"It's 200 miles to Portland. We've got two 20 oz. bottles of water, a packed CamelBak, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses... Hit it!"
Over the weekend, I participated in the annual Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic which is a Pacific northwest cycling tradition that dates back to more than 23 years since its first running in 1979. I had meant to attend the previous years but something had always come up. This year, one of the owners of a bike shop I frequent convinced me to participate in the ride by offering me a free ticket coupon. Since I sort of viewed the STP as a cycling rite of passage, I just couldn't pass up this opportunity.
Day One (13 Jul 2002)
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Pre-Start
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The alarm clock rings at 0530PDT. I woke up several times during the night in anticipation of the ride so I didn't get much sleep. I also didn'tactually get to bed until after midnight but I don't really feel tired. I took a shower and finished packing and readying the bike and my riding clothes (attaching bib numbers and number plates, gathering misc. articles). I also decided to wear my contacts for the ride so I could use my new Rudy Projects sunglasses as it would most assuredly be sunny out. I had two large 20 oz. water bottles filled with water as well as 70 oz. of water in my CamelBak.
It was 0615 when I walked outside under the cloudy and gloomy skies. I decide to don my sunglasses anyways since they didn't really cut out all light and I needed something to shield my eyes from the wind. I got the bike and my gear loaded into Michelle's (my wife) Saturn SC2 easily enough. We only had to fold the back seats down and remove the front wheel of the bike. I'm sure glad I bought that rolling/duffel/backpack/luggage. With my CamelBak strapped to it, I can just carry it around as well as ride with it as a backpack. This should make it easy to get my gear to the hotel at the midpoint overnight stop.
The drive to the start line was also uneventful and we arrived at a little before 0700. On the way into the parking lot, we saw many riders wearingtheir Tyvek STP jackets and it took very little convincing from my wife to make me decide that I should do the same. After getting a little confused as to where we should unload, Michelle parked the car at a seemingly convenient spot in the main parking lot. Unloading was also easy enough although Michelle told me later that day when I called her on the mobile that there were a bunch of cyclists who obliviously were standing right behind her car as she was trying to back out and stood there to gab for about 10 minutes. How rude!
Start Line - University of Washington (Mile 0)
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I walked across the parking lot to where they were loading gear for the midpoint stopovers. I found the Centralia, WA truck and handed the loaders my backpack which I had actually been just rolling along beside me. I then started to head for the start line when something struck me as odd. A sinking feeling came over me as I realised I was still wearing my sandals! My cycling shoes were still in the mid-compartment of my gear bag! Rushing back to the truck frantically, I managed to wave the loader over and asked him if I could retrieve my bag for a second. He looked rightfully annoyed at me for having done something so stupid and told me he didn't know which bag was mine. He waved me into the truck and asked me to just grab it myself. I spotted it up at the very top of a huge pile of bags near the ceiling of the truck and pointed to it. After pulling it down and yelling out a warning to everyone else in the area to make sure they had everything they needed for the ride before loading the gear bags, he waited for me to swap sandals for shoes and reloaded my bag into the truck. I resumed my walk to the starting line with bike at my side.
The line for the start had already begun forming but I wasn't far from the front. They released our group of riders at exactly 0700. We were off with a resounding cheer. An announcer was asking people to yell out their place of origin as we passed by the start line. I heard places as far away as London (UK that is). Several drops of rain began falling.
We wove our way through UW and towards Lake Washington Blvd. with police providing traffic control. There were many shouts of gratitude from the riders to the police as we rode by. The Cascade Bicycle Club also had support vehicles (Subaru station wagons) patrolling the route and following along each major pack of riders. There were also motorcycles (big Honda Gold Wings) providing escort. Everyone was in radio contact. This was a very professionally organised ride.
The descent towards Lake Washington took us past the Japanese Gardens as we snaked our way through the lakeside parks. Some cars had apparently not headed the traffic warnings and ended up in the middle of us. They weren't getting very far very fast.
