PBP: It’s our Party
August 18-22 2003
Intro:
It’s
Saturday morning, August 16, Cor Vahl and I are taking the car, full of
expectations, to go to Paris. We both want to participate in Paris-Brest-Paris,
the 4-yearly event for Randonneurs in which you have to cycle 1200 kilometer in
90 hours or less.
The
journey goes well and after 6 hours we see the Eifel-tower and find a place at
the campsite “Base de Loisirs” in St Quentin en Yvelines. Close to the start of
PBP.
This
Saturday we use our time to put up our tents and meet with other campers. 90%
of them are cyclists or companions. All with one goal: PBP. They come from all
over Europe: Germany, England, Spain, Italy, Russia etc. The participants who
came to France by plane usually stay in hotels. Like f.i. almost 500 cyclists
from the USA.
On
Sunday the bikes get an inspection. Because we ride on through the night the
lightning must be all right and you must have spare-bulbs. There also is a
check for reflective clothing.
When
this is OK, you can get your documents like magnetic card and booklet for
stamps. I also got my ordered shirts.
After
the inspection Cor and I went for a short ride in the surrounding of St
Quentin.
On
Monday morning a prologue was scheduled. 30 km at a modest pace through the
community of St Quentin. But, before we can go, there was a huge shower at
night. Too much for my old tent and before I realize what happens, my bag with
clothes picks up some water, leaving all the clothes I have wet.
So,
no prologue, but fixing a washing-line, wringing the water out of everything,
spreading it out all over and hoping they dry in time.
In
the morning it still is drizzling, but then the sun comes after midday. Turning
the clothes around and around makes most of them finally dry at the end of the day.
On
Monday evening we went to watch the start of the 1000 fast ones, who have to be
back in 80 hours. After them the specials (recumbent, trikes and even a
scooter) started. At 22.00 the first pack of 500 of the 2500 participants for
the 90 hour time limit started.
We
would wait till next morning for our 84 hour time-limit start.
Luckily,
I slept a good deal of the night, but the alarm went off very early. Waking up
at 3.30 AM, eating bread and custard. Packing up the bike and at 4.45 our card
was swiped in the machine. At 5.00 our trip began.
1st day StQuentin en Yvelines – Tinteniac 420 km
The
first kilometers of this stage are ridden in the dark. At first behind a pace
car and when out of the suburbs of Paris in big groups. Cor and I started at the
back of the group, but both managed to get to the front. The wind comes from
ahead, so riding in a pack is easier than riding alone.
After
around 40 km we find ourselves in the first pack of 150 people.
The
pace is above 30km/h and the first hills give no problems. This becomes
different when we reach the “Perche”, a hilly area between km 100 and 170. My
descending capacities are not enough to regain the loss I make while climbing
and even before we reach the supply-point in Mortagne au Perche I have to let
the group go.
I
take a little break and hope to find a smaller group in which I can stay. After
leaving Mortagne I find many groups, but on each hill I drop behind to find
myself alone again. This works to demotivate me and my mood drops. It is getting
warmer and the wind still blows in my face.
Finally
I reach the first control point in Villaines la Juhel (225 km). I’m totally fed
up.
I
get the stamp in my book and get the card swiped. Go to the “Self” and have a
meal.
I
don’t see Cor anywhere and think that he is already on his way to the next
control. I must have lost at least an hour on him.
When
I leave Villaines I’m down. It’s almost 30 degrees. I cannot reach my beautiful
plan of finishing in 60 hours anymore. I have to go for another 1000 km. How
long can I hold this???
I
hope to survive and that makes me go on. A long stage with many meters of
climbing follows and I start with a moderate pace.
I
join in with a small group riders, but as usual I have to let them go at the
first climb. This time I notice that I’m not the only one. Someone just holds
my wheel. Even after the next climb the situation stays the same. Then I hear
from behind: “Is it okay that I stay on your wheel?”.
I
am used to ride at the head of a group and don’t mind that there is someone on
my wheel, so I say “Okay”. At this moment I do like some company to talk to. My
breakdown was of huge proportions.
