2019 Paris Brest Paris

Ride Report

On the road to Fougeres

The Paris Brest Paris Randonneur is a 1200km cycling event that is held every four years. The 2019 edition was the 19th running of the PBP and was my fourth (click for ride reports for 2007, 2011, and 2015). This year's event ended early for me, I decided to abandon the event the morning of the second day at Loudeac.

As in previous years, I signed up for the Monday morning start group with the 84-hour time limit. Unlike previous years, instead of having Debby wait for me in London during the event, and meeting somewhere the Friday after the event, we decided to rent a car so she could provide ride support during the event (at designated controls, of course). She could also check into our room in Loudeac (I would arrive after midnight Monday and Tuesday nights), and more importantly, we could make a beeline for Germany after the event. We had booked a cycling tour with Ciclismo Classico in the Franconia region of Germany that started the Saturday morning after the event. The tour started near Nuremburg, about a 10-hour drive away. We also thought that throwing the bags in the rental car, not disassembling the bike, and not having to lug bags through airports/train stations in a post PBP-state, would be the easiest way to get there. We planned to drive to Heidelberg on Thursday and the starting town of Bayreuth on Friday.  Anyway, that was the plan. Here is our report.

Pre-event

We arrive in London the Wednesday before the event with bags and sanity intact. Our base camp is the W Hotel in Liecester Square and we spend the next three nights in London. It rains daily, but we are able to get in some great sightseeing in London and Greenwich, catch a couple of shows, and ease into the time change. There were great spin bikes in the fitness center, so it's easy to loosen up the legs each day.

Saturday morning, we catch the Eurostar train to Paris Gare du Nord and pick up our rental car at the Avis office right in the train station. It takes some time to get our car, and it's more than a little sketchy negotiating the traffic around the train station, but soon we are on the freeway to Versailles. The Mecure Relays du Chateau hotel at the start town of Rambouillet, did not have rooms available on Saturday, so we booked a room at a great little hotel we saw in Versailles at the last PBP for Saturday and we would move to the Mecure on Sunday after checking in for the event.

Le Cheval Rouge Hotel in Versailles

We arrive at the hotel before the designated check-in time, but the helpful desk clerk said our room is ready and we park our car in the private lot in the courtyard of the hotel. This hotel was once a stable many years ago and has been converted to accommodate more modern travelers. No air conditioning, but a big patio door opened to the car park, and with the steady rain, it's quite cool and comfortable! 

Plenty of room to assemble the bike

The initial plan of assembling the bike in the parking lot is dashed by the steady rain. No worries, plenty of space in the room. Before starting the dirty work, we decide to head out and get some lunch. Two doors down is a busy cafe that looks good, so we slide in and order. We both ordered the same quiche, and mine arrives in short order. Unfortunately, my serving must have been the last in the pie, because its nearly an hour after that before Deb's arrives, still cool in the center. We shrug that off and head back to the room to put the bike together.

Job done

The Tour de Burgess pro bike race is on TV so we head back out to grab some supplies (drinks, snacks, and blister band-aids for Deb). We enjoy the race, assemble the bike, and relax in the room until dinner time. The rain continues and we nix the shake-down ride, electing not to risk it in the rain on wet cobble stones! After an outstanding dinner, at a different cafe on the square, we head back to the room to call it a day.

Sunday - Check in day

There is a parish nearby that has a Sunday morning Mass. The church is somewhat difficult to find. We give up looking and start back to the hotel when we see a man with a Sunday Missal walking briskly. He is also late for Mass, so we follow him to the church! It's in French but we follow along and participate the best we can!

We head back to the hotel, pack the car and check out of the hotel with plenty of time to get to Rambouillet for my assigned PBP check-in time of 12:30. We roll out of the hotel and before getting on the freeway a warning light comes on indicating the rear hatch is open. We pull over to latch it down, but clip a sharp curb in the process. With the hatch slammed shut, we get back on the road, but the car seems to be handling oddly. Pull over again before getting on the freeway only to discover a rear-wheel puncture!

Get on the phone to call Avis for help, but it's Sunday. After 30 mins of trying to get a live person, and with the event check-in time fast approaching, we give up on Avis and decide to change the tire and deal with the flat later. Unpack the car in the rain to get the spare, dig out the spare and tools, and proceed to set the jack under the car. Remembering to loosen the wheel lugs first, grab the lug wrench and WTF, it does not fit the lugs, it's too small!