There were several places where I needed to apply brakes due to traffic lights and rider congestion. I noticed that my front brakes felt odd. It suddenly dawned on me that I had forgotten to flick back the brake cable release after reinstalling my front wheel. I pulled over in front of a Starbucks where several other riders were already enjoying breakfast to recheck my quick release, brakes and anything else that I might have missed during the reassembly process. Also, I was starting to get a little hot so I refolded the jacket and stuffed it into my CamelBak. Several people riding by remarked at how comfortable we all looked sitting in front of the Starbucks and sipping coffee just a few miles from the start. I of course was just readjusting my gear. The coffee drinkers simply raised their cups in salute.
After rejoining the pack, I made short work of Lake Washington Blvd by hopping onto the wheel of some triathletes who were pushing a blistering 25MPH pace. Electing to pass up the first mini-stop at Seward Park (mile 11), I climbed the first hill and connected up with Hwy 181 going towards Kent. By this time, I was fairly warmed up, the rain had stopped and the lake and Boeing plant were rolling past on my left. The triathletes were really cooking! Many other riders had also joined our fast-paced group but I could still see riders strung out ahead and behind for miles.
REI Food Stop - Kent, WA (Mile 24)
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At about 0830, we all decided to pull into the first food stop for breakfast mainly because all the signs they placed along the side of the road REALLY encouraged us to with promise of marimba music, people in grass skirts and free food and beverages. Some of us had to use the restroom too. The Kent REI parking lot and surrounding grounds were packed with cyclists and more were coming in as well as leaving. It was a beautiful sight. REI employees were handing out Odwalla bars so I picked up two different flavours and tried one. Peeling off the wrapper, I discovered something that looked and tasted like a brownie shaped hunk of falaffal.... YUCK!
Wiggling my way out of the crowd, I managed to find a small spot of green grass not occupied by a bike or cyclist and sat down to call my wife. After finishing up a short conversation with her, I surveyed the line to the porta-potties. There was row of about a dozen Honey Buckets with a queue of riders stretching back across the parking lot. I decided I didn't need to go and after a short chat with some veteran riders near me about the upcoming "big hill", remounted my bike and headed out. I managed to get hooked up again with the triathletes from before and we resumed our pace. We also joined up with a team based out of Portland who had one of their members towing a trailer in which was fitted a car-stereo in a homemade wooden box with speakers and a remote control strung to the handlebars. I think it may have also had an MP3 player with high-capacity storage hooked to it since the rider was flipping through quite a bit of songs without having to stop and change anything. We all figured that tunes were good and the pace was fast enough so stuck with them.
The route out of Kent took us over a slight clinb up to a bridge where we crossed over the Green River and then back down through Auburn, under Hwys 18 and 167 (twice) and cut through surrounding towns. The terrain was flat and there were only moderate breaks in the pace to observe stoplights. Hwy 181 had fairly light traffic and what vehicles did pass us seemed to be affiliated with the STP. Some belonged to friends and family of the riders who obviously knew how to drive around cyclists and were used to driving support. I had never felt so safe on a long distance bicycle ride in the midst of automobile traffic as I did riding the STP.
Mini-Stop, Puyallup, WA (Mile 41)
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After attempting to keep up with the triathletes for over two hours, I decided I had had enough and stopped to take a bathroom break at the Puyallup Mini-Stop. It was 0945 when I called Michelle to update her. She wished me luck on the hill and I hung up to go stand in line for the next available Honey Bucket. I was happily surprised that the port-a-potties were not as disgusting as I thought they would be. Nevertheless, I spent a good couple of minutes washing my hands at the outdoor sink they had set up.
