Notices
Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling Do you enjoy centuries, double centuries, brevets, randonnees, and 24-hour time trials? Share ride reports, and exchange training, equipment, and nutrition information specific to long distance cycling. This isn't for tours, this is for endurance events cycling

PBP controls

Old 07-13-19, 07:32 AM
  #26  
alois
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Arnhem
Posts: 47

Bikes: Avaghon series 28; Fuji Touring 2016; Santos Travelmaster 2.8

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 13 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
The more I am reading about the controls at PBP I get the impression that I will be better of only getting my stamp there and getting my food elsewhere (if it's not in the middle of the night). It will be my first PBP so I'm trying to find out what the best strategy is. I have the advantage of knowing France and its food reasonably well, so I more ore less know where to find what kind of food.
alois is offline  
Old 07-13-19, 07:35 AM
  #27  
unterhausen
Randomhead
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,335
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,643 Times in 2,485 Posts
That's a good strategy, but of course you are already stopped at the controls, so eating there might save time. The riders spread out over time, so later in the ride the lines aren't as long. Lines can be long at businesses along the route too, and you never know how fast they are going to be.

Do you have any words about where you might eat if not at the controls? What about water?
unterhausen is offline  
Old 07-20-19, 02:39 PM
  #28  
Manny66 
Senior Member
 
Manny66's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Whittier
Posts: 857

Bikes: 1973 Colnago Super, Litespeed Classic , Automoto , Pinarello Gavia TSX,Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra,Eddy Merckx EMX-5 , 1982 Moser SL, Concorde TSX, Vitus 979 KAS. Diamant SLX,60's Meteor

Mentioned: 23 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 231 Post(s)
Liked 896 Times in 315 Posts
I have P.B.P. on My radar in the next couple of years. Centuries are fun but Im looking at much longer distances now.

Now to find a Randonneuring Club near me .
Manny66 is offline  
Old 07-20-19, 03:46 PM
  #29  
unterhausen
Randomhead
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,335
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,643 Times in 2,485 Posts
There are a lot of clubs in California https://rusa.org/cgi-bin/regiontable_GF.pl
If you want to ride PBP in 2023, starting soon is a good idea. And riding longer rides in 2022 will probably be important to get a slot
unterhausen is offline  
Old 07-21-19, 09:06 AM
  #30  
TenGrainBread 
Senior Member
 
TenGrainBread's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 2,742
Mentioned: 52 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1136 Post(s)
Liked 649 Times in 336 Posts
Does anybody use hydration packs instead of or in addition to water bottles at PBP? Either on the back or in a framebag. I feel like it's a much more space-efficient way to carry larger volumes of water than you can in bottles. See a lot of transam or transeurope riders doing that.
TenGrainBread is offline  
Old 07-21-19, 08:03 PM
  #31  
unterhausen
Randomhead
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,335
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,643 Times in 2,485 Posts
I'm sure people have used hydration packs. With over 6000 people riding, you see almost everything anyone might have thought of. I am hoping to get away with 4 bottles. I don't want to use my hydration pack, I just don't like it. And they don't have ice there anyway, which is the main advantage.
unterhausen is offline  
Old 07-23-19, 11:21 PM
  #32  
Chris Pringle
Senior Member
 
Chris Pringle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: The Pearl of the Pacific, Mexico
Posts: 1,311

Bikes: '12 Rodriguez UTB Custom, '83 Miyata 610, '83 Nishiki Century Mixte (Work of Art), '06 Specialized Epic Marathon MTB

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 32 Post(s)
Liked 29 Times in 18 Posts
Originally Posted by TenGrainBread
Does anybody use hydration packs instead of or in addition to water bottles at PBP? Either on the back or in a framebag. I feel like it's a much more space-efficient way to carry larger volumes of water than you can in bottles. See a lot of transam or transeurope riders doing that.
You are better off not carrying anything heavy on your body, including a hydration pack. In the long run, it may cause you to hunch your back and this could then lead to Shermer's neck - a condition quite common on these very long randonnées. Find a way to carry an extra bottle (3 total) on your bike frame.

