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How I did it: I enlisted my brother early and we signed up right away! Both of us purchased our first road bikes earlier this year and rode them as regularly as possible gradually working up to a 100 mile ride.
during the ride we both carried camel paks and took advantage of all the free stops to power up with food. We have the most amazing parents who met up with us at many of the stops and finish line cheering us on and our wonderful sister and her kids met us at the Tenino stop close to their home.
The first day we rode 118 miles into Winlock to make the second day much easier. Read how I did it… 10 months ago
Bike’s drive train broken. Since it’s a tandem, no one had spare parts.
We are DNF and I’m home now.
:`-( 10 months ago
Still insanely stoked. Even though half the people are n00bs, and most don’t know how to ride in large groups. Even though the weather’s been bad for months, so they’re probably even less trained for it than usual. Even though I’ve done it plenty of times now. Even though other rides have better scenery, better food, better people.
10,000 cyclists. From here to Portland. The energy is crazy. I can’t wait. 10 months ago
Over yonder
A quote:
Inspiration and humility. And entertainment, cycling pride (the loosest possible and most all encompassing idea of it) and for the humanity of it. And maybe because it’s hard and demanding and epic, and because it delivers all the glory through suffering you can take in a paceline led by a dude on a Bike Friday. Ok, and maybe because when else do you get to eat four pancakes, seven Little Debbie’s, a chunk of salmon jerky bought from an American Native in the front seat of a pick-up truck parked on the side of a road, four cokes, a tin of Pringles, three burritos, a plate of lasagna, two whoppers, a cheeseburger, three beers, five power bars, four gallons of water, seventeen electrolyte replacement drinks and a chocolate milkshake, in one day, without peeing or gaining weight.10 months ago
How I did it: It has been a few weeks since I completed this, but I haven't had time to write about it until now. I must say that this was one of the most rewarding undertakings I have ever pursued. Completing something like this, that a few years ago I would have never believed I could do, makes me believe that I can achieve almost anything if I want to badly enough and work hard.
The best thing I did was get hooked into a wonderful riding group that has had years of experience with STP. They taught me how to ride in a pack, how to be a good biking citizen, and most importantly, how to be prepared and have fun. The next best thing I did was ask my husband to ride along and he agreed. I was somewhat surprised he did so. But he is competitive enough with me that I knew that he would be successful if I was. It was a wonderful experience and having him along on the trainings both helped to keep me more motivated and decrease the guilt I have felt about the amount of time it takes to train for an event like this.
I followed (sort of) the Cascade Bicycle Club's training schedule. However, I had been told that it was overly ambitious and that I should be able to ride without doing quite as much training as they suggested, especially since I had a relatively good base from my triathlon training. The website also said that if I could complete the June Flying Wheels 45 or 65 mile rides that I would be fine. Those rides have much more severe hills. I was able to complete the 65 in June and sure enough, STP was a breeze in comparison.
There was so much camaraderie along the ride - the other bikers were for the most part super. A few drivers were obnoxious, but we were able to ignore their horns. A few injuries in our group, one fairly serious, but recoverable.
Most rewarding of all were the strong friendships we formed with the other riders in our group, along with random conversations with others along the ride. It was so awesome, and I immediately felt the letdown of knowing that I would have to wait a whole year to ride it again. STP 2012, can't wait! Read how I did it… 22 months ago
How I did it: I started by buying a bicycle in February 2011, as well as an indoor trainer since the weather in Washington wasn't that great yet. I started riding on the trainer a couple times a week to start building up endurance. In March I began the Cascade Bicycle Club's recommended training schedule, trying to follow it as closely as possible. When the weather began to improve I started riding outside, discovering new routes to acheive longer rides.
Though I didn't exactly keep up with the training program, I did keep persisting. I signed up for and rode in the Redhook Haul Ash and the Flying Wheels rides, which were both good experiences for riding with large groups of people.
On the friday before the ride I parked at the UW parking lot and stayed in one of the dorms so I could get an early start. The first day's ride was a bit tougher than I expected, but not too bad. I tent camped that night at Centralia Community College. Due to neglect on my part (forgot sunscreen the first day and improper handlebar placement) the second day was much harder for me.
But I finished! I loaded my bike on the truck, got a shower and something to eat, and got on the charter bus home. Read how I did it… 22 months ago
This morning I rode the route of the (rumored) new Lake Stevens Half Ironman bike route. Harder than I expected. It was ten miles shorter than the Flying Wheels route but had greater elevation gain/loss.
STP potluck tomorrow. Excited! 23 months ago
Well I finished the 65 mile Flying Wheels ride this weekend. People have said that if you can do this ride, then the STP should be no problem. The ride wasn’t as bad as I had thought it to be, the hills were pretty tough though. All that’s left to do for me is book a place to stay in Portland and figure out how to get back. 23 months ago
Last weekend did the ride around Lake Sammamish from Log Boom, 49 miles, followed on Sunday by riding the Chilly Hilly route on Bainbridge Island. 33 miles of hell – but beautiful hell. I can’t imagine how the STP could be harder, but maybe I’m wrong!
Doing really well, and glad that C signed up to ride with me. 23 months ago