Paris–Brest–Paris
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Paris–Brest–Paris (PBP) is a long-distance cycling event. It was originally a bicycle race in France from
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
to Brest and back to Paris in 1891. The last time it was run as a race was 1951. The most recent edition of PBP was held on 20 August 2023. In 1931 amateur cyclists were separated from professionals. There are two independent long distance bicycle tours. One is the '' brevet'' (also called ''randonnée'') organised by the Audax Club Parisien, in which cyclists ride individually. The goal is to make it within 90 hours, but with no competition. This event is held every four years. The other is an '' audax'' organised by the Union des Audax Françaises where cyclists ride in a group.


The ''brevet''

As in all ''brevet'' events, there is emphasis on self-sufficiency. Riders buy supplies anywhere along the course, but support by motorized vehicles is prohibited except at checkpoints. There is a 90-hour limit and the clock runs continuously. Many riders sleep as little as possible, sometimes catching a few minutes beside the road before continuing. Participants must first complete a series of ''brevets'' (randonneuring events) within the same 12-month timeframe. For participants from most countries, the period coincides with the calendar year. The exception is riders from
Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...
, for whom a different timeframe is used, to place the focus on events in the southern hemisphere summer. A series consists of 200 km, 300 km, 400 km and 600 km. Each can be replaced by a longer ride. Prior to 2007, the qualifying rides had to be completed from shortest to longest. Where once PBP was contested by a few professionals as a demonstration of the bicycle's potential, today the focus is on the ordinary rider.


Controls

In 2015, the controls were in the following towns. All controls except for St Quentin and Brest are visited in both the westbound and eastbound directions. *
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines () is a new town and an agglomeration community in the French department of Yvelines. It is one of the original five villes nouvelles ( new towns) of Paris and was named after the Saint Quentin Pond, which was chosen ...
(start and finish) *
Dreux Dreux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in northern France. Geography Dreux lies on the small river Blaise (river), Blaise, a tributary of the Eure (river), Eure, about 35 km north of Cha ...
*
Mortagne-au-Perche Mortagne-au-Perche () is a Communes of France, commune in the Orne Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy, northwestern France. It is classed as a Petites Cités de Caractère. Heraldry Population Poi ...
* Villaines-la-Juhel *
Fougères Fougères (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Foujerr'') is a Communes of France, commune and a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine Departments of France, department, located in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, no ...
* Tinténiac * Quédillac * Loudéac * Saint-Nicolas-du-Pélem *
Carhaix-Plouguer Carhaix-Plouguer (; ), commonly known as just Carhaix (), is a commune in the French department of Finistère, region of Brittany, France. The commune was created in 1957 by the merger of the former communes Carhaix and Plouguer.
* Brest The 2019 event started and ended at the National Sheepfold,
Rambouillet Rambouillet (, , ) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region of France. It is located beyond the outskirts of Paris, southwest of its Kilometr ...
and the 2023 event in front of the castle of Rambouillet.


History

Pierre Giffard of '' Le Petit Journal'' staged the first ''Paris-Brest et retour''. Despite changes, Paris–Brest–Paris continues to this day as the oldest long-distance cycling road event.


1891

In an era when diamond safety frames and pneumatic tires were taking over from high-wheelers with solid rubber tires, Paris-Brest was an "épreuve," a test of the bicycle's reliability. Giffard promoted the event through editorials signed "Jean-sans-Terre." He wrote of self-sufficient riders carrying their own food and clothing. Riders would ride the same bicycle for the duration. Only Frenchmen were allowed to enter, and 207 participated. The first (1891) Paris-Brest saw
Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
's Charles Terront and Dunlop's Jiel-Laval contest the lead. Terront prevailed, passing Jiel-Laval as he slept during the third night, to finish in 71 hours 22 minutes. Both had flats that took an hour to repair but enjoyed an advantage over riders on solid tires. Ultimately, 99 of the 207 finished. The race was a coup for ''Le Petit Journal'', bringing circulation increases. However, the logistics were daunting enough that organizers settled on a ten-year interval between editions.