Meanwhile Deb finally gets through to an Avis person and they say a mechanic can be there in 2 hours, or so. Rambouillet is only about 30 miles away and I need to get a ride in anyway. We agree; saddle up and head out on the bike. At least the rain is easing! After keying the destination into the Garmin, it prepares a route with ride time of about 2 hours. OK no problem, I will head out and Deb will wait for the mechanic.

After a few turns it says enter the freeway on-ramp. The Garmin route is the A-12 freeway for most of the route. With the luck so far, getting on the freeway in the rain feels like a bad choice. So after riding in circles for what seems like hours until it's far enough away from the freeway, the Garmin finally locks onto a suitable route to Rambouillet.

The route goes past last night's hotel and into Versailles. An American rider rolls up, he is checked in and headed to the train station to check out the schedule and start later that evening. He rode the same route the Garmin suggested the day before, but he mentions it is a disorganized mess in Rambouillet.  Feeling some relief about the route, but it's already past the check-in time and there are nearly 1.5 hours of riding to go.

Cool aqueduct on the road to Rambouillet

Riding in a panic that check-in will close before arriving, and riding much harder than planned for the day's 'shake-down' ride, Rambouillet finally comes into view. Riders with event numbers begin to appear as we enter into town, but I have no idea where the check-in is. Two guys with numbers say they on on their way to the start, but they are confused also and we end up in the long-term parking area, about 2 miles longer that the direct route to the registration area from the city!

Finally arriving at the check-in area, the volunteer guarding the bike pen give directions to the bike safety check. The first words out of the volunteer there; "Your late...but don't worry about it!" The bike passes inspection and the next stop is the sheep barn to pick up numbers and registration materials. The good news, I was so late there were no lines!

The check-in area

Checking the phone, there are several texts from Deb with updates. The mechanic took two hours to arrive, he changed the tire, she found parking near the hotel, and had just now arrived! Sending her a message that we are checked in and finally good to go, we mount up and take the direct route through town. Suddenly I hear "Hey Steve!" Its Stephen Kinney from Canada, he is on foot in town checking out the town. We give him the short version of the day's tribulations then head off to find Debby at the hotel. The town is packed with riders, with the 80-hour group and first waves of the 90-hour group starting in just a few hours.

Rolling up to the hotel, Debby is out front waiting. She holds the bike, and we head to the front desk. "Yes, we have your reservation, but your room is not ready. Come back in about an hour." One of the other Steve's from the Canadian team is also at the front desk. He is containing his anger, having been told two hours earlier that his room would be ready "in about an hour!" They tell him to come back in an hour also!

On the patio, waiting for a room

We both head toward the bar! The hotel is clearly overrun by the huge crowd of randonneurs in town. No food, they are sold out of everything but chips and a green paste that they call guacamole. We take it and enjoy a cold beverage on the patio and watch the circus. Apparently many of the guests either took a late check-out or simply did not surrender their rooms, since most of the waves of riders start later that evening.

We go back to the front desk an hour later and are told still no rooms, so we head out and grab a snack at a crepe place a few doors down. Crepes done, we try a third time and hurrah, we get a room. They give us the key to room 117 and we head up. Entering the room, we wake a smelly Randonneur sleeping on the bed! Back to the front desk, we explain to the manager that there is someone in our room.

The desk clerk looks at the computer, he admits he misread the room number and sent us to the wrong room. He cuts two new keys to 217 and personally escorts us to a clean fresh smelling room!

The view from room 217

With the room finally settled, we head back into town to a small grocery to pick up the last minute food items we intended to pick up much earlier in the day (chocolate milk and fruit bars). The grocery is also overrun with randonneurs with the same idea, many of the shelves are bare! We find the last two six-packs of chocolate milk, but no joy on the fruit bars, so we pick up some 'Feed' bars that looked promising, and we head back to the room to sort gear and pack up.

Sorting the gear in the room.

We settle in and organize for the ride. Realizing we had only eaten two small snacks all day, we head out for dinner. Several waves of riders had already started, or were in the start control and the town had emptied out substantially. We find a place that was packed earlier, but has plenty of tables now, and get a nice meal.

We lay out the plan of attack for the ride. Since the mechanic could not repair the tire, the car has a temporary spare that is mileage and speed limited. No worries, there is an Avis office in Rambouillet that opens in the morning, so the plan is for Deb to take care of the car while I start the event. She should be able trade the car in and still meet at the Villaines control 200km into the ride. We wisely decide to load the bike with supplies/gear for the whole 445km run to Loudeac and the sleep stop, just in case she is late.

