If you get the chance to do a Brevet in France then, based on my experience, go for it!  They are detailed here - http://jeanpba.homeip.net/?page=90&onglet=1&annee=2014.

There is a full set of photos here - https://picasaweb.google.com/113235987186962089648/BRM300Km2014?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPuXyZn8x_K3SQ&feat=directlink#

It’s been more than twenty years since I last cycled any distance in France.  Whilst studying in Toulouse, I was using a “supermarket” mountain bike to get to school and back and some of my “classmates” convinced me to join the college cycle club weekend outing – I think it was a wind up.  They all had road bikes and lycra.  I had flat tyres and cut off jeans.  Still, as usual, my pig headedness dragged me round.

This 300km was a bit easier for me and was certainly worth the effort.  The scenery, weather and surface could not have been more perfect.

During post LEL depression August last year I began to search far and wide for Brevets.    I knew that really it was all in vain and that I had neither time, energy or a hope in hell of getting away for another trip.

But, as soon as ACP released the 2014 dates I did a quick check for school holidays and distance to my parents’ house in Provence and BRM 300 La Garde,  26 May was perfect.   

With @mrsm burning up her holiday and points on the peak of the Irish dancing season taking the kids away BY MYSLEF for a week was not going to be a problem.  I even had no fear in chucking in the Easter Flèche the weekend before.

Signing up

Tripple Plateau Gardeen – the organising club – don’t have a web site but the organisers email is on the ACP spreadsheet and details of all French Brevets seem to be held here - http://jeanpba.homeip.net/?page=90&onglet=1&annee=2014

So I contacted the owner who confirmed the details and put me on the mailing list.  Sure enough, a couple of weeks before the event I got an email  with entry form (payment was on the line), routesheet.  I enquired about a gps but there was none but I was assured the route was easily followed.

With my legendry navigation skills I created a route on ride with GPS.

Getting there.

There With no Sunday flight back to Belfast from Nice in the winter so it was Air Lingus Dublin – Nice on Tuesday and back Nice Dublin the day after the event.  Would have been nice to recover for a day or two but I have to work.

Adding the bike cannot be done online and there is a limit to the number of bikes per flight so it might be worth calling first before booking the flight.  I guessed it wouldn’t be an issue and I was going anyway so I booked the flight, rang and coughed up another €80.  I decided to go with my clear bag that I’d used on LEL together with some pipe lagging purchased for the grand price of £3 from B&Q. 

I removed the derailleur, turned the bars against the frame and let a bit of air out of the tyres.

For transport at the other end I bought a single bike rack which went in my case – or probably could have gone in the bike bag.  For some reason CRC sent me two bike racks stuck together which was nice of them.  The rack worked really well.

To avoid any discussion about carrying a bike with Europcar (the only car company I can still use – but that’s another story) I left my bike with the family whilst I went and collected the car and then fitted it in the pickup zone at Nice.  (I checked the terms and conditions – no bike racks).

 

As well as fetching bread I found a nearby hill and rode up it.  Although either my cleat, knee or pedal was squeaking, I left it as I did not want to break anything.  I’m sure this drove Eddie nuts!

Although it was only an hour to the start, with a 5am start and a cheap hotel I went down the night before.  After meeting a Eddie in a bar to exchange GPS files and some Dutch beer  Sally and  I held up un a Formule 1 hotel for the night.

 

The ride

Sign on

I arrived at sign on in good time.  Coffee pain au chocolate or croissants.  There were, apparently, thirty seven people signed on but there were no more then or dozen or so there by 5.

Over the top

Eddie and I rolled out at five on the dot, followed by a group of 10 or so.  I was really relying on other navigators and GPS.  The route here did seem fairly complicated as we were leaving the outskirts of Toulon. But, I wasn’t really following the route sheet so I couldn’t comment on how hard it was to follow.

The initial 25 km was a climb from virtually sea level to around 400m.  Although not the highest we would climb to, it was probably the biggest gain of the day.

It was a great climb, not to steep, just nice and steady for an hour with the sun rising.  We ended up in a group of five or so.

We then descended to Brignoles and on towards the first control.  Eddie was tempted to join a fast moving group that passed us, but I wasn’t.

"La traversée du village par la déviation est "folklorique". La plupart des cyclos passent à pied la zone de travaux sauf Frédéric Gallais qui de ce fait , arrivera après la fermeture du contrôle. Il se rattrapera par la suite. Par contre, il manquera Christophe Arnaubec. “

The town just before the control had been “dug up” so we ended up carrying our bikes through some road works.

We took on refreshments and I put on some arm warmers, having got cold on the descents.

This delayed us a bit as I was faffing somewhat and we missed the group leaving.  But I really wasn’t bothered.

