Paris Brest Paris
-
PBP Stories: On Tandem with Felkerino
Hi there, Chasing Mailboxes readers, it’s been a while! I hope everyone’s year is shaping up the best that it can. It’s certainly been a time of change for me and I plan to update you on some of that soon. (Surely I am a chrysalis soon to emerge into a butterly? I’ll keep you… Continue reading
-
PBP 2019 Ride Reports and Stories
Ride reports have been popping up all over since the conclusion of Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) 2019. These stories come from various parts of the world, and I’ve been enjoying seeing the event from other riders’ perspectives. It also gives me an even better sense of how large PBP really is. I’m going to use this page… Continue reading
-
Dedicated to the Cause: Calista’s Road to PBP 2015
I recently had the pleasure of talking with D.C. Randonneurs and RUSA member, Calista Phillips, who had a great year on the bike. Some of you may have already seen this feature in the latest edition of American Randonneur, but I present it again in full here. In 2015, Calista completed three 1200Ks (including PBP), and… Continue reading
-
Nick’s 2015 Paris-Brest-Paris: Had We But World Enough and Time
We’re heading into the spring riding season, and as we do the dreams of big rides take shape. To help stoke the flames of our big ride plans, I’m featuring friend and fellow D.C. Randonneur Nick Bull’s PBP story, “Had We But World Enough and Time.” Nick’s story gives the reader an inside look at PBP,… Continue reading
-
Bon Courage: Theresa’s 2015 Paris-Brest-Paris
Sometimes when conditions conspire to limit my ability to be outdoors, I turn to the stories of rides gone by for inspiration. Today I’m honored to post one such story, Theresa Furnari’s 2015 recount of riding Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP). As I read “Bon Courage,” I remember the dedication and tenacity one needs to take on a ride like PBP,… Continue reading
-
From Randonneur Rookie to PBP 2015: An Interview with Eric Williams
This brevet season Felkerino and I had the great pleasure of getting to know Eric Williams, member of #BikeDC and the D.C. Randonneurs. In Eric’s first year of randonneuring, he completed a Super Randonneur series, a 1000K brevet, and Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP). And he just keeps on riding. He has the rando fever! Continue reading
-
The Randonap
Since beginning my glamorous randonneuring career in 2005, I’ve not only ridden in places I never imagined, but I’ve dozed in an assortment of spots I never before would have considered comfortable or conducive to sleeping. Ride long enough, sleep little enough, and you too will find yourself mastering the strategy of the perfect randonap. Continue reading
-
All Dressed Up For PBP: The Towns Along the Way
This is the latest in a series of posts I’ve been planning about the incomparable international randonneuring event, Paris-Brest-Paris. Previously, I wrote about Drew Buck, who completed PBP 2011 on a 1900 Peugeot, a as well as the tandem bicycles (Post 1 and Post 2). Today I’m talking about the towns along the PBP route. Continue reading
-
More Tandems at Paris-Brest-Paris 2011
After digging through the photos archives, I discovered more tandem shots worth sharing from the last edition of PBP. That is, they are not hopelessly blurry or otherwise terrible. Perhaps you will even recognize some of the randonneurs. Continue reading
-
Tandem Bicycles at Paris-Brest-Paris 2011
Events like Paris-Brest-Paris are difficult to unbox all at once. Some aspects can be, such as the immediacy of the ride experience and the emotions and physical states experienced. Continue reading
-
PBP Memories: Drew Buck and his 1900 Peugeot
This week BBC News ran a feature about Drew Buck, a long-distance cyclist from Somerset, England, who is famous in the randonneuring community for completing Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) multiple times on vintage bicycles. The article prompted me to search through my own set of photos from the 2011 edition of PBP, and I realized that Felkerino… Continue reading
-
Paris-Brest-Paris by Tandem
Have you heard enough about PBP yet? Well, hang on just a minute, because I’ve got one more story to share with you. Continue reading
-
2011 in Review: All Rides Lead to Paris-Brest-Paris
