Thousands of riders depart from Rambouillet for Paris-Brest-Paris 2023

On Sunday 20 August, thousands of cyclists emerged from campsites and hotels in the areas surrounding area to line up at the start line of Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP), the oldest still active bike event in the world. Around 8,000 riders passed the start line between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning and began the journey to Brest.

Due to its quadrennial calendar, PBP is described by some as the Olympics of ultra-cycling. Once every four years, cyclists from around the world flock to Rambouillet, a town just outside Paris, to attempt the single-stage, non-stop 1200km ride.

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Recumbents, tandems, folding bikes and velomobiles are welcome at Paris-Brest-Paris

The route undergoes minor changes each edition, but the basic principle is always the same: from Rambouillet, riders head west towards the Atlantic until they hit Brest, a town on the coast of Brittany. Then, they turn around and ride back to Rambouillet. The terrain is rolling, and passes through Bretagne towns and villages. Over 1,200km, the course climbs just over 11,000m. There are 18 controls between the start and finish, with the organisers warning that surprise checkpoints might also be in place to ensure riders are staying on the route.

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Serious faces among the first batch of riders to start

The ride is a brevet, meaning the goal is to finish within a certain amount of time, not to win. The event has three time limit options: 90 hours, 84 hours and 80 hours, with most riders opting for 90.

Although the event is not, technically, a race, the pointy end of the ride is a fierce competition, with riders doing everything they can to best their rivals. The fastest riders expect to finish the 1,200km course in less than 50 hours, and will deploy a range of tactics that are unique to this event to get ahead.

History of Paris-Brest-Paris

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Paris-Brest-Paris is an ode to the 'golden age' of cycling

PBP is widely regarded as the oldest cycling event still in existence, with the inaugural event taking place in 1891 – just six years after the invention of the first chain-driven bicycles. Until 1951, PBP was a professional bike race, drawing in big name professionals like Maurice Garin, winner of the first ever Tour de France.

Now, as it's a brevet, no official winner is crowned. Behind the small number of riders fighting for places is a far larger crowd aiming simply to complete the course within their chosen time limit.