"Tim McNamara" wrote in message
...

It's a magnificent event that may be killed by its own success. In
1976, there were 666 starters which was, I believe, the largest field
that had been seen up until then. In 2003 there were almost 4100
starters! It was a magnificent thing to be part of, but I wonder if
that number of riders can be accommodated indefinitely on French back
roads and in villages with fewer people than the riders. All the French
were incredibly supportive and enthusiastic, maybe the fact that it only
happens every 4 years is a saving grace.

The same inbalance between riders and small town populations occurs on
RAGBRAI, the annual bike ride across Iowa, where 10,000 bicyclists and
assorted groupies descend on towns that may have 6,000 or so inhabitants.
That's a different situation, though. Since the riders spend the night and
are on vacation, there's a decent amount of money to be made off the
cyclists. It's a different situation with a timed control ride like PBP, I
would think.