Winter Wonderland

It looks like riding season MIGHT be winding down here in Wisconsin.  If we don't get some type of warmup, my season will likely end with 5558 miles.

Delano-Henderson-Chaska Permanent

On Saturday, I made the trip to St. Louis Park, MN to ride a 200km permanent route designed by Michele Brougher with 7 other intrepid biker souls. Because of the short, November days and a forecast which included really, really nasty winds, we agreed to a 7:00 am start. The thought was that we we would be able to finish the southerly portion of the ride before the 25mph south winds built to full strength.

Sounded great until I realized that I would need to leave BRF before 4:00 am. Pretty odd day. It was the first time I've ever left for a ride in the dark, got ready for the ride in the dark, and rode the first 10 miles in the dark. Anyway, things went well and Michele's route had an interesting mix of river valleys, prairie and upscale suburban neighborhoods. A highlight for me was the long, gradual climb out of the Minnesota River Valley.

The group of 8 riders stayed together all day and the conversation was free flowing and varied.  This kind of ride is a nice refreshing change from the way most folks ride their regularly scheduled brevets. We all got to ride along and chat with people that we only acknowledge in passing the rest of the season.

All told, I logged 128.6 miles which put me over 4000km in RUSA sanctioned rides for the season which is considerably more than I had expected coming into the season. We'll see how long the weather holds before deciding when to put the bike away.

Goals

I started this season with three major goals. The first, and by far most important, was to successfully complete Paris-Brest-Paris. Most readers know that I was able to complete PBP in 79 hours. My second goal was to amass 5000 miles of total distance for the season.  With a modest 22 mile ride on October 13th, I moved past the 5000 mile mark. The third goal was to complete 3600 kilometers in Randonneurs USA events. By riding a 200 kilometer event on October 16th, I went over 3600 kilometers for the year.

All of my major goals have been accomplished for the year. However, that doesn't mean that I'm going to put the bike away just yet. The weather is still pretty decent so I'm going to just keep riding and see where I end up. 

Fall Riding

Fall is definitely here. The days are shorter, the nights are cooler. That doesn't mean, however, that my cycling season is over. By adding an extra layer or two and maybe tracking down the full length gloves, fall biking can be some of the best of the year. I especially love the golden light and long shadows which seem to dominate the September landscape.  I got in about 50 miles yesterday. To get the most of the fall experience, I started at 7:00 am, before the mercury had climbed above 34 degrees. The sun was only out for a few minutes but it was beautiful, pure autumn light. Within a couple of minutes of me taking this picture, the clouds took over and it became cloudy and blustery.

My Full 2011 PBP Ride Report

                I’ll admit it, I rode Paris-Brest-Paris because I was supposed to. I rode PBP because to really be a randonneur you have to do PBP at least once. However, since starting randonneuring in 2007, I’ve told lots of other riders that PBP looks ok, but I’m really more interested in London-Edinburgh-London or Boston-Montreal-Boston.  Now that I have finished P-B-P, I’ll admit I might have been wrong.

                Having never travelled to Europe, I decided to do the safe thing and arrange my trip through Claus Claussen at Des Peres Travel.  We arrived in Paris on Tuesday morning after an overnight, direct flight from Chicago.

                My PBP drama occurred pre-ride.  Putting my bike together in a sleep-deprived, jet-lagged state, I managed to cross-thread my rear derailleur hanger. Fortunately, my local bike shop mechanic had predicted such a problem and sent me to Paris with an extra.  As the hanger for my bike is apparently fairly unique, his help may have saved my ride.  The second problem I discovered was that one of the leads for my generator hub had come off and was lost in transit.  After several  frantic  e-mails, I received offers of spare parts, a replacement light, and advice on parts I could use to fix the problem.  With new parts in hand, I tracked down fellow rider and electrical engineer, Ron Selby, who was able to hook things back up and get the light running again. So by Thursday afternoon, my bike was ready to go.

                I did the Friday morning informal pre-ride led by members of the Davis Bike Club. The ride covered the first 20-ish miles of the PBP route.  This gave me a chance to get comfortable with the course and how roads and villages in France were laid out.  I was really impressed with how 200 bicyclists could take over the road without any bad experiences with ticked off motorists.  This was just a sign of things to come.

