I read with interest the reciprocal correspondence from Bruce Everard and Bill Bryant. Mr. Bryant has presented an eloquent and patiently restrained response which should be commended. He has captured the spirit of this special form of our beloved sport in a way that is neither negative nor without valuable advice for rookies and "anciens" as well. After the disappointing results, as measured in terms of DNF %'s in 1987, the French required special rules for American qualifications for the 1991 PBP. Many dedicatedAmerican Randonneurs toiled through double qualifiers in 1990 and 1991, and many US Brevets were purposely made more difficult than the mere distances dictated in order to correct this situation. The resulting improvement will not remain permanent unless we remain diligent. Any participant in a timed endurance event, which has a reputation as one of sports ultimate challenges, should not be unduly confused or disap- pointed when failure to meet the decades-old time limit, even in the face of poor weather or mechanical failure, is not treated as a success. I know of what I speak,having failed to finish PBP in 1987 which failure required a renewed emphasis on successfully finishing this great event on my part.

I also want to commend RUSA for giving Mr. Everard's letter prominent and thorough coverage. This open attitude to posting critical treatment of RUSA shows self-confidence by your new organization, made for interesting reading and will benefit us all. I wish Bruce continued success and enthusiasm as a Randonneur and best wishes for a more successful PBP in 2003. I look forward to reading a proud letter from him after his 2003 finish "en moins de 90 hours"!
Dennis Hearst, RUSA #915: PBP 1979,1983,1991 & 1995

I received the PBP Yearbook and wanted to express my gratitude for putting these stories and information together. Thank you. I appreciate your devotion and the endless time you spend helping to make the Randonneurs USA a magnifi- cent organization. It is hard for me to believe that PBP occurred a year ago. Receiving the yearbook was a wonderful gift. I will share it with my family and friends, helping them to experience other peoples challenges and triumphs. While reading some of the stories over this weekend, tears were literally streaming down my cheeks as I became engaged in their moments. A truly remarkable life event. I will be there in 2003. Thank you for all that you do.
Tom Zaharis

Received the PBPYearbook and am very impressed. I haven't had time yet to read all the articles but it's receiving good reviews among the locals. Mike Rachelson,our lone DNF at PBP,had pretty much given up the sport until he received the Yearbook. I spoke to him the other day and he had read the whole book,cover to cover. His response was "I've just GOT to go back and try PBP again". I'm going to see if our local branch library will put it on their shelves. Thanks for all your efforts.
Mike DeLong, RBA - Altanta