Originally Posted by downtube42

PBP is not an easy bike ride, everything else aside. It's continuous rolling hills, considerable weather variation, and potential headwinds both ways. Severe storms sometimes pop up. It can be quite hot, and quite cold at night.

There's a lot of potential to burn time at controls and other stops. The large number of participants, volunteers, and townspeople at controls means, even without lines, it's easy to burn time in controls. The number of roadside stands are additional opportunities to burn time. Then there are the bakeries....

On top of that, you may be dealing with jet lag, exhaustion from pre-ride sightseeing, the stress of foreign language, foreign food in your tummy, and the sheer number of people you'll be navigating around on the road.

There's always someone to ride with, which can be good or bad. Good for your mood, but often bad for your time. You may ride faster than you should, or slower than you can. You might find yourself burning time waiting for your new-found buddies at a control or fixing a flat.

The things that make PBP an absolutely wonderful experience, unlike any other bike ride, also take a hard bike ride and turn it into a harder bike ride. People who can ignore the 'sideshow' may have an easier ride, but they miss the best part.

Cheers.