This was my first and certainly not my last PBP. This was one of the most enjoyable rides I've ever been on. The beautiful French countryside, warm people, tasty French baked goods, and a fine smattering of comfortable roadside sleeping spots made this an almost perfect cycling experience.

My preparation consisted of the Boston Brevet Series run by Dave Jordan. This is a pretty tough series, with 3000 feet of climbing per 100K of riding. There were a total of four rides - a 200k (125 mile), a 300K (185 mile), a 400K (255 mile), and 600K (380 mile) rides. Each of them had to be completed in a time frame to equal about a 10 mile an hour pace. Having finished these rides this year, last year, and last year's mighty Boston Montreal Boston ride, which is 1200K (750 miles), I felt extremely confident in my physical and mental ability to finish this ride. My brevet times this year were better than last year, last year's 600K time was bested by over four hours. This ride was to start on Monday at 10pm and officially end on Friday at 4pm, with a total mileage of over 750 miles.

My Trek 2120 has served me well. The wheels were upgraded in the spring to Mavic Classics Elite. I wanted to ride the PBP ride completely unaided. My rear rack and panniers were stuffed full of clothes, raingear, tools, tubes, and a bunch of other junk to weigh me down for 750 miles.

My lighting arrangement was a Cateye Hyper Halogen light, and a Cateye Micro. The Hyper light has a low and high beam setting. I put Lithium batteries in this one and alkaline in the Micro, which just blasts out a high beam. The plan was to use the Micro for however long it lasted, then use the Hyper on low beam until I stopped so I could change the batteries. This was an excellent arrangement. I ended up only using one set of Lithium batteries and about 4 sets of alkalines.

I was in no rush to leave St. Quentin en Yvenlines, starting out in the 10:30pm group. I certainly did not want to get caught up in a crash with the fast guys. I was in awe at the show of support along the route. People were out, stopping traffic, shouting out "Bonne Route," "Bonne Courage," "Bonne Chance," "Allez, Allez." It was surreal. This alone buoyed me along the route and was exhilarating. I darted up ahead amongst the groups, passing on the left many riders. I learned you must say "On passe au gauche," meaning "I'm passing you on the left". Otherwise, you had to say "droit", which means "right." To the French this means "Move over to the right so I can pass". I'm used to saying "On your left," so I just stuck with saying "On passe au gauche" when passing so I would confuse the least amount of people, considering the French made up over 2000 of the 3700 riders. However, a small problem was creeping up on me. I had only been eating small French PowerBar type things. When we stopped at the first food stop at Mortage au Perche, I only fueled up with a pate sandwich and Coke. I didn't bother to bring anything else, hoping to stop somewhere along the way. There was one stop at a brassiere where I got a few KitKats and Cokes. But I still didn't have enough food. The exhilaration of the roadside cheering support had blinded me. As the sun was starting to crack open the dark night sky out in the vast fields around us, I bonked really hard. After a French group passed me, I heard two of the riders comment in French to each other that I wasn't paying attention. I realized they were right. I stopped at a driveway, put my head in my hands, and took a ten minute snooze. However, it wasn't enough. By now the sun was up and in the sky. I sighted a nice bus stop ahead with a bench and laid down for another quick ten minute nap. I was a bit refreshed, but desperately needed sustenance. As we reached a small town, I sighted bikes stopped at a boulanger/patisserie. I went in and got myself a baguette, croissant, and an chausson au pomme - a tasty apple pastry. This recharged me considerably. As I rolled out of Villaines la Juhel, I rolled right over to another patisserie. As I filled my pockets with chocolate croissants and other goodies, an old French fellow made a wry comment that I'll need to buy myself a new "derriere" by the end of the ride. He seemed to understand the gravity of this bike ride.

I enjoyed this nice high, hilly scenery immensely. Some French riders told me some of this area is named after the Alp regions. I was fully over my bonking episode. However, I resolved to myself to never get that tired again and make sure I stop at every bakery I saw along the way. I got a flat and Kayo from Boston series helped out with a long frame pump. Damned those small pumps! I took a long nap at Fougeres. Rode with some Dutch riders for a while. It was pretty hot this afternoon. Took another long nap an Tinteniac under a tree to beat the heat and not get further sunburned. Got out the night riding gear and then got in about midnight to the Loudeac controle. Took a "Scandinavian Style" shower where you are stripped down and hosed off like a dog with cold water in plain view of everyone. Very interesting way to get clean. Curled up with my space blanket on the parking lot, which was mighty comfortable after a 270 mile long day.

Left Loudeac pretty early in the morning at about 3am. After a pretty good start and refreshing coffee stop at a very nice flower decorated inn, I noticed about 10K out of the stop I had forgot my helmet. Well I'm not going to go and get it and add more miles onto this trip. I figured I'd pick it up on the way back. Besides I was feeling sleepy again. I again took some naps on the side of the road. At one point it rained for about 20 minutes or so, a fine excuse to check out a patisserie's early morning baked goods - they were up to par! After about three good 15 minute naps on the shoulders of the road, I finally arrived in Carhaix.

