We are so proud to have three Gran Fondo Cycling Club members who will be traveling  to France to ride the historic Paris-Brest-Paris to be held August 20th to 24th. Jeff Bauer, Bill Glass, and Jeff Sammons have met all requirements (most notably the successful timely completion of a series of 2007 brevets of 200k, 300k, 400k and 600k). First run in 1891, the 1200-kilometer Paris-Brest-Paris, or "PBP" as it is commonly called, is a grueling test of human endurance and cycling ability. Organized every four years by the host Audax Club Parisien, the Paris-Brest-Paris Randonneurs is the oldest bicycling event still run on a regular basis on the open road (more details at end).

Bill and Jeff Bauer were repeat participants, as they have successfully ridden PBP in the past, but all three men were accomplishing something very special in thier 2007 rides. Jeff Sammons was completing his first PBP after taking up randonneuring or ultra distance cycling only two years ago. Bill Glass was celebrating this PBP ride as his first since successfully fighting cancer over four years ago. Jeff Bauer decided to make the 1200 k ride (yes, that's 750 miles) a challenge by completing the event as a part of a tandem team with his riding partner Mary Crawley of Philadelphia.

As we thought about what an accomplishment it is for each of these men to complete this exceptional cycling event, we also realized that these guys are pretty extraordinary in a number of ways. Each one of them is what we like to term an "Ambassador of Cycling." Each one of them has volunteered countless hours and helped our cycling community in so many ways. It never ceases to surprise me how many people I meet through cycling that know Bill Glass. Bill has ridden for years and has swept a million beginners through their first grueling rides. As a founding member of the Harpeth Bike Club (HBC), Bill organized the club's first century ride. Bill has been a mentor to most all of the current randonneurs in Middle Tennessee and is always there to help and encourage when a newbie shows up to see what's so tough about riding 250 miles...

Bill, Jeff and Jeff are all very active HBC members as well as Gran Fondo club members. Jeff Sammons has served as HBC treasurer  and Jeff Bauer was the original HBC webmaster and the brain behind the early email distribution lists. All three men are group ride leaders as well as those tough guys that can be counted on to show up for the night rides and  the coldest of the winter rides. All three guys are volunteers for Hope on Wheels, supporting our training rides and developing and testing our routes. Jeff Sammons is the first RBA (Regional Brevet Administrator)  for the state of Tennessee and has spent countless hours establishing a full brevet series in our state. Bill and Jeff B. have helped Jeff S. in this role and have ridden just about every brevet planned since the series was created.

All three men have additionally been great mentors to two other Nashville riders who will be traveling to Paris, Peter Lee and David Bauer. This will be the first 1200 k event for both Peter and David, who are also HBC members. We are very proud to have five local riders joining the some 600 Americans who will attempt PBP.

Run every four years by the Audax Club Parisien, Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) is a timed 1200-kilometer "randonnée" that goes from the French capital to the port city of Brest on the Atlantic, and returns along the same route. The maximum time limit to complete the distance is 90 hours. This year over 4000 entrants from around the globe who want to try their hand at this demanding test of human endurance and cycling ability. Entrants can ride PBP non-stop (except for having one's route book signed and stamped at checkpoints) in 42 hours, snatching food in mussette bags from support crews as the fastest riders do. Or, like most randonneurs, one can catch a little sleep at night and eat a few sit-down meals along the way. Support can only be given to riders at the checkpoints, which are spaced approximately 65-90 kilometers apart, so there are no following cars as in a normal road race. The vast majority of entrants don't use personal support crews and find whatever they need along the route. (Each checkpoint serves hot food around the clock and has some primitive sleeping accommodations.) The PBP route, while not mountainous, is quite hilly, and weather can play a major role in the outcome of the ride.