Bring back the Bordeaux-Paris!

[55by11]

Pair up cyclists with well-known rally, touring car, F1, etc., drivers, put big windshields on the back of the cars and make it a fast, exciting, different spectacle that would create interest, media coverage & controversy. End the season with a bang!

 

[Irish2009]

Moto GP riders

 

[avanti]

I would love to see the B-P brought back - stay with motor bikes and perhaps run it every three or four years.
(However traffic furniture might be a hazard these days)

 

[sherer]

I read about this old race awhile ago. Was thinking at the time it would be great to have something like this for amatuers but I think i'd never finish half of it even in 2 days

 

[Le breton]

I read about this old race awhile ago. Was thinking at the time it would be great to have something like this for amatuers but I think i'd never finish half of it even in 2 days

it would be great to have something like this for amateurs

Go look here if you want to participate in 2012 to the 19th edition
http://www.cyclos-cyclotes.org/bp/presentation_bp.html
(look for the english version)
You even have a 60 hours option.

The last Bordeaux-Paris with Burdin motorcycles took place in 1985.
Since less and less pros were willing to sacrifice one month of their season with special training for B-P, they had a dwindling peloton at the start, maybe a dozen racers in 85.

To try to save B-P they opened to race to everybody, but without motorcycle.

That formula lasted 3 years : 1986-7-8.

I took part in 86 and 88. We were many hundreds, I don't believe we reached 1 000. Lots of memories, such as my longest breakaway ever : 350 km with 11 other amateurs and 2 pros at age 46+. There were about 50 pros at the start those years.

The current Bordeaux-Paris - 19th edition in 2012 - has no relation at all with the "old" one which lasted from 1891 to 1988. 5-10 years ago I read a number of complaints every year from participants about the current organizers, but not so in recent years.

PS : I went to look for the classification of the 2011 edition, didn't find it, but here it is for 2008
http://www.velovelo.com/article.php3?id_article=6108