Follow or subscribe to our blog to get notifications of updates to this site as well as more frequent insightful, pithy commentary. Paris-Brest-Paris PBP is a long distance bike ride over a route of approximately kilometers miles between Paris and Brest and back. It is held every 4 years, and attracts riders from all over the world.
The time limit is 90 hours. The clock never stops, not for sleeping, eating, repairs, or anything else. Riders should be self-supported - carrying what they need.
Limited personal support is allowed at checkpoints only, which are about Km apart. Personal support vehicles are not allowed on route. Their route intersects the cycling route only at controls. In the early years, the ride was held every 10 years. Later it became more frequent: every 5 years, and currently is held every 4 years. Initially it was a professional race, but in the last half century has been the domain of amateurs.
We all had our reasons for coming, but the word I heard most often was obsession. Several, like myself had come to Paris in and had not completed the ride. This time we would finish. There were lots of newcomers and many veterans. Our time goals varied, but the basic goal was to finish. As we met and socialized at the Fiapad, a cross between a hotel and a youth hostel, where most Americans were staying, we talked about how we got to this point and what our plans were. We had all been working toward this goal for two years.
In order to attempt PBP as an American, a rider had to complete a series of brevets of , , , and km two years in a row prior to the event. A km event was strongly encouraged. The qualifiers were held at various places throughout the country. I had worked for 6 years. I first found out about PBP in I qualified for and attempted the ride in I had 8 flat tires in the first 80 miles. I was unprepared for the rain and the cold, and my spirit was broken by the two hundred mile mark, so I abandoned.
