# STP Ride Report (2014)



## Corenfa (Jun 9, 2014)

Hi guys and gals - 

I just got the opportunity to ride this year's (2014) Seattle to Portland and figured I'd give a quick ride report.

A little background -

I've only been cycling for going on 3 years now, but have made pretty good advances in speed, handling, and strength. I've done a few thousand miles in groups so am decent with pacelines and road etiquette. I've also done a few centuries from cruising along to below-5-hour total time centuries.

Going into the STP I was nervous of a couple of things.

1 - I haven't done a double century (either 200 in 1 day or 2 centuries back to back).
2 - I Googled about STP crashes and found way too many reports to count. Most stemming from the fact that there are 10,000+ riders of all experiences flooding roads along with cars.

My plan was simple - start relatively early and put the hammer down until I passed "the hill" in Puyallup. I figured, if I could do that I'd avoid most of the crowd for the remainder of the day. I was "sort of" riding with a team (part of a charity) and the 2 other main members that I was riding with were both MTBers and had spent very little time on road bikes. (One of them caused me to have a MAJOR crash in May where he slammed on his brakes suddenly in a very fast paceline. 1 concussion and 3 road rash patches later...I still managed to end up riding with him)

Starting out, I rode from north of the campus to get to the starting line. I rolled through the line with a lot of clipping and unclipping. There were MANY times in the first km that there were near wrecks at low speed due to tight crowds and bad handling. However, working through the crowds wasn't too difficult and really, after the first 2-3 miles, the slowest of the riders were well behind.

There was a particularly scary downhill switchback a few miles in followed shortly after by an unsuspected high-grade climb. The former was only scary because it was sudden and there were tons of people in tight formation slamming on brakes and not handling tight corners well. The latter was only a problem because you get to cruise along for a while on a flat (encouraging you to go into the big ring), then you turn the corner and face a VERY steep uphill for a long block.

From Seattle to Kent was uneventful and I skipped the REI rest stop. Actually, I skipped all of the rest stops until after the hill in Puyallup (brought some Kind bars and 2 bottles of water). There was a nasty little wreck at Kent where a relatively experienced rider put his wheel in a road joint rut and went down hard into oncoming traffic. The (attentive) driver stopped 2" away from crushing the rider's melon. First aid was close by and the rider got back up, shook himself off and finished the ride (he was a friend of a fellow rider but not riding "with" us).

Getting to The Hill in Puyallup - the second half of that journey was easier than the first in that there were fewer stop lights and fewer and fewer riders. I tried to keep a pace of roughly 35-37 kph through that section except for the bleeping stop lights. Getting to the top of the hill was relatively easy. For the most part, slower riders were to the right, though some were swerving all over. In my case, I got out of the saddle and kept a steady (not fast, but certainly not slow) pace up the hill. By the time I got to the top, I noticed that the field was getting a lot thinner. It was still thick though. There was a service mart at the top of the hill with porta-johns, so the 2 other guys I was riding with and I stopped there, grabbed some snacked, dropped 1lb out of our bladders and saddled back up. 

From there to Centralia, the ride was pretty smooth over all. Keeping the pace high (around 33-35kph) meant we were passing most people and could stay somewhat to the left. Towards the 80 mile mark, we started tiring a bit and the heat started getting to us. We stopped again for our 3rd rest (we took one between Puyallup and here) and decided to slow the pace a little - to around 30-33kph).

Unfortunately, the two other guys did not get pace lining. As soon as one of us would come off the front, the other would surge and pull away. We'd have to chase that person down and then grab the wheel at which point they would begin to ratchet the speed back up. I was the only one with a speedometer on my bike and would constantly remind them "guys, we're pulling the speed up." (I should note - we had picked up a couple more riders from our charity to help with our pull, but it was obvious that the pace was proving too much for the whole group). 

Stopping temporarily in Centralia was great. It's an awesome little campus/town square area and there were tons of vendors, snacks, massage tents, etc. The absolute best things were the creamsickles and chocolate milks they were handing out! Our journey wasn't over though since we were staying at Toledo HS. 

Unfortunately, we were told "Toledo HS is just a little past Centralia - it's just 2 turns." Well, those 2 turns turned out to be 25 miles with no trees to provide shade. Not a big deal if:
1 - we had known it was 25 miles
2 - it wasn't 95 degrees

About 12 miles in, it was obvious that I was getting too hot. My body couldn't cool itself and I was burning through my bottles (drinking and pouring on my head.) Thankfully, there was a gas station a couple miles further and I was able to get some more water (for the head and the bottles).

Hanging out there for a few minutes, we picked up another member of our team who is a VERY strong rider and knows how to pace. He had stopped a couple times to help strangers with tubes, CO2, etc.

Riding along with him and now cooled off, he and I traded pulls back and forth for the last 10 miles. The speed wasn't too high, but it was the best part of the ride. A very nice guy, great rider, and a help to a lot of folks on that ride.

