Brevet the Paris-Brest-Paris Film

I remember a comedian making a joke about his mom always bringing up how she was in labor with him for 36 hours.  "Thirty-Six hours," he exclaimed! "I don't even want to do something I like for 36 hours!"

That's kind of how I feel about these types of long-distance events.  I'm kind of inspired by the physical fortitude, but like RAAM, if you are literally falling asleep on the bike because you are 400 miles into the ride with a few hundred still to go, that doesn't seem like much fun.  That beings said, some of the bikes especially made for this type of road riding in comfort (or as comfortable as you can be for that long on a bike) are spectacularly beautiful.  And the notion of to and from from and to Paris is pretty appealing.  Maybe I need to rethink this and start a Randonneuring event or club around these parts.  As it is, the new film "Brevet" seems to capture the joy and agony of the ride.  Perhaps starting there is a better strategy.

Maybe one day I'll get that bug...as for now a 50 or 60 mile ride seems to be about my top end if only because I have so many other things I want to do with my time.

Brevet from CURLYPICTURES on Vimeo.

Every four years cyclists from all over the world come to France for the legendary Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle marathon. They have to ride 1230 km in under 90 hours. A grueling fight against hills, cold and exhaustion. BREVET is the movie about this fight.