                The first challenge of PBP 2011 was getting to the start line. I waited with hundreds or thousands of other riders on the track around the soccer field.  Although this wait was close to two hours long, it went quickly as I chatted with friends, Bob Booth and Michele Brougher.  As we baked in the sun, many riders including myself, began dipping into water bottles intended for the ride.  Finally, around 7:30, my group was allowed into the start area.  Minutes later, after several speeches  that I could barely hear and couldn’t understand, we were given the go ahead to start.  I took the start very conservatively because of stories I have heard of over-enthusiastic riders causing crashes in the opening kilometers of PBP.  Fortunately, everyone in my wave took things very cautiously and I did not see any problems.

                I found the spin out of Paris to be very emotional.  Our wave received an escort out of town.  Although I had heard stories of the spectator support of PBP, I was surprised to see the large number of spectators lined up along the roads, at the intersections, and across the highway overpasses.  This is as close as I will ever come to being treated like a professional athlete.  The opening kilometers of PBP passed almost effortlessly.  Over the past few hours, I was concerned about running out of water.  Just when I was started thinking that I would be out of water soon, we rolled into a small town where a line of residents were pouring water from 1 liter bottles to anyone who wanted it.  I rolled up, held up my bottles and was refilled and rolling away within seconds.  This spontaneous support brought to mind the words of another rider from the flight over.  He said that “PBP is easier than most 1200s because everyone there wants to help you finish.”  This was a theme that would recur throughout the ride.  Another uniquely PBP experience happened around 11:30pm when we were passing through another small town and saw an elderly man sitting on a lawnchair serenading riders with an accordion.  Most PBP reports from past PBP riders talk about the sight of thousands of red taillights extending to the horizon.  Although definitely impressive, I think this observation has a chance to become a relic of PBPs past.  For me, the reflective striping of the newly mandated vests outshone the traditional red lights.  For hours early in the ride, this stretch of vests stretched as far as the eye could see.

                I finally arrived at the first official food stop in Mortagne-au-Perche.  After the relative quiet of the road, the congestion of the food stop was overwhelming.  I was able to refill my bottles but food was a bigger issue.  The line for the hot food was very long so I went to grab a jambon sandwich.  Unfortunately, I was told that there would be a 20 minute wait for a sandwich.  Instead, I gambled on a handful of French energy bars and a coke and took off for Villiaines.  Villaines was also a flurry of activity when I arrived. I found the early controls to be very disorienting after the dark and quiet of the road.  After checking in I went straight to the hot food line. I bought a huge plate of pasta with meat sauce, cheese, and lots of other goodies.  A neat feature of the Villaines control was the teenagers who carried riders’ food trays across the parking lot to the dining area.

                My memories of the section from Villaines to Fougeres to Tinteniac are largely of gently rolling terrain.  Throughout the day, I would find myself in a group of 20-30 riders for miles at a time. Without rhyme or reason, the group would disintegrate and I would be riding mostly alone for awhile until another large group would spontaneously assemble.  Overall, these groups seemed less conversational than  domestic  brevets I’ve ridden.  It seemed that I rode for hours in various groups of non-English speaking riders.

                I arrived in Loudeac shortly after 7:00pm on Monday evening.  Once again, the control was overwhelming to me.  The barricaded route from the road to the bike parking area was lined with cheering people 2 or 3 deep. I got my card stamped, changed clothes and resupplied from my drop bag. I decided to get food at a restaurant outside of the control to get away from the crowding of the control.    I found a restaurant on what appeared to be Loudeac’s main street.  When I went in I was the only person there except for the owner, who spoke no English, and her young son.  Fortunately the menu was a picture board posted above the counter.  I pointed to a picture of a chicken sandwich and fries.  Unfortunately, the effort of the day had left me feeling nauseous  so that I had a real hard time eating much of the meal. By the time I left, several other riders had come into the restaurant. 

