Anyone doing STP 2009? A little scared of what I got myself in to

[OakLeaf]

You've got plenty of time to train. Last year, I rode TOSRV for the first time since 1993 (the first day was also my first century since 1993). I'd only been back to road cycling for two years after a 12 year hiatus. I didn't ride it fast, but I finished easily in spite of some rather impressive rain. Just make sure like they say, have 500 miles under your belt before the event, and at least one 75 mile ride. You'll be fine.

[ttaylor508]

You will do fine! Like LilBolt said, you have done it before so you know what to expect. I have done it 6 times, the last three in one-day and last year I only had about 700 mile of outside riding in. I think it is more the quality of your training rides, not so much the quantity. I think the online training guide is a little much for someone who works full time to commit to and the fact is that you can definitely do it in two days with less training than that guide suggests. I supplemented with indoor spinning classes and that really helped boost my power. The most important thing to remember is to have fun and go at your own pace.

[bikerHen]

My sister and I, plus a few members of our womens cycling club are going to do STP this year. My sister and I are both STP virgins. We plan to start training as soon as we have snow free pavement. Which I HOPE will be sometime in March. I'm going to the gym three days a week, on my trainer three days a week and doing my best to shed some excess weight. STP has been on my to do list for a few years. It's a little scary, but I'm ready to give it a try! bikerHen

[LilBolt]

ttaylor is right. I found that in lieu of doing the mid-week miles, going to Spin worked well. Just made sure I got some good miles in over the weekend. Train enough so you can enjoy the experience, but don't get too stressed about missing rides. The key is for everyone to be safe and ride within yourself so you can have a great time.

[ibcycling]

I'm doing STP so hope to see you there! My friends and I are crazy enough to try it in one day though. At least you have the benefit of a previous STP under your belt. I'm sure you'll be fine and six months is more than enough to prepare. I've looked over the training schedule and it's very doable.

Maybe we should start an ongoing thread for those of us doing STP to track our training. Could be a fun way to stay motivated!

Lora

[kfergos]

I did it last year, my first time ever. You can do it! What worked for me: Following the suggested mileage schedule provided by the Cascade Bicycle Club. I followed it pretty diligently, and had no trouble (relatively) on the ride itself. Also their training suggestions PDF is helpful. Keep reminding yourself that it's not about how fast you do it; it's about finishing it and enjoying yourself.

I'm planning on doing it again this year, so I'd totally be game for keeping track of STP training here somewhere -- let me know if it happens. And if anybody here in MA wants to do long training rides, I'll be looking for biking buddies! (I trained alone last year; it was very lonely.)

[MM_QFC!]

It looks as though you're all set with a good training plan and have heard about the resources, tips, tons of info on the Cascade Bicycle Club's site too.

There are also at least a few archived threads on the Northwest forum here on TE, that are "STP-specific", as a number of TE women have posted for information from those of us who live in the area and who are STP veterans, so I'd suggest searching through and reading all of the helpful information that we've shared over the years.

Be sure to incorporate group rides - even with a few others - into your STP training, as you'll want to be prepared to ride with @ 9000 of your fellow riders on the STP route, complete with traffic, RR tracks, lots of pacelines, newby riders and too many personal SAG vehicles adding to the crowded route - ARRRGGGHH!

Tailwinds!
Mary