Bike:  10-year-old Cannondale R400 bike with 35-40,000 miles (see below)
Rack and bag:  Topeak QR Beam-mounted Performance rackpack (see below)
Handlebar bag:  small REI bag with clear map pocket inside top flap (see below)
Pedals:  Speedplay frog pedals (unlimited float, double-sided)
Air pump:  zefal hpx frame pump
Lights:  Cateye microhalogen II (1 spare) with D-cell adapter (see below); Vista LED tailight with steady mode (1 spare)
Hand light:  photon microlight 2 to read directions, change flats, see odometer at night.  Very nice to have, extremely lightweight.
Clothes:  standard bike shorts and jersey, gel gloves, tights, arm warmers, shoe covers, fleece gloves, rain jacket, helmet cover, coolmax socks, sidi ATB shoes (with recessed Frog cleats), Pearl Izumi  jacket for warmth
Water:  Blackburn bladder-type with pockets; 1 water bottle with Cytomax
Saddle:  Brooks Pro (see below, and later)

  Medical effects:  Left hand numb on last two fingers and my thumb.  My left wrist was sore and stiff.  My big toe and 2nd toe were numb on bottom and my little toes felt weird (swollen and trying to turn over and out).  Towards the end of the ride my butt was sore and I didn't want to sit on the saddle--it was OK once I had sat down but every time I stood and then sat again it was painful until my bottom adapted again.  All of this healed over the next month or two--my butt healed fairly fast after peeling off a fair amount of skin in the areas where I sat on the saddle.  I didn't have any problem sitting in regular chairs immediately after the end of the ride, thank God, or the plane ride would have been pretty miserable.

  Food:  I had gel packets, which worked well although monotonous, and Cytomax drink mix (OK at first but eventually made me slightly nauseous--I should have gotten used to it on my brevets but didn't use it then).  The unflavored (but sweetened), orange, and vanilla gel packets were the best for me--definitely carry a variety of flavors.  I tried to eat at least 1 or 2 packets between every control point.  My main source of calories was basic FOOD, though.  I ate regular meals at almost every control point.  This was slower than using all liquid food, but it went quite well for me.  The food was good, the lines weren't too long, and I got plenty of calories.  Choices were typically yogurt, fruit, baked chicken, mashed potatoes (for breakfast!), spaghetti, etc., served cafeteria style.  I usually just bought a bunch of stuff that looked good and tried to eat as much as I could.  I also ate the odd jambone (ham sandwich consisting of a slab of ham with butter on a sliced baguette) along the way.  Got to eat to ride! As a measure of whether this worked, I didn't lose any weight over the ride in spite of riding day and night for 3+ days.

Lights:  My lights (micro halogen) were a little dim but worked well overall.  Batteries worked, but use a Schmitt hub generator next time with supplement for downhills?  Could have used the brightness.  Maybe use lithium batteries to brighten up the lights.  I used D-cell batteries in a battery-holder that went in a water-bottle mount.  This was OK but I could have used the extra space for water (especially the first night) and the D-cells were heavy.

Fenders:  fenders would be nice to help keep dry if riding extended sections in the rain. They need mudflaps to make them effective for following riders--discovered while following other riders, of course.

Saddle:  Bottom is sore and inflamed but no skin cuts; skin peeling to a degree and generally just worn away.  I could have used a gel seatcover the last day.  My seat (Brooks Pro) was comfortable up to that point; I suspect nothing on an upright bike would have been too comfortable to me at that point.  Only carry a gel seat cover for the last day or so?--too much trouble and weight to change the seat.  Put in bag drop?  No need for it the first couple of days at least, and they're kind of heavy.

Rack:  having a rackpack was nice, but a standard rack might work better than my Topeak rack that fastened to my seatpost.  This setup was OK but tended to sway around when I stood to climb. My Performance-brand rackpack didn't fasten on well and sagged to the side; it also didn't have a place for a bottle at the back like many others, including those made by Carradice.  Much of the problem was in the way I tried to fasten the rackpack more securely, causing a list to one side.  Carradice rackpacks looked much better, although a Topeak rackpack would fit my rack more easily. A big wedgepack together with some space in a lightweight backpack might work, although carrying a bunch of stuff on your back for 3-4 days means it has to be comfortable!
 

  Drop bags:  I carried a spare foldup tire and had another tire in each of my drop bags.  700c tires were available for sale at controls anyway.  I had spare tubes in each drop bag for re-stocking if I used up the 2 I carried on the road. I think this is still a good idea, although unused this time because I didn't have a single flat on the ride.  Spare batteries nice to have, but might put two sets at each to not worry about when I hit the control with the drop bag (had 2 sets in 1, 1 set in the other--I miss-calculated when I'd hit the bag drop points in relation to night-time).  You might stash money in the drop bags in case of loss along the way.  I also kept stocks of gel packets and drink mix in the drop bags, together with bail-out clothes and changes of shorts and jersey.  A spare set of dry tights in each bag would have been nice if it had rained, maybe even a long-sleeve jersey or arm warmers, although certainly not necessary in 1999 for me.

Handlebar bag:  worked OK, but not absolutely necessary.  Simple clip with ziplock plastic bag would have worked to hold the directions information because of the way the course was marked with arrows--you do need to know distances to the controls.  It gave me a handy place to stash sunscreen, replacement contacts, solution, and sunglasses, though.  I also used it to carry the card that listed the distances between controls. The flip-up map section was great for this. Check to make sure you have room for your knees if you stand occasionally (nice to give butt-breaks if nothing else).

  Bike:  accessories bar would have been nice to move lights onto and to free up handlebar space.  My knees sometimes bumped handlebar bag.

