The bikes are as varied as the riders. You see tricycles, tandems, triples, recumbents, and various combinations. Amidst the pain there's a sort of mass euphoria that transforms the event into something truly special. Gilbert says that many of the folks who dropped out did so due to joint pain - knee, back, neck, and such, so you'll want to have a good endurance base. Folks ride all kinds of bikes, but Gilbert prefers a good steady touring bike with a long wheelbase.
Many riders use triple cranksets, too.
When Gilbert gets talking he covers a lot of territory, and this write-up doesn't really do justice to the mass of interesting details and stories which he related, such as crawling around on the pavement in the middle of the night trying to feel out turn sign which had been pasted to the road in a roundabout out in the middle of the French countryside. Nor does it fully catch the stories that Steve, Richard, and Al offered. Al Johnson presented a series of slides that he had taken, that further brought the event to life. The racing team would have a developmental emphasis and would encourage riders to both improve their cycling skills and participate in organized road race events. The proposal was approved by unanimous vote and Rich Hunt was elected to the position of racing committee chair, as called for by the NCBC bylaws.