18 Aug 19
Paris Brest Paris 1200 (PBP) is one of the most challenging rides on the worldwide Audax calendar. Held 4 yearly the next one’s in 2027.
PBP has been running since 1891 (135 years) when 207 cyclists lined up at the start. The winner that year completed the course in 71h 22m (riding without sleep) and 99 riders finished.
In 1931 128 professional (28) and amateur (100) riders took part, with Australian Hubert Opperman winning in 49h 23m … an extraordinary achievement. FYI Oppy (as he was colloquially known) became a Federal politician, serving in Harold Holt’s 1966 Government and as Immigration Minister was responsible for dismantling the final remnants of the White Australia policy.
Each year PBP gets bigger. In 2019 when I completed it there were 6,674 entries from 66 countries. Audax Australia’s PBP involvement has been strong with ~660 people registering. 73% of all Australian completions (360x) have come from Victoria and NSW.
Audax SA has been well represented at PBP with 6% of all completions (28x). By comparison Qld & WA (7% each of all completions), ACT (5%), Tas (2%). In SA only 19 individuals have completed PBP, with some doing it multiple times: ie Matt Rawnsley 5x, Oliver Portway, David Fairweather and Warren Foreman 3x and Simon Macklin 2x.
To this day, 6 of the 12 fastest PBP times ever ridden by an Australian were by South Australians and by only 3 riders: Oliver Portway, Matt Rawnsley & Harley Johnstone. The fastest by a SA was Oliver Portway in 1999 completing the 1200 kms in 48h 47m. The quickest Australian was Nicholas Booth (Qld) 20 years later in 2019 (46h 50m) … that’s ~26 kph for 1200 kms (including stops).
As you can see PBP is like the Olympics of amateur cycling. It requires absolute dedication, not just by the rider but their family as well, who understand the commitment required to achieve such a goal. Needless to say … thousands of hours on the bike.
For me it was a goal I’d set many years before; and in 2019 all the ducks lined up: my health, fitness, family, work and bike. I couldn’t have done it without the support and encouragement of my family.
The pictured below shows David Fairweather and me (with cap) at the finish line in 2019 … a moment I shall never forget.
If you’re tempted to take on a PBP at some stage in the future, let’s talk.