Ready to go at 9pm

What was supposed to be an easy pre-event day turned into that familiar nightmare where you are late for an important event, and everything goes wrong. Well at least the nightmare was over, and we were ready to go to bed, albeit, much later than planned. The wake-up alarm goes off 5 hours later!

Day 1 : Rambouillet to Loudeac

Tiptoe into the bathroom to get dressed and try to not wake Deb. She wakes up anyway, says good luck, and it's out the door with our trusty steed. Lots of activity in the hotel with other riders heading out and we follow the crowd toward the start. Again it was very unorganized and it was not clear where to line up or where to check into the control. Finally finding the starting pen, we roll up to Mike Sturgill and Catherine Dickson from Arizona and Stephen Kinney and his merry band of Fast Canadians!

We take a few photos and soon the line is moving to have our brevet cards stamped and pass over the electronic control.

Catherine and Mike

Yours truly at the start

Stephen Kinney

We finally roll out and one of the Canadians has a flat literally 10 meters from the start line. They pull out to make a repair and I fall into a large group and head out into dark with lights blazing!

Heading out before sunrise

The Canadians would flash by a short time later, but the group is riding at a fast and reasonable pace so its head down and keep an eye on the splits and cover when necessary to stay on.

From the race photographer about 3.5 hours into the ride

Taking an inevitable 'natural break,' we are able to chase back on working with another rider and get all the way to Mortagne in a reasonably sized group.

Town of Mortagne

Mortagne control

Arriving at the control about 4.5 hours later, we reload the bottles and get out of there about 30 mins ahead of the plan.

Lots of empty road toward Villaines

Leaving Mortagne, we must have been between groups, because there are no big groups in sight until we were nearly to Villaines. We roll in, still about 30 mins ahead of plan.

The control in Villaines

Catherine heading in as we head out of Villaines

Time to grab a snack at the control and roll out 30 minutes ahead of plan.

Great displays supporting the event

Just outside the control in Villaines

Event photographer catches us on a hill between Villaines and Fougeres

Water/coffee stop on the road to Fougeres

It's 90kms to Fougeres from Villaines, too far for just two bottles. Luckily local supporters set up free coffee and water stops along the way. We recognize one from 2015 and stop in to reload and say hello. They have a poster from the 2011 and 2015 events with photos of riders at the stop.

The support on the road is really unbelievable. In the villages, lots of people on the street cheer you on from the street and often second floor windows. Its not uncommon in the countryside to see a car pulled off in a farmers field, with with tables and chairs set up to watch the riders go by, ready to share water or sometimes wine, clapping and cheering; "bon courage, bon route, allez allez!"

The winds pick up slightly on the nose as we made our way to Fougeres and the groups continued to thin out. Riding alone mostly, the pace slows and we roll into Fougeres a few minutes behind plan.

The control at Fougeres

This was the first time I arrived at this control in four PBP's when it was NOT raining. A nice change!

Riders napping outside the cafeteria

Unfortunately, the on the bike fueling was not working so well. The 'Feed' bars purchased in Rambouillet were not working and after several tries seemed to be counter productive. A light dinner was planned here anyway, but we took a little longer, putting a little too much on the cafeteria tray and in the system.

Leaving the Fougeres control, about 15 mins behind plan

Rolling out of Fougeres, the power and cadence readings on the Garmin computer are gone. Dang, early in the day the Garmin gave a low power meter battery warning. Normally that means one or two rides before it dies. Of course the PBP is not a normal ride and it had been 10 hours since seeing the warning message. There is a spare, but it is in the tool bag in the drop bag, not the on bike kit where it is needed!

Rolling through Fougeres we stop at a pharmacy. While there seems to be several pharmacies on each block in Europe, they are small and this one didn't carry batteries. They suggested another store on the left after two round-a-bouts up the road but we give up the search and head out of town. There is a short steep climb past a historic castle leaving the downtown area. Traffic is heavy and the road is narrow so we fall in behind a car and climb at the slow pace of the traffic. Ahead there is a small crowd of cyclists and others on the sidewalk just off the road. A PBP rider has collapsed on the climb. He has plenty of help so we continue on, hoping he would be OK.

