INDIA’S participation in Paris Brest Paris (PBP)
The first time India participated in PBP was in 2011, the 17th edition. 15 Super Randonneurs, 5 each from Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore, rode in Paris-Brest-Paris Randonneur 2011. Two riders completed the route successfully within their respective times. Another rider completed the route outside of 90 hours. While this outcome was not up to expectations, it appears to be close to the norm for countries participating in PBP for the first time. The experience of participating in an event of that scale, 1230 km in the French countryside, alongside over 5000 Randonneurs from around the world, was matchless.
India put up a much better performance in PBP 2015, which saw 56 participants from all over India attempt the event and 20 Finishers! The National Representative Divya Tate who had accompanied the group providing support at Loudeac was presented an award for overseeing the highest growth of Randonneuring at that time. Since then Randonneuring has grown even more in India.
In 2019 PBP saw 300 participants from India with great enthusiasm but unfortunately only 40 riders were able to finish within the allotted time limit of 90h. The dismal performance illuminated the need for the Indian Randonneur to train harder and prepare better for a challenging and hilly route like PBP.
In 2023, we expect the Indian contingent to grow further and perform much better with lessons learnt from past editions. Follow their progress from Paris to Brest and back on the PBP Tracking which will be linked to their AIR profiles below (coming soon).