                The route between Loudeac and Saint Nicholas du Pelem was the hilliest of the course.  I recall numerous long, gradual climbs, several of which went on for 2 or 3 kilometers.  As I approached Saint Nicholas du Pelem it started raining fairly hard with some thunder and lightning.  By the time I actually arrived, it was raining very hard and the sky was lit up with frequent lightning.  After eating I was wrestling with the decision about whether to stay and get a cot in Saint Nicholas du Pelem or try to get to my reserved hotel room in Carhaix.  A gentleman who seemed to know  told me that the thunderstorms had all moved away from the course and the route to Carhaix would be rainy but free from storms. That was all I needed to convince myself that  a shower and clean bed beat a cot in a gym.  Within 5 miles of leaving, I found myself in a torrential downpour with intense thunder and lightning all around.  There really wasn’t anywhere to take shelter, so I kept riding.  Just when I was thinking how insane it was to be riding in this storm, I was startled by cheers of “Allez, Allez” from two people standing alongside the road in the dark.  I joined forces with an Italian rider over the last 10 miles or so into Carhaix as we shared the difficult job of locating route arrows in the dark, blinding rain.  The rain finally let up as we reached Carhaix. I arrived at 12:30 am on Tuesday, quickly stamped my card, got back on my bike and went looking for my hotel.  I had covered 320 miles in the 28 hours and 49 minutes since starting the ride. “Day 1” of PBP was over.

                I slept for 3.5 hours, put on my wet clothes, ate a CLIF bar and rode off in the dark towards Brest.  Very early on, I started the long gradual climb of Roc Trevezel, the highest point of PBP.  A cold, dense fog deprived me of the much awaited views from the summit and created a very surreal riding experience.  The damp ride into the beautiful town of Sizun was rewarded by a stop at a boulangerie for pastries and coffee.  Apparently, this was as a common plan as there was a steady stream of riders through the shop during my entire stop.  The fog lifted slightly as I arrived at the bridge in Brest for the photograph I had been waiting 4 years to take.  It was a little anti-climactic to then get back on the bike and ride the meandering kilometers through Brest to the control.  Within the last mile before the control, I caught up with Drew Bucke riding his 1901 bicycle. At Brest, I grabbed an unusual breakfast of a ham and cheese baguette, a soup bowl of hot chocolate and a beer.

                Very little of the rest of day 2 stands out to me.  It’s more  a murky collection of partial memories. I stopped again in Sizun for a quick snack, finally got to enjoy the view from Roc Trevezel and managed to squeeze an entire packet of GU onto the side of my face, entirely missing my mouth.  Trying to limit the sticky mess occupied 5-10 miles.  I arrived back in Loudeac just before 7:30 on Tuesday night, had a big dinner and a beer, and checked into my hotel for another 3.5 hours of sleep.  When I got up around 12:15 am to start “Day 3”, I had not yet formed my plan to ride the rest of PBP straight through.

                Somewhere around Villaines, I figured out that if I had a good afternoon and evening I might be able to finish PBP in under 80 hours.  I left Villaines feeling strong and focused on keeping up a steady pace.  Within a couple of hours, I had one of my two real rough patches of the ride.  I was really struggling and was seeing my 80 hour dream slipping away. Typical of my PBP experience, this is when the French people stepped up to help.  First, was an older guy pouring water into bottles as fast as riders could hold them out.  On a series of short, steep hills shortly after that was another family pouring cups of coffee and handing out more water.  Within a couple more miles was an elementary school aged kid jogging alongside riders on a hill handing off handfuls of sugar cubes.  The same hill featured another kid handing off fresh picked plums and a third handing off home grown peaches.  By the time I rolled into Mortagne-au-Perche I was back on track for 80 hours.

                After a couple of long climbs leaving Mortagne-au-Perche, including one where a French rider on a recumbent apparently fell asleep right next to me and tipped over at about 3 miles per hour, the route unexpectedly became pancake flat for the remaining miles to Dreux.  The control at Dreux had the overpowering smell of baked pastries.  The smell guided my appetite and I ate 3 different types of pastry.

                The first portion of the final leg was flat and I was rolling along with a group of other Americans for the first time at PBP.  About 25 kilometers from the finish, I lost the group when I had to answer the call of nature.  As soon as I got back on the bike, it was like I had been over by a truck. I was hit with the worst bonk since I started randonneuring.  Simply turning the pedals became a huge challenge.  Although it wasn’t pretty and didn’t improve, I was able to keep moving just enough to make it to the finish at 2:42 am on Thursday morning for a final time of 79 hours and 2 minutes.  I needed help getting my bike from the finish down the ramp to the bike parking area.  Fortunately, a volunteer helped steady me and helped me down the ramp.  For the second time at PBP, I had ridden over 25 hours without sleep.

