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denise silk - pbp 2007 |
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| Wednesday, August 29 2007 WE MADE IT!!!!!! WOO HOO After 1219km, 89hours, god knows how many meals, overstim gels, coffee stops, I finally can say I completed the oldest cycling event in the world - Paris Brest Paris, and with only 5 hours sleep from Monday morning through Friday. Yes contrary to popular belief..I wasn't sleeping. I was just riding slowly and taking lots of breaks :) One thing I learned from this is you need to have an ability to adapt, for me, I planned on having three 4hr sleeps, but when reality came about this soon became 2hrs in Loudeac, 2hrs in Loudeac on the return and 1hr in Mortagne. It really is amazing how the body can adjust and ride 1200km on such little sleep. I am happy to be sitting on a comfy couch as I write this email, so I hope you are comfortable too as you read this. As you can imagine 1200km is a long way..so is this email as there is lots and lots to share. You can share in the pains and the triumphs and the ride that is Paris Brest Paris. Pre- Paris Brest Paris "it's a lovely ride", " it's some rolling hills but gentle", "summer in Paris is wonderful you will be warm, probably too hot" ..the words of a Frenchman who goes by the title JFT. Let me just start by setting a few facts straight here-- rolling hills, well no, it was not the Pyrenees that's for sure. BUT did you know that if you add all the ascents together just on the way out to Brest this is over 10,000 meters - yes we climbed over Mt. Everest and into heaven..and that got us half way!!! The weather never saw over 15-18 C and in fact that was just Wednesday (note that would have been when I made up some time), the rains were cold and the winds almost blew us off our bikes at 40km per hour and gusting at almost 60km per hour as we progressed closer to Brest. They said by entering this mythical ride you will test your cycling agility and your human endurance, this would be the case, yet sooooo much more. No doubt the weather was all part of the challenge and we sucked it up and put our heads down. The Start Was I nervous. You bet but also excited. I did not know what to expect, probably a good thing. One initial mistake was buying pre-ride meal ticket, the meal location was nowhere to be found and many people were left wondering what to eat. So I was left eating a sausage sandwich from a local vendor as my starting meal and approx 6hrs of riding till another decent meal (of course after another 3hrs of lining up first). But I had the overstims packed!! :) I was in the mass start, approx 70% of riders would register in the 90hr cut off. We descended upon the stadium in St Quentin, cyclists packing the entire track waiting for our bikes to get the stamp of approval. It was quite strange the people I chatted with in the line I would see continuously throughout the ride at the various checkpoints, just seeing a familiar face can make such a difference. As I made it to the front and into the 10:30pm wave the clouds opened up, the rain fell quietly at first and then as the trumpet sounded for the start and firecrackers went off so did the rest of the clouds. It began to pour as we took to the streets through the cheering crowds. Many riders soon became victims of the pavement around the round-abouts and cobblestones as I opted for a much slower approach and remained on my bike. A sea of red lights laid out the path in front of me as we descended initially through the streets. The first 15km we had motor cycle escorts and then we were on our own, just us and the roads to Brest. It was an amazing an uplifting experience the first initial 50km, there was so much excitement in the air and riders trying to match themselves with other riding abilities. I soon found people at my pace and packs began to form. The night seemed to disappear as the joy of cycling took over. The 2:30am blues came and went as I continued through to first stop of 140km. The rains had picked up again just before reaching this point so I arrived soaking wet and freezing cold. An hour later, as the crowded controls and coffee queues were a nightmare to navigate I stood reluctantly at the doors as the cold winds and driving rains had doubled, but if I didn't go now I never would. I rode through this for the next checkpoint before arriving at Villaines where I was so cold I would need to buy a new long sleeve jersey to get me to Loudeac where my bag was. The new warm layer proved to be just what I needed. I would also become a victim of the cold at this checkpoint on my return again-stayed tuned!!! Obviously not my favoured checkpoint :) I found myself riding solo for parts of the next section and through some deserted towns as I tried desperately to find a bathroom. Women on this ride are a minority, a bit of a surprise to me I guess I expected to see a lot more. Apparently based upon last years statistics, only 6% of entrants are women, many on tandems (although I do have to tell of the sight of seeing a bloke left riding a tandem solo it made me chuckle every time I saw him, I dare not ask what happened to his other half!). I have also never in my life ever seen so many men peeing on the side of the road as I saw over the course of 4 days, even communal peeing stops as whole peletons came to a halt. I am sure you all wanted to know about that :) It was a sight. Anyway, I eventually came across a tiny restaurant and 6 other cyclists who soon became known as the baguette pack. Here I would meet Stefan, a cyclist from Germany who I would ride several sections with. He rode about the same pace as I did and we rode all the way to Loudeac together. Some of the best memories I have of this ride is the wonderful people I got to meet and ride with over the course of 89 hours. Each person a different story to tell. I bid farewell to Stefan there as I wanted to shower and get some sleep and he wanted to push onto Brest. One thing JF taught me was you need to go with what is right for you during PBP. Again I was caught in crowds at Loudeac, as it's the #1 sleeping spot, after eventually finding my bag, I got a shower and then had to wait in line for a bed as they were all taken, only as people were woken up could we take over their spots. I could only have 2hrs sleep before I would have to head to the next checkpoint. Thankfully I was able to fall asleep amongst the 400 snoring bodies that lie around me. On the way to Brest (Half way)
