If anyone thinks they might be interested in a classic endurance event. The Paris-Brest-Paris is perhaps the most established and famous of them all. Taking place just once every 4 years, the next one will be August 2011.
The ride essentially boils down to 1200km that must be completed inside 90hrs. There are controls along the way where you can grab some sleep. But to give an idea it might equate to:
9pm start – ride 13hrs @14mph – 182 miles
9pm restart – ride 14hrs @13mph – 182 miles
9pm restart – ride 15hrs @12mph – 180 miles
9pm restart – ride 18hrs @11mph – 200 miles
Would see you come in at the 90hr cutoff
There is also an option for 84 or 80hr limits!
Oddly it would seem there is great interest in this madness, so one must qualify.
To qualify for the event you must ride a Brevet series that consists of 200, 300, 400 & 600km distances. They can be completed in any order, but must be completed in the same year as the event. The UK Audax association holds suitable events, though there are not many 600k events.
See the calendar within http://www.aukweb.net/index.htm
However unless you are a member of Audax UK, you can only see 4 months ahead. Distances greater than 200km get going in the Spring.
Due to the numbers taking part in 2007 l’Audax Club Parisien will likely restrict numbers for 2011. They are still deciding the final details [http://www.rusa.org/pbp-2011-entries.html]. However it seems that you will be successful if you have completed a UK Audax of 400km or greater in the 2010 season.
This site [http://www.rusa.org/pbp.html] is for US Randonneurs, but has good information in English. It seems to be proactive in gathering information for the forthcoming PBP.
The official site [http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/EN/index.php] has good information, but is not up and running for 2011 yet.
One of my mates was trying to qualify for this on a tandem with his wife a few years back. He’s moved up to Yorkshire, but I’ll try and get in touch with him to see if he’s got any tips if you like.
Comment by Simonh — November 19, 2009 @ 2:52 pm
All information Simon, especially 1st hand, gratefully received!!
Comment by mikew — November 19, 2009 @ 10:07 pm
@Mike – as a bit of a pudding fan…. i will promise to make the famous Paris Brest dessert especially for anyone attempts this historic ride ……
Comment by sarahdk — November 19, 2009 @ 10:49 pm
@Mike,
will try and get in touch with Pete. The attached link contains an intro by someone else followed by Kathrine’s (Pete’s wife) account of the ride. Might be of interest.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Paris-Brest-Paris
Comment by Simonh — November 20, 2009 @ 8:18 am
@Simon, thanks for that, a great and informative read.
There are some wonderful images of suffering here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greggbleakney/sets/72157603309722446/show/
Comment by mikew — November 20, 2009 @ 12:20 pm