                Overall,  PBP was an amazing experience.  I went to PBP with 25 lapel pins in the shape of the state of Wisconsin. Throughout PBP I would stop to hand out the pins to kids I saw cheering alongside the road.  Even though I couldn’t speak French, I thought these exchanges were lots of fun.  Without fail, the kids’ eyes would light up.  Often their parents would want to shake hands or take a picture.  It really added a lot of fun to the ride.

Don’t ride PBP because you’re supposed to.  Ride PBP because it’s an amazing experience and an  amazing ride.

Ancien

Finishers of Paris-Brest-Paris earn the title, ancien. I am proud to be an ancien. According to the PBP website, I will have a finishing time of 79 hours and 02 minutes. This is well below my goal of 85 hours. I think I had a near perfect ride at PBP. For the most part the weather was good, the winds were favorable, my bike ran perfectly, and I was able to strike a balance between quickly covering ground and stopping to enjoy the special moments of PBP.  I thought the scenery along the course was beautiful. Terrain was challenging. I thought that PBP was a lot hillier than I had heard described. Although there were no mountains, the terrain was rarely flat and some of the climbs went on for 3-5 kilometers.

I handed out 25 Wisconsin shaped lapel pins to kids I saw along the route who were cheering for riders. It was really fun seeing how excited the kids and their parents got from this. Frequently, I would then have to shake hands with everyone in the group or pose for a photo. One dad lifted up his two children for me to kiss their cheeks and then laughed when I messed up the practice.

Almost all reports that I have read or heard from past PBP participants have included a description of the events spectators. Everyone raves about the people along the side of the road and the support riders receive from these spectators. In my opinion, all of these reports are actually understated. It is not possible to convey just how many French people were along the roads of PBP or just how enthusiastic and supportive they were.  It started in the outskirts of Paris. As my wave was escorted through closed off streets and blocked intersections, I  saw spectators lining the sides of the roads and on the highway overpasses.  Several examples stand out in my mind in the hours following PBP. There was the elderly man sitting in a remote intersection at 11:30pm playing French music on his accordion as riders passed. The family of 3 generations handing off sugar cubes, fresh picked plums and peaches on some of the final hard climbs of the ride. The children lined up by the sides of the road all along the route holding out their hands for high fives.  There were times on the ride where I wasn’t sure which way to go at an intersection. If there were people in the area doing anything, you could just yell “Paris?” or “Brest?” and they would invariably point to the route. Other times where I couldn’t see an arrow and wasn’t sure which way to turn or was concerned I was on the wrong road, the sights of groups sitting along the side of the road would put me at ease. The encouragement of the thousands of cheers  of “Bon Courage”, “Bonne Route”, and “Allez” will not soon be forgotten.

I got caught in a torrential downpour and thunderstorm between St. Nicholas du Pelem and Carhaix late on the Monday night of the ride. There were very few other riders on this part of the course because most had planned to sleep in St. Nicholas du Pelem.  I was thinking to myself that I wasn’t sure it was really a great idea to be out here, that it was raining so hard and was so dark that I couldn’t see anything. Just as I was thinking it might not be that safe, I was startled by the yells of two people standing in the storm on the side of the road, yelling “allez, allez.”

In another town near Brest, I was following another rider and we got caught in long line of cars at a stop light. He weaved through them and made his way to the front of the line so I decided to follow him. After the light turned green and we crossed the intersection, one of the cars we had cut in front of pulled next to me and the driver rolled down her window. I was expecting a French tongue lashing. Instead, I was met with the usual cheers of “Bonne route” and “allez”. Nothing like that would ever happen in the US.

All in all PBP was an amazing experience. I don’t know of another ride anywhere in the world that can match PBP.

Done in 79 hours. Details after sleep.

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Castle in Fougeres.

290 km to go. Definitely tired. Only had 3 1/2 hours of sleep each of last two nights.

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Roadside Fun

I got invited to party with Brits along the side of the road. Had a great day. Now going to sleep in Loudeac.

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BREST!

I have been waiting 4 years to see Brest. Made it but could not see much because of fog. Had traditional beer. Now time to head back.

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Loudeac control

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Update

Eating lunch at 318km. Ride going well. Startng to rain. Lots of people out on the road cheering and yelling : Bonne route . Means something like have a good trip trying for 210 more km today. Looks doable.

