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Paris-Brest-Paris 2023
August 20-24 Colorado Riders Unofficial Results as of 20-SEP-2019
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Rider Results with Control Elapsed Times
Rider Results with Control Arrival Times
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| Date Color Key: | August 20 | August 21 | August 22 | August 23 | August 24 |
ACP Rider Tracking Lookup
STORIES AND PHOTOS
Mark Andre
Pascal Ledru
Jenn Moore
Mike Turek
Corinne Warren
Vernon, Pascal, John, Mr. Bunny, Mike, Paul
-- Patrick Chin-Hong photo
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What happened with me: Thursday early AM in Alençon I suffered a right femur fracture due to crash in a roundabout. Was at km 1050. Ambulance took me to the ER, they put me on an IV but didn’t x-ray my leg, said it was likely a pulled groin, told me to get a hotel room and rest it for five days. My son was there to help me manage. At day 3 the bed rest and pain meds had me feeling better— tried getting back on the bike. Rode the 40km to Mortagne-au-Perche and taxied back to Alençon, which was gratifying. Next day taxied back and rode the rest of the way to Rambouillet through Dreux. Flew back to the USA next day. Visited Ortho & Spine of Rockies walk-in clinic upon return and they x-rayed and saw the fracture. Had surgery this past Saturday and am convalescing. Had I known what I know now: (1) Time management at Controls, too easy to spend a couple hours jawing away with folks at every stop. If you’re a senior rider averaging lower kph, one gets behind. Then no time to sleep, got to push thru the night(s), get foggy brained, hallucinatory, leads to screw ups like my crash.
(2) 600km brevet preps the body to spend long hours on the bike, but can’t prep one for sleep-deprivation.
(3) The advice “Just enjoy yourself out there” isn’t all that helpful—the clock is ticking and a singular focus on the task is essential to finish within the time limit.
Anyway, I came back with no medal but many stories. Congratulations to all who participated and chapeau to the finishers!
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Link to Steve's blogpost
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Album created by John M, but there are also pictures from Vernon, Paul, Rashid, Jenn, Mike and myself (also some pre-ride pics):
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As I sit in a cafe on the riverfront in Porto…randonnesia has completely set it…
So there might be gaps which Pascal will need to fill in since I was asleep for a portion of the ride between Mortagne and Dreux…
Highlights
Lowlights
Thank you all!! |
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Started in the same wave as last time, the second 80 hour B wave, and this time I knew to expect a race-like start, which to me feels appropriate for the approach my riding partner and I were taking. There was a group of four of us from Treasure Cove, and three of us would end up finishing together even after being separated in the first two miles. My mindset aligned better with the folks I rode with last year than the RMCC compatriots that I am able to keep up with.
Only time I have ever gone this long without a pit stop: made it all the way to Villaines before stopping for anything more than water. Dinner there was leftover Indian food (curried eggplant and rice) and would turn out to be the best meal of the ride. Dry rice-based cookies became harder to choke down as the ride went on, and my gf sandwiches started falling apart. To any with dietary restrictions, I would recommend bringing enough food to keep yourself from starving. There was little I could eat at controls and as a gluten free vegetarian, I relied heavily on the food I carried with me and packed in my drop bag. I supplemented with three types of liquid calories and that approach seems to have worked well. Overall, the weather was warmer than last time and mostly pleasant. While later-starting riders were suffering from the heat, we had made it far enough to be in fog for hours, keeping us cool. For me, there were three highlights of the ride, and they happened early on: first, having Mateo pass and stop to chat for a few minutes, and second, riding with Jonathan through one of the many cities we passed through at night. Third, when I got my card stamped at Carhaix, the volunteer marveled that the first rider had already come through on the return. I asked who it was, and when she looked it up and showed me "Nick DeHaan" I let out a whoop of joy. Hearing that my Treasure Cove roommate was tearing it up gave me a shot of happiness and adrenaline, helping me to get through the inevitable dark periods in every 1200k. By the time we got to Brest, I knew I would not make my time goal, as I was an hour slower than in 2019, when I needed to be an hour faster. That took some pressure off and the riding became a bit more enjoyable. I also loved the stretch from Brest to Carhaix as it had some nice climbs. We stopped for an hour and a half rest at the secret control, knowing that Carhaix would be a zoo by the time we reached it. For me, that meant listening to the snoring of others, but my riding partner was able to sleep and we set out with new vigor for Carhaix. Having slept before the ride for the first time ever, with the aid of prescription sleeping pills, I felt awesome and not at all fatigued. In fact, I made it 56 hours - all the way to Villaines on the return - without a sleep break. But 200k from the end we took time to eat a real meal (dry fish and rice) and sleep an hour. At the hour mark, I could not be awoken apparently, and they decided to let me sleep one hour more. Getting back on the bike with two hours sound slumber under my belt, I was ready to push it in to the finish. Rolling into Mortagne, my riding partner was in desperate need of a nap, while I was wide awake. So I continued on with a plan to meet up at the next (last!) control. This was the best stretch for me, as it was only the third time I found English speakers to ride with, and I could talk without my brain straining to reach for words in French or German. Rolled into Dreux with four Brits, and rolled out with them plus my riding partner, when suddenly my ride was derailed as I apparently went down. The ambulance crew (six of them) that examined me let me decide whether to go to the hospital or get back on the bike, being quite clear that the hospital would take too much time for me to finish the ride. That third rider that we had started with now caught up to us and his support crew took all the gear from my bike to make it easier to ride. After a text consultation with Nick (a nurse) who had finished the day before, I got back on my greatly lightened bike and rode conservatively to the finish with Andrei Fluerasu and John D'Elia. Happy and lucky just to have finished, this was a one-time deal for me. Overall impressions: the riders around me were 65% - 70% French. If doing this ride is important to you, working on your French is paramount to having a better experience. Despite the few route changes, to a climber, this is a pretty flat ride and from just a route analysis point of view, if I am going to travel to Europe to ride, I prefer to visit the mountains. The volunteers were very friendly, and I noticed more townspeople out to support the riders. I appreciated that angle better this time around. The food and drink situation was pretty dismal for me: very little I could eat, and the drinks were warm. I am not an ice user in general, but I see a business opportunity here. Glad to have finished, but this is definitely a check off the bucket list for me. Corinne
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