After setting off on the road again for only a few miles and with the triathletes nowhere in sight, I hit the base of "the hill". It turned out to be no big deal. Someone mentioned that it was a 6% grade. The hills near my house up on the Sammamish Plateau were much steeper. Nevertheless, I decided not to push it so I dropped into the 39/27 and proceeded to grind up at about 10MPH. The climb took about 10 minutes (maybe less). Several riders were walking but several other riders were hammering up out of the saddle. Someone had mentioned that there was a guy riding a unicycle who made it up the hill without walking.
After clearing the summit, it was a relatively flat and uneventful ride for about ten miles before I rolled into the first day's mid-point lunch stop in Spanaway.
Food Stop - Spanaway, WA (Mile 55)
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Even more so than all the other stops, you could see cyclists milling about as far as the eye could see. Everyone was standing in long line to get sandwiches when one ofn the ride organisers strolled by to tell us that there were five food tents and we were all standing in line for just one. Of course after that, the line split into two and everyone was standing in line for two out of the five food tents.
Our choices were bean-sandwich or sprouts and pine nuts sandwiches. I chose the sprouts and pine nuts, picked up a couple of Cliff Iced bars and wandered to the edge of the parking lot to eat my lunch. Suddenly a loud roar came overhead and a big C-17 turned base to final right on top of us.
I quickly reached for the camera and snapped a few shots. Upon finishing my sandwich and emptying the contents of one of my water bottles (the other was still completely filled and my CamelBack was still half full) into my mouth, I decided to nibble on a Cliff Iced bar (chocolate mint). It turned out to not be bad at all. It certainly was much better than the original Cliff Bars I had tried many years ago. I finished eating and set off again little before noon.
Rolling out of Spanaway, we picked up Hwy 507 and made our way south towards Yelm. This portion of the route was also pretty flat and hugged the edge of Fort Lewis. I was about 5 miles out of Yelm when the triathletes screamed by and I once again jumped onto their wheels.
However, after about a half hour at a 20MPH pace, my left leg started cramping up so I backed off and let the tri-guys go. I started doing intermediate on the bike leg massages while trying to keep the pressure off when my right leg started threatening to cramp up. Luckily there were no hills and so I just dropped my gears and spun at about 95RPM using light pedal pressure. My pace had dropped to around 15MPH. I pulled into Yelm with both legs quivering.
Mini-Stop - Yelm, WA (Mile 74)
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It was about 1330 by the time I hit the Yelm Mini-Stop and I plucked myself down on a patch of grass to massage my cramping legs. Luckily they had not fully cramped up and after spending a half hour massaging them, I felt fine once again. I finally saw the unicycle guy pull up and head for the restrooms. He had long curly hair, looked to be in his mid 20s and was wearing cut-off jeans, tennis shoes and big plastic BMX-style helmet. There's someone who was definately keeping it real.
My bike being such a small frame with 700c tyres results in a bit of toe-overlap. I knew this would be a problem but always told myself I'd be careful and it would only really occur during slow speed turns or if I'm attempting a track stand. On my way out of the Yelm Mini-Stop lot, I cut a corner and overlapped my left toe with my front wheel causing me to go down in a slow-speed fall. It happened so fast, I didn't have time to react and my right foot still being clipped in caused my right leg to twist which brought back the cramp. After unclipping and surveying my damage (right brifter lever scraped up and knocked out of place and a scraped right elbow), I attempted to massage the cramp out. I got it to uncramp but it was very sore and kept threatening to recramp if I put too much pressure on it. So much for my great pace which up to this point was just about 20MPH
on average.
I quickly readjusted the brifter (slang for Shimano STI dual-control brake/shifter levers) and got back on the bike. Hurt, sore, embarassed and mad at myself for both pushing so hard in the first place and making a stupid mistake, I rolled back onto the route a little after 1400. I was able to maintain a good spin at a 15MPH pace without problems so at least I wasn't limping. The terrain had changed to rolling hills and I did back off to a 12MPH pace on the climbs though.
