Stp 2014

[esoterrica]

Anyone signed up? This is my second STP, planning on doing it in 1 day and training with Cascade Bicycle Club.

[AppleTree]

Not me this year, but have a good ride! One day...wow!

[lauraelmore1033]

I'm in for a 6th year of insanity! Doing it on a recumbent this time. I'm also doing the CTS training

[khg]

Yup, signed up for the 4th time now--always done 1-day (because face it, by the time I've ridden 100 miles, I don't want to get back on my bike the next day, so might as well get it all over with...)

[esoterrica]

I'm doing CTS too! What group are you riding with?

[lauraelmore1033]

I'm riding with red one.

[AppleTree]

Not riding, but wanted to wish you all luck that are going...and TAILWINDS all the way to Portland! :)

[esoterrica]

Enjoy the Flaming Geyser ride this weekend! I am in blue 2 and last weekend we had a tailwind there, and a gnarly headwind all the way home.

[lauraelmore1033]

you probably ride with my husband. I think he is in blue two.

[smittykitty]

Good Luck STP Riders! We'll be thinking of you, as we live near the half way point and always enjoy the "invasion" of cyclists each July. We absolutely loved doing STP two years ago.

We will be in Bend, OR this weekend for the Tour Deschutes fundraising ride for cancer, but will be thinking of you all and send tailwinds your way. The weather should be great for you this year also. Enjoy and stay safe. We await your ride reports!

[lauraelmore1033]

Thanks Smittykitty! I'm thinking it's going to be a little hotter than I like, but whatyagonnado... This is going to be my first STP on a recumbent. I hope that goes ok. It would be nice to actually enjoy the ride for once instead of trying ignore horrible crotch discomfort...

[AppleTree]

Best of luck everyone! Lauraelmore I really hope you have a good ride this year!

[salsabike]

Ride safe and happy!

[khg]

I hope everybody had a great ride! I was worried about the heat, but we stayed hydrated and safe. One plus of the heat is that I think it makes more of a tailwind on 30--whatever the cause, we had a great tailwind, and I felt like I was flying! But boy did it feel good to get to the second half of 30 where there was some shade. Maybe the worst part of the day was riding the elevator up to the hotel room at the end--I so needed a shower, and I really didn't want to be in a small enclosed space with myself...

[lauraelmore1033]

This was my 7th STP, but it was the first on a recumbent and was, hands down, the most pleasant! The near absence of pain has me wondering why I kept coming back all those times before when it hurt so much to make it to the finish. I'm talking about pain level at an 8(sitting parts) starting around mile 50, approaching 10(everything hurting) crossing the bridge into portland, feeling kinda psychotic as I crossed the finish line. I guess there is a huge sense of accomplishment, pushing past all that, and the euphoria lasts for days, but man, this way (on a recumbent) was so much nicer!!!
I was really nervous at the start because I wasn't sure I could do it on the new bike. I'd done the CTS rides on my regular bike because the recumbent was just too slow on the hills to keep up with even the slowest pace group. I usually did one long ride on the recumbent mid week, but I just didn't get to ride that bike as much as I would have liked. I did start having a bit of a panic attack as we passed the japanese garden near the arboretum because it seemed like I was taking forever even to get down to Lake Washington Boulevard, and at the rate I was going then, finishing in Centralia by evening seemed an impossibility! I kept plugging along though, and before I knew it, the climb up to Rainier Ave was done and I was comfortably cruising along at 15-16 mph as I had planned, and Centralia was looking do-able again. I enjoyed the sight of the sunrise over Lake Washington and was able to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow riders. I found myself reflecting on all sorts of philosophical ideas and generally feeling thankful to live in a society where people have the resources and time for such grand adventures (instead of continually grumbling about the bumps and shocks of the road and the bad behavior of fellow riders as per usual) Before I knew it, the dreaded Puyallup hill loomed large and I was shifting down to my last gear and settling in for a looooong spin up the hill on my ponderously long and heavy bike. I really wanted to stop for a breather because it was much harder than I had anticipated, but didn't because I knew that if I stopped I'd be committed to walking the rest of the hill, since starting on a hill is very difficult on a recumbent. People cheerfully shouted encouragement, often remarking about how hard it looked, and gave me plenty of space. I was never so happy to be done with a hill in my life! It was all easy peasy after that. I know the course like the back of my hand, and the familiar landmarks just zoomed by. I was able to make up a lot of time by skipping some of the stops and made my slow and steady way into Centralia by 2:00. That was when I really noticed the heat! Picking up my bags from the sweltering parking lot and waiting for transport to the church where I was spending the night was probably one of the hardest parts of the ride!
After a refreshing night, I started out at 5:30 the next morning. Gliding silently along nearly empty country roads on day two, as the sun rises is one of my favorite parts of the STP. The crowds started to wash over me just as I got to the rollers near Napavine. The up part of the rollers was definitely harder, but the downs...screaming by at 35+ mph were so much fun!! again, the absence of pain was noted and added to my pleasure as I zoomed along, not needing to stop until Lexington and the bridge shortly after that. I was really worried about what would happen on the bridge because of my lumbering pace up hills, and did have a few moments of panic as I realized the escort motorcycle bringing up the rear of the "wave" passed me and then kept going, letting the following wave of cars go by. I was behind a slow moving tandem bike and another woman was way behind me, so I calmed down as I realized the cars were going slowly and we did actually have plenty of space on the shoulder.
Soon enough we were dumped out onto the dreaded highway 30, which, turns out, when you are riding a lumbering pleasure barge of a bike, isn't so bad. The skies were still overcast, the temps still pleasant, and there was a thunderstorm to watch in the distance over portland. I just kept plugging away and before I knew it, it was time for the climb up to the St John's bridge, which was alarmingly difficult at that stage, but manageable. I really enjoyed the views of the river and the city over those last 8 miles, but didn't enjoy catching every stinkin' stop light! I finally rolled under the finish banner around 4:00 with a grin on my face, high fiving all the people along the way with their hands outstretched. My Husband was there, hand outstretched too, and I gave him a good whack. He greeted me at the end of the chute with a kiss and a finisher tee shirt and I was pretty happy to be done (but not really in pain or feeling psychotic). We took the bike to the truck since we didn't want to be awkwardly wheeling it around and were pleased to discover that since it is such a large bike (almost as long as a tandem), we didn't have to wait in line, just park it beside the truck to be handled when the loaders could get to it. Went and had a shower and a nap and the best mushroom burger ever made in the history of mankind. Life is good.

