Originally conceived of and run by Pierre Giffard, editor of the French newspaper, "Le Petit Journal" in 1891, Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) is the oldest timed bicycle event you can participate in today.  Giffard hit upon the idea of a cycling event of enormous proportions.  This was not going to be any mere race; this was going to be a test.  He had conceived of a test "not primarily of speed but brains, skill and endurance." He had hit upon the idea of a 750 mile (1200 km) event going from Paris to Brest on the Atlantic Ocean and returning to Paris.

At daybreak on Sunday, September 6, 1891, 206 riders left a cheering crowd in front of Le Petit Journal. The race was between Charles Terront and Jacques Jiel-Laval. There could not have been two more different riders than Terront and Jiel-Laval. Terront was hot-blooded and impetuous. Jiel-Laval, on the other hand, was coldly calculating, sticking methodically to an hour-by-hour schedule from which he would not deviate. In the end, the mad, impetuous Terront won the first PBP in 71 hours 22 minutes, even by today's standards a very respectable time. His closest finisher, the ice-water veined Jiel-Laval, finished 8 hours behind Terront. Terront had battled fatigue with nothing more than strong French coffee.

Encouraged by the success and notoriety of PBP, another Frenchman started the modern Olympics. The Tour de France was started in 1903, again inspired by Paris-Brest-Paris. No other bicycle race held today is as old as PBP. Only Liege-Bastogne-Liege comes close and it is 13 years the younger.

Because of the arduous nature of PBP, it was initially held every 10 years. Racers would rather do 10 races of 75 miles a year than one race of 750 miles. The 1931 PBP was the first time another class of rider would appear at PBP, the randonneur (literally, super-tourist). With the inclusion of the randonneur class came the time limit of 90 hours (8.5 mph average) to complete PBP. Jules Tranchant won the randonneur class with a very impressive time of 68 hours 30 minutes.

There was no PBP in 1941 due to WWII, but in 1948 it was revived. To get it back on schedule, it was held every five years, then, every four. PBP was now an amateur event put on by the Audax Club Parisien (Don't bother trying to find "audax" in a French dictionary; you won't find it! "Audax" comes directly from the Latin word meaning "bold" or "daring."). Qualifying rides known as brevets (literally "diplomas") were instituted to bring in only the best. These brevets are run as a series with each succeeding brevet longer in distance starting at 200, then 300, 400 and 600 km. For each brevet randonneurs are given a detailed set of route instruction and a control card that must be stamped at stations along the route. Riders were also required to have fenders on their machines. The number of eager riders continued to grow with each running of PBP as well as the reputation of the ride internationally.  With time, Paris-Brest-Paris had truly become what Pierre Giffard intended - not just a race, but a test.

Americans performed dismally in 1987 and caused a change in the qualifying rules for Americans: if you had never before completed PBP, you had to do the qualifiers for PBP two years in a row. The idea was this would strengthen the resolve of the American riders. If nothing else, it would bring in only the most determined ones.

1998 was a landmark year for randonneuring in the U.S. with the creation of Randonneurs USA (RUSA). RUSA is a volunteer, not-for-profit organization whose primary goals are to promote randonneuring in the USA and to serve the USA's randonneuring community. RUSA is sanctioned by the Audax Club Parisien and affiliated with the Randonneurs Mondiaux. It essentially replaces the archaic and ineffective International Randonneurs.

RUSA is the brainchild of a group of Randonneurs who got together to improve the Randonneur situation in this country. The RUSA Executive Committee is a hard-working, conscientious core-group committed to making RUSA work. RUSA represents all of you who are active and enthusiastic Brevet participants and those who want to participate in Paris-Brest-Paris, the crown jewel event of Randonneur Cycling, run by the Audax Club Parisien (ACP).

Although, Paris-Brest-Paris is a focal point, for most Randonneurs, there are other brevets, Randonnees, Fleches, and 1200 km events that take place in the US. As much as PBP is a truly wonderful experience, you need not leave this continent to enjoy a host of superb cycling events. RUSA's goal is to make the US randonneuring experience as rewarding as possible for each participant.