Mini-Stop - Tenino, WA (Mile 87)
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I hadn't originally intended to stop in Tenino but I figured it was best for the sake of my legs. I refilled one of my water bottles with Gatorade in hopes that some electrolytes and all that gooey power-gunk would help my muscles recover and keep me from cramping so easily. After about ten minutes, I resumed riding just a little before 1500.
A couple of miles down the route, I hooked up behind some older riders from Puyallup. One of them was on a recumbent and two were on hybrids. They were pushing a pretty decent (and comfortable) 16MPH pace so I stayed behind and chatted with them. The last 13 miles went by pretty uneventfully. The hills were gradual and rolling and the weather albiet a tad warm was sunny with a slight breeze but no strong winds. The four of us rolled into Centralia together at around 1545.
Midpoint - Centralia, WA (Mile 100)
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I said goodbye to my short-lived riding partners and went searching for the baggage pickup point. My legs felt pretty good as I walked with the bike at my side through the park. There was music and food kiosks everywhere. People were camping on the field. I was tempted to give the massage tent a try but the line was horrendously long. I instead found the gear pickup spot, grabbed my bag, attached my CamelBak to it and pulled out the backpack straps.
Wearing my luggage as a backpack, I rode out of the park in an attempt to find my hotel. I had picked up a small tourist brochure with a map in it from the information booth but I apparently had oriented it in the wrong direction. After riding for about a mile going the wrong way, I realised my mistake and reversed course.
As it turned out, the hotel was a mere quarter-mile from where I picked up my bags and was proudly displaying a nice big sign which read "Ferryman's Inn". I should have been looking up instead of down at the map.
It took me about an hour to check-in, shower, change and relax. I called Michelle to let her know I had arrived safely and then started looking for places in the brochure to eat dinner. I was starving and craved a huge steak.
I settled on a steak and seafood house just a mile up the road and decided to walk it. It was just past a bunch of outlet mall stores. I ordered a 16 oz. cut of primerib and washed it down with some beer. I think I finished dinner in a half-hour. On my way back, I stopped by a Chevron station and bought a toothbrush (since I forgot to pack one) as well as a small first-aid kit for my scraped elbow.
Upon my return to the hotel, I walked around back and saw the pool. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to pack a swimsuit. Cursing my luck, I sulked off to my room to apply bandages, rub my sore legs and watch TV. I didn't really feel like wandering too much. I set the alarm clock for 0600 and the sleep timer on the TV. I think I fell asleep sometime around 2100.
Day Two (14 Jul 2002)
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Midpoint - Centralia, WA (Mile 100)
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I woke up two minutes before the alarm went off and started getting ready for the day. My left leg was fine but my right calf still felt a bit weird. I decided to ride a moderate pace today.
After checking to make sure I had everything packed, I quickly checked out of the hotel, declined the continental breakfast and headed back to the park to drop off the gear bag at the truck that would ferry it down to Portland. Quite a few riders were also ready to go and a bunch of us took off around 0630. Like the previous morning, the sky was cloudy and threatening rain so I wore my Tyvek STP jacket. It was also a bit chilly but I figured I'd warm up quickly enough.
We made good time getting out of Centralia and started catching up with other riders ahead of us until we attained the now familiar string of riders as far as the eye could see. Only 10 miles later, we passed by the first mini-stop at Chehalis but I decided to keep riding. There was hardly any traffic save for the ride-affiliated support vehicles.
The terrain which had been flat turned once again into scenic rolling hills but not before an initial long climb just before Napavine that although wasn't even as difficult as the Puyallup hill from the earlier day left a couple of people walking. I dropped into a 39/21 to save my legs and grinded up at around 12MPH.
The clock just ticked by 0730 as I passed by the Napavine Mini-Stop and continued on intending to stop in Winlock instead. A mile or so out of Napavine, the terrain turned from uphill and began undulating again. I was pushing between a 15MPH and 16MPH average pace by now. By now, I was pretty warm and decided I would stuff my jacket back into the CamelBak at the next stop.