From my 2015 PBP experience, finding water was not an issue, except after the last control where we had to traverse very long fields with nothing around. Finding convenience stores open was not a problem. Plan a little so you have enough water for the late night hours. Also, do take advantage of all the free stands set up by people who live along the route. They will fill up your water bottles and will offer coffee, tea and usually lots of croissants and pastries - all for free or sometimes for a small voluntary contribution. They usually give you their address and will ask you to mail a postcard from home. The constant encouragement from these really nice and generous people along the route is what makes PBP a very special and unforgettable event.

Last edited by Chris Pringle; 07-23-19 at 11:28 PM.
Chris Pringle is offline  
Old 07-24-19, 05:12 AM
  #33  
unterhausen
Randomhead
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,335
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,643 Times in 2,485 Posts
I had most of my trouble with water at night. I hope more people have water this time than in 2011
unterhausen is offline  
Old 07-24-19, 07:13 AM
  #34  
TenGrainBread 
Senior Member
 
TenGrainBread's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 2,742
Mentioned: 52 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1136 Post(s)
Liked 649 Times in 336 Posts
Originally Posted by Chris Pringle
You are better off not carrying anything heavy on your body, including a hydration pack. In the long run, it may cause you to hunch your back and this could then lead to Shermer's neck - a condition quite common on these very long randonnées. Find a way to carry an extra bottle (3 total) on your bike frame.
I have read about Shermer's neck and from what I've read the exact causes (besides long distance) are unclear. The majority of mountain bike ultra marathon racers ride with Camelbacks, so I don't see why it couldn't cross over to events much shorter such as PBP. The Tour Divide race is over 2700 miles, with top riders riding 175-200 miles a day on average, and that's mostly off-road.
TenGrainBread is offline  
Old 07-24-19, 07:36 AM
  #35  
unterhausen
Randomhead
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,335
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,643 Times in 2,485 Posts
more upright position? Also stronger riders. I have ridden a 1200k with a hydration pack. I wouldn't switch now, a month before the ride, because I haven't been using one. Wouldn't be prudent. In any event, the track record of hydration packs on PBP isn't good. In 2007, about half of the riders that wore hydration packs and responded to the Bike Quarterly survey didn't finish https://postrestant.co.uk/wp-content/...quipsurvey.pdf

Shermer's neck is probably muscle fatigue from holding your head up. It usually affects older riders that probably have lower core strength. I have never heard of a person riding an MTB getting it, but I suppose anything is possible. It's more of a RAAM/randonneuring issue. I even saw a recumbent rider with a case of reverse Shermer's neck after PBP. Either way, it's miserable.

But anyway, in addition to showing the layout of the controls, I was hoping to get information from people that have ridden in France as to the availability of water and other supplies, not really discussing methods of carrying large quantities of water. You can get water every 60 miles or less, so unless it's really hot, I don't think a hydration pack is needed. If I was riding TABR or some other ride where water can sometimes be hard to get, I would probably use mine.
unterhausen is offline  
Old 07-24-19, 09:54 AM
  #36  
Tourist in MSN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,094

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3416 Post(s)
Liked 1,434 Times in 1,119 Posts
From a bike touring perspective, I use 1 liter water bottles. The ones I use are the disposable ones sold in USA under the Smartwater brand or the Life WTR brand, but I do not dispose of them, I re-use them. The 1 liter sizes fit nicely in bottle cages, but the smaller sizes do not. They do not come with convenient lids, I use the flip top caps that I obtained off of other sized water bottles.

The bottle under the downtube, I strap something around the top to make sure it stays in the cage, the bottle is heavy and the center of gravity is pretty far forward so there could be risk of bottle coming out of the cage. But most rando bikes would not have room for a full 1 liter bottle under the downtube, so that is less of an issue.

