# 2010 STP Question



## snowgor

When will you start training for Seattle to Portland? I am just getting back into riding after several years off. What does your training plan look like including off season riding/indoor?

Thanks,


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## nwroadie

are you planning on doing it in one day or two?


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## snowgor

One day. I have two friends and if we work together would like to do one day with a middle stop with some family/friends following in support van. We are not looking for an overall super low time since this is the first for all three of us and want to learn for future STP.


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## knighthawk44

On Cascades website they have some recommendations as well as training rides and also some gauges throughout the riding season to know if you are prepared.

http://cascade.org/EandR/stp/stp_mileage.cfm

Good luck and enjoy.


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## waldo425

Follow the training plan on the Cascade website and you should be fine. Many people do it in one day and don't follow it at all and barely train. I rode with a guy six weeks before STP and it was his first ride of the year. Apparently he rode it last year so I assume he knew what he was doing. I don't know what ever happened to him but he was planning to ride it in one day.

Personally, I rode a lot all through the year so I didn't really have to ramp it up and get a ton of miles right away. I was able to be more comfortable with my training.


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## nwroadie

Doing it in a day really isn't that big of a deal, yeah, its 200 miles and you should be in decent shape otherwise it's going to be one of the longest days you'll probably spend on the bike, but the route is very flat and there always seems to be a paceline to jump into which will really help your average speed.

I would also not worry about bringing your own support van, you'll find that all of the pit stops that are provided by the event are well stocked and frequently enough that you will never be to far from refills.

Good luck to you and your friends.


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## waldo425

nwroadie said:


> Doing it in a day really isn't that big of a deal, yeah, its 200 miles and you should be in decent shape otherwise it's going to be one of the longest days you'll probably spend on the bike, but the route is very flat and there always seems to be a paceline to jump into which will really help your average speed.
> 
> I would also not worry about bringing your own support van, you'll find that all of the pit stops that are provided by the event are well stocked and frequently enough that you will never be to far from refills.
> 
> Good luck to you and your friends.


I recommend only doing the one day event. Reason being that you wont want to get back on the bike the next day after going half way. Easier to just push through it all and go for it. After I did the one day I got back on the bike and my legs were absolutely dead. 
The route is easy enough with no real hard hills. The support is well done and you'll have no problems with food and water. I brought two water bottles and was able to have water constantly in them. Just bring a few food bars/ gels and you'll be just fine.


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## smcnees

I did 1 day last summer by myself (everyone else bailed on me). My wife drove a support vehicle which was invaluable in my opinion. I had a cooler full of food and drinks of my choice. I'm not a huge fan of the food on STP (avocado wraps anyone??) with the exception of the Tenino cookie stop. I also carried a spare wheelset which wasn't needed but gave me piece of mind nonetheless. For me the hardest part of the ride was from just past Chehalis to Castle Rock. The rolling hills, while certainly not big, almost did me in. I did my lunch stop in Winlock ~125mi into the ride.I think if I'd done it at around the 115 mi point, that section of the ride would have been a lot easier. 

In my opinion, if you've never done STP before, 1 day will be a lot harder because of the unknown. Once you've done a few 2 day STP's, you'll have the course down which eases the mental burden of the ride.

That being said, if you're up for a good adventure, go for it! The adrenaline rush of crossing that finish line in 1 day can not be beat. For an added bonus, drive hwy 30 north on Sunday to watch all those 2 day riders suffering. It's quite impressive to see actually. 

Did I mention that chamois cream is your friend? :thumbsup:


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## rcnute

No need to train as such. Lots of long rides, maybe a couple centuries and you'll be fine.