As I said to Eddie – “I’ve 20 hours to finish and my next ride will probably be in rain”.

The observatory

 

So we settled down to the ride and eventually climbed up past Mick’s observatory near yet another picturesque Provençal village.

We did struggle a bit for directions through one of the bigger towns – but other than that we soaked up the miles, sun and scenery.

Red or Rosé?

Lunch was served on a long table just off the road.  Pasta salad, potatoe salad, bread, bread & cheese, coke, sparkling water and a choice of wine.

Who needs centra?

A cake detour

I wish I’d spotted this sign – my first col!

After a certain amount of climbing – again though, long and steady rather than short and steep and the long descents were great.  None of that on the breaks all the way through potholes.

Around about 200km I my GPS told me to take a left but I thought it was a no entry.  We stopped.  Eddies GPS had been on the blink all day so we convinced ourselves to continue.  With hindsight it was probably a no entry for trucks sign or something.

After that I lost focus and it wasn’t until we stopped for cakes and coffee (great cakes) that I realised we were badly off.

We doubled back but had lost a good hour (including cakes).  Still, it was worth it for the cakes.

Quick stop and burger

After our detour I hit my low and struggled for a while.  As it happened it coincided with us being passed by a couple of other riders.  I told Eddie to push on with them if he wanted as I new I would be slowed until I snapped out of it.  But he stuck with me and I soon recovered.

As we neared the control at Ollieres Eddie had his low point.  He knew that his issue was nutrition – having not eaten enough in the morning.  We stopped and he took some dextrose to tide him over.  As it was getting towards six, he was staying a second night in Toulon and we were both hungry we decided to do a quick stop at the control and eat in the McDonalds that I knew just of the route in St Maximum – just 5km on.

We ordered using fancy touch screens. Roscrea – eat your heart out!

Here I made the mistake of putting my GPS in my pocket still on – when I put it back on the bike I had deleted the course we were on!

The long descent

Eddies GPS was crook again I had no route so used the routesheet for the rest of the day.  It was actually really easy – especially as the roads have km markers with the road number so you always know your on the right track, rather than hoping there’s a T junction 5km down the road!

We were fit again after our feed.  After a couple of great climbs we then had over an hours descent to the finish.  Eddie broke a spoke but it didn’t seem to slow him any!

Somewhere on the way in my Garmin quit completely – on return I had to factory reset it.

We arrived back at the start at 22:30, not quite the lanterne rouge – but close enough.  From the report, most arrived between 20:00 and 22:00.

I was happy enough.  It was roughly the same time as the Virginia 300 with a lot more bumps and a detour.

Lessons

Don’t lose focus on the route.

Don’t update Garmin the night before like Eddie – every time we went off route his Garmin was trying to take us back to the start and he had to reset it.

Don’t leave your Garmin turned on in your pocket.

Differences

Climbs are long and steady rather than short and sharp with long descents - that you can get cold on.

There was no “group” start and even on the road – apart from one fast moving group – there seemed to be a lot of individual riders, some of whom we passed or who passed us, but they did not seem that interested in forming up.

LOCALITES	Carte MICHELIN	Numéro de	KM	KM	Altitude	CONTROLES
	N° 527	Route	PARTIEL	TOTAL		Ouverture	Fermeture
La Garde (Guy Moquet 1)	527	D67/D554E/D97	0.0	0	30	5:00	6:00
La Farlède	527	D97	6.0	6	78
Le Logis Neuf	527	D458	0.5	6.5	83
Solliès Pont (centre-dir Cuers)	527	D97	2.5	9	81
Cuers (centre)	527	D40	7.0	16	143
X D43/D40	527	D40	2.0	18	189
X D40/D12	527	D12	8.5	26.5	433
Rocbaron	527	D12	1.5	28	371
X D43/D12	527	D12	4.0	32	314
Forcalqueiret	527	D12/D43	1.5	33.5	296
X D43/D12	527	D12	3.0	36.5	320
Camp la Source	527	D12	3.5	40	277
Brignoles (prendre la déviation)	527	DN7	3.5	43.5	218
X Déviation/D554	527	D554	1.5	45	218
Le Val (dir. Bras)	527	D28	4	49	249
X D35/D28	527	D28	8.5	57.5	350
Bras  (dir. Brue-Auriac)	527	D35	3	60.5	278	6:47	9:02

The routesheet was not turn by turn – but just had road and direction – but was easy enough to follow.  I liked the elevation reading.

Most of the riders must have started late.

The road surfaces were great.

Many riders rode flat barred “fast hybrids”.

We got a post ride organisers report – with all the starters, finishers and description of the day, which was nice.

One last thing to watch out for they all drive on the wrong side of the road!