# STP ride reports



## snowgor (Apr 10, 2007)

How did everyone do today? Please post your ride reports and any advice for newbies... Maybe next year I can actually do it. Thanks in advance!


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

snowgor said:


> How did everyone do today? Please post your ride reports and any advice for newbies... Maybe next year I can actually do it. Thanks in advance!



It was a great day for it... Started out cool and overcast, sun broke out in the afternoon.

First time at the start line, wow, a lot of people for 4:45 am!

Rolled in at 2:30 or so, rode alone for the first while, then found one other guy willing to work.

Will post more later when not from iPhone 
Rolled in a


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## smcnees (Aug 5, 2008)

I started at 5:30 yesterday morning from our Bellevue office. We started with 9 riders, and ended the day with 2 groups of 3. 2 of the riders were doing the ride in 2 days and 1 dropped due to sickness. I came in at 6:45 with the 1st of our 2 finishing groups. Overall a great day in the saddle. It was much colder that I had anticipated until early afternoon. I think it was just over 50 degrees at 10:30 when we were in Chehalis. 

Last year I rode 1 day alone. What a difference having some drafting partners makes. I crossed the line tired but not totally demolished. My wife did A WONDERFUL job running sag for us and took lots of great pics. 

Here are a few.


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

Argentius said:


> It was a great day for it... Started out cool and overcast, sun broke out in the afternoon.
> 
> First time at the start line, wow, a lot of people for 4:45 am!
> 
> ...


9 hours and 45 minutes? For reals? Jeezum crow.


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

I'd not ridden STP in two days before, so this was going to be a "fun ride." Camped (well, slept badly in a field in a sleeping bag with no pad) in Winlock and ate dinner at a bar (one of two) in Winlock to the strains of Metallica, Skid Row and Guns 'n Roses. 

I rode my fixed gear Kogswell with a porteur rack, which came in handy when we decided to camp in Winlock and I had to carry two people's gear. I wore Birkenstocks (flat pedals) and MUSA knickers and shorts.

I think I'll do RSVP next year.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

rcnute said:


> 9 hours and 45 minutes? For reals? Jeezum crow.


It was a good day for a ride. I was alone for about 75 miles, picked up one other rider south of spanaway and we kept a good pace.

Funny, though, we were going pretty good but not all out nuts... Couldve minimized bathroom and food stops if I had a grand plan.


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## mcsqueak (Apr 22, 2010)

Wow, good job to everyone who completed it! I saw folks rolling in yesterday(!) and today when I was out and about.

I want to make STP my goal for next year... should be doable for sure. Doing my first metric century this coming weekend, and full century later this summer.

I do think doing it with a group would be the way to go, so you can pull a paceline and really maximize your efficiency. I do 45 mile group rides with energy to spare, but my solo rides are usually about 25 miles, and I'm pooped. It really does make a big difference, IMHO.


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## MisterAngular (Feb 6, 2007)

rcnute said:


> 9 hours and 45 minutes? For reals? Jeezum crow.


Apparently that included helping somebody fix a flat in St. Helens! 

Took me four hours longer to cross the finish line in Portland. *sigh*

But it was a good ride. No cramping, no flats, no crashes. Moving average of about 18.4 MPH for the ride, which is faster than last time and what I was aiming for. Felt a hell of a lot better when I got off the bike too... with the exception of my left knee which was frickin' killing me. But I didn't bonk and actually averaged 19 MPH and 175 watts on the last 50 miles or so. A tail wind at times helped along highway 30.

Bradley


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## MisterAngular (Feb 6, 2007)

snowgor said:


> How did everyone do today? Please post your ride reports and any advice for newbies... Maybe next year I can actually do it. Thanks in advance!


My advice is: don't push too hard in the first half. GO AT YOUR OWN PACE. Keep your body supplied with nutrition (carbs) and electrolytes. Don't ever let yourself feel hungry during the ride. Keep nibbling on Clif bars, Shot Bloks, or whatever else it is you can stand to choke down all day long. Drop some Nuun or other tablets in your water bottle to make sure you get enough electrolytes. This year was rather cool but in warmer weather you'll sweat a lot of your salt out and drinking too much water can actually hinder you if you're replacing the things you sweat out.

