# Stp



## Fordy (Feb 3, 2004)

The thing about STP that cracks me up is 8,000 riders and 8,000 individual plans. So, how was it this year? Did everybody stick to thier plan?


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## sivart (Apr 26, 2005)

*Great experience!*

This year's STP was my first. First century, first back-to-back century, first Seattle to Portland. It was a great experience and I met some great people. Some were more "interesting" than others, but everyone had a great attitude that can best be described as infectious.

I finally got some pictures worth sharing with the community. I thought I might have recognized a fellow RBR member on day two pulling a trailer with their kid in the back, but I couldn't remember the screename. I'm sure there were plenty out there though. I hope everyone shares with on this thread.

Here we go!! I ride for Team Pumpkin.









You see alot of "interesting" things during the STP. 









I can't imagine going 200 miles in any of these sets of shoes.









Thats me. So efficient.









The mass waiting to cross the bridge into Oregon.









The home stretch.









The finish!


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## DaveT (Feb 12, 2004)

While I rode the STP last year, this year I SAG'd for my wife's first time. Like already posted, lots of interesting people. I saw the guy on the large wheeled unicycle many times along the route. The toughest rider I saw was in a hand cycle. He had no legs and _only _ _one arm_, and I watched him cross the finish line. What an effort put out by this guy. I gotta tell ya, there were tears in my eyes as I saw the sweat and smile on his face when he finished. He's got a bunch more stones than I have.


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## sivart (Apr 26, 2005)

DaveT said:


> The toughest rider I saw was in a hand cycle. He had no legs and _only _ _one arm_, and I watched him cross the finish line. What an effort put out by this guy. I gotta tell ya, there were tears in my eyes as I saw the sweat and smile on his face when he finished. He's got a bunch more stones than I have.


I agree completely. I didn't get a picture of him, I didn't think it was appropriate, but as I passed him I couldn't help but get a little choked up. Humans can be such beautiful creatures.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

*Looked like good weather.*

The last one I did was in 97. A friend of mine and I did the one day version back when it was the second day. We left the Kingdome at 5am in steady rain with the temp hovering around 50F. We rode in steady rain past Yelm and got in a good old thunderstorm around Vader. Near Centralia, it dried up and the headwinds really started. I was riding at 14mph with a 175 heartrate while listening to my lube-free drivetrain just grind away. We met up with some people who were abandoning and they gave me a small bottle of tri-flow. I couple of Circle K cheeseburgers and DrPeppers later we were on our way. Around Longview it started raining again and continued until the outskirts of Portland. The Longview bridge with its expansion joints was not fun in the rain. We caught a tailwind about 20 miles east of Portland and were able to maintain 26-28 mph all the way into town on dead legs. Then there was a hairpin turn and a climb towards the college. I don't know that I have ever cussed that much on a ride. Mile 197 and I have to climb. All in all, it was the most epic ride of my life and I am proud to have finished. More than half of the one day riders got to Portland in vans. Ivar's was good at 11:30 at night waiting on the ferry.


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## keeshadog (Jan 17, 2003)

*those big wheel riders were loud and annoying!!!*

but i do have to give at least one of them credit. i started off with him - and his partner - in seattle and last spotted one of them about 30 miles or so outside of portland, so i'm assuming he made it. gotta give him credit for doing the ride on such a contraption, but whenever i saw - or rather heard! - that guy's trike, i made sure i passed as quickly as possible.
this was my first - and probably last - stp. i moved to the pacific northwest a few years ago and even before i'd moved, i'd heard about the stp and had resolved to do the ride. 
finally got my chance to train and prepare for it this year. 
for my money, there are just too many bozos on the ride to make it worthwhile. too many bozos who ride recklessly and rudely and dangerously and put not only their well-being, but other folks' well being in jeopardy. first day, i couldnt count how many times these bozos came very, very close to crashing with me or other riders. second day, i intentionally waited til the crowds had thinned so that i would not have to deal with the idiots. a much better, more relaxed and enjoyable experience.
without doubt, the expansion joints on the longview bridge were the scariest part of the ride, and i was just extremely happy that the rain held off long enough so that i could cross the bridge while it was dry. the 15-20 mph wind was a piece of cake compared to what it would have been like if the bridge and the metal joints had been wet. they really should do something about the bridge before a rider gets seriously hurt when their wheel gets stuck in one of those joints.
my first back to back century. my longest 2 day ride and despite the rain and headwind and bridge, a mostly pleasant and definitely worthwhile experience. its a great way to see that part of washington. and a small portion of oregon. just dont know if i'll do it again.


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## BrokenSpoke (Jun 28, 2002)

STP is what made me finally decide to move to Colorado. The last STP I did was in 95 and I did the 200 mile / 1 day option. 200 miles is a drizzle, 53 degrees, and I decided when I reached Portland 10 hours later that it was time to head for sunshine.


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## srf (Jun 28, 2004)

I was out there too; my 3rd century ride, first STP, first double century, and opted for the one-day. I'm impressed with anyone who does the STP as their first century. =) 10 hours 53 minutes riding time. The weather was perfect if you did the one-day.

What's with the mass wait for the bridge into Oregon? Were they sending riders in groups? When I got there we just formed a long line.

It was rather odd riding along, minding my own business, then seeing a nuclear reactor... turned into a public park.

Just waiting for RAMROD now!


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## sivart (Apr 26, 2005)

srf said:


> What's with the mass wait for the bridge into Oregon? Were they sending riders in groups? When I got there we just formed a long line.


Yeah....they sent us across in this ginormous horde of bikers. Probably 200-300 people at the time I went.


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