Breakfast - Winlock, WA (Mile 120)
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I was excited about arriving in Winlock, WA because it's the home of the World's Largest Egg and I intended to get a few good pictures of it. However, I first wanted to get some breakfast. I was making good time... it wasn't even 0800 yet. The clouds had broken and the sun was coming out. It looked like it might be a pretty hot day afterall. I took off my jacket right after dismounting the bike to stand in line for food.
The local high-school was manning the unofficial food stop. I plucked down $3 for an egg-sausage english muffin sandwich and joked to some of the other riders in line that the egg patty came from punching a tap into the World's Largest Egg and pouring out the contents. I also picked up a cup of coffee which was free. Sitting at the table with me were several couples and we talked for a half hour about what the ride would be like ahead.
At around 0845, I wished my breakfast party a good ride and headed out to find the Egg. I didn't have to go far. It was only a quarter mile down the road. It however looked more like a giant peanut M&M candy than an egg. I stopped and took several pictures before taking off again.
Several miles down the road was another informal food stop proclaiming cookies and cocoa. I couldn't resist. This time the food was free although I did insert a dollar bill into the contribution bucket. I stopped and munched down a brownie and some kind of chocolate covered peanut butter bar food while downing it with some hot-cocoa. I had to stop myself to keep from overdoing it with the sweet stuff.
About five miles down the road, I came across a rider who was riding with his left foot unclipped and dangling free. He was just peddling with his right leg. I figured he looked okay so I just passed him. A couple of miles later at the bottom of a descent, he passed me pedalling with both legs but as we arced up the next incline he unclipped his left foot again and nearly came to a complete stop right in front of me. It took some drastic bike-handling to keep from crashing into his back tyre. I heard him apologise as I rode off and accelerated up the hill. Coming down the backside, I heard a squealing drivetrain behind me and watched as the right-leg-pedalling rider come up alongside... this time pedalling with both legs again. He remarked how I could probably hear him coming from a mile away. I told him I had gotten much closer to him than a mile back there on the incline.
The route was taking us along a beautiful river and the road ducked in and out of tree cover which provided us with some cool moments away from the sun. We talked while riding the next few rollers and he told me how his left knee was acting up and he didn't want to put too much pressure on it for fear of injury. He mentioned that he was riding solo and had been pushing a pretty brisk pace yesterday and felt okay for the most part but with a little twinge in his left knee which happens every so often. He then said he hooked up with some triathletes coming out of Centralia and rode a fast pace with them for 20 miles until suddenly his knee was in pain and he had to let them go. He managed to waive down a support car and get some Advil from them and had been going easy on his left leg since. We exchanged names and I related my story to him about my encounter with the triathletes and we both agreed to ride together. On the hills, he would occasionally unclip his left foot and pedal with just his right leg. I would pass him to take my turn at the front so he could draft me on the inclines.
Mini-Stop - Castle Rock, WA (Mile 136)
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Matt and I pulled into the Castle Rock Mini-Stop around 1030 in order to sort out his squealing drivetrain and make phonecalls to our wives to update them on our situation. After flipping the bike upside down and applying some lube to the chain, the noise sounded like it deminished but wasn't totally eliminated. Matt's mobile was out of service so I offerred to let him use mine. After his call, we got into a short discussion about the wireless industry. It turns out that's his industry. We set off again and talked bikes, riding, the state of the high-tech economy, telecom and the Internet. Matt's chain sounded a little better but was still squealing and now there was a clicking noise. I identified it as a loose water bottle cage on his seat tube. He then confessed his jealousy over my silent bike. We were still following the river.
Food Stop - Lexington, WA Mile (Mile 147)
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We got to the lunch spot a little early (1115) but the place was already full of riders. We managed to locate a good spot... a table even, parked our bikes to maintain squatter's rights and went to stand in line for food. This time, they were a little better with the sandwich selection than from the previous day and I walked away with a ham and salami sandwich, a slice of watermellon, a Clif Iced bar and some coffee.
