2015 LPB info

It is about time I got this puppy up and running.

The 2015 edition of Le Petit Brevet will take place on the 7/8th November.

Leaving Hanson Park at 7am on the Saturday morning you have 36 hours to complete the 301km course.
This year we are going back to the first editions route with a couple of changes. There is a nice 8km or so singletrack climb near the beginning which is rocky in places. Cross bikes and rigid forks will make this a little more challenging.

Here is an overview of the course:

Yep, you read correctly, 8767m of climbing so 100m short of an "Everest" but in my experience these mapping programmes under estimate the elevation by a fair bit :-)

Here is a link to the ridewithgps page http://ridewithgps.com/routes/10717838

I will get the cue sheets sorted in the next week and will add resupply points off route etc. I will also provide a .gpx file.

The logistics of this ride can be challenging as there are limited resupply points on Banks Peninsular , so plan accordingly.
Here is a quick breakdown of resupply points (not down to the meter), of course all of this is dependant on when you get to the various points:
11km - Sumner
39km - Spring/Water
59km - OFF Route - Diamond Harbour
69km - OFF Route - Water at Port Levy School
110km - OFF Route - Little River
133km - Water at Little Akaloa Domain
147km - OFF Route Okains Bay Store (sporadic hours) also water at the Okains Bay School
182km - Akaroa
191km - Duvauchelle
233km - OFF Route - Little River
270km - Lincoln

The first year the LPB ran, a Southerly blew through catching some people out. Be prepared, it is very exposed at points on the course.

Sign up by sending me an email to lepetitbrevet@gmail.com

Cheers, Scott

The day after (edited 2100hrs Monday)

Thank you to the 22 crazy peeps who started this year's event.

These are the finish times that I know of on Monday morning:
Times are finish time on Sunday.
Andy Beale (Single Speed!) 0633
Dave Cooper 0633
Hamish Southcote 0650
Aaron Scott 0652
Fluer Pawsey 0753
Dean Ford 0753
Brian Alder 1204
Rob Davidson 1204
Alistair McDowell 1214
Peter Maindonald 1405
Lee Maddox 1800 (with some course deviations)
Matt Hughes 1958
Paul Harrison Lowe 2010
Noel Whiteside 2110
Jon Jarrett, pulled out at Double Fenceline
Kieran McGuigan, pulled out at Dyers Pass and headed home at 1815
Charlotte Ireland and Jude Young, pulled out before Akaroa and "toured" back to Christchurch
Rik Unthank, pulled the plug at Akaroa with sickness
Jurgen Muller, pulled the plug with sickness
Jason Flood, pulled out at Hilltop with knackered glutes!
Andre Galbraith, completed a recovery ride of 100kms between two big events bookending LPB

More to follow this week.

Please send through course reports and photos to here

Thanks, Scott

One day to go!

Last night a friend and I braved the southerly to ride the Double Fenceline section of the course. This section can be tricky in this direction, more so if it is dark or if the visibility is reduced.
It was absolutely freezing up there last night with hail, rain and very strong southerly winds. It was fantastic! What better way to spend a Thursday evening? Please take note about these conditions, there are some VERY exposed sections on this course, be aware.

The weather is still forecast for occasional rain with northwest winds changing to southwest:

The Double Fenceline track is actually pretty easy to follow (when you can see it) with only one or two sticky points which I will hopefully with the cues. There are like about a million fences to cross and some short sections which you will have to walk. I will write up cues for this section and hand them out tomorrow morning.
I have not had many questions from people about the course so I am taking that as meaning you are all confident with the map and cues provided.
Please note that Western Valley Road, which drops down into Little River from the end of the Double Fenceline, has some really rough sections on it currently. There are a few areas with very large and loose gravel, take care on this descent.

The view down towards Little River and Lake Forsyth

There is water available in Little Akaloa at a toilet block in the Domain, on you right has you head down the valley about 200m before the beach. There is a tap at the school in Le Bons Bay which is opposite the shops which is slightly off route.

