Audax Atlanta

2003 PBP - Mark Gable



I elected to start the Paris Brest Paris ride in the 90 hour group, allowing me the maximum amount of time to complete the 1200km (750 mile) course since this was my first ride at this distance. The 90 hour start is the most popular and had approximately 2500 riders. I was concerned about an early crash with so many anxious riders on narrow roads, but the start was actually divided up into groups of 500-600 riders staring at 15 minute intervals. My actual start time of 10:45 PM went without a hitch from the perspective of safety, but I had a difficult time throttling back the pace due to the excitement of starting this long anticipated adventure and the fact that it seemed that everyone was pouring past me. I was wearing my heart rate monitor with the alarm set to tell me when I was over the maximum rate that I had set, but it was difficult to hold back.

After a couple of hours the riders spread out more than I would have thought. It was a beautiful night and I was just enjoying the ride. As I rode through one of the small villages I came up on two riders from South Florida, Mike and Shelton. They were just finishing a coffee at a bar that was staying open to serve riders, something I would rely on more and more as the ride went on. We rode together to the first refreshment-only control at Mortagne (141 km). We spent a little more time at the control than I would have liked because I was minimally dressed and this was the coolest part of the night, pre- dawn. Just as we rolled out of the control Mike flatted. Rather than getting cold while watching him change the tire I proceeded on my own. This was the first of four morning twilight periods that I would enjoy.

Nothing too memorable happened during that first day. I just tried to establish a routine in the controls and minimize wasted time. At one of the controls, Mike caught up with me and we rode together until about an hour before sunset. We had been moving through the controls efficiently and I had delusions of making it to Carhaix by early morning. Unfortunately, on the way to Loudeac I hit an energy low and was having a difficult time staying awake on the bike. In retrospect I think it was lack of sleep combined with low blood sugar. I saw that there were quite a few riders sleeping on the side of the road. I was comfortable while riding, but I knew I would chill quickly off the bike. The problem was that I thought I would be at Loudeac around sunset and consequently had my arm and leg warmers in my drop bag at Loudeac. I was at the point where I was barely controlling the bike and knew it. In fact if a car were passing I would put a foot down to make sure I didn't veer in front of it even though I saw it. Finally I decided to lay down to sleep until the cold woke me up. After 15 minutes I woke up with the shakes … no falling asleep on the bike now. I rode with periodic uncontrolled shaking until I warmed up again. I finally rode into Loudeac at 12:36 AM and was at a definite energy low.

Loudeac was a disaster area. There were bikes and bodies lying around everywhere. The food line was so long I decided to sleep first, but the line for the sleeping dorm was also very long. I found a bench behind the bar and decided to try and sleep there. I was able to sleep for 45 minutes before waking from the cold because my space blanket had partially blown off. By now the cafeteria line was shorter so I grabbed a quick meal amongst the bodies sleeping everywhere in the cafeteria. I cleaned up with diaper wipes and changed clothes in the courtyard area by the bench where I had slept which made feel like I had gone to France for a bike ride and was turning into a homeless person. I left the control at 3:11 AM to head for Carhaix feeling amazingly fresh. In the hills I hooked up with an Italian couple and rode some ridiculously fast descents (60+ kph). I kept telling myself that it wasn't safe, but couldn't help it, I was having a blast. About 5AM I was riding into a small village when I saw a rider standing over his bike on the side of the road, resting his head on his arms which were lying across the hoods. I asked if he was all right and he replied that he was falling asleep on the bike. I suggested that we ride into the village and look for a bar that might be open. Sure enough, about 100 yards into town was a collection of bikes and great cup of coffee. From there I continued to Carhaix, arriving shortly after sunrise.

The ride from Carhaix to Brest consisted of longer, gentle hills and it was a beautiful morning to be riding. At around 10:30 AM I woke up with a jerk of handlebars as I had apparently nodded off riding down a hill. There was no warning that I was nodding off and I was glad that I didn't fall. I immediately looked for a patch of grass and found a perfect spot at an intersection 50 yards later. I propped my bike up in the ditch and laid down next to it for a 30- minute nap. Just as I laid my head down on my Camelbak pillow, I thought I heard a rider going by say something like "I'm gonna go back and shoot him." I thought it was a reference to putting me out of my misery. Turns out it was a RUSA official taking pictures and he thought it was the classic PBP pose; laying on my back with my feet crossed, hands across my back and bike standing behind me in the ditch. Shortly after he left I heard another rider stop and apparently he needed to relieve himself. It sounded awfully close, but he didn't hit me. When I continued I wasn't quite so refreshed, but at least I wasn't nodding off either. The ride into Brest seemed to take forever. I suspect now that I was out of fuel and that is what contributed to the nodding off and general lack of energy. I arrived at Brest just after one in the afternoon, had a good meal at the control and headed back out. The ride back to Carhaix was uneventful. At the Carhaix control I saw Mike again. He had been riding behind a group of Spaniards that was keeping a nice consistent pace. We left the control with this group and immediately attracted several more riders. It appeared to me that the Spanish group was a family and they were essentially riding Audax style. Soon we collected a similar family group of Danes and more tag alongs. At this point it was getting dark and I was concerned that the group was too big at around 30 riders. The size of the group combined with the fact that we were all at some level of fatigue seemed a recipe for a pile up. Apparently I wasn't the only one to think this because shortly thereafter the Spaniards dropped out of the group leaving about twelve riders led by the Danes. This was much more palatable and the Danes were riding very consistently. The return into Loudeac went by very quickly, especially when compared to the ride there the night before. Mike had a hotel room at Loudeac and offered that I could sleep and shower there, but when we got to the room, there were already 4 people sleeping in any available spot. As I headed back to the control I stopped at a Greek restaurant for a Gyro. That was a nice diversion from the control food and I was able to enjoy the taste of it through most of the next day. Back at the control I rested/slept around three hours in the cafeteria sitting with my head on the table and then lying across three chairs. I then went back to Mike's hotel for a shower and breakfast before heading out at 6:10 AM. In retrospect I wasted a lot of time at this control.

