Paris - Brest - Paris (1200km)

August 1995

One of the things that makes PBP a non-standard Audax ride is that finishing times are published, and it is treated as a race - for those that want to do this. This (50k) is a picture of the 'fast group' starting at 2pm - some of these guys will complete the 1200km in about 45 hours. (You can see me just behind the leader - not!) In fact I am somewhere in the crowd with my guts churning as if they were full of butterflies on steroids. Here I am (58k) doing my best to look cool, confident and collected.

Most people set off at 10pm. I started in this (50k) group right at the back to avoid the (c)rush. See the guy on the right in a pink top? Well, I'm about 3000 riders behind him. (True - it takes more than an hour to get everyone away.) The adreneline rush at the start is tremendous. I set off taking it really easy, thinking that I really didn't want to blow it after all the time, energy and expense getting here. But after about half an hour I couldn't contain myself a minute longer and shot off doing my fastest ever 100km, my fastest ever 200km, my fastest ever 300km, and very nearly my fastest ever 400km.

I just have to share this (53k) photo of my friends' recumbent tandem trike on which they completed the PBP. As you can imagine, it was the source of great interest (and some amusement) in France where it picked up the nickname of 'le grand lit'.

This (22k) is me at about 36 hours into the ride (2 hours sleep?) trying to look heroically fit later on when I noticed the official photographer lurking by the side of the road. And this (22k) is me at about 48 hours, when I didn't spot the photographer before he spotted me.

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