After
some time we ride alongside and I see that my company is an American lady. She
tells me that she’s sick and got stomach-acid burnings. Her plan to finish even
faster than I was supposed to do, also fell to pieces. By staying on my wheel,
she (Melanie) hoped to recover (not facing the everlasting wind fully). To me
it worked out positively. It gave me the chance to keep my pace steady and
moderate.
Together
we head for the next control in Fougeres. We get our stamps and agreed on
leaving together again in an hour.
Her
plan was to stop for the night in Carhaix and I had the idea to see in Brest
how my condition was and then decide what to do. We will see.
It
is a relative short and easy stage to Tinteniac. We arrived there at the
falling of dusk and when it is dark we leave again. Now heading towards
Loudeac.
2nd day Loudeac – Loudeac 375 km
When
we arrive in Loudeac at 03.00 AM we both are tired and have problems keeping
our eyes open.
The
dormitory is full and we look for a spot to sleep in the “Self”. I find a
corner of the room to sleep and Melanie lays herself half over a table. We
sleep for about 20 minutes and wake up by the sound of her alarm clock.
We
leave still in the dark for the next control in Carhaix. The sleep has gone,
but the night remains fresh. We keep the speed just above 20.
In
the first stages we still were able to build up an advantage on the closing
times of the controls. So we do not worry about that. The stages to Carhaix and
Brest go easily. The scenery after Carhaix is especially nice. Halfway is the
Roc Trevezel, 350m high ,with a very long climb and decent. Just before we
reach the top we see Cor coming over the top. By the time we reach that point
again on our way back it will be 6 hours later.
We
take our time in Brest, make some pictures on the old bridge and are halfway.
We are now counting down. We are more than 4 hours ahead of the closing of the
control. It is getting warm again, but our mood is coming up and we both are
feeling better. I like the company of Melanie and she recovers by drinking milk
and not forcing her body too much.
On
the way back we take a different route to the Roc. After a climb of nearly 20
km we reach the top again and now follows the straight way to Carhaix. A bit
boring, but mainly downhill. The last km’s before Carhaix are climbing straight
into the city.
We
notice that we are able to keep in pace with the other participants while
climbing.
The
usual pattern of control, Self and personal care follows. It takes about an
hour.
The
evening follows and we leave for Loudeac. When we arrive there it is midnight
and we decide to take sleeping break. It’s more difficult now to find a spot,
more than half of the Self
is
taken up by sleeping people, some of them are even asleep on their own dinner
plates.
Melanie
thinks it looks like a refugee camp.
3rd day Loudeac – Mortagne au Perche 284 km
We leave for this stage in
the dark to Tinteniac. We thought that it would be a short one of 55km, but it
appears to be 88. It’s a little damper when we notice after 40 km. Also the
rather fresh temperature of 9-10 degrees is colder than we expected. But
luckily there are long climbs and in the dark you cannot see how fast you are
going. We stay warm enough. The descents are
going well in the lovely light of the SON.
The
morning sun gives new energy and after Tinteniac the real short stage follows
with less meters of climbing. After 10 km we find a store in a little city and
take our breakfast there in front of a church.
Our
morale goes up and the last 25 km until Fougeres we ride as a team in a
time-trail. Trying to overtake all the other cyclists on the road.
In
the afternoon it’s getting warm again and we do it slowly. Melanie tries to get
some sleep in an apple-orchard, but is too afraid that an apple will drop on
her head to really go to sleep.
At
the next control in Villaines we suddenly see Cor again. He became ill and did see
a doctor.
He
is not able to eat and even the smell of the Self makes him sick. He stays
shortly in the controls, drinks little bits and continues on at a quiet pace.
After
Villaines it gradually becomes dark again and in the warmth of the evening we take
our chance to get a nap at the side of the road.
Afterward
it’s getting chilly when we ride along. Again less than 10 degrees and we are
getting colder too. The pace drops and we arrive a bit shivering around 2.00 AM
in Mortagne au Perche.
4th day Mortagne au Perche – StQuentin en Yvelines 174 km
We
take our time to come up breath again, deliberating what to do.
If
we keep up this pace of around 18 km/hr, we’ll get behind in time. We have to
move faster.
