PBP Reflective Vests

Those of you planning to ride PBP this year have undoubtedly begun planning every detail to assure a most enjoyable and hassle-free grand randonnee'. Have you thought about your reflective gear? The word on the "ethereal street" is that your RUSA Sam Browne belt will not be sufficient this year. The PBP rules now state:


Article 9 : Equipment

According to French traffic law, a reflective vest MUST be worn when riding at night (safety standard number EN1150). This equipment must be presented at the bike check.

So how does a reflective vest meeting EN1150 compare to vests commonly available here? Several US clubs are already tackling this problem and arranging special orders from the same European sources that supply the Official PBP Commemorative Vest.

The manufacturer is L2S. The vest, known as VISIOPLUS is available in 4 fluorescent colors, yellow, orange, green and pink but not all sizes are available for these 4 colors. All apparently meet the European safety standard.

Yellow : XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL.
Orange : S,M,L,XL,2XL.
Green : S,M,L,XL,2XL.
Rose : XS,S,M,L,XL,2XL.

PA Randonneurs is planning to make a special purchase of these vests. Ron Anderson and Don Jagel have stepped up to take on the task of coordinating the order. The costs are not settled, but appear to range between $30 and $50 depending on order quantity and logos. Attendees of the Water Gap 200/300 brevet got to try on sample vests loaned to us by our friends at DC Randonneurs. As you can see, they are HIGHLY reflective.

Roy models a PBP vest. Everyone else in the room dons sunglasses

The current plans are to have the vest customized with the PA Randonneurs logo so you can show up for PBP in style. We have arranged to have another set of sample vests available for the April 30 400k in case you need another opportunity to try one on for size. If you have further questions or want to pre-order your vest, please contact Ron Anderson or Don Jagel.