The disadvantages of them is the tall size makes them too tall for smaller frames, the small opening on top makes them slower to fill, and they are too tall to be able to fill them in some smaller sinks. But when bike touring, I am not in as much of a hurry. If you also had a small bottle, and had to fill the bottles from a small sink, you can transfer from the small bottle to the tall ones.

I did a bike trip in West Texas where it gets hot, I carried a couple of the one liter bottles in my saddlebag besides the bottles on the frame.


Tourist in MSN is offline  
Old 07-24-19, 03:52 PM
  #37  
unterhausen
Randomhead
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,335
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,643 Times in 2,485 Posts
PBP is not touring. Well, maybe it's touring for people that aren't smart enough to stop for the night
unterhausen is offline  
Old 07-27-19, 10:08 AM
  #38  
unterhausen
Randomhead
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,335
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,643 Times in 2,485 Posts
article posted about Fougeres https://actu.fr/bretagne/fougeres_35...STlaq8NVIVOiX8
unterhausen is offline  
Old 07-30-19, 06:41 AM
  #39  
unterhausen
Randomhead
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,335
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,643 Times in 2,485 Posts
article about Loudeac https://actu.fr/bretagne/loudeac_221...m18xY3bjdhZa7k
unterhausen is offline  
Old 08-08-19, 08:40 PM
  #40  
atwl77
Kamen Rider
 
atwl77's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: KL, MY
Posts: 1,071

Bikes: Fuji Transonic Elite, Marechal Soul Ultimate, Dahon Dash Altena

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 351 Post(s)
Liked 277 Times in 164 Posts
Question about bike security: do I need to carry a proper bike lock, or will a simple luggage wire lock do for the majority of situations?
atwl77 is offline  
Old 08-08-19, 09:40 PM
  #41  
unterhausen
Randomhead
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,335
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,643 Times in 2,485 Posts
you don't need a lock during the ride, or at least not at controls. There are volunteers that make sure nobody takes your bike

I have never seen anyone lock their bike
unterhausen is offline  
Old 08-09-19, 09:49 PM
  #42  
atwl77
Kamen Rider
 
atwl77's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: KL, MY
Posts: 1,071

Bikes: Fuji Transonic Elite, Marechal Soul Ultimate, Dahon Dash Altena

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 351 Post(s)
Liked 277 Times in 164 Posts
I guess I'll go with the luggage wire lock then for the occasional bakery stop.
atwl77 is offline  
Old 08-09-19, 11:15 PM
  #43  
downtube42
Senior Member
 
downtube42's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 3,785

Bikes: Trek Domane SL6 Gen 3, Soma Fog Cutter, Focus Mares AL, Detroit Bikes Sparrow FG, Volae Team, Nimbus MUni

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 875 Post(s)
Liked 1,997 Times in 1,046 Posts
I never had a problem with water, in 2011 or 2015. There was always someone, either a spectator or a roadside tent, who had water between controls. The key is to stop and take advantage of it when it's there, rather than wait until you're out.

In 2011 I ate and slept only in controls. In 2015 I ate wherever food was quick and slept wherever I got sleepy. 2015 was the superior plan.

It's best to be flexible at controls. If you're at a control and need food, get food. If there's no line at the hot food, go for it. If there's no line at the bathroom, go for it. I treat non-control food options, whether roadside spectator tents or bakeries, as a bonus that means less time in the upcoming control. I think it's a bad idea to leave a control hungry and without food, but that's me.

A lot depends on how much time you have in the bank. More speed means more options.
downtube42 is offline  
Old 08-10-19, 05:14 AM
  #44  
znomit
Zoom zoom zoom zoom bonk
 
znomit's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 4,618

Bikes: Giant Defy, Trek 1.7c, BMC GF02, Fuji Tahoe, Scott Sub 35, Kona Rove

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 548 Post(s)
Liked 719 Times in 363 Posts
Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
From a bike touring perspective, I use 1 liter water bottles. The ones I use are the disposable ones sold in USA under the Smartwater brand or the Life WTR brand, but I do not dispose of them, I re-use them.