I hope you have all signed up for the tracking on VORB so everyone can track your progress.

The view down into Pigeon Bay

One last thing, I heard from a fellow participant who had been out on the course doing some training on Le Bons Bay Rd. and found a drawstring bag with some tools and duck tape in it, if you lost this please let me know.

Enjoy a relaxing day, see you tomorrow morning. Start time 7am at Hansen Park.

Cheers, Scott

Monday's update

Hi, hopefully you are all starting to get excited about the weekend's fun?

The weather is looking marginal - warm but wet:

Make sure you are carrying enough equipment and clothing. Remember this is a self supported event, you either have to carry it or buy it on the way!
The first year the LPB was run there was a pretty cold Southerly that blew in overnight on the Saturday. A few people got caught out and spent an uncomfortable few hours in the public toilet in Little River! There are some very exposed sections so carry a waterproof layer and some extra food. Understand your own experience levels and tolerance for being wet.

As an added bonus this year Rik from VORB has set up a live tracking system which can be found here. Everything you need to know can be found here: https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=FC25F25EBFE045AE!280&app=Word 
Basically you need to sign up to VORB, grab an app for your Android phone (sorry only Android, no iPhones) follow the instructions from the link above.
Make sure you tell all of your friends and loved ones then ride, ride, ride :-)

I am assuming everyone who had registered an interest via email has received the cues, if not flick me an email here

Until tomorrow, Scott

This time next week it'll be all over

Hello one n all,
Well this time next Sunday evening you will be all finished and probably tucked up in bed with a mug of Milo.
I have adjusted the map on mapometer here to reflect the Packhorse Hut section more accurately. I rode this section today with a friend, it's in primo condition and really adds something to the ride. I wish we had been up here before now!
The cues are ready also and I will email these out to everyone who has emailed me with an intention to start.
If you haven't received the cues and you think you should have or you would like to receive them please flick me an email at lepetitbrevet@gmail.com
The cues are in an Excel file are designed for you to format however you want them.
The .gpx file can be downloaded from the mapometer link above.
That's all for tonight.
Start getting some sleep in the bank, cheers, Scott

Back in the country!

Hi everyone, I am back in the country and am ticking away on bits in pieces.
I have the cue sheets which Brian did up for us and am just going over them. I hope to release these by Sunday evening.
We have about 16 names in the hat so far.
More to follow.
I hope your training and prep is all going well.
Cheers, Scott

All good things come to those that wait

Hi, sorry for the lack of communication, that damn life thing, it gets in the way!!

OK, here is the link to the route LPB2014. 278kms with estimated 6350m climbing. In my experience you can probably add another 1000m onto that, but the distance will be pretty accurate.

The cues are being written as I type.

You will notice a couple of changes from years past, there is more flat, but there is also more single track. We are riding more of, and around, the Port Hills as well as Banks Peninsular.

There are some areas where having a good handle on the map/cues will be paramount for out of towners.
Also there are a couple of track near the end of the route which are technical, you will likely be tired, if it's dark are you are unsure WALK your bike, better that than a trip to hospital, I am specifically talking about Captain Thomas track from Evans Pass down to Sumner. There are a couple of rock drops which can be hairy.
Castle Rock and Greenwood Tracks can be interesting in the dark, as can the Mount Pleasant Shared Track.
Also please note that if it is/has been raining that these tracks are often closed. If this is the case on "event day" then you will have to ride the road. We will update you on this on the start line.

I have the wonderful help of Brian Alder this year which is a big help.

The event will start at 7am on the 15th November. 

Any questions please flick me an email at lepetitbrevet@gmail.com. I would be keen to receive an idea of numbers, so if you are thinking you'll be turning up please flick me an email and I'll make sure I keep you in the loop.

Please note I will be out of the country for the next three weeks so may not respond immediately, I will be in touch ASAP though.

Pedal on, Scott and Brian