Training for the STP 2008 and the ride!!

Well this isn't motorcycle racing but it does have to do with 2 wheels, a motor (my legs), and a good time. For the last couple years my dad and I have been talking alot about doing the famous Seattle to Portland bicycle ride. This was the year and we almost didn't make the cut since it sold out this year. We both registered and 3 days later the ride sold out, 10,000 strong. Our goal was to do the ride in 1 day, a total of 204 miles. We started really training for the ride in May and accomplished a big goal we both have had by doing our first century (100 miles). We both are very active on our bicycles and ride 3-4 days week and then usually on the weekends too. In the past we have done long rides of 50 and 60 miles but never pushed it to the 100 mile mark. The ride we did to reach this was with a group of guys and gals from Cascade Bicycle Club the same club here in the Seattle area that puts on the STP and has done so for 25 plus years. This was also our first ride with a group so there was alot to learn from riding in a group and pacelining. Of course the route we took was pretty grueling with close to 6,000 feet of elevation gain that took us from Port Orchard all the way through Seabeck, Tahuya and back around to Port Orchard. I can't forget about the couple 8-10% grade hills that we had to endure, six hours and 45 minutes later we arrived back at Port Orchard. At about the 70 mile mark dad and I got dropped by the group we were riding with and it was up to us to get back to the finish. We knew our way around, so we found our way back but when we first arrived we were short on our mileage. The goal was to get 100 miles so we rode our bikes around the area until it hit 100. Sounds kinda crazy to do that but what can I say. So after we made this ride in May everyone was telling us that we should have no problem doing the STP in 1 day. This was inspiring and gave us additional motivation. The next big ride was a 85 miles, starting in Woodinville going to North Bend and up to Snoqualmie falls, which was a beautiful ride. We didn't have much problems on this ride and was able to finish with no problems and enjoy a beer at the Red Hook brewery. We maintained our training in June and at the end of the month we decided to ride down to my Aunt and Uncles place which is in Centralia and very close to the STP route. This would give us a great idea as to what the first 100 miles were going to be like. We printed off que sheets (maps) from the STP from last year and set off about 8am on Saturday June 28th from the my place in Seattle. For the most part we got out of Seattle with no problems and made our way down. We spent some time getting lost but it wasn't to bad. The heat was a major issue as the farther south we got the hotter it got. Once we arrived in Centralia it was close to 100 degrees out and we were getting pretty drained. Uncle Craig came and met us on the side of the road on his Harley and gave us a bike escort through the town which was pretty cool. I was expecting to reach Centralia around 12 or 1 however we didn't get in until 3pm and was pretty beat up afterwards. This really put doubt in our minds on what we could do in 1 day on the STP.

STP

I was still determined coming into the STP to do it in 1 day and dad was a bit more unsure it seemed. However every time I asked him he held his head up and said, "yup, I still plan on 1 day". I loaded up during the week with tons of water and was getting some high carb smoothies from Custom Smoothie down the street from my work in Fremont. The shop is owned by twin sisters who are extremely athletic and compete in body competitions, so they really know there stuff. Mom gave us a ride to the start line at 4:30 am. As dad and I rolled up to the start line I started getting like lock jaw and the jitters. Which is normally reserved for me before the start of a motorcycle race on the Buell, so getting the jitters and butterflies made it that much more exciting. We rolled through the start line and made our way along Lake Washington. It was really nice out and Mt. Rainer was beautiful. For the most part the first few hours were pretty non eventful. We made our way through the pack of riders and was able to get hooked on to a couple good pacelines that were cruising around 22 mph. We left the Vegas style food stop at REI in Kent with a couple bananna's and ready to take on the rest of the day. As we got into Spanaway I noticed several riders with bandages on there knees and elbows. Obviously they had crashed and I had to admire that they were all fixed up and continueing on, props to them and Cascade Bicycle Club for all the support. Thankfully we didn't see any crashes or weren't involved in any. There were a few hair raising moments as a paceline of about 20 riders pass you on the left but for the most part everyone rode fairly well. Probably the best paceline we hooked up with was about 35 miles outside of Centralia. There was 10 or 11 of us and we all took turns at the front and worked really well together. We ended up dropping everyone except for one guy on a single fixed speed bike. Very cool bike and we trucked the rest of the way into Centralia cruising along at about 22-25 mph. We arrived into Centralia around 10:00 am (5 hours of riding) which was a 1.5 hours faster than dad and I did it a few weeks prior. We met with my Aunt and Uncle and refilled our water bottles and refueled with a bananna and apple. By this time the heat was beginning to irritate us a little bit but nothing compared to later on in the ride. We took off and stopped at about the 130 mile mark and was pretty beat from the heat. I ended up passing out under a tree in the grass for about 10 minutes, which felt great. We refilled the water bottles again and set off. Just as we were getting close to Longview Bridge dad was beginning to fall behind a little bit due to his knee hurting. Both of my knees are good and I have never had any problems with either one of them but they did go through cycles of one hurting then the other. Dad has had a bad knee for a long time so it was great that he made it this far with out too much pain. Going over the Longview bridge was something else. I waited for dad once I came under a over pass in Oregon and we took a break for a minute and discussed the next option. His knee was really starting to hurt him so the decision was for me to go ahead and he will see me at the finish line. The last 50 miles were the worst by far. It was hot, my arse was really hurting, my shoulders were hurting and both my knees would hurt at different times. Then the fact that I didn't have anyone to paceline with was also tough. I was working all on my own and everyone i passed was moving along much slower than I was. I did hook up with a couple guys that passed me and I sat up out of the seat and was able to catch up to them and tag along. My turn at the front to pull the train and man I was exhausted but held it for a couple miles then broke off. I stopped at a gas station and got a coke, some more water and ate. I felt much better and had about 25 miles to go. Of course the last 25 were the longest ever. Everytime I ate something or drank something it just didn't taste good. I had a good variety of things to eat but at that point your taste buds want nothing to do with any of it. My goal was to finish this thing within 11 hours. I kept looking down at my computer and I was getting close. Then I get into Portland with 7 other riders and we ended up taking a wrong turn somewhere which normally wouldn't have been an issue but after sitting in the saddle and 90 degree heat for the better of 10+ hours I could see how we might miss the correct street. The finish line was fantastic as they had people waving you into this little lane lined with people cheering and a guy on the mic welcoming us to the finish. It was a real treat.

The better part was to see dad come in only 30 minutes behind me. I immediately ran over (walked gingerly, but felt like I was running) to him and gave him a big hug. It was a great moment. I came accross the finish line at 10 hours and 55 minutes and burned nearly 9,000 calories.


Big thanks to my Aunt and Uncle for the use of there hot tub, pool, and the great food.

Thanks also to my mom and Lindsay for picking us up at the finish line and enjoying a finish line beer with us.

Until the next big biycycle ride.