The disadvantages of them is the tall size makes them too tall for smaller frames, the small opening on top makes them slower to fill, and they are too tall to be able to fill them in some smaller sinks. But when bike touring, I am not in as much of a hurry. If you also had a small bottle, and had to fill the bottles from a small sink, you can transfer from the small bottle to the tall ones.
Elite Maxicorsa bottles are 950ml and work really well.
https://www.wiggle.co.nz/elite-maxic...-water-bottle/
znomit is offline  
Old 08-10-19, 04:57 PM
  #45  
clasher
Senior Member
 
clasher's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Kitchener, ON
Posts: 2,736
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 229 Post(s)
Liked 147 Times in 102 Posts
Given the forecast for cooler weather and some rain I am not really worrying about water anymore.
clasher is offline  
Old 08-12-19, 05:14 AM
  #46  
unterhausen
Randomhead
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,335
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,643 Times in 2,485 Posts
I just looked at the forecast and I agree, water isn't going to be a problem. The forecast I just looked at could be worse, but I think some people say this is going to be a cold, rainy ride. Certainly doesn't look like it's going to be warm, so atwl77 might be wearing his winter gear a lot. I'm packing some thin wool gloves and I always have full fingered gloves. Hopefully I'm not going to be missing my lobster mitts. Okay, maybe I'll pack them in my drop bag.

The worst weather is going to be on bike inspection day. I'm not a big fan of group photos under the best conditions, but it looks like Saturday isn't going to be a great day for them.

Last edited by unterhausen; 08-12-19 at 05:19 AM.
unterhausen is offline  
Old 08-12-19, 08:35 AM
  #47  
clasher
Senior Member
 
clasher's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Kitchener, ON
Posts: 2,736
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 229 Post(s)
Liked 147 Times in 102 Posts
The Canadian group photo is right at the same time as my bike inspection but I am not sad about missing it. I've seen the group photos from 2015 and it's pretty hard to even pick anyone out.

After our 1000K at the start of August I am pretty sure I have all the proper kit for a long cool ride. I did buy some expensive castelli rain pants so it probably won't end up raining too much now.
clasher is offline  
Old 08-12-19, 11:23 AM
  #48  
unterhausen
Randomhead
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,335
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,643 Times in 2,485 Posts
I'm trying to look positively at the forecast, and it doesn't look that bad to me. But for the last two years, any time there has been more than 20 percent chance of rain, it definitely is going to rain. So in that light, it could be bad.

I was going to go to La Société Adrian Hands group picture. Might do that one because there's beer after. I was having trouble deciding what jerseys to wear and which to put in my drop bag, I guess I will not put that one in my drop bag

Last edited by unterhausen; 08-12-19 at 11:26 AM.
unterhausen is offline  
Old 08-13-19, 01:11 AM
  #49  
alois
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Arnhem
Posts: 47

Bikes: Avaghon series 28; Fuji Touring 2016; Santos Travelmaster 2.8

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 13 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
I don't see much rain on the weather website I consulted. Only some rain Brest that will only hit me if I'm there early. There's little wind but it will change from west to east during the course )-:
alois is offline  
Old 08-13-19, 01:28 AM
  #50  
atwl77
Kamen Rider
 
atwl77's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: KL, MY
Posts: 1,071

Bikes: Fuji Transonic Elite, Marechal Soul Ultimate, Dahon Dash Altena

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 351 Post(s)
Liked 277 Times in 164 Posts
Yeah, the weather app that I'm using (Weather Underground) also appears to show Rambouillet and Brest being "in the clear" from 18-22.

However, if you look at apps with some sort of radar or precipitation view, there's still patches of rain going around in the area so a lot can change within these few days.
atwl77 is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.