Paris - Brest - Paris
The Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) is the most famous and longest-running randonnée in existence, the first edition dating back to 1891.
I've heard a lot about it over the years, especially from my fellow travellers during the NorthCape4000, and so in 2023 I decided to take the 4 mandatory certifications to be able to register and participate in the PBP.
I'm registered in Group K, starting at 6:30 PM with a 90-hour time limit. Together with other young people from Ferrara and the surrounding area, we're organizing our participation in this wonderful event. Some of us will travel to France by van (bringing our bikes) and some by plane; everything has been planned down to the smallest detail for months.
We arrive near Rambouillet (where the PBP starts) a few days early, so we can settle in and go and collect our race pack in peace.
As a good planner, I studied everything months in advance, both the equipment and the daily stops (with their respective shower and sleep stops). The weather was looking good, so I decided to leave my heavy clothing in my bag.
On Sunday 20th August we left the hotel and abandoned ourselves in a meadow waiting for 6:30 pm , the departure time.
The tension is rising, and after several checks on my bike and basic equipment, I find myself on the starting grid. The speaker gets us going, and the music does the rest. Off we go !
We are more than 7,000 cyclists from all over the world, it feels like a huge pedal-powered party, and it continues like this throughout the first night. A "snake" of lights in the darkness of Brittany.
From the very beginning, you'll find the French on the roadside, cheering you on and opening their doors to welcome you. They're friendly and try to make sure you don't miss anything; they love this hike, and it shows.
Even late at night, you'll find groups of young people ringing cowbells and singing along the road; for them, it's a celebration, and the kilometers barely make themselves felt. At 2:45, I arrive at the first checkpoint/refreshment point and am impressed by all the excellent work being done by the volunteers for this event. I eat and continue with Della and Massi, letting the faster Simone and Giacomo go ahead.
It's morning and things are getting cooler, but with a few extra layers on you're really comfortable.
We continue, arriving in Fougères, the second refreshment checkpoint, where I enjoy a hearty breakfast . Here I begin to see the first people lying on the ground, looking for a few minutes of sleep to recharge their batteries. At first, I'm surprised by this, but then I don't pay any attention to it anymore ! When you do the PBP, you enter a bubble for three days where you pedal, sleep, and eat as needed, wherever and however you want.
The day is long and we continue to clock up the miles until the afternoon. I finish the first stage a few hours early, arriving at the apartment around 4:30 PM , so I treat myself to a quick shower and a good night's sleep. It's 11:00 PM and I wake up. Meanwhile, Emilio has arrived, and as agreed, I wake him up.
We set off again at 11.45pm and in my head I'm thinking "I wonder who will be there at this time, we won't be able to find anyone to follow behind"... I don't have time to think that as we take the trail we see lights passing one after the other... I had forgotten that there are so many of us !
At night, cycling is good; it's cool, but much better than the heat of the day. We pass a secret checkpoint (designed to catch cheaters) and then the official one. At each checkpoint, we recharge a bit and, most importantly, eat.
It's Tuesday morning, and we're tackling, still in the dark, the only real climb on the PBP. The gradient isn't bad, but the climb never ends... I can't tell if that's really the case or if my mind has a dilated perception of time. With some difficulty, I manage to get through the night, and at dawn I arrive in a pretty village where a bakery is already open to welcome us.
There are a lot of us, and we "robbed" it: two pains au chocolat and a nice coffee to warm up. Around 9:00 I arrive in Brest, we stamp and eat (pains au chocolat are a constant)... we're halfway there ! It's time to turn the bike around and head back. Brest is a bit of a disappointment; I have to say I had higher expectations, but neither the checkpoint nor the city itself impressed me at all.
So I didn't waste any time and ran away, crossing the famous bridge I'd seen in so many photos.
The journey continues with some very "angry" ups and downs, so much so that Tuesday turned out to be the most difficult part of my trip. I try to draw energy from what surrounds me: an American pedaling a fixed gear, some elderly gentlemen dancing at the checkpoint, a jam-filled crepe I treat myself to at the refreshment point, and the stalls that continue to be set up along the route by the inhabitants of Brittany (you are fantastic!).
It's getting dark, it's 8:30 PM and I arrive at the apartment. The second stage is over and I can see the end !
The owner sees me very tired and prepares me an omelette, I'm happy and in these cases it really doesn't take much !
Here too, I shower, I sleep a little, just 4 hours, and I leave again at 3:30 on Wednesday morning.
It's almost 7:00 and I reach another checkpoint, where I grab a nice hot soup and a Red Bull (gross). We keep pedaling and passing checkpoints, each stamp giving me energy to get to the next one.
In the afternoon, my left knee hurts. I think it's nothing serious, so I continue, since I'd be arriving at the town where I'd already booked a hotel by 7:00 PM . I eat a pizza, shower, and go to bed. I have about 200 km to go, but my knee is worrying me. I wake up after two hours, and despite the painkillers, the pain is the same as when I went to bed.
I pedal badly, pushing mainly with my right foot, but I want to make it.
I have time, so I try not to get discouraged. My average speed drops dramatically, but at least I can make progress. I get through the night, trying to stay in the slipstream as much as possible.
It's 3:40 a.m. and I pass a bar, feeling sleepy... my first sleep attack. Not wanting to take any chances, I stop, sit down, and rest my head against a pillar. I sleep for 15 minutes, but it's crucial. A Coke and I'm off again. I arrive in Dreux, the last checkpoint. I lie down on a bunk in the dormitory, to give my knee a break.
I set off again at 7:00 , knowing I have 30km to go and my cutoff time is 12:30 . I have time and I'm in pain, but I want to enjoy these last few kilometers of the journey as much as I can. I'm starting to savor the arrival; I'm in Rambouillet. I take the gravel path and at the end I see the people cheering us on. I made it, I brought it home in 86h 52m 23s... what an incredible experience !
I have wonderful memories of this randonnée and recommend it to all road cycling enthusiasts. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience; it'll be tough, but it'll be worth it !
Allez, bon courage !
Author: Marco Casadio
