# STP solo... is it worth it?



## h2o-x

The other three guys who were committed to ride the STP with me have all pulled out. The last one bailed yesterday. I have a couple days to decide if I am going to bail and get a partial refund. 

The idea of spending 10+ hours in the saddle without camaraderie is not all that enthralling. I know there will 10,000 other riders on the course, but it's not the same as being part of a group. 

Has anyone out there done it solo? 

Keith


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## Argentius

Yeah, I did it last year. Pretty cool weather out, actually, and no headwind. I had arm warmers for the first bit.



h2o-x said:


> The other three guys who were committed to ride the STP with me have all pulled out. The last one bailed yesterday. I have a couple days to decide if I am going to bail and get a partial refund.
> 
> The idea of spending 10+ hours in the saddle without camaraderie is not all that enthralling. I know there will 10,000 other riders on the course, but it's not the same as being part of a group.
> 
> Has anyone out there done it solo?
> 
> Keith


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## danielc

Its true that having your buddies there is so much better but when I last did it many years ago with my brother we ended up hooking up with a couple of guys riding our tempo and we just stayed together. STP in one day isn't really a ride where you'll be talking much when on the road. As I remember there were lots of really long pace lines and half the time you're worried about the wheel in front of you. Rest stops are another issue though, but again if you hook up with people while on the road I'm sure you'll be able to coordinate at stops and such. 

All I have to say though is that the first time was my last time.


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## tuffguy1500

danielc said:


> ... All I have to say though is that the first time was my last time.


I said that after my first 1 day effort. I started with a group of 7 and finished with one other person. I learned a lot about distance riding on that trip, like how to drink water no matter what!! I swore I'd never do it again, but now a friend is trying to talk me into a 10 hour one day effort on TT bikes, and I gotta say it is definitely tempting!!


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## donttazmebro

i did the 2 day by myself the first time. it was my first century and my first double century. I very much enjoyed it and you are never alone for long.

I did it in one day the following year and decided i'll never do that again.


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## bigbill

Twice with friends, twice solo. A bunch of fast guys and some not so fast guys take off first. Find your pace and you'll find a group you'll fit in. If you're a rider that is comfortable in a 21-23 mph paceline, bypass the 25 mile rest stop and keep riding to the stop past the climb at around 45 miles. Leaving that rest stop, you'll find a group you can take you to Centralia and Longview if you can stay with them. Avoid groups larger than 7-8 riders so you don't have to deal with the slinky effect of braking and accelerating.


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## ChilliConCarnage

This will be my sixth STP (yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment), and it looks like I might be riding it solo. To be honest, riding solo can be EASIER, and in many ways, more enjoyable. You can find the pacelines throughout the day that you're comfortable with, there's no waiting for other people at rest stops, no worrying about somebody else having a mechanical and slowing you down, and no problem with the fitness level of your group members not matching. It's a very carefree way of doing it.


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## smcnees

I've done solo ('09) and with a group ('10). Riding alone was definitely more difficult since I wasn't guaranteed to have drafting partners the whole way like I was last year. It was still fun and challenging though. Both years my wife an sag and I think that made a huge difference since I could ignore all the organized (and chaotic) rest stops and meet her on the side of the road for quick food/drink/rest stops.


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## PdxMark

I've only done it solo. It's fine. STP is a good personal benchmark. I'd do it for sure.


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## h2o-x

I appreciate the input. I am disappointed, but I think I'll ride it any way. It shouldn't take much to convince my family to drive down to Portland to hang out for the weekend and drive me home.
Thanks,
Keith


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## danielc

ChilliConCarnage said:


> This will be my sixth STP (yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment), and it looks like I might be riding it solo. To be honest, riding solo can be EASIER, and in many ways, more enjoyable. You can find the pacelines throughout the day that you're comfortable with, there's no waiting for other people at rest stops, no worrying about somebody else having a mechanical and slowing you down, and no problem with the fitness level of your group members not matching. It's a very carefree way of doing it.


Good points..I remember one guy in the group we made up on the road would take his shoes off at rest stops and sort of laid down.. with 50 miles left in the ride my bro and I decided to split off from them as we were clearly stronger at that point in the ride. 

I like the idea of a spouse sagging and stopping for quickies..i mean food and water...


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## PdxMark

danielc said:


> I like the idea of a spouse sagging and stopping for quickies..i mean food and water...


Of course, 8000 people with sag vehicles on the course would make the ride unholy hell... Even an extra 500 vehicles on course wouldn't be appreciated by other riders. Best have the wife meet you in Portland.


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## waldo425

I did it solo in 2009. It wasn't that bad and I actually made friends and riding buddies along the way. I met a guy at about mile 80 who was also doing it solo; we worked together all the way into Portland.


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## Argentius

Yeah, I hooked up with a Brit about halfway through that worked with me all the way to the finish.

Once in a while we'd find a wheelsucker or something. I got used to saying "it is okay if you can't take a pull, just stay behind me."