About 2.5 hours out of Fougeres, just before the rain started

Again,  riding alone for a couple of hours, a long train of riders comes along and we pick up the pace and fall in near the back of the group. Finally some relief from the headwind, a little company, and welcome speed as we accelerate and adjust to the group. Fantastic, they are riding at a comfortable pace and one of the riders we met earlier in the day says "Hello Arizona!" Just then, the first sprinkle of raindrops fall on the road!

The sun has finally set, but the dark cloud ahead is getting larger and darker. Hoping it will move past and we dodge storm, but the rain increases. It is a light rain and no one wants to stop and put on rain gear, and with the temperatures still mild, we press on to the control in Tineniac.

The cloud seemed stationed over the control, and as we rolled in, the rain increased dramatically! Grabbing the rain jacket and brevet card we hustle into the control and check in. After taking a full stop at the WC, I notice the 'bike shop' in the control has 2032 batteries (for the power meter) so we get one and before heading out and also grab a ham and butter sandwich to eat.

The rain eases off so we decide to replace the battery before heading out. It takes an extra 20 mins to get the new battery in, normally a 3-5 minute task. But with soggy hands and fingernails soft from the rain, it takes extra time to dig out the repair kit and multi tool needed to pry out the old battery. Back on the road, there is no sign of the big train, so we settle in for the long run to Loudeac.

The road and forest is soaked, and while the rain has stopped, the temperature dropped below the dew point and fog/mist appears making the ride feel much colder than the 52 degrees the computer was showing.

Quedillac is not a required control stop, but it has food, and a tent, and with the temperature continuing to drop, we stop to get a hot coffee and put on warmer clothes. Temperatures were forecast to drop only into the high 50's and while the long sleeve base layer and light balaclava was on the bike, I longed for the thermal arm warmers and watch cap still in the drop bag! The stomach is still not cooperating. Got to keep moving so after another long WC stop, putting on all the clothes available we slam down the coffee (with about 8 sugar cubes) and some soup after an unplanned 25 minute stop.

The temperature continues to drop and with the constant up and down rollers on that section of the course, not having enough calories on board, its shake and shiver with the downhill wind chill, and hot and sweaty on the climbs. Doing a little math in the head after many uncomfortable cycles of this, and realizing that Loudeac is still 3 hours away; the first thought of abandoning the ride pops into my head!

Dismissing the thought we press on through the rollers as the temperature drops through the 50's into the 40's. Just outside of Quedillac event vehicles escorting the lead two riders in the 80 hour group (they started Sunday at 5 pm) are on their way back to Paris. Soon more riders flash by then nothing. No lights ahead, and nothing behind. Double checking the Garmin, we are still on course but very much alone. About half-way to Loudeac we start to catch more riders from the 90 hour group. They have been on the road for 30 hours and most are struggling. They are riding in ones and twos, and are all over the road and going quite slowly.

As the night wears on, the temperatures continue to drop and reach the low 40's. With the continued slow pace and a little more math in the head, it's clear that we are now about 2 hours behind schedule.

There is little chance of making up time in a long event like the PBP. More likely, with 1/3 of the event behind me, the most likely arrival time would be 6-8 hours beyond my plan. That meant two more cold nights of suffering, and having Debby do all the driving to Germany on Thursday, probably into the night!

Not having the full details, but based on her text messages, I knew the rental car return was a complete fiasco. She had to return all the way to Paris Gare du Nord to get a new vehicle. She missed me in Villaines and while she could have met me in Fougeres if necessary, we agreed she should continue to Loudeac. While she kept all the gory details to herself to keep me motivated, it was obvious she was also not having a good day.  The thought of abandoning began to stick.

A rider from the UK joins me from behind and we strike up a conversation. Expecting him to ride on, he slows his pace and we keep each other company all the way to Loudeac. This was his first PBP and he was struggling to stay awake and needed company. This made the last hour to Loudeac go by quickly. We had a great conversation, this was his first 1200 and he had only gotten into randonneuring this year. I put on a happy face and do not share with him, but my plan was to get to Loudeac, check-in, eat, find the hotel, shower and sleep on my decision to abandon. We say goodby as we enter the control.

After 30 minutes in control to check in and eat, it takes another 10 minutes of cold shivering to ride the 1.5 miles to hotel. Debby had texted the room number earlier, when she shared her Loudeac hotel fiasco. Arriving at the hotel, she was told that all the Hotels.com reservations had been lost (including ours) and that they were sold out! The clerk 'helpfully' noted there were no other rooms in town. She broke into tears and begged for a room. Apparently they had a handicap (ADA) room and out of mercy they sold it to us. Of course it was under the stairway, facing the freeway, and had what felt like a straw mat on a box for a bed. Still it was a blessing they had anything, and since every other room in tiny Loudeac was sold out, she took it!

