Seattle to Portland, Vol. 4
Tuesday, 15. July 2008, 16:12:37
Eight years ago, I rode my bicycle from Seattle to the hamlet of Vader, Washington, with some friends. We spent the night and rode to Portland for a total of 200 miles (320 km) over the course of two days. I had caught the bug that has kept this annual event, the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic, going since 1979.
This year, for the (I think) eighth time, I finished the "STP" ride yet again but in just one day. As one can imagine, it was an eventful ride.
This year, for the (I think) eighth time, I finished the "STP" ride yet again but in just one day. As one can imagine, it was an eventful ride.
Steph's teaching schedule, since she's trying to get tenure, has had her working hours upon hours for months upon months. She's completed about five real training rides since March. That's not a lot, but the dearth of preparation did nothing to quell her determination to ride.
Steph caught the cycling bug from me soon after we started dating five years ago. She signed up for STP and completed it in two days (126 miles on day one, 78 miles on day two) that first year. I was very proud of her. Her astute observation on the second day changed my outlook forever.
STEPH: Man, my legs feel like lead!
JAMES: Yeah, they always do on the second day.
STEPH: They felt like lead last night.
JAMES: That's why we stop for the night, honey.
STEPH: They feel the same as if I hadn't stopped, though.
JAMES: ...
STEPH: We should just keep going and get it all over with.
JAMES: I hadn't thought of it like that.
So this year, for the fourth time in a row, we completed our ride in a single day. And for the fourth year in a row, we did it on next to no sleep. No matter how far out one plans, "things" come up that require last minute attention. It's just pre-ride jitters forcing a sense of urgency to check everything just one more time, but those are inevitable. Now we just accept them and don't worry so much.
The timeline unfolded like so.
FRIDAY
5:00 PM - Take Ashley to the dog sitter's.
6:00 PM - Steph goes to friend Megan's bachelorette party. James rides to the bike shop for some last minute supplies like inner tubes and chain lube.
7:00 PM - James makes himself shrimp and avocado fajitas with peach & mango salsa. A divine dinner indeed.
10:00 PM - Steph comes home early as planned. We finish up packing, etc.
11:00 PM - Bedtime.
12:00 AM - Actually fall asleep.
SATURDAY
2:45 AM - Alarm goes off. Yes, this sucks - even for a morning person like me!
3:00 AM - Actually get out of bed and grab some breakfast.
3:30 AM - We're out the door for the start line, five miles (8 km) away, on our bikes. Why not drive? Only my car has a bike rack, and it's in Portland near the finish line. We needed to get back quickly on Sunday for our friends' wedding. The only solution was to drive my car to Portland and ride Amtrak back to Seattle on Friday. Steph's car, devoid of a bike rack, just isn't a viable transportation option.
4:10 AM - Meet up with Diana, the third member of our riding trio.
4:40 AM - Hit the road (not literally - we all finished without crashing this year).
5:00 AM - The Voice (in my head) asks, "Why are we doing this again?"
5:05 AM - After a long awkward pause, the Voice says, "I asked you a question!"
5:10 AM - The Voice sighs in frustration and shuts up for awhile.
6:00 AM - The Voice takes a nap, and I'm feeling resentful at its contented snoring.
6:05 AM - First food stop! We load up on juice, fruit, and energy bars.
7:30 AM - Get reacquainted with "The Hill": a winding road whose elevation increases steadily for two miles (3 km) and just kinda sucks. It's not as bad as waking up at 2:45 in the morning, but the two things in one morning... well, you can imagine. The Voice is irritable from being awakened by oxygen deprivation.
10:30 AM - Realize that two of the last six hours have been spent at rest stops. Part of it is our inattention to time. Part of it is Diana's obligation to the ride itself: she's the volunteer coordinator.
10:35 AM - Diana agrees that she'd rather spend less time at the stops from here on out.
12:01 PM - Reach the course's midpoint in Centralia, Washington, and bypass the heaping plates of $5 pasta with good reason.
12:30 PM - Stop at the Operations HQ, "Ops," to see just how crazy it can be to keep this event going from minute to minute. Half a dozen people with cell phones and radios are tracking the support vehicles, including medics, mechanics, and other coordinators. It's cool to watch, but the free food really gets all my attention.
2:00 PM - The Legs are rebelling. The Voice is down for another nap. I think that it's talking in its sleep but soon realize that Steph and Diana are asking aloud, "Why are we doing this again?"
5:00 PM - Diana says, "You two should go ahead, I've gotta talk to Dave." Dave, by the way, is her husband. Every year, he drives along the course checking in with volunteers and hired help.
5:30 PM - Diana rides past us in Dave's car. A bank's time and temperature sign indicates that it's 91 degrees (33 C) outside.
5:45 PM - We cross the Kelso-Longview Bridge into Oregon. There are just over 50 miles (80 km) to go.
6:00 PM - Stop to direct traffic. A sixty-year-old rider slipped on some gravel, fell with 50 miles (80 km) to go, skinned up his arm, and likely broke his collarbone. Tough day.
7:00 PM - Stop at St. Helens High School for some food. Diana rolls up on her bike, explains that her legs literally gave out, but that Dave could only take her part of the way to Portland. She sends us off with assurances that she's feeling fine.
8:30 PM - Start winding our way through Portland's outer limits with a sense of dread.
8:40 PM - Sense of dread is realized when we climb "Big Bertha," a short hill that feels like a wall because it's steep and only a few miles from the finish.
8:50 PM - A fellow rider crosses some railroad tracks alongside us. "Whoosh!" goes her rear tire.
RIDER: Dammit! My tire's flat!
VOICE: She'll be fine!
JAMES: Can you fix it yourself?
RIDER: I can, but I don't like to....(raises eyebrows enticingly)
JAMES: Take it easy, you'll be fine.
VOICE: Good job! Now ride faster!!
8:55 PM - Yet another rider gets a flat tire. We don't offer to help.
9:05 PM - We roll in to the finish line, saddle sore but satisfied with the day's work.
9:30 PM - Diana rolls in to the finish line, having ridden 190 miles (305 km) of the 202.2 mile (325 km) course. Not bad for a grandma in her mid-50's, huh?
9:40 PM - Eat gyros and drink some beer with Lonnie and Karen, two Opera friends that drove in from nearby Vancouver, Washington. The first face-to-face meeting with any of my online friends. We talk about a lot of things, namely that they're really excited about their new house after the debacle at the previous prospective digs. Lonnie informs us that the peak temperature today wasn't, in fact, 91 degrees. It was actually 100 degrees (38 C) at the hottest part of the day.
10:30 PM - Order pizza and get some more beer at the hotel room with cyclist friends Pat and his daughter Tera.
11:00 PM - Out like a like light, all of us.
SUNDAY
10:00 AM - Hit the road for Seattle.
2:00 PM - Get home. Unload the car. Get ready for Ron and Megan's wedding.
3:00 PM - Get in the car (again!) and drive an hour to the wedding. Yes, it was worth it.
9:00 PM - Head home, crash out with the dog in our own damned bed after what seemed like a week but was really only 42 very busy hours.
WIDGETIZE
Karen # 15. July 2008, 16:23
I'm sure Ashley was totally stoked to see you again!
heisenberg16 # 17. July 2008, 09:14
Cynthia # 18. July 2008, 02:56
James # 18. July 2008, 03:50
Or possibly just not starting depending on your perspective.
hungryghost # 22. July 2008, 21:13
James # 22. July 2008, 21:39
Vancouver, here we come!
Karen # 22. July 2008, 22:52