By the end, they were all gone anyway.





waldo425 said:


> I did it solo in 2009. It wasn't that bad and I actually made friends and riding buddies along the way. I met a guy at about mile 80 who was also doing it solo; we worked together all the way into Portland.


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## MisterAngular

h2o-x said:


> I appreciate the input. I am disappointed, but I think I'll ride it any way.


I understand how you feel (from personal experience) but you will feel a lot better once you roll out across the starting line with hundreds of other cyclists all around you. Like other people said, you'll inevitably wind up meeting people that are riding at your pace. So it truly is an "opportunity" in that sense, compared to riding with pre-existing friends. Either way can be a great time!

Bradley


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## jayteepee

I've ridden 3 one day STPs, and I'll have to say that I personally wouldn't want to do it solo. Although it's certain that you'll meet others along the way, it's nice to ride with someone that has a pace and riding style that you're familiar with. Plus you have someone to boost your spirits if morale starts to sag. 

Still, it's a great ride, and is always the high point of the riding season for me.

That said, if you decide not to do it, I'd be happy to have your registration  Registration for this year's STP filled up way earlier than normal. I snoozed and lost.


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## banosser

My wife did it solo (2 day) this yr and had a very enjoyable ride... We are planning on one doing it together in '12 one day..


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## RydeBig

h20-x, Never did see wether you did it or not, 

This was really good year to do it, as the temp was perfect & the wind seemed at ur back, plus the route into Portland was the absloute best I've ever seen in the last 19 trips.

I've done it a multitude of ways since'88 & it seems like there is really no bad way to do it.
using the train as your return is a really good way to go, but its wise to make early reservations.
Next year it will be a week later then normal which will put it in the middle of July!!
If not this year then next


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## mcsqueak

I just did my first century (Harvest Century) a few weeks ago, and I'm already having wild ideas about doing a solo one-day STP run this next year.

I did my century solo, the same way many of you have described your STP runs - alone for the most part, but some periods of working with others riding at the same speed.

Overall I thought riding 100 miles was easier than I expected. I felt fine at the end of the ride. My biggest problem was stopping at *every* rest stop and eating a bit.

While on the surface this was a good strategy to complete my first century (longest ride this year prior was 65 miles), I found I wasted a lot of time (something like 2.5 HOURS stopped over the course of the day), and I think in an effort to keep my energy up I actually ate too much, which gave me a little bit of bloating/gassy feeling near the end of the day.

Considering that there is only about ~3,500 of elevation gain over the 200 mile course, the main hardship would be to keep the pace up and time spent at rest-stops down so you actually finish in a reasonable amount of time.

Any other insights from you one-day riders? I think if I can keep my fitness level up relatively well this winter I'll be giving it a shot next year.


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## jayteepee

Eat a lot and stay hydrated. If you want to get to the finish faster, think about bypassing some of the rest stops. 

The first year I did a one day ride, I bonked bad, and reached the finish about 9:15. The next year, I kept my jersey pockets full of food, and wore a camelback with electrolyte tablets in it. Also skipped the long port-o-let lines by stopping for nature breaks enroute. I was able to finish a bit before 7pm, and felt good enough to bike the 11 miles home from the finish line and still felt like I had more miles left in me.

Of course you'll miss out on the social aspects of the rest stops, but finish time was my goal, and these tactics worked for me. Ymmv.

Either way, I hope you have fun and meet your goals whatever they may be. It's been a fun ride everytime I've ridden it.


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## mcsqueak

Cool, thanks for the feedback! I am actually pretty excited about trying it. I'm hitting the trainer hard this winter so hopefully I'll come out the other side with a decent amount of fitness in the Spring, and will be able to easily build up to doing the 200 mile ride.


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## bigbill

The only hills that really affect your pace are between Centralia and Longview. The best way I found to prepare was to do several centuries in the spring leading up to the ride. Get used to riding in a pack and learn how to eat and ride on the bike. There have been several threads concerning one day STP's but here is the condensed version: 

Don't worry about where you are at the start. One day riders are supposed to start first but you'll find that many two day riders ignore this. You'll find yourself passing people on mountain bikes doing 12mph in the first ten miles. 

Ride past the first rest stop at the 25 mile point. Have a clif bar or something in your jersey to eat while riding. It's not hot so you're not going to dehydrate by riding 45 miles before stopping. The weaker less experienced riders will stop at 25, you don't want to ride with them and you're better off having them behind you. 

Find a group of fewer than ten riders leaving the 45 mile rest stop. A bigger group means more speed changes which wear you down. Stick with that group to Longview if you can. 

Once you're into Oregon, the roads are relatively flat with some rolling hills. If it's warm, the predominate wind will be from the North and push you along so being in a big group isn't that important. 

Mile 140 to 180 is the dead zone. Your mind will mess with you and you'll doubt your ability to complete the ride. Around mile 160 stop for a cold coca cola and relax for a few minutes before the final push to the end. 

The last 20 miles go pretty fast.


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## kc0yef

There are 10,000 riders so solo is not exactly solo go for it see you out there


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