Word on the street is that STP will sell out soon. After taking last year off with a two-month old, I’m back in the saddle and registered for STP 2009 and planning my second one-day ride to Portland.
While it sounds a bit crazy, having done both the one- and two-day rides, I honestly don’t know that I’ll ever ride a two-day STP again. The extra effort it takes to pull through 200 miles in one day far outweighs the pain of having to sit through another century on a sore rear end on day two. That, and I’m a damn sucker for the silly “One Day Rider” patch.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic, and with the numbers looking to max out at 10,000 riders it continues to be the largest multi-day bicycle event in the Northwest.
If you haven’t yet started training – get on it! Despite the novice reputation that STP often gets, there is nothing novice about riding 200 miles on your bike. It’s not too late to hook up with Cascade’s Training Series for some great rides at varying paces. And whether your planning for a one- or two-day STP, go sign up for Flying Wheels before it’s too late. Flying Wheels is a great opportunity to get in some decent mileage without having to plan food stops.
For those new to the event, I strongly encourage a read through “How-Not-To” Ride STP from my first STP in 2006. And if it’s your first one-day ride, head on over to Surviving A One-Day STP.
I’ll be reporting all the best from Flying Wheels and STP back to The Hugga, so stay tuned. And if I ever get myself out of the dark ages and hook up with a camera phone, perhaps there be twitpics @kellidiane for the rides.