Just before 3 am I stumbled in. She asks how I am doing and I told her my plan. She didn't share all the gory details of her difficulties on Day 1. She only said, if I wanted to continue she would support that decision and if I wanted to stop she would support that also. I hit the shower and am asleep before the head hits the pillow!

 Day 2 : Abandon

Waking at dawn just before 7, we go over our options. Debby also fills me in on the details of her check-in experience at Loudeac and the rental car fiasco:

• On Sunday the mechanic arrived two hours late and while very friendly, spoke as much English as Debby spoke French. He was able to change the tire and mount the spare. Of course the real tire would not fit in the wheel well and just barely fit in the car with our luggage. We could not continue with the temporary spare so a car change was necessary.
• On Monday, she arrives at the Avis office in Rambouillet when they open in the morning. The unhelpful clerk there tells her in broken English that she has no spare tires or cars to rent. Debby points to the lot that is full of cars, the clerk responds that they are not available and tells Debby to find a garage and have the tire fixed.
• Debby knows it is a sidewall puncture and not repairable so she returns to the hotel to have the desk manager help translate her next call to Avis. The desk manager is very helpful and gets Avis on the line. The Rambouillet office is a franchise, not a company outlet and there is nothing they can do. She needs to return to Paris Gare du Nord where the original rental occurred to get a new car.
• She checks out of the hotel and heads back to Paris. Still hoping to catch me in Villaines, she sets out right away. Gare du Nord is in a highly congested area and lots of construction and diversions. The iPhone navigation is not helpful and she gets stuck in traffic. With beggars literally tapping on the window and blocking her way, finally traffic starts to move and she sees an Avis sign. She pulls in and is told its not the right place, but on the verge of tears, the Avis guy says just pull in and he will make it work!
• He found another vehicle and after adding a 'repair charge' for the tire of $300 and a refueling fee of $100 (Deb could not find a gas station near Gare du Nord) to the contract, plus 20% VAT, she is finally on her way.
• More Paris street traffic and trauma, until she finally gets to a freeway and heads west onto the tollways to make up time.
• Meanwhile I have already passed our planned meet in Villaines and am on the way to Fougeres. She offers to try and beat me be there, but we decide she should just go on to Loudeac.
• At least she was able to get to Loudeac before other riders with Hotels.com 'lost reservations' and secure the last room at the hotel! 

Brest is a big city and I could tell Deb was not looking forward to driving there to meet me. I could have continued on self-supported, but the thought of spending another day and night in our luxury ADA room, returning to the shit-show in Rambouillet, then having Debby do all the driving to Germany, made the decision clear.

I was done.

Brevet card noting my early morning arrival (2:13am) and Abandon at Loudeac

The internet connection sucks at the hotel, but there is a McDonalds across the road. So we head over for breakfast and a solid internet connection and decide our course of action. We dial up Rick Steve's travel website and look at his suggested itinerary for an extended trip in France. We noted two towns on the list we have not visited that might work. Ambois, is on the way toward Germany, and only a few hours away. Deb finds a fantastic hotel there and makes a reservation, and we were able to secure another night at our hotel in Heidelburg.

So there it was, two more days of suffering for both of us, or pull the pin and head to Ambois and start enjoying the vacation! We packed up, checked out early, and headed for the control in town. At 8:30am they recorded my abandon, we stopped at a nearby coffee shop before heading east to Ambois.

We had a blast in Ambois and Heidelberg and the Germany Tour was fantastic (ride report coming soon).

With two weeks in the rear-view mirror, the big lessons we learned are:  First, to add more time to the trip to provide more time cushion in the event of contingencies before and after the event. Secondly, not to use a support vehicle. It turned out that having the car made the event harder on both of us (especially Debby) than it would have been without it. Also, a mixed blessing, having the car also made the decision to abandon much easier than pressing on.

That said, I still think we made the right decision.

Steve Atkins

PS. Editors note: After the event I posted a narrative of our rental experience on Avis' Facebook page. They responded and asked for more details to be sent privately via messenger. I did and the rep responded that they would look into it, but since it was an international rental, it might take 20-30 days to respond. We received a email from the Avis Corporate office a few days later apologizing for our experience. They applied a 50% discount to the rental, effectively reversing the tire repair and gas charges and about 25% of the original rental cost!