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Start of the race- Heather's perspective

The race began this evening after a day of laying low for most of the riders.  At 6pm the riders started in groups of 100.  Dan, Bob and Greg (all representing Wisconsin) as well as their good friend Michele were in the 5th wave of riders.  Dan's group of riders was started at 7:15 pm or so local Paris time (they lined up at 5pm). 

Dan looked like he was excited to get this epic adventure started.  The other riders and non-riders (mostly wives) we have met have all been exceptionally friendly.   

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Lined up

In line to start . Having a talk with the first ever randos from India
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Ride day

Just sent a spot signal to test things out. Taking it easy and trying to stay off my feet.

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Check in Day

Saturday at PBP is the day for bike inspection and check-in/registration. The bike inspection was pretty minimal. Basically, all they wanted to see was that I had 2 separate headlights that turned on and at least one working tailight. The whole inspection took less than 15 seconds, and I am pretty sure my inspector was getting razzed by another inspector for taking so long. (at least thats what it sounded like to a non-French speaker).

We also got to spend the day with some other Wisconsin folks. Mostly with Bob and Michele from Madison. Greg Silver, who is the third member of the Wisconsin group showed up this afternoon. Myself, Bob, and Greg posed near the hotel for the group photo of all Wisconsin PBPer's.

I spent the rest of the day getting my bike ready and packing my drop bags. Those are the bags that our travel agent/tour guide will take out to designated spots on the route for us to access. I will have access to a bag at Loudeac going each way and at Villaines on the way back to Paris.

The town has changed completely in the few days we have been here. Early in the week, there were a few Americans interspersed with the French locals. Now the place is crawling from cyclists from all over the world. We've seen riders from Italy, Denmark, England, Australia, England, Canada, and Japan to name a few. There is a lot of nervous energy around the hotel. The topic of conversation has now changed to the weather. It looks like Monday and Tuesday have a pretty good chance of rain, although it does look like there is a chance of favorable winds.

Tomorrow should be a long, restless day around the hotel. I should start somewhere between 6 and 8 Sunday night Paris time. I would guess closer to 8. (Paris is 7 hours ahead of Wisconsin).

The businesses in town are definitely catering to the PBP crowd. Here's a sample menu from a restaurant next to the hotel.

A Day at Versailles

Melissa and I spent the day at Versailles while Dan and Bob (Melissa's husband) took in the French countryside with fellow PBP riders.  Melissa and Bob are from Wisconsin and Bob and Dan are great cycling buddies.  It was a beautiful day to cycle around the grounds at Versailles! 

PBP Pre-Ride

This morning members of the Davis Bike Club from California led a group ride previewing the first 25 miles of the PBP course. They have been leading the ride for the last couple PBPs. The ride has become very popular with the American delegation. Approximately 200-250 riders met at the hotel and rode together through suburban Paris and into the countryside; sort of the American randonneuring answer to a flash mob. Two hundred American cyclists entering a roundabout really brings traffic to a halt.

Overall the ride was a blast. A very conversational pace through gorgeous scenery. Lots of rolling hills and small villages spread out every 4-5 miles along the route. I ended up with just over 41 miles. My legs felt great throughout the ride.

Last night the Japanese delagation moved into the hotel. There are also quite a few riders from Australia hanging around. Haven't run into any of the Europeans yet, but they are around here somewhere. Bike inspection and registration is tomorrow morning so hopefully everything is good to go. The excitement and anticipation is certainly growing.

Heather went to Versailles with Melissa, the wife of another Wisconsin randonneur. She should be back soon with lots of stories and photos.

Thursday

The hotels internet is overloaded so these posts are a bit odd. We had a great day today. Put in about 25km looking for the missing parts to fix the light but got it going. Heathe and I went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa and other pieces. Then we did a dinner cruise on the Seine. I am planning on getting serious and going for a real ride tomorrow.

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Another Paris tourist scene from Thursday

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Found this box of goodies and put my light back together.

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There are signs and banners up all over the area about PBP

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Now that eveyone has arrived the bike room is a LITTLE crowded!

