Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic

Last weekend I rode in the STP for the first time. This 200-mile bicycle ride is the largest multi-day bicycle event in the Northwest, with up to 10,000 participants riding from Seattle to Portland in  either one or two days. I rode it with my wife Michelle, my father-in-law Greg, and our friends Elisa and Shelley. We opted for the two day version.

Day one was awesome! It started out cloudy and ended up sunny and beautiful by the time we arrived at the halfway point in Centralia. Along the way we witnessed a few crashes and many flat tires; luckily none of them were people from our group. We had smooth sailing for the most part. However my father-in-law and I did have to make some creative pit stops along the way. It was fun pretending like we lost the peloton when we got back on the bikes and chased our group down. For the most part my body cooperated on day one. However, by the time we arrived in Centralia, my bum was thanking me profusely for getting off the bike seat.

We arrived at Centralia Community College to find Greg's wife Lynn (Thanks Lynn! You rock!) waiting for us with an awesome spot for our tents. We were all thankful to see her there with the chairs set up and cold beverages in the cooler.We were all starved by the time we rode the 100 miles to Centralia in spite of having quite a bit to munch along the way so we quickly showered and headed to dinner. Azteca is usually quick to serve, but not quick enough for our tired bodies. When we were finished with the third bowl of salsa , Michelle threatened to lick it clean and take a bite out of the bowl. Thankfully our food came, so no worries about porcelain splinters. After our walk back to the college, we headed for the tents for some rest before our 5:30 a.m. wake-up call. Unfortunately, we were next to the disco dance party tent. I awoke around midnight as Michelle was on her way out the tent to ask them to put the music to bed for the night.

Day 2 was mentally and physically tougher than day 1 for sure. It might have something to do with the fact that my training did not include any back to back rides! Anyhow, thankfully I had some GU's with me, as I hit a dizzy spell with around 30 miles to go...the last few miles through Portland was stop and go with many traffic lights, but it was really cool riding through the city. All in all we had an awesome time. I definitely wish to  do this again in a few years. We had to choose between a shower or the beer garden when we were done, as our bus back to Seattle was set to leave at 7:00 pm. The choice was easy....we sat around and had a few beers to celebrate our two day ride.

On a side note, I continue being impressed with my father-in-law. He is in incredible shape. There is a picture of him in the dictionary next to the word work horse. I hope to be riding as strong as he is when I am his age. (Heck, I would even settle for riding like he is at my current age!)