- Ride Reports
- report by Richard Bragg
- 6 years ago
The journey to Paris-Brest-Paris
7
Every four years the wonderful cycling event Paris-Brest-Paris takes place. Over 6,000 cyclists take part in this wonderful event, one of the longest, oldest and most challenging endurance cycling events in the world. This year, I aim to join them and have been working towards this for the last eight months. Here is a taste of the journey...
Pre - qualifying... A McDonald's crawl...
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September 8th, 5:58 am, 2018
The journey started last September. A decent length ride the year before puts you higher up the queue to get a place. So I signed up for the Fenland Friends 600km event and was delighted that a number of friends Velo Club Tring joined me, some of them for their first Audax.
The outward leg was a lovely ride heading north, catching up with some old friends and even a bit of a tailwind. Rain hit before half way though and we had a long McDonald's break at half way waiting for the weather to improve. I had brought kit to bivvy out overnight but some of the Tring guys hadn't so we stayed together and aimed to ride through the night. McDonald's number two was in Lincoln. What a place that is at 2 A.M.! Lots of security and activity, lots of youngsters and not a lot of peace. We struggled to rest there so pressed on through a tiring night to reach McDonald's number 3 in Boston for breakfast.
The second day we faced headwinds all day to return to Essex with a rather leisurely Italian meal out for lunch. I punctured just before the end but nursed the soft tyre home for the welcome pub finish.
Best memory - McDonald's of course!
Qualifier 1 - The wintry one....
I wanted to enjoy some new areas for my qualifying rides so started by heading north to the area I grew up in, but had rarely cycled. It turned out to be a masterstroke - although events in the south were cancelled due to snow, it was all go for Straight on at Rosie's 200km.
I still had to be cautious though as there was snow on the road in places as we set off and amazingly there were a number of people who signed up on the day, not put off by the weather at all. Rosie's turned out to be an amazing transport cafe, with great service and warming food. So, straight on then and into the headwind all the way to the Humber and a bleak but beautiful Blacktoft Sands.
But with a headwind out comes the benefit of a tailwind back so that made the return somewhat easier. I safely survived the conditions and and was greeted by an amazing feast at the finish. A fantastic reception to round off an enjoyable ride.
Best memory - surviving the snowy bits
Qualifier 2 - The local one...
I'd been wanting to do 3 Down 300 km for several years but I'd not been free the right weekend, but this year it fell just right. And whilst I was going to enjoy riding in some new areas, it's also good to do an event from home. So I was on my way to the start before dawn.
The first section was very familiar roads but as we headed further south the ride became more scenic. I really enjoyed the southern chalk streams of the Test and Itchen valleys, and the New Forest. Another highlight was the Stockbridge control. A pizza restaurant that had set up a full Barista machine outside and a great spread of wonderful cakes. Fantastic.
After the turnaround point near Ringwood it was headwinds for the return leg to keep us on our toes. Once past Basingstoke it was familiar roads and heading for home into the night. I reached Tring as the clock hit midnight, a great day out.
Best memory - The stunning countryside of the southern chalk streams and New Forest
Qualifier 3 - The sociable one...
Definitely some new roads on this new Audax event, Invicta Phoenix 400 km. 9 A.M. is a more sociable time to start an event and suited this longer event quite well. We had quite a bit of weather on this one.... ok to start, then some heavy rain, a hail shower, some sunshine then a cold night with fog by dawn and a bright sunny finish! A bit challenging to have the right layers on at the time but I mostly got this right.
This was a lovely route with quiet roads throughout. Despite the morning weather, the time flew by as we headed to Rudgwick for lunch. 'Special' cheese on toast was the speciality at The Milk Churn and went down rather well. The scenery got better and better through the day heading through the south downs as evening fell.
Every ride is different. Sometimes you spend a lot of time cycling on your own and sometimes you get to meet some great folk. On this ride I bumped into a few people at regular intervals and spent probably half the ride cycling with Cathy who I met shortly before Winchester. We were cycling at about the same pace so rode together through the night. It was great company, helped me stay awake and we really enjoyed cycling together.
After a welcome early morning break in Rye, we headed north through freezing fog in the valley bottoms and wonderful vistas higher up. Cathy left me as I found my own pace and enjoyed the morning ride through Kent and over the North Downs to the finish.
Best memory - Great company through a tiring night
Qualifier 4 - The hilly one...
For my final ride I was torn between Wales and Scotland. I chose the former this time to take on Benjamin Allen's Summer Outing 600km. A distance I've done a few times before but being the final qualifier this seemed to put a bit of pressure on it as I headed to Tewksbury for the start. Many of us turned up the night before to get a bit of sleep at the venue before an early start.
At first light we were off. One of the benefits of not being in the South East is such quiet roads. Bliss right from the start. The route took us through the beautiful Wye Valley before heading west into Wales. As we progressed through the day the hills got bigger and the views were beautiful. And every climb was rewarded with a grin-inducing downhill. As the sun was setting I enjoyed the wonderful descent from Devil's Bridge and then finally got a glimpse of the sea.
One thing that was striking about this ride was just how friendly the local people were. The owner at the West End Cafe in Llandovery shaking my hand, the landlord at the Miners Arms in Pont-rhys-y-groes being really helpful, but the prize must go to the young lad at the Spar in Machynleth who boiled the kettle for me when the coffee machine broke.
I'll remember the night for some typical Audax experiences. The first section was fast progress on smooth roads through the warm night. Then hitting the biggest climb of the ride out of Newtown at midnight. Then pressing on to the 'overnight' control and a village hall full of airbeds for an hours sleep.
When I set off again, rather bleary eyed, I knew that I had broken the back of the ride and was in good time. The second day was harder work on tired legs but the scenery spurred me and kept me going (along with regular coffee and cake....). As I approached the end there was a final treat as the section through Gloucester was an unexpected surprise. A really well planned route skilfully using the cycle route right through the heart of the town - the docks, a tall ships event and the cathedral. That just left a last blast up the A38 to get to the finish and the relief of having completed.
Best memory - The night section from Machynleth to Newtown.
I have to say a huge thanks to the unsung heroes of these events - the organisers and their helpers at the various controls who put in a huge amount of work to make these events happen and work incredibly hard on the events. Sometimes staying up all night to cater for weary cyclists they deserve lots of thanks.
So now I look forward to the event in August. Joining with a few friends and making lots of new ones as we tackle the wonderful adventure of Paris-Brest-Paris.
Twitter - @RNBragg
1 comment
Kevin PrenticeAdmin
Really great story Richard!
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