CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Events, rides etc.

Paris Brest Paris - Roll of Honour

(26 posts)
  • Started 4 years ago by HankChief
  • Latest reply from HankChief

  1. HankChief
    Member

    PBP set off tonight for anyone mad enough to want to ride 1200km across France and back.

    Good luck to our own @DaveC starting his 2nd PBP. You can follow him here

    Also of note is CyclingUK's Esmond Sage, who some of you will know, attempting his first really long ride. backstory & tracker

    Steve Abrahams is also taking part.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  2. LaidBack
    Member

    All the best @DaveC
    I have at least one customer on the route - supplied extra hanger for their carbon high racer. Generally only find out after how they did!

    Posted 4 years ago #
  3. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Velomobile rider Ian Perry is also taking part. Expect him to be quite quick. He has a bit of a reputation in AudaxUK for having to wait for controls to open.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  4. Colin
    Member

    The TCR7 winner is riding PBP this time - good luck to all.

    https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/aug/18/transcontinental-cycling-race-europe-riding-high

    Cheers
    Colin

    Posted 4 years ago #
  5. crowriver
    Member

    DaveC is doing well so far. Steve Abraham started later, slightly off the pace but perhaps had a nap?

    Pretty good tracking, will be keeping an eye on both of them regularly.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  6. HankChief
    Member

    DaveC has just announced on FB that he's DNF'ing due to knee pain.

    Tough luck fella - knees can be a real pain when they want to be.

    "DNF. Around 20 years ago I partially tore my left cruciate ligament. It has been fine if a little week at times since I started cycling. But last night it was quite cold through the night. I fell off my gravel bike 2 weeks ago on my left knee and shin. I suspect that this I flamed the injury, and cycling through the night, I could feel discomfort. This morning as it got light, my left knee has been very painful when I push down on the pedal. Around 30km before Tintiniac it felt OK, but as soon as we started to climb and gradient, it became quite painful. The thought of the undulating ground from Tintiniac to Brest, over Le Roc and back to Paris was not something I was prepared to go through. So at Tintiniac, I sought medical help and they suggested I DNF. I'm now in Rennes awaiting a train to Paris which will connect to a train to Rambouillet."

    Posted 4 years ago #
  7. amir
    Member

    That's tough - hopefully, he'll recover soon

    Posted 4 years ago #
  8. LaidBack
    Member

    That's a real shame for DaveC. Know he would plan so far ahead and had easily the form to complete in a good time. Better though not to load up with painkillers and damage himself more. He's still young (by my reckoning).

    Ian Parry in his Quest VM is well on way to Brest - av 25.4kmph - past Carhaix Plougeur.

    Dean Robson F157with a recliner from here is back at Tinteniac. Av at 20kmph,

    Posted 4 years ago #
  9. gembo
    Member

    What a shame, they had the Camper Van and everything

    Posted 4 years ago #
  10. paddyirish
    Member

    Tough luck Dave C- shame that that a seemingly innocuous fall could have triggered that. Hope that you get some rest and can recover soon.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  11. crowriver
    Member

    Oh no! What a shame. Best of luck to DaveC for injury recovery.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  12. Morningsider
    Member

    Ah, so sorry to hear this DaveC. Hope you feel better soon.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  13. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    Horrible luck but the right decision. Pain-killers only allow you to make it much worse. The disappointment - jeeez.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  14. steveo
    Member

    Oh Dave, that must be so infuriating! But still the right call, doing a long event like that on painkillers could put you off the bike for months or worse.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  15. HankChief
    Member

    1st one home in 48hours 53minutes...

    Which is stupidly fast for 1200km

    Posted 4 years ago #
  16. Arellcat
    Moderator

    And the sleek shall inherit the Earth

    I think the rider was in an IntercityBike DF velomobile. Same model that Ian Perry is using.

    I heard that Ian was stopped by the French police for breaking the speed limit.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  17. LaidBack
    Member

    Ian Perry has 'only' 50km or so to go I think. Impressive as many still out on road for another day and a bit. Got his model wrong - not a Quest but an IntercityBike DF velomobile. Looks similar but narrower, lighter than your one @Arellcat?

    Posted 4 years ago #
  18. Arellcat
    Moderator

    A lot narrower, a fair bit lighter and definitely quicker. A DF velo is a very tight fit for me; I had a sit in Ian's at the York Rally two or three years ago. It's 'compact', shall we say!

    Posted 4 years ago #
  19. HankChief
    Member

    Esmond Sage is taking it to the wire but looks like he should make it.

    He checked into Dreux with 4 hours left to do the 40km. He needs to finish by 10am UK time.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  20. LaidBack
    Member

    Well done to Esmond. Hope he gets in by cut off.
    My 'known' customer got in yesterday on his carbon recliner - circa 78 hours. He bought an extra hanger just to be sure!

    Posted 4 years ago #
  21. HankChief
    Member

    Esmond is cutting it fine. Less than 30minutes to go...

    (Similar to many others) I expect he'll have a story to tell once he's recovered.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  22. HankChief
    Member

    He's finished. 20mins to spare

    Posted 4 years ago #
  23. crowriver
    Member

    Steve Abraham finished at one minute past midnight. Total time 76 hours, 52 minutes and 17 seconds.

    Some of you may know Graeme Wylie from the Scottish audax scene: he DNFed after a difficult first night, and has been posting pictures on Twitter of an impromptu visit to Austria by train he took with the spare time.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  24. DaveC
    Member

    Thanks for the kind words peeps. I should never listen to a suggestion from paddy irish again... [joke].

    I set off at 17:45 and felt really great for the first 8 hours. I was making great progress and passing riders from all around the globe. It was a warm evening and I only put on warm clothing around 2-3am. My knee was twinging a little which I put down to the cold, as it does in winter, but when I arrived at Fougeres (and after 2 puntures in the space of 500m), I was feeling a little tired and could feel a twinge in my left knee when pressing down on the pedal. I sorted out the issue of repeat punctures, incorrectly set brakes rubbing against the tyre, and presseed on at the back of a groups of mixed riders. I was ok, hanging on the back and cruising along at ~28kph but needed a wee and pulled off the road. When I attempted to make up time, my knee was really complaining. As I started each uphill in the rolling landscape approaching Tintineac, my knee was in a lot of discomfort. I was ~20km away and had time to consider what was wrong. I came to the conclusion that the fall on the exit from the Pentlands must have re-aggravated my old cruciate ligament injury. I decided that rather than continue on and risk more damage, I'd just abandon. I have completed this ride - 4 years ago, and was in a good enough shape to complete again, if not for this injury re-surfacing.

    My journey back to Paris was not without slight hiccup. The ticket for Rennes could only be sold for a train which had not set off yet, as it was an e-ticket, and the controller's (conductor) scanner would not accept the ticket, but she let me on anyway. Then at Rennes, I had to ask a platform staff member where the cycle carriage would be. Then the TGV controller initially after asking me if I had a booking and if I had a bike bag, said no. But an English speaking platform assistant intervened and translated that I had not intended on travelling and that due to my injury, I was returning to Paris via train, as I had no other option. At this point the controller said yes and I was onboard. he TGV is super! Non stop from Rennes to Paris at speeds of over 300kph. Certainly puts our old stock into the shade.

    Anyway I made the most of my DNF and visited Versailles and Paris, as well as having meals with cycling friends who were not riding PBP, but there for a holiday.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  25. Well done DaveC, sounds like a good trip regardless of your injury.

    Do you think you would have soldiered on if you were doing it for the first time?

    Posted 4 years ago #
  26. HankChief
    Member


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