By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Area randonneuring enthusiasts Todd Williams (left), Tom Brane and Fred Heiselman journeyed to France to participate in the Paris-Brest-Paris 1,200-kilometer race. The three finished, as did another local man, Joe Martin (not pictured). The Cincinnati Enquirer/ERNEST COLEMAN

Learning how to ride a bike is one thing. Cycling 783 straight miles with the option of not sleeping or eating or drinking - for enjoyment, no less - is something else entirely.

Todd Williams of Wyoming describes it as relaxing. North College Hill's Tom Brane calls it insanity.

The French just call it randonneuring, or unsupported long-distance bicycling. The gist of randonneuring is camaraderie instead of competition, where one's time isn't as important as finishing within a time limit.

The goal of one particular 1,200-kilometer trek, the storied Paris-Brest-Paris, is finishing in 90 hours amid hills, darkness and temperamental weather. Randonneurs USA labels the 113-year-old race - held every four years - a "grueling test of human endurance and cycling ability."

Of the 4,184 entrants, 115 did not start. Another 598 did not finish.

Brane and Williams, along with Fred Heiselman of Loveland and Joe Martin of Park Hills, were among the 3,471 who pedaled to glory. Each member of the quartet, which belongs to RUSA and the Cincinnati Cycle Club, had different ideas of how to get from beginning to end.

Williams, a 43-year-old dentist, didn't waste a second. The avid cyclist is known for his stellar endurance, shredding 15,000 miles a year and accepting any good biking challenge. He's the kind of guy who goes on a family vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina ... and bikes back home.

He knew what to expect from the race, thanks to his 1999 Paris-Brest-Paris debut.

He was so devoted to trimming his time, he didn't notice the countryside change as he rode.

"I had a different experience than a lot of the riders. They got to see the scenery and castles," said Williams, who was the fifth American finisher and 111th overall. "I saw some pictures after the race and people said, 'Did you see that?' and I wasn't sure. But I was glad to be in my bed all those hours after I was done."

Williams neither slept nor squandered break times during the PBP. With 186 miles to go, Williams did stop to call his wife, Kitty, and wish her a happy 20th wedding anniversary. "Get back on the bike and get going," she said. So he did.

His 55-hour, 58-minute performance was so fast, it landed him among one of 23 Americans in the history of the race who qualified for the PBP's elite La Societe Charly Miller.

Brane, a 29-year-old teacher, and Heiselman, a 45-year-old dentist, had no such aspirations. Only a year before, Brane had stumbled across randonneuring on the Internet and decided to pursue it. Heiselman, who got into biking to lower his cholesterol, was intrigued by entries on his Ohio Bicycle Events calendar.

"It sounded fun ... and very tortuous," Brane said. "I'd ridden 300 miles by myself before I ever got into it. I guess you get to a point where you're like, 'What's next?' "

The duo buddied up during two of the four brevets, or qualifiers, in Columbus. They had a game plan for the PBP: work hard the first half of the race, smell the roses for the second half.

Initially they slept two to three hours a night. They ate when they needed to and chatted with French fans who lined the course.

"One of the most interesting things was one morning, at about 5 a.m., when a man stood in the middle of the road and started waving his arms," Heiselman said.

The Americans thought he was greeting them and responded, "Bonjour!" The Frenchman looked stricken.

"Turns out his cows had gotten loose all over the road and he just wanted to warn us," Heiselman said, laughing.

Brane finished in 82 hours, 27 minutes. Heiselman, who slept five hours his third night, finished in 85:57.

But if there was a racer who pedaled to his own beat, it was Martin, a 48-year-old retired surgeon.

"I was the slowest," admitted Martin, who rolled in at 87:12.

That was by design. Martin cycled only 56 hours of the tour, spending two nights in hotel rooms and another in a gymnasium. He didn't rush to refill his water bottles or eat meals, so he didn't feel tired or hungry upon his return to Paris.

In the final stretch, he began biking at 2 a.m., finished at 3 p.m. and was greeted by his wife and a friend at the race's end. They presented a cake and champagne to celebrate his 48th birthday.

"If I were to do (the PBP) again in 2007, I think I'd like to improve my time a little bit," said Martin, who will be a bike guide in the south of France for four weeks this summer. "Maybe get it under 80 hours."

The other three ultra-marathoners raved about the French hospitality, groaned about the physical demands and agreed they'd do it again in a heartbeat.

"Looking back now, I can't believe I did it," Brane said. "Especially when I drive 700 miles."

All four devote as much time to training as possible. Though the PBP just passed, it's always a challenge looming ahead.

"Only 42 months 'til the next one," Williams said, laughing.

E-mail srussell@enquirer.com