by Gideon Krige
As feeling slowly returns back to most of my fingers and the mind clears, I am grateful to think and reflect on all the people that contributed to making this amazing Paris-Brest-Paris adventure possible. Some people need to be thanked, some need to be blamed.
Benjamin van Wyk deserves some blame for discovering this race more than 4 years ago. The idea of 1240km in 90 hours non stop sounded so ridiculous that it was safely filed in the impossible/stupid folder. Or so I thought. Ben you were missed at the starting line. And also mentioned a few times during the race…
The last 12 months many people had to understand the huge training and time sacrifices that had to made. Weekends were wiped away on the bike. Most days started at 4:30am, nights ended at 9pm and some days the tiredness kept to the surface. I hope to clear this debt.
2 bikes, more than 2400kms and no mechanical problems. William’s Bike Shop and the team deserves a special mention. They simply understood and made it right. Can not recommend them highly enough.
None of the people of France will read this, but their incredible support along the route all hours of the day and night will remain a highlight of this event.
Ernst, my partner in crime, doing this alone was simply unimaginable.
The biggest thanks needs to go to Jayne. She did not even blink when asked to be part of this crazy adventure. She made so many sacrifices. Driving and sharing, on the other side of the road, a super huge camper van across the width of France for more than 1000km, dealing with cold showers, sleep deprivation, dealing with our tiredness and so many other things. Simply being the best support we could have possibly asked for.
She is definitely the unsung heroine of this expedition and a big reason for our success.
And to all of you, thank you for all the messages of support. Late in the dark desperate evenings on lonely French roads, knowing 1000s of km away people were watching and tracking our progress kept me going long after the fitness, sugar and caffeine gave out.