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Wednesday in Paris

Today was an interesting day in France. Last night while putting the bike together, I discovered two pretty big problems. First, my rear derailleur hanger got cross-threaded which prevented the bike from shifting properly. Second, one of the electrical connectors for my generator light turned up missing. So I sent some frantic e-mails last night and got offers from 5-6 other Americans to bring over the missing parts on their later flights to Paris. So that one isn't fixed, but help is on the way. The derailleur got fixed late this afternoon when I went riding across suburban Paris in the vague direction of a possible bike shop that Heather heard about with a bike that wouldn't shift. They were able to fix the problem in about 5 minutes. Things are moving in the right direction.

In tourist related news, Heather and I spent the day WALKING around Paris visiting some of the popular sights. We went to the top of the Eiffel tower this morning, walked towards the Champs Elysees, past the Louvre, the Invalides, went through the Cathedral of Notre Dame, and strolled along the Siene. Paris is really pretty, but the main tourist spots are crazy crowded. We did manage to get onto the wrong train coming back to the hotel. So we got to go to Versailles (at least the Versailles train station).

In Paris!

After a long night we have arrived in Paris. Air France fed us very well and we could order in English. We got an impromptu tour of central Paris on the way to the hotel. Looks like fun!

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Packed for Paris

As of 6:15 am this morning, the bike is officially packed. If only everything else was packed, it would be a nice relaxing Sunday. Hopefully, I'll remember how to put the puzzle back together.

PARIS-BREST-PARIS: The Basics

As PBP approaches a number of my family and friends are checking out this site. Many of you only know that I'm going on some long bike ride in France. That's true, but there is more to the story.

The first PBP took place in 1891 and its been regularly held ever since. In modern times, the ride is held ever four years.  The event is held over a 1200 kilometer (750 mile course) travelling from the suburbs of Paris to the Atlantic port city of Brest and returning to Paris.  Riders have 90 hours to finish the entire route. Some quick math will tell you that a rider needs only to average around 8.5 miles per hour to beat the deadline. That works really well . . . unless the rider wants to eat or sleep or get off the bike to use the bathroom.  Once the clock starts at PBP, it doesn't stop.  In addition to the 90 hour deadline, riders must pass through various checkpoints, called controls, within certain time periods. Failure to make a time limit at a control results in an immediate DQ.  Also adding to the challenge is a general requirement that riders be self sufficient throughout the event. That means most riders will carry basic tools to fix bike problems, spare tires and tubes, energy food, changes of clothes, raingear and spare batteries.

This year 5224 people from around the world will line up to start PBP. Approximately 450 of them are from the US, only 3 are from Wisconsin.

During PBP, I will be carrying and using a SPOT individual GPS locator. A link from this page will allow interested readers to check my progress as I update my location. I intend on sending a signal every one to two hours. Additionally, the PBP organization maintains a tracking site that posts the times as riders move through the various controls. There is a link to their site on the upper right of this blog page.  (to use this site, you will need to know my frame number which is 4625)  Finally, depending on how things go, I intend to post BRIEF updates to this page from the route. The frequency of these postings will depend on how tired I am, how well I am  banking time, and whether the technology works as advertised. In other words, check in, but don't count on it.

Rochester 300km Night start

Saturday evening was the 300km in Rochester, MN organized by the Minnesota Randonneurs.  The ride started at 8:00pm to help riders prepare for their evening starts at PBP. The night was warm and very humid although we avoided the storms that were spread all over the region.  I rode most of the night with a group of 6-8 riders and had a pleasant ride.  The night start added a level of difficulty as almost everyone entered the event without the normal pre-ride rest. A highlight of the ride was viewing the lights of the La Crosse area from the top of the Apple Blossom climb on the  ridge above La Crescent.  The climb up from Money Creek, Minnesota was a long, steep, winding grind that was as hard as nearly any climb in the area.  We hit the climb just after light with what seemed like 90 percent humidty.  Overall things went pretty well although its pretty evident that I will need to focus on getting more rest on start day in Paris.

With this rider, I am done with all organized rides prior to PBP. I may do a permanent or two depending on how things go.

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Nodine at 3:30 am on Rochester overnight ride.
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4625

Big News from Paris. I have been assigned frame number 4625 for PBP. This number can be used to track my progress throughout the event.

Last Chance Turnaround

Last Chance turnaround.
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I am testing my ability to post from my phone.
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Getting Started

I am starting this blog to provide a central location for my friends and family to follow my preparation for, and participation in the 2011 edition of Paris-Brest-Paris.