At the high school, I collected my bag, grabbed a shower, and laid down. Whipping out the first aid kit, I took my temp. 104.5. I definitely had a touch of heat stroke. The school administrator that was there got me some bags of ice which I laid on my head and chest and then I fell asleep. I had made the decision, if I didn't feel better by morning, I wasn't going to continue.

Total mileage for Saturday - 130.8 miles. Total travel time (from first mount to final dismount) - 7:57

4:45 AM Sunday morning - the lights turned on and I had one HELL of a headache. I got up, checked my temp and I was back down to 99.5. Let's rock.

We started rolling around 7 and we had some slow starts to get back to the STP course. There were some nasty little climbs - not too long and not too steep, but just long and steep enough to piss off my un-warmed-up legs. But, in all, I was feeling relatively strong. The plus side, there were some good descents. Fastest speed, 72kph downhill.

We caught back up to the regular STP group and had to play the leap frog game again - passing some of the same people from early in day 1. Overall, the road was less crowded (assuming there were quite a few drop outs from day 1). From Vader and for the next 20 miles, there were some "aggressive rollers." Nothing too hard, but enough that, after those 20 miles, the road got kind of sparse. 

At this point, I was riding with a few others from our charity group including the gent who I rode with at the end of the previous day. The pace was swift but enjoyable. I skipped the rest stops until mile 40. The pack stopped at a one, but I just rolled on enjoying the silence and kept my speed low figuring we'd gather back up again soon. We did - at the midway rest stop. And what a rest stop that was. Regular fare was available, but hidden in a dark recess of one of the food purveyors was a little slow cooker churning away. What savory goodness was this man pedaling? Nothing but the lowly hot dog. I don't like hot dogs, haven't had one in years, and never crave them. However, when I saw that he had them, I started salivating like a dog within paw's reach of a ham bone.

That hot dog fueled me for the next 25 miles for sure! 

We hit the trail again and rolled out at a pretty brisk pace hitting the more moderate rollers. For about the next 10 miles, we kept a pretty good pace but the paceline had picked up a few folks. It started to slinky pretty bad. Some guys at the front could keep a very even 33kph pace, others surged and withdrew frequently. 

After playing the slinky game for about 10 miles, I noticed we had just passed this lady who was cruising along near the back of our line and showing her tiredness on her face. I dropped off the pack and chatted with her for a while. We rode together for about 5-7 miles. She was a nice lady from Tacoma who didn't have too many miles on her. She was all alone out here after her group dropped her. She didn't know how to draft and was pulling herself along quite admirably for the better part of 160 miles. We chatted for a bit, then I taught her how to grab my wheel and we'd work at pulling her up to higher speeds. She did very well over all but suffered on even small hills. At the next rest stop, she said she was going to pull over. I had seen the tail of our group pull into the same rest stop. 

Not being tired and not wanting to stop, I wished her well and went on my way. From there to the final bridge, my legs (fueled by hot dogs and an almost rage-like desire to get my arse out of the saddle) grabbed a second (or 17th) wind. I picked up the pace and pulled myself to Portland at around 35kph for the remainder (except on hills - my legs really started to feel even the smallest incline). 

The last 5 miles of the trip were the longest. Mostly because I hit EVERY FREAKING RED LIGHT. I suppose that was to be expected. Knowing there was very little distance left and I needed no more energy in reserves, I treated each light as though it were the starting whistle and went all out - for a block. 

One thing I noticed - the markers in Oregon were much nicer than those in WA. While they were consistent in WA for the most part, they were the traditional painted road markers with no other information than direction traveled. However, in Oregon, there was often a mile marker countdown on a street-sign mounted directional arrow in fluorescent colors.

Coming into the finish line, for the last mile or so, it was pretty tight over all. Lots of people in a tight, blocked off bike lane. Each red light was an exercise in patience. The lights didn't stay green long and the lines would take a while to start back up. Eventually, I decided to pull a douche move and go around into the roadway instead of the bike lane. I was sure to do it when there were no cars present in that lane and got back over quickly once I passed the large group of 20 cyclists queuing at every light.

The mile marker for the final mile lied. It was only about .6 miles. I had hoped to be able to do some mock sprint across the line, but given its location and how it was setup, an entry above 8kph would have been impractical.

After dropping off my bike at our trailer and grabbing some clothes, I headed over to the showers. I got in relatively early, so there was no wait. The $2 towel was well worth it! 

There was a burrito food truck that had an AWESOME burrito. And when you tell them - "make it REALLY spicy" they actually do. A lot. Like really hot. You'll feel it for 3 days. And that's not just saddle sores.

