There are very few amateur events which almost transcend their sporting discipline. One perhaps is the Paris-Brest-Paris brevet. Originating in 1891, it is the oldest long distance cycling event in the world. The race, as it was back then, was initiated to demonstrate the capabilities of the safety bicycle, which was invented in 1885.
The 2019 edition of PBP, officially 1219 kilometres long, or about 757 miles, came with a total time limit of 90 hours to complete.
Swindon Wheelers members Robert Priday and Mark Williams completed the event in 87 hours and 56 minutes and a mere 71 hours and 35 minutes respectively. Mark’s ride meant he averaged over 250 miles for each 24 hour period! The average moving speed for the riders was 12.5mph for Robert and 15.4mph for Mark. Here are some pictures from the event.