[AppleTree]

Lauraelmore, what a great ride report. Seventh year, wow!! I'm so glad you had a PAIN FREE STP this year, that's fantastic. Way to go making it up that Puyallup hill too. I think you made really good time both days, and not being psychotic at the finish line is a bonus, LOL. :p

Congrats on your ride too khg... that Saturday heat was intense and I worried about the riders. My husband heard there were quite a few problems with people suffering from the heat on that long Napavine climb, which isn't surprising. At least the 2nd day was much cooler. I was shocked it started raining on us just as my husband crossed the finish line, I didn't see rain in the forecast. But it didn't last and wasn't too serious.

[khg]

Lauraelmore, thanks for the ride report! You and my husband are both at 7--he's thinking of getting a duffel bag, stitching all his patches to it, and using that as his STP drop bag going forward. You guys are starting to get in pretty rarified company with that many finishes. (I overheard one guy at the end "well, now I've done this, I can check it off and never have to do it again." I think he didn't have a happy ride...)

The Saturday heat was pretty intense--I heard that it got to 100 in Portland, and I can believe it. I saw a lot of people sitting by the side of the road, looking spent, and on 30, a lot of cars went by with STP bikes on the back. One woman was getting into a Personal Support Vehicle 11 miles from the finish... I tried to be very focused on my hydration (I have never felt such a sense of triumph at needing to pee at rest stop after rest stop!) and my worst effect was a little heat rash on my thighs where the sun was beating down, and on my butt cheeks where they touched the chamois. Oddly, riding was just fine, but walking around at the last couple stops felt like I had sandpaper down my shorts! They're shorts I've worn in absolute comfort on long rides before, so I think it was just the extreme conditions.

There are probably easier ways to get a good beer, but I have to say, the 200+ miles in the sun made the beer at the finish line taste like the best thing in the world! Also, I stopped grumping about being up so early in the morning when I saw the sunrise hitting Mt Rainier, foregrounded by Lake Washington. Start to finish, it's a pretty special experience!

[lauraelmore1033]

Khg, that's almost exactly what my husband had to say about his ride! (the sandpaper down the previously comfortable shorts) I can only take credit for 5 finishes out of 7 starts (although I have 6 patches). Last year I DNFed because of a tear where the sun don't shine,and I swore I would never do it on a "regular" bike again. My first STP I sagged from Centralia to Winlock, so that doesn't really count as a finish either. That's a good idea about a STP duffel bag, though...

[salsabike]

Laura, that IS a wonderful ride report. Glad everyone here had a good ride!

[esoterrica]

Laura and Khg, glad you had good rides!

Mine was smooth too, despite the heat--no flats or mechanicals, and I managed to stay in a decent mental space all day. My goal for every ride is finish safely and happily so I consider it a success!

I rode just with my fella, as our training group wanted to start later, and good thing we did--they were pushing 20mph at the end and we were hanging on at 17mph. We left at 4:30am from home to avoid the start line madness (I may have cried a little at the beautiful sunrise over Lake Washington) and made great time to Centralia, rolling in at 10:30am. It was high 80s/low 90s by then so we agreed to slow down a little and take as many breaks as we needed--I think we stopped for at least a quick break at every stop save one. We saw lots of people stopping by the side of the road to drink or lay in the dirt and I went through the sprinkler at the St Helens stop 4 times. I teared up coming over the St Johns bridge into Portland, too--such a beautiful city, and I was so proud of the cyclists around me! We rolled in to the finish line at 7:30 pm and there were more people waiting there than I expected, certainly more than last year. Hopefully that means everyone was slowing down and being mindful of the heat. After acquiring falafel and my 1-day rider t-shirt it was back on the bike to the hotel, thankfully only a mile away, but thanks to our sensible pace on the last 100 miles I could have ridden further (especially with the promise of AC at the end), which was a good feeling.

I've been on an epic shorts quest and though my current shorts at least have a sufficiently wide chamois, the seat bone patting is not quite thick enough (Boure elites, 8.25" chamois, just wide enough so I am not sitting on seams). The frequent water stops kept the suffering from getting too intense but I was definitely feeling it and making up cranky burning butt variations to Ring of Fire to distract myself.

This is my second STP and I am not sure if I want to do it again, but I suspect when January/February rolls around I'll be excited and ready.

[lauraelmore1033]

I suspect when January/February rolls around I'll be excited and ready.
It's like a sickness...

[khg]

I may have cried a little at the beautiful sunrise over Lake Washington

That sunrise! And the light of it on Mt Rainier, with Lake Washington spreading out below! That was worth the ride right there. And let's face it--if I weren't dragging myself out of bed for STP, there is no way on earth that I would be up riding my bike early enough to catch a summer sunrise and its unique quality of light.

It's such a beautiful area--how lucky are we to get to ride our bikes here!

[Crankin]

I often do short rides where I see the sunrise over the Concord River.
No matter where I am, on my rides in the early AM, it's just awesome.
However, this does sound like an epic experience, with the heat and hills.