Total distance on day 2: 83.9
Total ride time (from first mount to final dismount): 4:45


Final thoughts:

1 - This ride isn't for everybody. 
2 - I haven't decided if I want to do it again. I like long rides and I like challenging myself, but there were a lot of negatives to this ride. It's less than safe at some points (mostly due to the quantity of people on the roads) and both the start and finish are riddled with traffic stops that sap energy and time.
3 - The route itself is well thought out, well supported, and largely quite beautiful (except for that one town that smelled like cow sh*t for 3 miles!)
4 - The ride is very well supported. Not only are there fully supported rest stops, there are dozens of entrepreneurial youngsters who are happy to sell you a bottle of water or fresh squeezed lemonade along the route. Every stop had great technical support (mechanics) and though I never popped a tire, it was nice to know I wouldn't have to languish for long had I done so.
5 - The finish line setup was nice overall. I would have liked the opportunity for a sprint finish but certainly can understand why that wouldn't be wise.
6 - The Centralia setup was the bomb. I wish I had the opportunity to stay there. If I go again, this will be where I stop and pitch tent for the evening.
7 - It was HOT on Saturday. I know it's western Washington, but DAMN. I've had August rides in Virginia that were cooler. 

Some cool things I saw along the way - 

1 - One dude with balls of steel did the entire trek on a long board. I hung back and chatted with the dude for a bit. This is his 7th STP on the long board. Much respect dude.
2 - A carbon fiber tandem piloted by (presumably) a husband wife team decked out in spandex cruising at pretty high speed.
3 - A 4 seater tandem - dad and 3 kids. Dude - if your legs still work after last weekend, you are the man and deserve only a slightly smaller metal than long board dude.

Some of the stupidest/funniest things I saw along the way - 

1 - A dude riding a decked out TT bike with full disc rear wheel. Uh, excuse me, sir, but you know we're riding a 204 mile ride parallel to the coast with prevailing winds from the west, right? How did you enjoy that kite?
2 - A guy rocking a polka dot jersey who quickly got dropped on the first 7% grade.
3 - A fella riding in a kit that proudly stated "Powered by SRAM" whose bike has clearly not seen oil in a decade. Com'on man. Us SRAM heads are trying to get away from the stigma of a loud gruppo. Lube it up.
4 - A guy rocking a team Sky kit getting into a sag car. Sorry. But, too ironic. Ha Ha.
5 - The guy that got out of his saddle thinking he was going to rip an epic fart and found that there was more to it. The look on his face - priceless.


Cheers and thanks for making it this far through the post.


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## ScooterDobs (Nov 26, 2010)

We did STP two years ago and I think you captured the essence of the ride. We all really enjoyed the ride. The first stop is, as you said, worth skipping if you can as it's very crowded. My same group did RSVP (ride from Seattle to Vancouver and party), also by Cascade bike club. They liked RSVP more than STP. Same distance but limited to 1500 riders. They said RSVP riders seemed to have more experience than STP riders. Given your comments about STP, RSVP may be one to consider next time. The only difference, other than the bike limit, is there's no 1 day option and the only baggage drop is at the 1/2 way point in Bellingham. I couldn't go last year but my son and I are riding it this year, mid-August. I'll post a report when we are done.


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## Corenfa (Jun 9, 2014)

ScooterDobs said:


> We did STP two years ago and I think you captured the essence of the ride. We all really enjoyed the ride. The first stop is, as you said, worth skipping if you can as it's very crowded. My same group did RSVP (ride from Seattle to Vancouver and party), also by Cascade bike club. They liked RSVP more than STP. Same distance but limited to 1500 riders. They said RSVP riders seemed to have more experience than STP riders. Given your comments about STP, RSVP may be one to consider next time. The only difference, other than the bike limit, is there's no 1 day option and the only baggage drop is at the 1/2 way point in Bellingham. I couldn't go last year but my son and I are riding it this year, mid-August. I'll post a report when we are done.


Thanks ScootreDobs. I've heard that the RSVP is a more fun overall ride. I've missed out this year (though I saw a few spots open up recently, I think my wife would kill me if I disappeared on a 2 day trek again), but it's on my list for next year for sure!

Cheers!


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## smcnees (Aug 5, 2008)

This was my 10th (?) STP and 5th time of doing it in one day. I start from Bellevue with my group for convenience and also to avoid the start line chaos. We pick up the route in Renton and we're off. Heat was definitely a factor this year. I felt great at 140mi but at about 170mi I didn't have the energy to make the Scappose mini stop and had to pull over and sit for a few minutes before grinding out the last 2 mi to the stop. After an extended break there, the cruise into Portland was much easier. 

I strongly prefer the one day option for the obvious reason of not having to saddle up on Sunday but also because after the 25 mi point, the crowds thin and the riders remaining are (theoretically) more experienced.

As for RSVP, I loved the first day. The second half of the second day in downtown Vancouver, not to much. My group has chosen to skip RSVP the last 3 years instead doing the Red-Bel ride which is the exact same route as the 1st day of RSVP.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

Double edged sword. The STP used to occur earlier in the year when the weather was a total crapshoot. 1990 and 91 were decent weather with highs in the upper 70's. 1997 was epic with heavy wind and rain with temps in the low 50's. Almost bailed in Centralia that year. 2008 was hot, like Africa hot. With the slight tailwind it was close to unbearable between Centralia and Longview. I've never done the two day version and I prefer the old way of having the one day riders going on the second day. It was much less sketchy with a "open course" time and you could roll out anytime after it. Usually there were <2K one day riders.


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