1891 Quadricycle

Perhaps the most unusual entrant was a petrol-powered Peugeot Type 3 Quadricycle, driven by Auguste Doriot and Louis Rigoulot. In order to publicly prove its reliability and performance Armand Peugeot had persuaded Pierre Giffard to have its progress certified by his network of monitors and marshals, the distance being about three times further than any road vehicle had travelled before. After a 3-day journey from Valentigny to Paris, they started immediately behind the bicycles. They covered 200 kilometres on the first day and 160 km on the second, but then lost 24 hours when a gear failed near
Morlaix Morlaix (; , ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. History The Battle of Morlaix, part of the Hundred Years' War, was fought near the town on 30 Septembe ...
. After effecting a repair using local resources (a shoemaker's tools) they arrived at Brest after dark where they were received by a large crowd and the local Peugeot bicycle dealer. For comparison, by the time Doriot and Rigoulot had reached Brest, Charles Terront and Jiel Laval had already returned to Paris. The next day they set off for Paris where they completed the trip 6 days after the cyclists. Creative Capital: Georges Doriot and the Birth of Venture Capital By Spencer E. Ante
/ref>'' Le Petit Journal'' Paris, 12 September 1891 states: '' Le Petit Journal'' Paris, 11 September 1891 states: '' Le Petit Journal'' Paris, 16 September 1891 states:


1901 to 1951

The 1901 Paris-Brest was sponsored not only by ''Le Petit Journal'' but ''L'Auto-Velo'', edited by
Henri Desgrange Henri Desgrange (; 31 January 1865 – 16 August 1940) was a French cycle sport, bicycle racer and Sports journalism, sports journalist. He set twelve world track cycling records, including the hour record of on 11 May 1893. He was the first o ...
. For the first time, professionals were segregated from the "touriste-routier" group (in which a 65-year-old finished in just over 200 hours). The newspapers organized a
telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
system to relay results to their Paris presses, and the public followed the exploits of Maurice Garin, who won in just over 52 hours over 112 other professionals. So many newspapers were sold that
Géo Lefèvre Géo Lefèvre (1877–1961) was a French sports journalist and the originator of the idea for the Tour de France. He suggested the idea for the Tour at a meeting with Henri Desgrange, editor of the daily newspaper '' L'Auto'' as a way to boost ci ...
at L'Auto suggested an even bigger race, the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
. Under Henri Desgrange's leadership, the first Tour happened in 1903. The 1911 event saw pack riding rather than solo breaks. Five riders stayed together until nearly the last control, Emile Georget finally pulling away from Ernest Paul to finish in 50 hours and 13 minutes. The 1921 event, following
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, was small, with 43 professionals and 65 touriste-routiers. It was fought between Eugène Christophe and Lucien Mottiat, Mottiat finally prevailing in 55 hours 7 minutes. In 1931, there was a change in the regulations. Proposed by André Griffe (president of the Union des Audax Cyclistes Parisiens), Desgrange (president of l'Auto) replaced the ''touriste-routier'' group by an Audax, where cyclists rode in groups of 10 at an average 20kmh (22.5kmh since 1961). Many people disliked that change. So Camille Durand (president of the Audax Club Parisien, ACP) organised another PBP at the same time on the same road. Cyclists could ride individually (French ''allure libre'') and there was a limit of 96 hours. 57 participated, among them two women, a
tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...
with two men, four mixed tandems and a triplet. The 1931 professional event saw victory by
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n Hubert Opperman with a sprint on the finish
velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement ...
after his long solo breakaway was neutralized just outside Paris. Opperman's finishing time was a record 49 hours 21 minutes, despite constant rain. His diet included 12 pounds of
celery Celery (''Apium graveolens'' Dulce Group or ''Apium graveolens'' var. ''dulce'') is a cultivated plant belonging to the species ''Apium graveolens'' in the family Apiaceae that has been used as a vegetable since ancient times. The original wild ...
, which he thought an important energy source (celery's energy content is minuscule, but it may have been a source of fluid and salt). Owing to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the 1941 PBP was postponed to 1948, when L'Equipe sponsored the event. Of 52 pros, Albert Hendrickx proved strongest, winning in a sprint over fellow Belgian François Neuville. Three years later, the 1951 event saw Maurice Diot win in a record time of 38 hours 55 minutes. It is the last time PBP has been raced by professionals and from then on the course used smaller roads and more hills. Diot won a sprint over breakaway companion Eduoard Muller after waiting for Muller to fix a puncture in Trappes, 22 km from the finish.