  Shorts:  get favorites settled and then buy at least three pairs.  Some have recommended having different brands so the seams aren't in the same place after you change. I used synthetic chamois that I slathered with bag balm at the end of PBP to get a little relief.  Change shorts along the way! I need to do a better job about showering and cleaning up while on the ride next time.

  Bag balm:  worked OK, but my rear end still got very sore.  Delayed onset compared to the 600k, though, with most of the pain occurring after 900-1000 km.  Really tough standing up and then sitting back down–quite painful as my weight shifted onto the saddle.  I was afraid that my rear end was torn up, but it turned out to be mostly skin rubbed off (abraded) and swelling.  No deep sores or blood was apparent, although the marks took a month or so to mostly fade.

  Cytomax drink mix:  made my stomach a little upset--test all food on brevets!!!!!  Will try again with something else on shorter rides, but unsure of compatibility.  I drank it only on the first day and a half; after I stopped using it, my stomach got better.  I still like the taste, but it didn't work well in the long run on this ride.  Have a couple of alternatives, rather than more of the same, in the drop bags.

  Bottles:  need two bottles + camelback or a bigger camelback for long first stretch--ran out of water.  Uninsulated bottle probably OK because it's a cool ride.  My Blackburn hydration system (70 oz bladder on my back) worked great!  I rate it a must have for me because of the way it keeps the water cool and close at hand, but work on shoulder straps (buckle hits right in the wrong place--the front of my armpit).  I ended up having to put moleskin pads underneath where the straps hit the front of my shoulder (where the buckle wrapped back under my arm).  Helpful to have one with pockets to carry lightweight but bulky things like extra clothes.

  Medicine:  Have something for muscle inflamation, pain, and a topical ointment for your bottom. I had 800 mg ibuprofen pain pills and bag balm ointment.  Knee pain was helped at first by 800 mg Ibuprofen.  Caffeine ineffective on last night--stay off it prior to event?  I had coffee the 2nd and 3rd nights and it really woke me up, but nothing worked on the last night.  Not sure if caffeine would have helped anyway, but worth a try.  I took a 200 mg tablet of caffeine that Art gave me on the third night, but didn't really wake up much.  The bag balm was pretty effective in helping with the butt discomfort and pain, although it reached its limits of effectiveness. It would have been really miserable without it, though.

  Speed:  Try to improve bike speed on climbs--everyone passed me the first two days.  Faster riders finished much, much sooner than me--if I could have finished after 3 days it would have eliminated most of the pain in my seat and hands (didn't start until last day).

  Training:  Must train more on hills!  Trips to Fredericksburg, ride to Bastrop, etc. Fartlek, sprints, whatever, just get faster. Do it!  Caffeine only goes so far toward alleviating sleepiness--riding faster would have allowed more sleep if necessary. Of course, I doubt that many people on the PBP trained less than I did, so think of all the time I saved there! (being sarcastic, of course). As always, though, my weight is an issue. I topped the scales at 230 lbs at the time of the ride (16.5 stone)

  Tires:  I used ITC triathlete tires (added by bike shop with wheelset).  Risky to use untried tires but they worked well--no flats, not much wear at all; of  course, it was dry for most of the ride. Had spare tires in drop bags, but probably could have bought replacements at the control points anyway.  700c was a common size and the mechanics appeared to be well-stocked.  Tubes in the drop bags were probably a good idea, though, and would have allowed me to re-stock if necessary without spending French francs at the mechanics'. It would be best to use folding tires on the bike and as spares. If you have a problem with a tire and change it, if it's a foldup it can easily be packed away. That way when you REALLY ruin the replacement tire you could pull out the other one....

  Sleepiness:  stay off caffeine 3 months in advance!  Get faster so can sleep more!  Less time in controls!  Work on a faster pace.

  Credit cards/cash:  carry plenty of cash, especially if you need repairs done by the mechanics.  I think credit cards were mostly useless, although necessary in case I bailed out and needed to get back to France with a train ticket.  Have credit card cancellation numbers!!  When I lost my card temporarily I was very unsure about whether Ruby would be able to easily find a cancellation number. Of course, this applies to travel in general.

Bike Condition:  get a good, general check on bike before starting, replacing old wonky stuff.  I got lucky, though, and my 10-year-old aluminum Cannondale with 35-40,000 miles made it through.  My derailleur waited until a couple of weeks after the ride to spin off a pulley.  Right before PBP the bearings on my rear hub started grinding and I found out that it was an inner bearing surface that wasn't replaceable.  I replaced the wheel (unrelated to the hub problem, the rim was found to be badly scored, also).  I replaced the front wheel on the premise that it was just as old as the rear wheel and likely to be a problem in the near future anyway.  A rail on my Brooks seat that broke a month after the PBP probably was cracked or bent already, although I'm not sure if the damage would have been visible.  I should have done a better job of checking over my bike before the ride, though.

Travel agency:  We used Claus' Des Peres Travel.  Things worked out fairly well, although we did have a few problems.  The hotel we were put in was pretty inconvenient (we had to ride a bus (last run at 7 or 8 pm) to the train station).  We also had problems getting to the airport for the way back.  The truck to pick up the bikes was 2 hours late and much too small to carry all of the bikes.  The bus driver ended up loading bikes on the bus (against his contract(?) and required shifting most of the already packed luggage) just to get us going, and some ended up renting a taxi minivan to carry their bikes.  We barely made our flight, although I understand several other people did not make theirs.  Claus is very friendly, though, and worked hard.  There's simply not enough hotel rooms near the start of the event!  It would have been tough for us to negotiate the trip without Claus because of never having travelled to France before and not knowing the area where we needed to stay.

© Mark D. Wooldridge, January 2000.