A Short History of Randonneuring in Seattle

Serious randonneuring started in the Seattle area with a small but intrepid band of randonneurs in 1990. They were our pathfinders in their preparations for the 1991 centennial PBP. Unfortunately Seattle was not sanctioned by the U.S.'s parent randonneuring authority International Randonneurs (IR) in Syracuse, NY to stage brevets. The two years of qualifying required extensive traveling; the nearest brevets were in Vancouver, BC; Portland, Ore; and Davis, Calif. For that historic event in 1991 11 went to Paris, 10 were rookies and 10 finished.

In 1994 Seattle was blessed by IR to hold brevets and Seattle International Randonneurs (SIR) was born. The routes were tough and the SIRs equal to the challenge. In 1995 17 went to Paris, 16 finished and all 15 rookies stayed the coarse (95% finish rate). For this performance Seattle International Randonneurs (SIR) was awarded one of two Ville de Paris gold medals. In 2003 SIR sent 41 riders to Paris. Thirty-seven finished PBP giving SIR the fifth highest completion ranking among foreign clubs. SIR was awarded the Coupe Ville contrôle de Tinteniac trophy by the Audax Club Parisien. It's also worth noting that three of the top five finishing clubs were country contingents, not just local clubs.

SIR has grown steadily over the years. In 2006 the membership topped 150, making SIR the largest club in the country. In 2005, riders on SIR events pedaled 215,720 kilometers. SIR is a non-profit organization run by volunteers aspiring to keep local randonneuring active and healthy. Not all members have the goal of riding PBP but we all desire to participate in the camaraderie of randonneuring.

SIR's events are held in the rural areas of western Washington and vary from year to year. Distances range from 100 kilometers to 1,200 kilometers in the Cascade 1200. Safe routes are of primary importance with scenic beauty and challenging terrain our hallmark. Route locations range from the Olympic Peninsula and Hood Canal area to the Cascade passes and beyond. Although this style of graduated distance unsupported riding is designed so that most anyone can participate, it is not for everyone. A strong desire to finish is far more important than a competitive spirit.

What people say about their PBP experience:

"If you, like me, are at that age normally considered "over the hill," think again. Sure, we're not going to compete in the Olympics, play at Wimbledon, or win a stage in the Tour de France, but we still have the opportunity to accept the challenge of a world class event, PBP."

"Well-wishers lined the streets. Was I imagining things, or were they cheering? "Beaucoup de courage," "Bonne chance," "Allez," 'Bonne route..." we would hear these words of encouragement throughout the entire ride, day and night. These people love "the effort," and they let you know. I loved it! Over the next few days, I slapped dozens of children's high fives."

"What a thrill it was to eat breakfast with Lon Haldeman, Scott Dickson, Pete Penseyres, and Bob Breedlove. Yep, this is a cyclist's Mecca."
Jack Payne - Sacramento, CA.

"Later, when I stopped to get my water bottles filled, a group of children ran up to me with pens and, pieces of paper in their hands. They wanted my autograph! Boy, that's all the fuel I needed for the next hundred miles."
Barry Black - Independant, MD.

"The PBP experience is like no other, uniquely different for each of us, as different as our personalities. I like to call PBP the "Woodstock of Cycling" and it happens every four years."

"For the push to the finish I joined up with an international pack. It was midnight of our fourth evening out, the pace kept quickening with the Swedes in front and the French keeping every one loose with song."

"Motor traffic would follow endlessly, until it was unquestionably safe to pass. I observed this phenomenon repeatedly on PBP. This respect for cyclists brought me to tears."

"I was now wearing the commemorative official French PBP jersey and noticed the crowds would cheer just a little louder when I came by, hollering to one of their own, "bon chance" "bon courage" holding out their hand for a slap from a champion. What an adrenaline hit. Four years is to long-a-time to wait."
John Wagner - Seattle International Randonneurs

"The kindness and respect I felt during this ride was overwhelming. The French take this ride very seriously and I begin to feel a strong responsibly to finish."

"Zipping through a small French village at six AM in dire need of coffee my friend yells out in desperation "Cafe!?" An older French woman yells out from her house to come in. Here we are treated to huge bowls of cafe au lait. When she and her husband find out we are Americans they breakout World War II pictures. They wake up their son to meet us and we are humbled by their treatment of two perfect strangers."

"The hardest thing I have ever done? Undoubtedly.  Will I ever do it again! In a minute. This was not just a bike ride but a cultural enriching experience."