1956 to present: amateur event

Though listed on the professional calendar in 1956 and 1961, too few racers signed up to make the event happen. Nonetheless, hundreds of randonneurs turned out. And the randonneur division even featured racing, René Herse-sponsored Roger Baumann winning over Lheuillier in 52 hours 19 minutes. PBP was held every five years between 1956 and 1975, with more participants and less media coverage. From 1948 until the 1980s, the randonneur event included a "Challenge des Constructeurs" for the bicycle maker with the three best-placed riders. René Herse won this "Challenge" every time from 1948 until 1971, and again in 1975. No other builder won the "Challenge" more than once. The Belgian former professional Herman de Munck came 5th in 66, first in 71, 75, 79 and 83. He was disqualified in 79, most believe unfairly. De Munck continues to place highly, finishing the 1999 PBP 109th place at the age of 60. The randonneur Paris–Brest–Paris has always allowed women to participate. In 1975, Chantal de la Cruz and Nicole Chabriand lowered the women's time to 57 hours. In 1979, Suzy de Carvalho finished in 57h02m. American Scott Dickson came third in 1979, though at just less than 49 hours he was four hours behind the winners. In 1983 he again came third, this time by only one hour. He won his first PBP in 1987 by breaking away in Brest, aided by a tailwind and a few strong riders from the "touring" group, which that year started many hours before the "racing" group. Dickson also won in 1991 and in 1995. Susan Notorangelo set a women's record of 54 hours 40 minutes in 1983, this was bettered in 1995 when by Brigitte Kerlouet 44 hours 14 minutes. American Melinda Lyon finished as first woman in 1999 and 2003. In 2007 the first woman was Christiane Thibault, and in 2011 it was Isabelle Esclangon, both from France. The 2007 Paris–Brest–Paris was the first poor weather event since 1987. It was the worst weather PBP riders had faced since 1956. 30.2% failed to finish.


Time limits

There are three groups of riders: *The ''vedettes'' ("stars") are elite riders and have a time limit of 80 hours, although some will complete the ride considerably faster. The ''vedettes'' are first to depart on the Sunday afternoon. *The ''touristes'' are the largest group and have a time limit of 90 hours, departing in waves on the Sunday evening. *The ''randonneurs'' are a smaller group and have a time limit of 84 hours (representing the minimum average speed of 14.3km/h). This group departs early on the Monday morning.


Winners

Although th
History of PBP website
mentions that PBP started as a race, according to the officia
PBP website
"the organizers strongly feel that PBP is not a race". This is an extremely important aspect of
randonneuring Randonneuring (also known as Audax in the UK, Australia and Brazil) is a long-distance cycling sport with its origins in audax cycling. In randonneuring, riders attempt courses of 200 km or more, passing through predetermined "controls" ( ...
, where "riders aim to complete the course within specified time limits, and receive equal recognition regardless of their finishing order." So there is no actual "winner," but a "first finisher."


Professional era


Amateur era


Pastry

The Paris–Brest, a French
dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal; the course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream, and possibly a beverage, such as dessert wine or liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly umami, ...
made of
choux pastry Choux pastry, or (), is a delicate pastry dough used in many pastries. The essential ingredients are butter, water, flour and eggs. Instead of a raising agent, choux pastry employs its high moisture content to create steam, as the water in ...
and a praline flavoured cream, with a circular shape representative of a tyre or wheel, was reportedly created in 1891 to commemorate the race. It became popular with participants, partly because of its energy-giving high caloric value, and is now found in pâtisseries all over France.Randonneurs. Paris Brest... the pastry
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Notes


References


External links

* * The PBP Hub. Eric Fergusson's site focuses on history, photos, stats and links. http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/pbp/main.html * Bill Bryant, A Short History of Paris–Brest–Paris, Randonneurs USA . The definitive English language history of PBP http://www.rusa.org/pbphistory.html * McCray, Phil. 1989. "PBP — 1891 to 1991" ''Journal of the International Randonneurs'' ** This source provided much of the historical background for this article. Available on "The PBP Hub" : http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/pbp/books-collections/journal-IR-1989/mccray-hist/main.html * Fleur Whitlock: A Film of the 2003 Paris–Brest–Paris event : http://www.pbp-films.com
''Paris Brest Paris, the long ride toward a distant dawn''
A documentary about Paris Brest Paris. {{DEFAULTSORT:Paris-Brest-Paris Recurring sporting events established in 1891 1891 establishments in France Cycle races in France Sport in Brest, France Cycling in Paris Defunct cycling races in France Road bicycle races Ultra-distance cycling