[OrRando] No wonder the PNW contingent is doing well

[Michael Rasmussen]

>From the weekly RBR report:

Weather Woes Wallop PBP

Report  from RBR correspondent Les Woodland in France . . . .

"The weather is simple," said Europe-1, one of France's most authoritative radio
stations. "If it's not already raining where you are then it soon will be."

That was 8 a.m. on Tuesday -- late news for the 4,000 randonneurs who'd set off
hours earlier on the longest ride of their season. Among that number were 570
Americans. Rain was already torrenting down as they left the western suburbs of
Paris, and that was how it stayed for the rest of the night.

This year's Paris-Brest-Paris quickly turned into 1,200 km (745 miles) of misery
for riders who had already ridden qualifying events of 200, 300, 400 and 600 km
just to be there.

"I watched them leave and you could see that even though the excitement made them
cheer and wave, there was a look of real concern on many of their faces," said
Jean-Louis Tachlon, who'd crossed the country from Lyons to support his clubmates.
"For some there will be a real risk of hypothermia."

PBP, held every four years, has been lashed by rain and buffeted by cold northerly
crosswinds in one of the worst summers Europe has known.

Forecasters said the rain was due to end only when the last riders were back to
Paris after 90 hours. Northerly winds on a route that runs east-west are almost as
difficult as headwinds. Temperatures have been consistently in the 50-60F (10-16C)
range. More than the usual number of retirements is expected when the final
accounting is done.

The irony is that in the previous PBP, France was hit not by winter-in-summer but
a heat wave that killed 15,000 citizen. Then the heat vanished with just days to
go. Many will be wishing the rain had done the same this year.


-- 
   Michael Rasmussen, Portland, Ore, USA
  Be Appropriate && Follow Your Curiosity
        http://www.patch.com/words/