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The lunacy of the long distance rider
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Randonneurs during a brevet
Riding a bicycle is as natural to most of us as falling off a log. By some estimates, there are 70 million bicyclists in the US. I don’t know how that total breaks down, but I’m guessing that most of those 70M are very casual riders – people who ride around the block for exercise or pedal to the corner store for a pack of cigarettes. At the other end of the scale are bicycle wonks – folks who are so enamored of the two-wheeled machine that they live and breathe cycling to the exclusion of most every other thing in life. Racers, both pro and amateur, represent the next layer of serious cyclists. Below them lies a relatively large group, dwarfed by the number of casual riders but more numerous than the racers and wonks. This segment is made up of recreational riders, cyclists who train hard, ride serious miles and train with some purpose. They may race occasionally, but primarily they ride to stay in shape, enjoy the great outdoors and partake of the spirit of conviviality that lurks in the hearts of most recreational riders.
Within the broad body of recreational riders there exist subgroups, many of whom are pretty crazy. Without getting in the middle of the debates about who is most wacko, I’d like to suggest that it is crazy to ride RAAM (I mean this as a compliment). Not nearly as inane, but still pretty high up on the madcap scale is riding 750 miles in less than four days. Riding a century is pretty practical compared to these endeavors. RAAM usually attracts less than 30 solo entrants. Surprisingly, the big daddy of the 1200 Km (750 mile) rides drew more than 400 American entrants to France in 2007. Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) is the event that can lay claim to starting (and fostering) the madness.
PBP debuted as a 1200 Kilometer race in 1891, 12 years before the first Tour de France was contested. Not surprisingly, both races were conceived and promoted by newspapers. Early bicycling road races had proven huge boons to the newspapers that sponsored them, and, ironically, had quasi-exclusive access to the racers and results. The route from Paris to Brest and back along Route Nationale 12 is still approximated today, and the homologation rules that required each rider to stop at each major town along the way to have his (and only men were allowed initially) route book signed and time-stamped is still in force today.
Because of the extreme duress visited upon the riders by such a long distance and the horrendous logistical and organizational issues, PBP was scheduled at 10 year intervals from 1891 until 1951 (the 1941 edition was not held for obvious reasons). These early editions were very much races, as evidenced by the winner in 1901: non other than Maurice Garin, who went on to win the inaugural Tour de France in 1903. Although contested by the crème de la crème of European racers, starting in 1901, a class for amateurs (who would come to be known as randonneurs) was added. In 1931 a qualifying test, a 300K brevet, was required of the randonneurs.
As a professional race, PBP lost its luster after 1951. Floundering as a professional event, PBP segued into an affair strictly for amateur randonneurs. This amateur event was run every five years until 1971, when for some reason the interval was reduced to 4 years. Starting that same year, the participation in PBP shot up quickly. By 1975, when the first American randonneurs finished the test, the starting field was over 600 riders. By 2007, the number of registrants topped 5000.
PBP will not be held again until 2011, so there is no need to get on your bike tomorrow and reel off 200+ miles. But if you think you might want to mosey toward the lunacy of the long distance rider, you would be well advised to consider one or two brevets this year. Qualifying standards have progressed since 1931. Now you have to finish a 200K, 300K, 400K and 600K qualifier in the next PBP year in order to qualify to ride PBP itself.
The Rocky Mountain Cycling Club, which sponsors the official PBP qualifying brevets in this area, has just released its brevet and ride schedule for the year. Even if you’re not interested in the brain-damage that seems to go with PBP distances, consider a 200K brevet as the next logical challenge after a century. Although not offering as much climbing as the Triple Bypass, you will definitely feel your climbing muscles if you tackle the Horsetooth/Stove Prairie 200K on April 18 or the Black Forest 300K on May 16th.
Long distance cycling may seem crazy, but once you’ve tried it you may fall in love with it.
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