Cycling enthusiast Chakravarthy Birur on his experience of taking part in the legendary Paris-Brest-Paris

The road to Paris was a long one for management professional Chakravarthy Birur and 54 other riders from India. They were there to take part in Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP), the oldest cycling event in the world, where cyclists cover 1230 km within 90 hours.

The youngest participant from India was 21 and the oldest 64, and 14 of them were from Tamil Nadu. To qualify, Birur, 46, had to first complete a 1000 km ride in 75 hours in 2014.

He did so with two hours to spare, riding from Chennai to Vijayawada, in an event conducted by Madras Randonneurs. He also had to complete brevets of 200, 300, 400 and 600 km between Nov 2014 and June 2015.

It was after riding all these kilometers through heat and dust and bad roads and rains was Birur able to apply and participate in the PBP 2015. Joining him from Tirupur were Karthikeyan, Yuvaraj and Sriganesh. Of the four, only Sriganesh completed the entire circuit, but took more hours than stipulated.

Upon landing in Paris, Birur, who is a partner in cycle store Cycology, discovered that the box containing his cycle was damaged; luckily, the cycle worked fine.

During the PBP, Birur rode through beautiful fields, and farmers and their families came out to encourage the riders. All along, the riders partook of water, black coffee (sometimes laced with cognac) and more.

Families sang for the riders to cheer them on. “Wherever you turned, the spirit of cycling reigned supreme,” says Birur, who started cycling only in 2012.

Unfortunately, during the ride, he faced a problem with his bicycle — the S hanger that holds the D Railer broke at the 321st kilometer. It could not be repaired and Birur had to drop out.

Of the 55 Indians who took part, 19 finished. “I was very upset and frustrated, but now I know what kind of dedication is required to complete the event,” he says.

What Birur remembers most from the trip to Paris is the respect accorded to cyclists. “Cycling is a culture in France. There are separate cycle tracks for cyclists in town. Other motorists give way to cyclists…”

Birur was backed by a large team, including his coaches Srinath Rajam and Dan Henessy, advisor Shrikumar, his core group of Coimbatore Cycling, Audex India Randonneuring, Shreyas Kumar from Delhi who completed PBP 2014 and Sulaiman Bhimani, Birur’s partner in Cycology, who provided technical help.

Despite the setback, Birur is waiting for a date with PBP 2019. “I’ll be four years older, but more prepared,” he smiles.

Coimbatore Cycling

Chakravarthy Birur is part of Coimbatore Cycling, which organizes regular rides from the city. “We have weekend rides, special rides… anyone who loves to cycle can join us,” he says. They announce rides on their Facebook page. Their Independence Day ride saw 47 riders go up to Avanashi and back.

For details, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/327903587325562/?fref=ts or call 98940-50227.