Some 10,000 bicyclists took to the streets in Seattle on Saturday morning for the 31st annual Seattle-to-Portland Bicycle Classic.
The popularity of this one- or two-day bike ride presented by the Cascade Bicycle Club is growing every year. Although ridership has been capped at 10,000 for several years, registrations sold out in mid April. That's 2 1/2 months earlier than in 2009.
As you can see from these photos, the 200-mile ride to Portland is not reserved for standard two-wheeled bicycles. There are recumbent bikes and trikes, handcycles, cargo bikes and those three-wheeled standing exercise bikes. I even heard about someone doing the ride on a skateboard.
Although I didn't sign up for the ride this year, I kind of regret that decision. Everyone looked like they were having plenty of fun, in spite of heavy clouds and cool temperatures in the morning, and I would have liked to join in the adventure.
I pedaled down to Rainier Avenue in Renton Saturday morning and rode a reverse STP route up to the I-90 bridge. Looking over from I-90 at about 8:15, I could see only a few stragglers. Some cyclists — especially those on a one-day ride — left the Husky stadium parking lot at first light this morning. They were showing up at the mid-point in Centralia before 11 a.m.
According to the history books, the first STP was a time trial race between the Seattle and Portland city halls. A cyclist named Jerry Baker won that ride. Now 67, Baker rides every year, as does Paul Wantzelius, 60, of Maple Valley.
Last year, the oldest rider was 87; the youngest 2 years and 4 months. Male cyclists outnumbered female cyclists 7,166 to 2,834.
Some other stats about the ride: Uphill distance is 30.87 miles; elevation gain is 1,951. The highest pont is 463 feet above sea level.
Those riding the one-day STP will begin showing up in Holladay Park late this afternoon and continue into the evening. Most of two-day riders camp or find lodging in the Centralia-Chehalis area.
I'll run a Twitter feed from STP this weekend in the right column.
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