The Eastern toilets here were a suprise. When I've seen Eastern toilets in the past, there usually is the option for a Western toilet. I saw a long row of Eastern toilets and assumed on the other side there was a row of Western ones. Not so, just another long row of Eastern ones. No Western toilet option this time. After that experience, sat down for breakfast. Then I got myself a bicycling cap to cover my helmetless head. Then after leaving the control, I stopped again to get more baguettes to fill my back jersey pockets. The hills out to Brest were not very bad. The long one up the radio tower hill was accompanied by a nice downhill. There were some very scenic woods sections along the route up there. After stopping at Brest, and taking a nap on the concrete next to my bike for a few hours, I rode down the road to the first grocery store. I got myself a long baguette and a round of camembert. I split the baguette in two and had myself two protruding demis of bread sticking out of my jersey pockets ready to fuel me back to Carhaix. Met up with a Welshman who told me a bit about the Bretons and how they are both Celtic people. We stopped at a water stop and he and a Breton swapped words in Breton and Welsh. I was impressed. Small downpour of 20 minutes or so and didn't get my bread too wet.

On the ride to Loudeac, I stopped at a small brassiere for a sandwich. There was an couple there, with the man talking in French to the bartender. There were discussing how Germans would rather speak English than French, and how the French won't speak anything but French. The bartender was talking about his relative who had lived in Canada. Looks like they were having a lively discussion. I was asked about the ride and told them I only had 200 or so miles to go. Ate my ham sandwich and Coke and went on my way. The quiet night was very beautiful. When I arrived, I slept poorly. A control worker must have put my space blanket back on me about five times because the wind kept blowing it off me. Next time I'll get a bigger one. Left pretty late at about 7am.

After leaving late and taking a while to wake up, I rode to Tinteniac with an small group of Americans from New York. Got the skinny on the Brevet series out of New York. The other guy he was with had raced in RAAM. At Fougeres, there were gym mats in the control. Hmm, I wonder what it feels like to lay down on something soft..... ZZZAP two hours later they are sweeping up the control -- I have to get to the next control. I roll into Villaines la Juhel and get a nice sit down dinner of pasta. Talk briefly with an English fellow. The next leg takes us to Mortage au Perche. There were many riders bonked out on the side of the roads. When I get to there about 4am, I stand in line for food, eat, then crumple up under the table and take a brief hour nap on the floor.

Leave about 7am and get to Nogent about 10:30am. Ah, enough time for another nap! After eating another big bowl of pasta, we are on the last leg to the finish. There was one nice climb through a nice forest. The ending into town was pretty long. It was a great feeling to have everyone, including my Dad, cheering.

• America - Rode with Steve from South Carolina. There was Kayo from the Boston series. A nice fellow and his friend from New York on the way back to Tinteniac. Guy from Seattle who got heat stroke, but got released from the hospital in time to keep riding - pretty impressive.
• France - French guy who lived in Canada
• French clubs - there were many and they were not in any rush. I liked the idea of riding together - I rode a bit with the local Loudeac club as we rode the leg to the Loudeac control.
• Belgium - guy at end who commented he'd been biking for 10 years and waiting for four years for the moment when PBP ended. Remarked he had other friends on the ride but he just wanted to "end it already". Also remarked the French beer is not as good as Belgian beer.
• Netherlands - Rode with two fellows between Fougeres and Tinteniac on way out. Rode pretty quick but quickly stopped at a Brassiere for a coke because it was too hot out to be riding too hard.
• Wales - Rode with a fellow from here most of the way back from Brest to Carhaix. He was in the 84 hour group and we rode along at a good clip. Let him go on at Loudeac as I needed my food, rest, and wanted to watch some Breton folk dancers.
• Russia and Ukraine - Rode with two guys near the end with the retro bikes, speedy pace and no dialogue.
• South Africa - Rode with a very friendly group but didn't want anyone to show me their accessory flame thrower for their bike so I rode ahead. Just kidding.
• Italy - Rode for a few miles into the last control at Nogent le Roi with a paceline with a sharp looking bunch of Italians who were obviously scoffing at my panniers.
• Australia - rode with a fellow who was singing a song during the first night. I politely declined and rode on.
• Denmark - Had coffee with a fellow in the brassiere with all of the flowers. He smoked two cigarettes while I sipped my coffee. He remarked Denmark is a lot flatter.
• Sweden - Rode with a fellow on a mountain bike for a while in some hilly sections on the way back after Tinteniac. He said Sweden can get very hilly, and we kept up together for a while.
• England - Rode with a fellow on a green three-wheeled tricycle on the way out to Brest. Said he's done PBP before and he needed something "different" this time. Knew exactly where he was going to be at every point of the ride. Told me the extra wheel only added an extra 15 pounds or so. It looked comfortable. I'm sure it would be a tale to tell, but I wouldn't want to hump that thing up a hill.
• The Venerable Jack Easton - Although I have never formally met this legend, he's been pointed out to me. I came across him during the night ride up to Villaines la Juhel on the return ride. He was surrounded in front and back by around 20 riders. They all seemed to be having a grand old time whooping it up with Jack who I hear is a real wisecracker at 73. The above mentioned tricyclist was in the group.

I will be back for the '03 edition. I was impressed by the large number of European riders chugging beer and wine all along the ride. I certainly did not intend to break any time records. I suppose I may want to ride for a good time one of these years. But it was such a fun time, I don't think I would want to shorten it any less.

Official Results! My number was 3490.