Paris Brest Paris planning

[Mike Sturgill]

Hello Randos!

As you may (or may not) know, Paris Brest Paris (PBP) will be held next from 22-26 Aug, 2027. Here is the official website: paris-brest-paris.org There are specific criteria for "pre registration" and "actual registration" that go along with the entire registration process. Here is how it works.

Pre Registration:

The ACP (PBP hosts) fiscal year runs from Nov-Oct. Pre registrants are given priority to select their preferred starting divisions and times. This does not register you for the ride. It simply gets your foot in the door and holds your preferred spot for when you actually qualify to register (see below). Pre registration priority is given to those who have completed the longest ACP or LRM events between Nov 1, 2025 and Oct 31, 2026. It goes like this:

Top priority: 1000k ACP event or RM1200k or longer event completed
2nd priority: 600k ACP event
3rd priority: 400k ACP event
4th priority: 300k ACP event
5th priority: 200k ACP event
6th priority: No ACP event ridden between Nov 1, 2025 and Oct 31, 2026

Pre registration will open sometime in Jan 2027. That date is not yet published. Each of the priorities shown above will have a 2 week period in which to pre register. After that 2 weeks, then the next priority pre registers, etc.

Actual Registration:

In order to actually register to ride in PBP, everyone must complete a full ACP SR series consisting of 200k, 300k, 400k and 600k events between Nov 1, 2026 and the date that the ACP specifies that qualification ends. This is likely late June or early July 2027. The specifics of these qualifying rides may be found on the official web: paris-brest-paris.org/participer/#qualifications

The ACP fiscal year 2027 events (Nov 1, 2026 - Oct 31, 2027) will be scheduled during our normal RUSA calendar cycle - in Oct 2026. Stay tuned for the notification that I will send out requesting your input on next year's schedule. That will happen in September.

Why am I telling you this?

I (i.e. RUSA Mothership) have the ability to put ACP events on the local AZ Randos calendar. So, if you are in need of an event for Pre Registration, you can let me know the date (now thru Oct 31, 2026), distance and preferred location for the event. If you have a specific event in mind, that's even better! I will do my best to get it on the calendar on the date of your choosing. Keep in mind that the desert locations are a blast furnace in the summer months. If you request a 600k in the desert in August, I will not schedule it.

The fine print:

1. There is no guarantee that I will be able to get it on the calendar with your exact specifications, but I will try.
2. Any event placed on the calendar will be fully self-supported. 
3. The cost for the event will be minimal, just enough to help cover my expenses.

So, if you're interested in riding PBP next year, now is the time to start your preparation and planning. We, in AZ, have a lot of experience preparing for and riding the event. So, if you have questions, feel free to contact me directly, or send them out to this AZ Randos list to a wider audience. It's highly likely that we will be able to answer your questions. 

Let's do this!
-Mike
AZ RBA