As I left Cairhaix for Brest there it was -- the yellow beacon of a familiar ANZA jersey, it was Andrew!! At first I was confused as I had assumed they would have passed me in Loudeac when I was sleeping and thought he was on his way back from Brest. I was so happy to hear that he had just arrived in Cairhaix and he would catch me out on the road after he took a break. So on my way to Brest I heard the familiar "hello" over my shoulder and Andrew then rode with me to Brest. Andrew was being supported by his brother Bob and nephew Liam and also niece Anna. They adopted me as well and cheered us both into Brest. The descent down over the bridge was superb, almost being blown off the bridge adventurous, the climb up to the checkpoint just plain ridiculous of the organizers to think we would want to climb a hill like that!!! Ah well, by now we came to expect that every checkpoint was at the top of a bloody hill. Return from Brest to Loudeac After a decent meal, I seemed to get a second wind and pushed onto Loudeac, must have been the thought of a hot shower and place to sleep again!! The rain had started again though with icy winds so a small group of us stuck together as we did not want to be out alone as it was nearing wee hours of the morning. Like an oasis we came across a soup kitchen set up by the locals serving hot soup to us crazy cyclists. One thing that continuously amazed me were the number of locals out there cheering us on, even at 1 or 2am in the morning. I arrived again soaking wet to the checkpoint, this seemed to be a standard phenomenon, it rained just as I came into every checkpoint! This time seemed to go much smoother, the showers hotter, the queue for the beds shorter, but still I only could have 2hrs as now I was watching closely the closing times of each checkpoint. I was only 1-2hrs within that timeframe. This was dwindling down slowly. Loudeac to Villaines - a new dawn
We forged onwards to Villaines only for the clouds to once again open up and we were left riding in the freezing rain. Eventually we arrived at the checkpoint where I would become almost hypothermic. I could not get warm to save my life. I could not even hold a cup of tea my hands were shaking so much and my teeth starting to chatter. Anna and Liam wrapped me in towels and tried warming me up. Eventually I borrowed some of Anna's clothes and not to mention her fabulously stunning woolly cap and finally colour started coming back. Many fellow cyclists had left the checkpoint thinking they would not see me on the roads again, later on they were delighted to see I had fought on. This was one of the low points, although I seemed to be in a daze through the whole thing. The support crew took care of everything in getting my bike organized for the next section and stocked with supplies. The next section may just rate as the toughest of them all. We would head out late in the night knowing we would not arrive until around 3am. I was so glad to have Andrew by my side during this section as it was almost spooky in sections. The roads became eerie as the riding numbers dwindled, many had moved on, but also many left shattered by the weather had decided to go no further. We found ourselves alone as the night wore on, occasionally a flickering light could be seen in the grass as we would pass another cyclist asleep by the roadside. It was like a war zone. The up hills in this section were killers and we wondered if we would ever get there. The control seemed to keep moving further away from us. We continued to go up and down and up some more, the final 10km proving to be the longest 10km we have ever ridden in our lives, I kept wondering when the torture would end. Finally we came to the lights of a quiet checkpoint compared to the rest. We basically went straight to the sleeping cots and were woken promptly in an hour as requested. Two Kranji's to Go We may have taken a bit too much time initially as we found ourselves sprinting through the streets of St Quentin to cross the line before 3:30pm (even though I had until 4:30pm, with so many unknowns in PBP we didn't want to miss the official closing checkpoint time for 90hr cutoff). It was wild, there was at least around 50 riders near us as we lead the charge at each light to the next one before coming into the cheering crowds at the finish. This was truly the hardest thing I have ever ever ever done. But even now, just a few days after finishing, my memories are not of pain and sleep deprivation, but amazement that I have actually finished it. I still can't believe it. I guess history will show that I rode 1219km in 89hrs, but this seems almost irrelevant already compared with all the memories I have and that are still buzzing in my head. It was an amazing incredible, experience. Surprisingly I am doing fine, first day or two was a bit tight but now ok, no worse off than after a couple hundred km's, all those gym sessions paid off. The only problem I have though is my feet are a bit numb, pins and needles on balls of my feet and toes and tight across the top. I believe this is nerve related as my feet were squashed in cycling shoes for so long. I am hoping it will pass soon, but reading some internet reports may be a while yet. Of course I am very very tired as well. Lots of sleep is in order over the next several days. Thank You's I certainly have a few people to thank and of course firstly that is JF for getting me into this!! I was saddened to hear he could not complete this ride with us, but your inspiration is what got me there and your training and guidance over the past 6 months taught me how to ride PBP and as a result it got me over the line. I really appreciated your patience on the training rides and time you spent to teach me to ride more efficiently. I just wish you could have been there with us as well. Andrew - my cycling buddy. What can say, we spent a hell of a lot of time on the road together. Thanks for putting up with me, my moans of pain as we went over cobblestones, my slow climbs up the hills. I don't think I could have made the last sections without you. As Rene said, one for all, all for one and you really stood by that. I was lucky to have to you to ride with. A huge huge thank you to Andrew's support crew - Bob, Liam and Anna who's positive attitudes were a godsend and who did everything possible to help me stay warm, in good spirit's and stocked with squeezy gums and overstims. You guys were absolute champs .. .even for a bunch of kiwi's :) ANZA - for supporting the inaugural Singapore Audax club and to everyone in the club for their constant support and encouragement throughout past 6-7 months. Rene - dear Rene - you are PBP material, we wish you could have been out there with us, you were there for so many qualifiers already. Your reports left me in tears of laughter Patrick and Christina for the timely supply of squeezy fruit gums from Germany. Although I think Andrew now has a slight addiction problem :) Spin & Swirls - the flowers are stunning, you're right, I did not have time to smell them along the way but these I will enjoy the next few days…thanks Friends and Family - for your constant reminders about how completely nuts I really am - after 89hrs to reflect on life I now have to agree !! Till the next adventure... Best Regards
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