Edit: it kind of goes without saying, but another key piece of advice is train, train, train. Do at least two century rides plus lots of smaller ones. The more training you do, the better your STP will be. Just ease back on the training in the last few days before the big event. I suppose a good night's rest would help but every time I've done the STP it's been on about 5 hours of sleep!


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## MisterAngular (Feb 6, 2007)

Argentius said:


> Funny, though, we were going pretty good but not all out nuts... Couldve minimized bathroom and food stops if I had a grand plan.


This coming from the guy who told me he's not all that fast on the flats.  

I did take your advice and stopped by Voodoo Donuts today. The line was all the way down the street and around the corner! Crazy. Good stuff, though! :thumbsup:


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

Argentius said:


> It was a good day for a ride. I was alone for about 75 miles, picked up one other rider south of spanaway and we kept a good pace.
> 
> Funny, though, we were going pretty good but not all out nuts... Couldve minimized bathroom and food stops if I had a grand plan.


Holy smokes, Argent. That's moving.

Ryan, I think I saw you ride through Chehalis as we set up camp.

I did the two day version with some friends that don't ride that much. I had fun, but I don't think I'll be doing that again. There are just way too many people who think they are in a race at 13 MPH all over the road. 

Here's a hint: If you are in a paceline going the same speed as balloon tire bikes, you are probably not going to win the "race," so you may want to ride a bit more safely. 

Don't get me wrong, I love seeing the spectacle of 10K cyclists of all abilities out there, but my goodness, there is some bad riding!


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## mcsqueak (Apr 22, 2010)

JP said:


> Here's a hint: If you are in a paceline going the same speed as balloon tire bikes, you are probably not going to win the "race," so you may want to ride a bit more safely.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, I love seeing the spectacle of 10K cyclists of all abilities out there, but my goodness, there is some bad riding!


Yeah, I kind of wondered what it would be like in terms of poor riders. You'd think people attempting a 200 mile ride would know better.  

I wonder if doing the crazy one-day ride would make it easier to avoid these folks, as obviously you'd be way ahead of them... (not saying all cyclists good enough to do 200 miles in one day will also be safer, but I'm sure there is a fair bit of positive correlation).


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

JP said:


> Holy smokes, Argent. That's moving.
> 
> Ryan, I think I saw you ride through Chehalis as we set up camp.
> 
> ...


It would have been hard to miss the forty pounds of gear strapped onto the front of my bike. 

I saw a couple of kids who couldn't have been over ten--amazing.

The brevets are so much more fun.


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## MisterAngular (Feb 6, 2007)

C'mon, guys and gals... if you got pics, post 'em!

Here's a pic my wife took at the finish line. Check out the peeper behind the tree!


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## laffeaux (Dec 12, 2001)

This year was my first time to ride the STP. I rode with a group of 5 guys (we split up a couple of times accidentally). The start was much less crowded than I'd expected based on the reports of others (maybe the 2-day start sees the crowds) - we hit the road sometime just after 5:45.

The first 100 passed pretty quickly - we finished it in just under 5:30 of ride time, but we stopped at several stops. At lunch we hung out for a while and then got coffee in Centralia. After lunch our speed picked up a bit until just after St Helens, at which point everyone started slowing down due to fatigue. I thought that the first 175 miles was fairly easy, but the last 30 miles were super tough. I was glad to get off the bike in Portland. Our final ride time was just under 11:30 - I'm not sure what the total time ended up being with stops.

Here's a pic of me at the finish looking completely worn out (which I was).


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## tommignon (Mar 19, 2010)

I did the one day on a tandem. the first 100 miles were easy the next 50 not too bad, then came the 50 mile death march. i learned that I need to eat better. 
The UP side I lost 9 pounds. gained 3 back but I had a great time. took until Thursday before I could ride anything then 22 miles to feel good and Friday back to Mountain riding, Yeah.
Next year 2 days with the wife instead of a buddy that should be great.


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