What's the course record? :)

Course is tweaked each time so no direct comparisons but you're looking around 62h for the 1430km.

That's fine. Is 62h the fastest LEL finish, any course? That'll give me a target. :)

Is that you rocking the sharkpits in the video?

Not me, didn't ride it in 2013.

Answer: https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/214963/?offset=550#11988973

62h39 by a certain Howard Waller in 2005 I think.

Can't remember if it was 1400km back then, LEL started off in 1989 at 1300km. Not sure when it moved off the main roads and the distance increased.

2009 was 65h25 by Joerg Kurzke (GER).
2013 was another 65h time by Anco de Jong (NED).

Warning: Horrendous websites:-

• 2005 results: http://www.randonneursmondiaux.org/homologations2007.html
  
• 2009 results: http://www.randonneursmondiaux.org/homologations2010.html
  
  

P.S. Howard did PBP in 50:55 this year (B051).

Ah, I know Howard (well, I'm not sure we've met but I've chatted to him online and stuff). He did a 50h PBP this year. Ah, I see you wrote that already.

I'll see what happens but I'm keen to ride it now I've got over my PBP fear.