Well happy with that. No longer a ride only other people have done. For the sake of controversy, I found it easier than London Edinburgh London in 2017. That would I guess be down to my readiness and the favourable weather we had.
Hope there is something here that resonates with anyone that completed, had a go, or is thinking of taking the ride on one year. Well done to you all.
PBP 2019: Delighted by.
- Not having any stomach problems. Not losing my appetite.
- Not having painful toes. All I needed to do was to wear my socks such that the seam did not sit on my little toes.
- The Garmin Edge 1000 performing without a hitch. The Garmin battery pack was also 100% reliable.
- The generosity of spirit of the French public. The calls of Bon courage! Bon route! Allez! Allez!
- My overall match fitness.
- Having a couple of sleeping bag liners. One inside the other. Beats wrapping up in a recycled blanket any day of the week.
- Having no aspirations other than to complete within 90 hours. That created many options I would not otherwise have had. I had pretty much no stress at all about time.
- The protective layer of Sudocream on my undercarriage. Cheap and effective. I recommend it.
- Riding with random groups and individuals at various times. The company and aero assist were both very much welcomed.
- Getting three good periods of sleep and three warm showers along the way.
PBP 2019: Surprised by.
- Getting to Brest in 33 hours.
- Having a room to myself in Brest for three hours. That was Luxury.
- Not feeling the cold at night very much at all.
- Being able to feel my fingers and toes at the end. Just a bit of tingling in my left pinki and ring finger.
- My overall pace, occasional turns of speed and ability to climb.
- Not noticing the ‘headwinds’ I heard others speak of.
- How similar some of the landscape was to that in England.
- The absence of energy drinks at controls. Are Red Bull or Relentless not a thing in France?
- The quality of road surfaces. Pretty smooth most of the way. Played a big part I reckon in helping stave off cyclists palsy.
- Seeing some familiar faces. Richard of Dulwich CC, Tom of ACME and Tom of Gravesend CC. The latter I saw a few times and enjoyed spending time with him and his family over some food at Villaines-la-Juhel.
- Coffee being served in pudding bowls. Guessing that’s about cooling it down quickly.
- Some of the bikes people chose to ride.
PBP 2019: Could have done without.
- Struggling to stay awake riding through Huelgoat Forest.
- Some people at the controls not giving change.
- The poor provision made for a vegetarian diet.
- The terrible band playing at Tinténiac or perhaps it was Loudeac, on the way and the way back. The equally terrible troubadours at Villaines-la-Juhel on the way back.
- Getting confused about the first secret control. Thought it was Brest we were heading to. Got there very quick! Ahh. It’s not Brest. There’s another 90 km to go.
- The Thermarest mat and bivy sack. Only used them once and could easily have done without.
- Long stretches of straight roads and monotonous scenery.
- The final stretch through the park and over cobbles. Whose idea was that?
- The poor excuse for towels proffered at controls with showers.
PBP 2019: Should have done differently.
- Descending all the way down from Roc’h westbound without a jacket on at around 4.00 am. I put my jacket on at the bottom shivering. The only time I really felt cold.
- Sort out better front lights. My two front lights would not charge from the battery I had. I relied on a backup, the longevity of which I was not confident of. I spent longer at some controls than I needed to simply so I would be riding into the dawn if and when the lights failed.
- Sorting out getting a proper cable to connect the Garmin Edge and battery pack quicker than I did. Not doing so led to a last-minute panic buy costing a fortune in postage.
