Highlights from the road

Sunrise at Tinteniac this morning, captured by Jane Dennyson

A large number of our tracked riders are now into the final stretch of their PBP experience. As they near the end of their journey, it’s only right that they start to reflect on the achievement of completing such a prestigious and challenging event.

Helen Kerrane’s highlights include high-fives from ‘grubby handed kids’, and the stretch of riding between Loudeac and Brest, as it reminded her of home roads. She has just left Loudeac checkpoint, and witnessed first-hand how hastily the control points shut down:

For Peta McSharry, her fondest memory came around the first checkpoint:

"I was absolutely frozen solid with a dude sat on my wheel, making me do all the work. Came into a little town where up ahead there was a very jolly group of supporters. The edge of my light caught a murky glass held out in the road. As I neared them I heard someone yell “PERNOT”. I slammed on the anchors and the poor chap behind almost rear-ended me. I took the glass and slugged the whole thing down to a cheers from the Gods of Pernot. Instant warmth tricked down to my toes. I rode on smiling until the Pernot wore off and I blasted past the rider who clung to my wheel like he was standing still.“

And Zoe Holliday’s most memorable moment paints a perfect picture of the eccentric nature of audax riding:

“Last night in Carhaix-Plouguer I was filling my bottles in the toilet and a girl was throwing her guts up. She came out, smiled like nothing had happened, zipped up her jersey and left, presumably to continue her ride. Meanwhile the girl next to me at the sink took a massive handful of chammy cream, stuck it down her shorts and said ‘ahhhhhh.’”