Huge congratulations to Sotonia riders, Chris Moody and Rob Tomlinson on completing the big daddy Audax of them all, Paris-Brest-Paris – that’s 1200km in one go in this extraordinary event. The PBP is a self-supported ride from, er, Paris to Brest and back to Paris again. Not just anyone can enter: you have to have proved yourself as a super-Audaxer, which of course both Rob and Chris are.
With a time limit of 80 hours to complete the route officially, both riders made it, Chris finishing with 71 hours, 28 minutes and 50 seconds elapsed. Check out the photo from Chris – he apologises for the lack of quality, “My hands don’t really work at the moment!”
Rob also made the time cut with 50 minutes to spare despite the trauma of a broken wheel and a frantic search for a bike shop after mechanics attempted to fix it. Eventually finding a shop, many miles off the course, Rob was able to find help and was stunned by their genorosity. as Rob says:
“I couldn’t believe it when the mechanic having asked earlier about where I’d come off the course then said someone was going to take me back there, this was a good 30 minute drive, I was so moved and emotional at this point and it was that one moment of kindness that drove me to finish, and in time limit!”
There were plenty of bitten nails for dot watchers following Rob’s progress but after a massive final effort, he came over the finish line with 50 minutes to spare after a last ditch dash in a time of 79:10:55.
Chapeau fellas!
