Every four years, thousands of cyclists from around the world set out on one of the oldest and most demanding challenges in cycling: riding from Paris to the coastal town of Brest and back again, entirely under their own power, within a set time limit. In 2027, Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) returns for its 21st edition, and preparation for riders hoping to take part has already begun. Here is what you need to know.

WHAT IS PARIS-BREST-PARIS?

Paris-Brest-Paris is a 1,220-kilometer randonneuring event, meaning it is not a race in the traditional sense but a timed, self-supported endurance ride open to amateurs of all backgrounds. Riders climb roughly 11,000 meters over the course and must finish within their allotted time, riding through the night with no outside support beyond what is permitted at official checkpoints. The 2027 edition is expected to draw around 8,000 participants from roughly 70 countries.

The event is organized by the Audax Club Parisien (ACP), in cooperation with the Fédération Française de Cyclotourisme (FFVélo). In August 2026, the two organizations formally signed the agreement setting out how the 2027 edition will be run, confirming the partnership that underpins the event.

A BRIEF HISTORY

The story of Paris-Brest-Paris stretches back to 1891, when the newspaper Le Petit Journal organized the first edition as a race for pioneers of competitive cycling.

In 1931 it staged the first Paris-Brest-Paris specifically for randonneurs, rather than professional racers. Forty-four riders, including five women, completed that inaugural amateur edition in under 96 hours despite poor weather.

Although PBP has not been a formal race since 1951, it is still timed from start to finish, and a genuine competitive contest plays out among the strongest riders. At the 2023 edition, American Nick DeHaan was the first finisher, covering the 1,219-kilometer course in 41:46:30 at an average of 29.18 km/h and breaking the modern-era record by more than 40 minutes.

Riders must check in electronically at control points along the route, and organizers can disqualify riders who fail to comply with the rules. Time penalties can also be applied for unauthorized outside assistance and other rule violations.

DATES FOR THE 2027 EDITION

Paris-Brest-Paris 2027 will run from Sunday 22 August 2027 through Thursday 26 August, with riders departing from Rambouillet, southwest of Paris, in staggered waves.

THE ROUTE

ACP president Luc Coppin has announced the first details of the 2027 route, with full course details expected to be released early next year. What is confirmed so far:

  • The route has been substantially reworked compared with 2023, with only the second and 14th stages remaining unchanged.
  • A large loop through Brittany will be ridden clockwise, a change from previous editions.
  • Riders will pass through Roz-sur-Couesnon and Pleine-Fougères, both offering views toward the legendary bay of Mont Saint-Michel.
  • The route will also take in Chartres, home to the city’s world-famous cathedral.
  • Beyond the start and finish in Rambouillet, the towns confirmed to host control points are Mortagne-au-Perche, Villaines-la-Juhel, Fougères, Tinténiac, Pontivy (new), Pleyben (new), Brest, Callac (new), Loudéac, Roz-sur-Couesnon, Pleine-Fougères (new) and Chartres (new).

QUALIFYING RULES

Riding PBP is not simply a matter of signing up. Every participant must first complete a qualifying series of Brevets des Randonneurs Mondiaux (BRMs) — non-competitive, self-paced endurance rides held in almost 70 countries and organized under strict time limits:

  • BRM 200: 13 hours 30 minutes
  • BRM 300: 20 hours
  • BRM 400: 27 hours
  • BRM 600: 40 hours
  • BRM 1,000: 75 hours

For 2027, riders must complete a full qualifying series covering the 200-, 300-, 400- and 600-kilometer distances before the PBP start. A longer brevet can substitute for a shorter requirement — a 300-kilometer brevet can stand in for the mandatory 200, for example — but all four minimum distances must be covered.

BRMs completed in 2026 are optional but carry a real benefit: they determine how early a rider can pre-register and, in turn, which starting wave they can choose. The longer the qualifying ride completed, the earlier a rider may pre-register.

REGISTRATION

Registration for PBP 2027 happens in two stages.

Pre-registration, which costs 50 euros, is optional and opens on a staggered schedule based on the longest BRM a rider completed. It begins 16 January 2027 and continues until 27 March, when it opens for riders without a BRM in 2026. The main benefit of pre-registering is the ability to select a starting wave.

Final registration runs from Saturday 29 May 2027 to Sunday 04 July. To register, riders must have completed at least three of the four mandatory qualifying BRMs by the day they register, with the fourth to be completed no later than 04 July. The overall field is capped at 8,000 riders, with 2,500 places reserved for French participants.

The registration fee has not yet been announced — it was €120 in 2023. Organizers have confirmed that it will include GPX route files and course signage, a high-visibility vest and official bottle, the rider logbook and its waterproof case, the frame plate and timing chip, luggage storage at the start, online tracking through the checkpoints, a meal at the finish and the official finisher’s medal.

STARTING WAVES

Riders depart in waves roughly every 15 minutes, spread across Sunday afternoon and evening and Monday morning:

  • Sunday 22 August, 16:00 to 16:45 — solo bikes, 80-hour limit
  • Sunday 22 August, 17:00 — tandems, triplets and other multi-rider or special bikes, 90-hour limit
  • Sunday 22 August, 17:15 — women-only wave, 90-hour limit
  • Sunday 22 August, 17:45 to 21:15 — solo bikes, 90-hour limit
  • Monday 23 August, 05:00 to 05:45 — solo bikes, 84-hour limit
  • Monday 23 August, 06:00 — all bike types, 84-hour limit

WHAT MAKES BPB DIFFERENT

Unlike a UCI Gran Fondo or an amateur stage race, Paris-Brest-Paris has no official winner, no prize purse and no ranked results in the competitive sense — although times are recorded and the fastest riders are widely recognized within the ultra-distance cycling community. Its appeal lies elsewhere: in the challenge of covering 1,220 kilometers and 11,000 meters of climbing largely without sleep, in the camaraderie among riders from dozens of countries, and in the warm reception from small French towns along the route, where volunteers and spectators turn out around the clock to cheer riders on.

For riders who complete the course within the time limit, their names are added to the PBP honor roll — a venerated list that, after 2023, already carried more than 26,000 names stretching back over 130 years.

2027 Paris-Brest-Paris official website HERE

View 2023 Paris-Brest-Paris Brochure HERE

Photo Credit: Paris Brest Paris

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