Stp 2010

[Susan126]

Wow Jessica what a ride you had! I did not see one accident! My complete ride was awesome. Everyone was courteous and safe. I did start early though to beat the rush. I stayed with a friend near the start. I was up at 3:00 AM on Saturday and on my bike by 4:11 AM! It was a surreal morning for me. There was no one on the roads for about an hour. Then I met two guys near Kent who started early too. We chatted for a bit and then I passed them. My first rest stop was the Yelm ministop just before we got on the trail (Yelm to Tenino). This is where the "fast" riders began catching me.

I just did a ride this afternoon (about an hour ago). My first ride since Saturday. I did an easy 30 miler and the first ten miles my legs felt tired but once they warmed up (around mile 9-10) they felt pretty darn good. No aches or pains, a bit stiff but I'm working that out. The ride today helped.

When we crossed that pedestrian bridge in Portland there was no traffic what so ever. It was really nice for the group I was in as we came into Portland that evening. I guess I lucked out.

Yea I got every single red light in Portland too! Just when we were moving we came to the next light and of course it turned red! All the way to the finish line!

So how are you feeling today?

[XMcShiftersonX]

I bet the one day ride is more pleasant because I would imagine the people who do it are a little more experienced and skilled in cycling, there's also far less people. I think the problems I encountered were due to the number of people who do it but don't know how to ride in groups, and also the really fast people who don't announce that they're passing, pass really close, and then cut you off when they're coming back over. That happened a lot and drove me nuts. Obviously those people have some experience because they were probably going in the 20-25 MPH range, but I don't know I guess they just want to show off how good they were at the potential expense of others. Despite that, I did enjoy the experience, but I'm also glad it's over.

It was really cool to be on the streets so early both days when there were barely any cars. I'm not used to riding that early. When I'm at home I usually start a ride at noon. But it is really nice, and if I didn't have to worry about the dog or anything it would be fun to do more rides that early.

Today I feel okay - finally got some good sleep, I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow last night as well! I'm pretty much sore everywhere - arms, back, butt, legs, but it's not that bad. I have a general feeling of being tired, which I'm sure will get better over the next couple days. Last night our dog was getting pretty antsy at the finish line so I didn't have time to get a massage or stretch, but I bet I would be feeling even better if I had. Oh well. I won a massage at the Cycle the Wave kick off party and scheduled it for Saturday, it's a sports massage!!

[lauraelmore1033]

well, it wasn't the "Most Epic Ride Ever", but it was epic enough for this little brown mousie. I started out around 5:30, feeling dehydrated and crampy in spite of the fact that I had really been pushing the water the day before. I'd also spilled my coffee mug while trying to get the bike out of the house without letting any of our six cats out, so I was riding, as my husband quaintly puts it, "uncrapinated". In hind sight I realize that it was a good thing to start out a little slower than I might have been inclined to do otherwise. People were crashing left and right for the first 25 miles! One guy inexplicably wiped out on a gentle downhill with an equally gentle curve. Alarmingly, he just lay there for the longest time. People were screaming "biker down, biker down" as they waited for the light to change so we could get to him. I was sure he was seriously hurt, but heard him assure the first people to reach him that he was ok. by the time I rode past, a group of people were telling him it might be a good idea not to just lie in the road if he was ok. I saw him at the next rest stop and noticed that his jersey was torn at the shoulder. That must have hurt!

In spite of the accidents, people were actually pretty well behaved for the first half of the day. I was surprised by the number of slower riders to be passed. usually I'm the one getting passed. On THE famous hill I was passed by a young man who looked to be under the age of 10, but he was apparently too proud to shift down from his tallest gear and I passed him back. I wanted to tell him that it was ok to shift down, but decided to keep my advice to myself. He was clearly very fit (if a little foolish...) Somewhere before puallup I passed an interesting looking three seater rig that looked home made. I remembered to take a picture of it at the rest stop in Spanaway.

The sheer number of people at the spanaway stop always amazes me. I tried to capture the press of the crowd, but I'm not a skilled photographer....
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/pictu...6&pictureid=66
pappa Murphy's was there passing out free pizza and it was utterly delicious!

Somewhere around mile 65, I started suffering from my lack of coffee. I didn't have the presence of mind to find a coffee stand until I started getting the withdrawl headach from hell. Luckily, I found a discarded, but unopened packet of cliff shot with caffeine. I sucked it down feeling like some kind of junkie, but quickly got some relief. Don't tell anybody, eh?
I rolled into Centralia around 2:00 and was feeling pretty good. I showered without having to wait and ate and then passed out on my sleeping bag without intending to. I felt dizzy when I woke up at 7, so I went out and found more food. That seems to have been the right thing to do because I felt great in the morning. I think I felt better at the start of day two than I did at the start of day one. I really enjoyed gliding silently through the sleepy farm land and towns around Chehails and I loved the rolling hills around Vader. The magic faded after the lunch stop and I found the crowds http://forums.teamestrogen.com/pictu...6&pictureid=64
again, my picture fails to capture the absolute crush of people.
Saw a group of interesting elliptical bike contraptions at that same spot.
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/pictu...6&pictureid=65
They don't look like they would do well on hills, but I saw them again on the Longview bridge and they just swished up effortlessly! They looked like a lot of fun to ride. Would have been interesting to see how they handled the downhill.

most of the ride after than was a grind, and not so much fun. Pace lines really got oppressive at that point, and lines at porta potties got ridiculously long. I just pushed along and pretty much zoned out until the route turned us out onto that stop light happy stretch of down town portland. Pretty sure I caught every stinkin' one. I didn't like the crowded steel bridge much either and the crawl those last few miles to the finish was interminable. I was feeling pretty crabby as I crossed the finish line, and told my husband I was never doing the STP again or, for that matter, ever riding my bike again. He just smiled knowingly and steered me to baggage claim and then on to a burger king where I ate the bestest burger evah!
After a good night's sleep I am only a little sore and a little tired and already looking forward to next year's ride. Crazyness!!