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## waldo425

smcnees said:


> I did 1 day last summer by myself (everyone else bailed on me). My wife drove a support vehicle which was invaluable in my opinion. I had a cooler full of food and drinks of my choice. I'm not a huge fan of the food on STP (avocado wraps anyone??) with the exception of the Tenino cookie stop. I also carried a spare wheelset which wasn't needed but gave me piece of mind nonetheless. For me the hardest part of the ride was from just past Chehalis to Castle Rock. The rolling hills, while certainly not big, almost did me in. I did my lunch stop in Winlock ~125mi into the ride.I think if I'd done it at around the 115 mi point, that section of the ride would have been a lot easier.
> 
> In my opinion, if you've never done STP before, 1 day will be a lot harder because of the unknown. Once you've done a few 2 day STP's, you'll have the course down which eases the mental burden of the ride.
> 
> That being said, if you're up for a good adventure, go for it! The adrenaline rush of crossing that finish line in 1 day can not be beat. For an added bonus, drive hwy 30 north on Sunday to watch all those 2 day riders suffering. It's quite impressive to see actually.
> 
> Did I mention that chamois cream is your friend? :thumbsup:


I did the one day this year and it was the first time I ever did it. 

Wow thats a lot of support you had there. I didnt have any. Just had a saddle bag with a tube and some tools. Also brought money and some food with me in my jersey pockets. 

I had no problems with the food (only had one avocado wrap) on the route and found that pretty much all of them had the same food. Although, Tenino was awesome


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## waldo425

.....


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## waldo425

rcnute said:


> No need to train as such. Lots of long rides, maybe a couple centuries and you'll be fine.


Thats pretty much what I did and I did just fine. I have some friends that did the same thing and got there just fine and they were a lot less fit than I am.


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## JP

Do everyone a favor and ditch the support van.

Cascade has a good winter training series that is social, and will get you a good start on the season.


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## js-freedom

my first time to STP, I am relatively new to cycling, little over 2 years of riding and shed around 15 lbs. I didn't know what to expect for this ride, never did any centuries or other organized centuries before this ride. Come to think of it, it was really dumb to attempt this ride as my first of anything organized. My friends all came up with lame excuses to not do the ride. first 100 miles went fast and I only rested 10mins at around 50 mile rest stop and was fortunate enough to hook up with fast riders. It took me less than 5 hrs for first 100, next hundred was a killer as I overestimated my abilities and spent lot of my energy on first 100. I was really fortunate to hook up with a guy and his buddy who helped me through the wind and cramps. I limped to finish line with a baddly cramped legs but still intact. It took me total time of 11:26 at least that is what my Garmin reads. I finished around 4:30 pm. I don't know what my actual riding time was. I was happy to be done and was happy with the time. 
I'll be doing this next year but this time definitly slower the first 100 miles and hopefully I could finish around 11hrs.


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## snowgor

Thanks for all the good info


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## kreger

JP said:


> Do everyone a favor and ditch the support van.
> 
> Cascade has a good winter training series that is social, and will get you a good start on the season.


AMEN, support vans can be a good thing for the rider, but a pain in the ass and safety issue for everyone else on the road, bikes and cars. do you want everyone to have a personal support vehicle?

there are rest stops every 25 or so miles on stp with drinks, food, mechanical support. you need more than that? if so i dont think you should be tackling stp in one day.


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## Fordy

8000 cyclists and they all have their own plan....


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## Argentius

*Define support*

Overall I agree with this -- DEFINITELY don't have the "support" riding slowly on the course with you.

But, when I did it last, we had a team of about 10 riders, and there was 1 support vehicle driven by a teammate's spouse with everybody's backpacks and such. It made showering, changing, etc when we got to Portland a lot easier.

Also, we did have some water and food and stuff, so we only used I think two of the main, "official" rest stops, those things are a MELEE.




kreger said:


> AMEN, support vans can be a good thing for the rider, but a pain in the ass and safety issue for everyone else on the road, bikes and cars. do you want everyone to have a personal support vehicle?
> 
> there are rest stops every 25 or so miles on stp with drinks, food, mechanical support. you need more than that? if so i dont think you should be tackling stp in one day.


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## snowgor

Registration starts soon!!!


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## GerryR

If you have a support vehicle, please make sure they stay off the route as much as possible. I saw some really bad behavior by support vehicles last year including a couple of near misses. It was much worse on Saturday in the last 30 or so miles to Centralia.


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## snowgor

Thanks for the tips!! Signed up this morning. No support vehicle, one day attempt!!

I hope it isn't too hot this year.


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