The US American Nick DeHaan was recorded as the fastest by the Audax Club Parisien with a time of 41 hours 48 minutes and 18 seconds. He completed the route at an average speed of 29.1 km/h, although he rode the entire way back from Brest alone. Around an hour after him, the Slovenian ultra-cyclist Marko Baloh and the Austrian RAAM winner Severin Zotter crossed the finish line at the same time.
Incredible performances that command the utmost respect. What these three cyclists have achieved over such a long distance is absolutely outstanding. A new course record was reported by GCN and the local French press. Nick DeHaan himself was also delighted with his record on Strava. There would be no further discussion about the Race Across America, the Race Across Austria or other long-distance events - but these are ultra-cycling races. Paris-Brest-Paris, on the other hand, is a brevet. If you look at the rules of the Audax Club Parisien, all three were too fast at the finish. Brevets not only have a maximum time, but also a minimum time. This is laid down in the 19 brevet rules and applies worldwide for all Brevets Randonneurs Mondiaux events. Depending on the distance, there are specified times for the opening and closing of the checkpoints:
Opening of checkpoints: 34 km / h (km 1 to 200); 32 km / h (km 201 to 400); 30 km / h (km 401 to 600); 28 km/h (km 601 to 1000)
Closing of checkpoints: 1 hour + 20 km / h (km 1 to 60); 15 km / h (km 61 to 600); 11.428 km / h (km 601 to 1000).
The specifications allow the organiser to limit the opening time of the checkpoints. Furthermore, in the brevet tradition, it is not about a bike race, but an individual challenge. During the current "record ride", Nick De Haan was already worried that the checkpoints would not be open because he was so fast. He therefore asked a support motorbike whether the checkpoints were ready and was given the green light.
The minimum time for Paris-Brest-Paris is 43 hours and 32 minutes. This time is also stated in the PBP rules. The calculation is based on a maximum average speed of 28 km/h, as the brevet covers 1000 kilometres. At the finish, all three of the fastest riders were therefore under the prescribed minimum time. Nobody noticed this at first: DeHaan was accompanied to the finish by a car from the organisers. There he received the last stamp in his brevet booklet and the PBP medal. From the local French newspaper to the international cycling media, his "victory in record time" was reported. It wasn't until days later that the first commentaries noted what was written in the rules.
We asked Luc Coppin, President of the Audax Club Parisien, about it:
TOUR: The official rules speak of a minimum time of 43:32 hours. The fastest participant, Nick DeHaan, arrived after 41:46 hours - will his PBP then not be accepted?
CoppinHe completed his Paris-Brest-Paris journey in less than 80 hours - he kept to the maximum time. However, according to article 15 of the competition rules, no time under 43 hours and 32 minutes is recognised. He should therefore be recognised with an official time of 43 hours and 32 minutes. His record will therefore not appear in our archives.
TOUR: Do you think these rules are still important, or have you thought about changing them?
CoppinThe Audax Club Parisien is a cycling club that belongs to the Fédération de Cyclotourisme. We must abide by the rules laid down by our federation. As our activities are not cycling races, there is currently no reason to change them.
TOUR: You published a list of the fastest riders on Facebook - as a result, participants have called for the "Individual ratings" to remove. What is your answer?
Coppin: If I am not mistaken, the ranking published on social networks is not our work: we are still checking results that require clarification. The official results announced by our federation are given in alphabetical order: We do not compile rankings in order of arrival.
TOUR: Will Paris-Brest-Paris 2027 take place in Rambouillet again? Have you already discussed the changes?
Coppin: At this stage, it is still too early to tell you how the Audax Club Parisien intends to organise the next edition. The next date for the Paris-Brest-Paris Randonneur 2027 discussion will be 10 February 2024, and we'll see what happens then.
President Coppin has not clearly decided how to deal with speeding. He can imagine that the journey will be registered with the minimum time. Jean-Gualbert Faburel is responsible for the homologation of the brevets at the Audax Club Parisien. He also did not want to comment definitively, but referred to a review process that will not be completed until the end of the year: "We cannot say at the moment whether he will receive homologation (editor's note: official recognition) for his ride. The test is still ongoing".
The "record ride" shows that new top performances are forcing the brevet scene to debate traditional values and rules. Should the scene adapt to the reality of faster amateur cyclists or defend its character? This is not about theoretical discussions, but about very practical consequences: without a support car, this time would probably not have been possible. A change to ultra-cycling racing could therefore also increase the number of support cars and coaches.
Background Paris-Brest-Paris 2023
Around 4800 participants made it to the finish line within the time limit at the 20th edition of Paris-Brest-Paris. The verification process is still ongoing and the official number will be announced later. There were 6490 randonneurs from 71 nations at the start - around five per cent of those registered did not take part. The proportion of women was lower than before at 6.1 per cent.
The correct name for the brevet should be Rambouillet-Brest-Rambouillet due to the starting point. The municipality on the outskirts of the French capital has established itself as the base for the traditional brevet. This year, 1219 kilometres had to be completed within 90 hours.
Review: Paris-Brest-Paris 2011
Kristian Bauer
Editor
