Never Alone

In August I was lucky enough to participate in the famous Paris-Brest-Paris cycling event for the second time. Many people have written about their experiences and described the beauty of the French countryside, the support from the populace, the crowds of spectators, etc, etc, etc. It’s all true. The event is incredible in every way. I had a fair idea of what to expect this time, having participated in 2011 also. My training was adequate, and, by the day before the start, I knew the weather was going to be perfect. In short, I was really able to focus on simply enjoying the ride.

I had the opportunity over the nearly 90 hours I was on the course to talk with hundreds of participants and spectators. Mostly French, since the ride is in France and I speak the language, but folks from all over the world too. Ireland, Brazil, Italy, Great Britain, Spain, India, Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands, Germany, the USA… and many others of course. Those are simply the faces that I recall right now. In most cases, we talked about how the ride was going, sometimes about their bike if they had something I thought was really nice, or about my bike if they liked it. We all agreed though, if the subject arose, that the most special thing about PBP, the thing that makes one want to do the ride again, the thing that makes you laugh, cry, think, is the people. Both the spectators, and the participants. That’s what makes PBP different from any other grande randonee. I can do a 1200km ride with beautiful scenery right here at home in Washington state, or in dozens of other places around the country and world. On all of those rides though, I will spend a significant amount of time alone. Nothing wrong with that, I enjoy it quite a bit. PBP is the 1200 where you are never alone. I offer my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of the thousands who make PBP so special.

Since the event only happens every four years, there is lots of time for me to write separate posts about certain segments of the ride, or my preparation, or whatever. Stay tuned for those stories, and enjoy a few photos right now.