At
first the hills of the Perche are coming, they keep us warm, but in the
descents we are quickly cold again. On the straights after the hills our speed
is hardly 15 km/hr. This is too bad, too slow. Sleep is coming up again and we
try to keep awake by asking each other questions. It works insufficiently. We
are numb with cold and need the complete road to keep off the attacks of sleep.
This is too dangerous, especially for others who want to overtake us.
Halfway
through the stage we conclude that there is only one solution: we have to
sleep.
Melanie
got a lightweight silver foil-blanket and as we find a spot at a crossing with
grass we spread it out and lay down in the middle of it. The sides we fold
above us.
After
a little while we both fall asleep and wake up after about a half hour. Our
legs were not covered lying in the wet cold grass. I see on my watch that it’s
only 5.5 degrees.
On
the bike again we are starving and our speed is 10-12 km/hr.
We
are cold. But…
The
morning breaks and in the first sunbeams we catch the warmth. We speed up and
soon we are doing 18-20.
A
cup of coffee in one of the villages from an ultra busily bartender does its
work and as the sun does its work too, we want more. Our steady pace is left
behind and we start to speed up.
We
ride 25-30 and catch up with more and more people. Even the bigger and faster
groups must be overtaken. Finally we careen with 35 to 40 over the roads
between the harvested cornfields.
Everybody
must be overtaken and no one can eventually follow our wheels. This is fun.
This is enjoyable, It’s our Party.
After
more than 30 km we release the top speed and drop back into a more normal
speed. We close in on a big group for the last 5 km to Nogent le Roi, the last
control before the finish.
We
take a big break in Nogent and speak to Cor again. He manages to do a steady
pace and is confident to finish in time. He starts his last stage just after he
came in.
At
Nogent we see Henk Kamphuis again. At almost every control we saw him and when
we tell him of our plan to do a fast last stage he joins in. He’s a bit afraid
for cramps, so he decides to leave earlier.
We
leave Nogent and warm up for a few km. Then we start speeding again. It doesn’t
matter if there are hills or not. Everything is taken with 30 or more.
We
catch up on Cor doing over 40 after 15 km and later on when the speed drops a
bit Henk joins us.
After
the hills of Gambais, we enter the first suburbs of Paris. We slow down to a
normal speed to take part of the traffic and be careful with all
traffic-lights. We join in a big group of Spaniards, Italians and Danes.
Finally
we approach the finish. In the last 3 km we get the feeling again. We want to
get rid of those others. At the traffic-lights we sneak forward and when the
green comes we sprint to the next, hoping that it is still green.
As
the last light becomes green we start to sprint. With a speed over 50 I reach
the last roundabout. I pass the finish as number one. Melanie passes Henk in
the last meters and is second. Henk third. All the others are blown away.
Our
end-time is 79 hour and 36 minutes.
We
congratulate each other and go together to the final control. We watch for some
minutes the arrival of others and then the time comes to say goodbye.
The
farewell brings about some emotion. We shared peaks and depths for 1000 km, 3 days
together. Melanie became a friend for life to me. She goes to her hotel and I
leave for the campsite.
It
finally was, after the deception in the first 225 km, a fantastic experience.
The
way back from Brest was fun and pleasure.
After
we were able to let go our ambition, we could enjoy the ride.
It
was our Party.
Back
on the campsite Cor arrives soon. His time is a little above 80 hours. A very
good result, considering that he was terribly ill halfway.
We
are too tired to go home the same day, so we stay another night and leave early
Saturday morning. At my home in Zwolle, Cor will be picked up by his daughter.
Cor
is so full of the happenings in the past week that he cannot stop talking.
Myself,
the first two days I lived in trance and was hardly reachable for others.
My
physical complaints are minimal. Just a little numb feeling in my big toes and
neck. Also some irritating spots on the seat post.
The
fourth day after PBP I did my first ride again to work (120 km vv) on the bike.
Some
statistics
1253
km in a total of 79 hour and 36 minutes,
Cycling
time: 55 h 31
Time
on controls: 15 h 00
Standstill
during the stages: 9 h 05
Highest
speed 74.5 km/h
Average
speed (cycling) about 22.5 km/h
Temperature
during daytime a max of about 27 degrees
At
night Minima between 5 and 10 degrees
Wind
to Brest mainly light ahead
Wind
way back most aside, later little tail winds
Gerrit Schotman