Matt and I spent the next half hour or so talking about our jobs, family and of course bikes. He seemed very interested in my Aegis and I promised to forward him information when I got home. He tightened up the bolts for his bottle cage and it was around noon by the time we headed out again and rode the short but scenic five miles still following the river to the bridge at Longview that would take us over the Columbia River and into Oregon. Along the way, we heard sirens and saw flashing lights. We came up to a gathering of emergency and STP support vehicles. There was a woman on the side of the road with a bunch of cyclists standing around her and medical personnel tending to her. She had a towel or something pressed to her head and there was blood dripping down in streams. It looked bad but at least she was sitting up and was conscious.
Lewis and Clark Longview Bridge - Longview, WA (Mile 153)
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We were pleasently surprised as we rolled up to the bridge to discover that there would be a police escort across. Not only that but they would close off the WA->OR side just for us. However, we had to all line up in a waiting area (a closed off offramp) first. They would wait until a certain time or there were enough riders before releasing us as a whole group.
As we stood around waiting to be released, a woman in front of us edged over to the side of the pavement with her bike. She didn't look too good and when we asked if she was okay, she said was just recovering and would be fine. Then without warning, she vomitted a lot of stuff into the grass. We waited for her to stop and asked her again if she was okay. She looked a little pale and didn't answer right away. We asked her if she wanted us to help carry her gear across the bridge since it was a moderate climb to get to the top. She agreed and Matt having only worn a hip pack took her CamelBak. I took various things from her jersey's back pockets and stuffed them in mine. We pretty much stripped her of everything except her bike and the clothes she was wearing.
Suddenly the pack started moving. I was a little out in front and got seperated right before we got on the bridge but had to keep moving. I decided to move right and try going slowly but there was still too much slow traffic between them and I. I finally got to the top where I stopped and waited for them. Matt and I switched positions and he rode ahead while I rode beside her. I asked her how she was doing and she said she was feeling much better. I joked about how cats often felt better after they've thrown up and will merrily go about their way right after launching a big hairball onto the carpet. She laughed and admitted that she had spent a little too much time volunteering work for the ride and not enough time training. I looked at her helmet number and it said "65". We passed the "Welcome to Oregon" sign around 1230 and rode down into Rainier were Matt and I handed back the woman her stuff. She thanked us and rode to the mini-mart just off the side of the road. Matt and I rejoined traffic and he remarked how opportunities to be chivalrous rarely present themselves these days so when one comes along it shouldn't get passed up.
We connected up with Hwy 30 and rode along the Columbia River past the PG&E Trojan nuclear power plant. I suggested we stop at the next mini-stop so Matt could have his drivetrain checked at the ride mechanic's tent and I could make use of the restroom. Normally I never need to go during a ride because I just sweat out fluids but the coffee I had earlier was making a difference.
Mini-Stop - Goble, OR (Mile 165)
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We rolled into the mini-stop around 1300 and Matt suggested I just park my bike next to the mechanic's tent so he could watch it while I stood in line for the port-a-potties. I vaguely heard him say something to the mechanic about squealing monkeys as I went to go stand in line. The line didn't seem that long at first but there were only five stalls and this was the first sanctioned stop since lunch so some people were taking a while. I took the opportunity to call Michelle and let her know that I was about 2-1/2 hours away from Portland. She said she would leave in about a half-hour.
When I got back to Matt and my bike, he proclaimed that the mechanic cleaned off gunk and relubed his chain thereby eliminating the noise. Matt's clicking noise however didn't go away but I did notice that whenever he unclipped his left leg for the hills and pedalled with only the right, the clicking stopped. I theorised that it might be his pedals or possibly the cleat bolts in his shoes. I even wondered aloud if maybe a loose cleat might have caused him to develop knee soreness or if he had been pushing especially hard with his left leg causing both a knee problem as well as a mechanical problem in his left pedal. He said it was a possibility but it didn't matter because he hated the single-sided SPD road pedals and was going back to double-sided MTB style ones when he got home. I urged him to try out the Speedplay pedals like I had.