Now that 2011 is coming to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the year, as many people do. For me, 2011 was all about Paris Brest Paris, not just because of the event itself, but also because of all the careful planning and diligent pedaling it took to get there. In early 2010, Felkerino and… Continue reading
-
Friday Link Love: from Randonneuring to the Commute
Another week has rolled by, colder temps have come to Washington, D.C., and all that fall color I raved about is quickly fading or finding its way into the street gutters. That’s ok; we were due, I suppose. Several stories caught my attention this week. I liked them so much, I thought I’d pass along… Continue reading
-
My PBP 2011 Story: You Have to Go to Know
October, 2011 Pre-Ride Many people who start randonneuring already know about Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP), but when I joined RUSA in 2004, I only knew what a fleche was. I had no clue there were these events called brevets, a thing called a Super Randonneur series, or Grand Randonnees. After meeting my randonneur- and now real-life spouse,… Continue reading
-
PBP 2011 Ride Reports from Other Blogs
Hi, everyone. What have you been up to? I’ve been living the post-PBP dream, which mostly entails going to my job, dreaming about randonneuring, and recalling fun times at PBP. Felkerino has begun to post some good PBP accounts over on The Daily Randonneur to help keep the PBP memories alive. I’ve also been doing some internet… Continue reading
-
My PBP 2011 Photos
Hard to believe that last week at this time I was still riding my bike through the French countryside on Paris Brest Paris. Where does the time go, ha! Finally, after a canceled flight to Dulles that required a re-route and a mighty drive from Boston (in a tropical storm, no less) I have had… Continue reading
-
It’s official. Finished PBP
After months of prep, PBP 2011 is now in the books and so are Felkerino and me, successfully completing the adventure in about 81.5 hours. Continue reading
-
PBP… the Riders are Off!!!
80 and 90 hour riders began to a warm and sunny send-off. The energy from the riders and the event enveloped this suburban town. Festive, excited, nervous, twitching with anticipation… The start was amazing. I have never seen an international cycling event like this. Unforgettable! One of the riders told me yesterday, “PBP is a… Continue reading
-
PBP Bike Inspection: Day 2!
Today was our day for the 84-hour bike inspection and it went just the way we like it… uneventfully. We’re now checked in and ready to roll tomorrow morning. The gymnasium was much more low key this morning, in part because we went early and also because all the 80- and 90-hour riders inspected yesterday. Continue reading
-
PBP bike inspection: Day 1
Excitement is reaching a fever pitch here, as the 90- and 80-hour riders gathered up their bikes, vests, and lights for official inspection. Felkerino and I went over to be part of the action, even though we inspect tomorrow. Check-in was teeming with randonneurs. How cool this event is, attracting riders from all over the… Continue reading
-
Randonneur Group Ride… to Chartres
Another sublime day on the bike. Today Felkerino planned a group ride to Chartres, a 77 mile round trip over gentle rolling terrain. Our outing included randonneurs from D.C, Seattle, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Chicago. It was another great day to be a bike rider and I am still just over the moon about our… Continue reading
-
PBP Shakedown ride… To Rambouillet!
Today Felkerino and I went out to test our bike assembly and turn a bolt or two. Our test ride took us out of the Paris suburbs and through the Rambouillet Forest to the town of Rambouillet, about a 20-mile ride from our hotel one way. Having never been to France, let alone PBP, before… Continue reading
-
Arriving in France for PBP
A big first day, spent jet-lagged and with the main activity being bile assembly. Felkerino and I also had a great time talking with randonneur friends old and new. Here is a quick summary of the day in pics. Continue reading
-
Paris-Brest-Paris Training
If you’ve been following this blog (or another fine blog I know called Chasing Mailboxes) you’ll know that PBP training is in high gear. Randonneurs across the country, including Felkerino and me, have been heading out regularly to put in miles for the main event. It’s been a fun summer of riding our brains out.… Continue reading
Chasing MailBoxes 