[Susan126]

Around Sumner I began looking for a Starbucks! Never saw one though. I was in need of a caffeine fix too lauraelmore1033!

Anyway, I wrote a more lengthy ride report at my blog . . .

My STP Ride Report

Also, I wonder if that guy finished with his "homemade" bike. Interesting people and bikes on the STP!

[ZooZoo]

Around Sumner I began looking for a Starbucks! Never saw one though. I was in need of a caffeine fix too lauraelmore1033!

Anyway, I wrote a more lengthy ride report at my blog . . .

My STP Ride Report

Also, I wonder if that guy finished with his "homemade" bike. Interesting people and bikes on the STP!

What a great blog! I read all your ride reports and they were very inspiring to this semi-newbie. Great job.

[Susan126]

What a great blog! I read all your ride reports and they were very inspiring to this semi-newbie. Great job.

Thanks ZooZoo! As I mentioned earlier (and I will say it again) you and your friends did great! You didn't give up, you came back this year and you finished. Riding that far is an accomplishment and a feat not many can do. Again Congratulations to you, your friends, and to everyone else who rode in this year's stp!

And you are no dang newbie!

[Catrin]

Around Sumner I began looking for a Starbucks! Never saw one though. I was in need of a caffeine fix too lauraelmore1033!

Anyway, I wrote a more lengthy ride report at my blog . . .

My STP Ride Report

Also, I wonder if that guy finished with his "homemade" bike. Interesting people and bikes on the STP!

Great story on your blog - you made it sound so easy Congratulations on your adventure - and you certainly had a good one!

[sarahspins]

Somewhere around mile 65, I started suffering from my lack of coffee. I didn't have the presence of mind to find a coffee stand until I started getting the withdrawl headach from hell. Luckily, I found a discarded, but unopened packet of cliff shot with caffeine. I sucked it down feeling like some kind of junkie, but quickly got some relief. Don't tell anybody, eh?

I don't know why, but this statement TOTALLY reminds me of Hyperbole and a Half... I can actually picture the drawings she'd make to go along with it...

[lauraelmore1033]

Good job dog....you found it ?
That picture does actually does illustrate the joy of finding sombody's skanky discarded cliff shot at exactly the right moment...

I laughed so hard I tooted, btw.

[malaholic]

ZooZoo - congrats! I remember your report last year and I'm stoked that you came back this year and got your finish - I knew you would!

Laura, Jessica, congrats to you as well! I've enjoyed reading your ride reports. I'm so glad you all had a safe finish and didn't get caught up in any of the crashes (sounds like there were quite a few!)

Reading your reports almost makes me wish I'd ridden it this year. *almost*...but not quite.

[ZooZoo]

ZooZoo - congrats! I remember your report last year and I'm stoked that you came back this year and got your finish - I knew you would!

Laura, Jessica, congrats to you as well! I've enjoyed reading your ride reports. I'm so glad you all had a safe finish and didn't get caught up in any of the crashes (sounds like there were quite a few!)

Reading your reports almost makes me wish I'd ridden it this year. *almost*...but not quite.

Thanks Malaholic! Last year was an accomplishment (125 miles) but not finishing was a true disappointment. I had to do it this year, 'cause I wasn't going to let it beat me. LOL.

Congrats to all the rides who rode!

[XMcShiftersonX]

Somewhere before puallup I passed an interesting looking three seater rig that looked home made. I remembered to take a picture of it at the rest stop in Spanaway.

Oh my gosh!! Did you have the urge to punch these people in the face like me?! There were three people riding that thing, but it pissed me off that when they had to walk it up the Puyallup hill they were walking it right in the middle of the street, when there was room on the right side of them. Damn hipsters! haha

[lauraelmore1033]

Oh, there were plenty of people I felt like punching in the face, but these guys didn't even make a blip on my punch-o-meter. Maybe if I'd been stuck behind them on "the" hill it would have been different. They probably didn't finish, if they were walking on the first day...

[XMcShiftersonX]

Ha... probably not. Which brings up another reason to want to punch people. I hate the gimmick modes of transportation that don't intend to finish the ride but sign up anyways. If you start off planning to finish but can't for whatever reason, that's one thing. But don't sign up for something with limited space just to show off your stupid invention and then go home when you feel like it. There were lots of other people that actually wanted to do the whole thing! And hey, even though skateboarding dude and the portable ellipticals were somewhat annoying on the course, they actually finished!!

[Catrin]

... And hey, even though skateboarding dude and the portable ellipticals were somewhat annoying on the course, they actually finished!!

Someone SKATEBOARDED STP!?!?! I cannot imagine what that must have been like - or how he finished in time. Guess I don't know much about that sport.