Food Stop - St. Helens, OR (Mile 178)
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Hwy 30 turned relatively flat and straight and widened up as we entered St. Helens and pulled into the food stop. They were serving sandwiches but I passed on them and instead picked up a couple of oversized fig-newton looking bars and a couple of slices of watermelon. I also refilled one of my bottles with more Gatorade. Normally I don't like the stuff but it seemed help keep my right leg from cramping up. Now that we were no longer ducking in and out of tree-cover, the sun was beating down on us pretty heavily, and we started liberally applying sunscreen. With just a little over 20 miles to go and anticipating things to be pretty flat until the next stop. Matt and I decided to chance our legs a little and ramped up our pace to around 18MPH.
We passed by the Scappoose Mini-Stop without stopping and started to encounter some rollers. Traffic along 30 was also heavier and support and escort vehicles fewer which made taking the lane and passing a bit harder so we had to try and keep to the shoulders. Luckily the shoulders were fairly wide but did have grates and occasional deep holes.
I noticed that Matt was doing more of the left-foot unclipped riding so we backed the pace off to about 16MPH with about 10 miles to go. It was only a little after 1400 and our goal was to reach Portland by 1500. We'd make it easily. Matt kept talking about looking forwards to that first beer.
Finish - Portland, OR (Mile 200)
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As we neared Portland, we could all see the St. Johns Bridge in the distance. Our destination was in sight! With every hill, Matt kept saying, "this has to be the last hill." Finally, like a slap in the face, we were forced to climb one final hill to reach the bridge. Matt used both legs and I could see he was in a bit of pain. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful ride across the bridge as we crossed over and down into Cathedral Park. I looked at the clock on my bike computer and it was 1445.
There were people handing out neckties at the finish line and shortly after rolling through, Matt stopped, dumped his bike and grabbed at his knees. We asked the ride officials where we could get some ice. They pointed us to the first-aid booth and we wandered over for an ice pack.
After checking our bikes into the secured bike corral and retrieving our gear bags, we immediately made for the beer garden. Matt bought the first round and I bought the second. We then exchanged contact information and called our wives. Michelle said she was about a half-hour away and I told her I'd hang out and wander around the festivities. Matt and I finished our beers, chatted a little while and tentatively planned to do some riding together. We wandered through some vendor booths but everyone wanted either cash or checks and I was out of cash. Who carries checks with them on a ride? Then we went back to the corral and retrieved our bikes. Matt headed for the busses to take him back to Seattle while I waited for Michelle.
She arrived 15 minutes later and we loaded the bike and gear into the car. On the way out, we stopped by a gas station to fill up and I took my gear bag in which I had some towels. In the restroom of the gas, I wetted the towel, took a quick "bath" and changed out of my riding clothes.
Impressions, Conclusions and Afterthoughts
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I was struck by the exceptional organisation of this ride. I've seen good organised rides before but not over such a distance except in large races and even then, they weren't set up for 8,000 riders strung out over the course of many many miles. I guess they've been doing it for over 20 years so a lot has been refined over the course of time. The entry fee of $70 seemed high at the time (although I had a free ticket) but given the amount of preparations and support involved, it was a pretty good bargain.
The real value of the ride however laid in the experience. The sense of comraderie and community was priceless. From the sounds of everyone at Cathedral Park clapping and cheering as the guy on the unicycle cruised through the finish line to the scene of a mass of riders jamming the streets of Seattle at seven in the morning or strings of riders all pedalling along Lake Washington, these are memories that will stay with a person. To me, the world stopped during the ride. Life became simple again. All problems were simple ones... easily solved by just pedalling. Keep the gears ticking over. As the saying goes... "Shut Up and Ride."