As I started out Thursday morning I couldn't help but feel I still had a long way to go and since I couldn't ride faster, I should minimize time off the bike. I was much more efficient at the controls, but had 2 incidences of falling asleep on the bike in the daylight. In each case I opted for a 30-minute power nap on the side of the road. Between the power naps and expresso I moved along well until the second half of the stretch from Villaines to Mortagne. This was a déjà vu of the ride into Loudeac Tuesday night. I was dead tired, barely able to stay awake, but I just tried to keep moving forward. Unfortunately there was a crash along the road and an ambulance came flying by. I didn't look at the accident partly because I didn't want to see it and because the lights were blinding. At some point there was a noticeable drop in temperature. I know I talked briefly with riders in passing but can't recall any of the conversations. I also stopped and sat on the ground beside my bike for 5 or 10 minutes. I am not sure why I thought that was better than lying down other than I wanted to keep moving forward and it was cold. . That is about the extent of my memory on that stretch. I rolled into the Mortagne control cold and exhausted at 2:52AM Friday morning. I checked in and sat at a table to sleep with my head on my arms and my watch alarm set for 1 hour. I should have eaten first, but wasn't hungry. When the alarm went off I still wasn't hungry, but forced down some ham, mashed potatoes, and a coke. I spotted Mike across the room while I was eating and thought I would go over there when I was finished and we could ride in together, but by the time I got finished I could not find him and assumed he had left the control for Nogent le Roi.

It was 5:15 AM when I went back out and I had the mind set that this was going to be an easy ride in to the finish, so I pushed the pace in both an effort to get the ride done and in hopes of catching Mike. As the day came to light I was still pushing pretty hard up and down the hills and passing a lot of riders. I would be done in no time, after all I only had 86 miles to go and I was passing everyone. About an hour after sunrise my energy high converted into an energy low. It was almost as if a switch had been flipped to power saver mode. Mentally I was feeling good and my attitude was as positive as it had been throughout the ride, so I just pedaled along while all the riders rode past me or so it seemed.

As we crossed a flat section of farmland, I rode past a house were a man had tables and chairs set-up with drinks and snacks. There were no other riders there and I really wanted a cup of coffee so I turned around on the narrow road. He was so happy to have another rider stop and talked quickly in French. After I said that I only spoke English he excitedly told his wife through the kitchen window. I sat down and enjoyed my coffee and a few cookies while he continued to talk in French and I replied in English. Best of all we were both having a great conversation. It was great sitting there in the sun watching PBP while this very enthusiastic Frenchman gave play-by-play to me and his wife through the open window. I couldn't help, but wonder how long he had been out there, as I seem to remember him from Monday night. It made me wish I had stopped at more of the local's stops during the ride.

I rolled into the last control on the road, Nogent le Roi, at 9:30 AM. I looked around for Mike and not finding him, I decided that I probably wouldn't catch him. I drank coke and removed my wind vest and warmers as it was again warming-up into a beautiful morning. I left the control at around 10:00 AM with 35 miles to go to the finish. Before long I saw a large group of riders behind me and debated whether it was safe to ride in a large group of fatigued, sleep deprived cyclists with the finish line so close. I had a lot of time to ponder this as they were riding only slightly faster than I was. When I was collected up I just rode near the front. This group was in no hurry and it reminded me of a cool down after hard Saturday morning club rides. I am guessing that there were 50 to 60 riders. We were tired, but we could smell the finish and there wasn't going to be any racing at this point. Shortly there appeared a motorcycle with a cameraman in tow. I assume this was for the commemorative video. The mood was upbeat and it was fun having the cameraman make some of the shots that you see in the pro tour coverage like riding with the camera at foot level or standing and shooting the group as the motorcycle slowly passed. But what really showcased my talents (or is it slowcased) was when we went up a steep hill right as the camera was on me. I had the feeling that I was the rock in the stream as everyone went by me … except the cameraman. I had to laugh to myself.

As we entered town we hit a couple more hills and I fell off the back of the group, but I didn't mind. I was now thinking that I could break 86 hours. This was one of those goals you invent to get you too the finish a wee bit earlier than just waltzing in. The road leveled a little and I realized how close we were. Soon I picked up a small group of riders and they were really going slow. There was a group of 6 riders on the front in matching jerseys. I wanted to pass because I wanted to get done and to maybe present a photo-op for my girlfriend at the finish, but at the same time I didn't want to instigate a sprint to the line. As I thought about this dilemma, Peter Noris, a recumbent rider and next years Central Florida RBA, had made the decision and went around with me in tow. I ended up coming to the traffic circle in front of the finish with a loose group of about 15 riders. We went around ¾ of the circle to the crowd in front of the stadium. As we approached the crowd and the ramp over the curb there was a roar of cheering and applause, which caused an immediate rush of emotion. I recovered and went around the gym where my girlfriend met me with tears in her eyes. She said she had been emotional and teary-eyed watching riders finished since she got there over an hour before. I went inside to check in and promptly redeemed the free drink voucher for a celebratory beer.

We spent Saturday and Sunday in Paris sightseeing and eating. When I weighed myself at home on Tuesday morning I was still down 7 pounds from when I left. I would estimate that I had lost 10 to 12 pounds during the ride.

Facts and figures:
Unofficial time: 86:05
On bike time: Appx. 61 hours
Sleep time: Just less than 6 hours
Non-sleeping time off bike: Appx. 19 hours (room for improvement)