there is a big sign that has the french word for shower (censored on this site due to abuse) and an arrow. You can't miss it. Its off of a courtyard on the same side as the dorms. Cost 3 euro for a shower and a clean towel. No waiting when I got there. That was the only shower I took. Showers aren't strictly required, but the first night shower was a good investment of 30 minutes for me.
I felt sorry for the groups that were required to use identical drop bags, hopefully we don't have to do that this year. I use a bag that can't be mistaken for anyone elses bag, so it was easy to point it out to the person guarding them even though he was 3/4 of the way asleep at the time.
Originally Posted by
9606
Ok, at the risk of microplanning a ride a year away, can one find a shower shortly after Loudiac (going out) and shortly after Loudiac coming back?
Then one can grab new kit at Loudiac from drop bag, carry it past Loudiac to a less crowded shower, and do the same on the way back.
Does PBP publish an accurate listing of controls and what services/facilities are available at each? Has RUSA translated it into English and published it on the RUSA website? I looked and found nothing from 2011.
The newsletter RUSA published before PBP in 2011 was really good. There is an article that details each controle pretty well. There is also a
http://www.rusa.org/pbp.html
This is what I look at when I want to remember the controles:
http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/pbp/route/controls.html
In 2011, ACP put in a non-controle controle at
Saint-Nicholas-du-Pelem, AKA the Apocalypse Now Controle. It is 33 km past Loudiac, so perfect for that sort of thing. It's there so they can take pressure off of Loudiac. On the return trip, there really isn't a great place to stop after Loudiac, it is 55 km to Tintiniac, which didn't seem like a great place to stop to me. Depends on when you get there. The ride between Carhaix and Loudiac took me a while, I was ready to stop.
There is a place just before loudiac on the way back where one of the bar owners running a tent by the road will let you sleep in his bar. In fact, there are probably plenty of those. I didn't do it because I could never figure out the controle closing times and I wanted to get to loudiac before I slept. If my French was a little more serviceable, it would have been more useful in situations like that