See also: “2007 Seattle to Portland – STP – bike ride is on the road”; July 14, 2007
Some 9,000 cyclists of all shapes, sizes and ages left early Saturday morning for the 27th annual Seattle to Portland bike ride.
This 200-mile bike ride a big event in the Northwest; many newspapers along the route are filing stories about the ride, as are bloggers. (This photo is from the 2005 STP.)
The participants ride for many reasons. The Seattle Times reports that one of them, Gordon Gill, is riding to honor his uncle, Robert Gill of Edmonds, who was killed in a collision with a tour bus while bicycling last year in New Zealand. Gordon is riding his uncle's bicycle, which carries a small pouch under the seat containing some of his uncle's ashes.
Some of the STP cyclists obsess over their gear. The Olympian interviewed one participant, Sarah Clark Allen of Bicycle Adventures in Olympia, who rides a Giant TCR Advanced — retail $5,500 to $6,500 — and regularly spends $500 to $1,000 on equipment. Others do the ride on $50 bikes.
The Olympian also caught up with cyclists in Tenino, a small town at the 88-mile mark. The reporter talked to four friends who suffered a collision in Puyallup, about 40 miles into the trek. One sported a bandaged arm and dented helmet, the result of a fall when their wheels touched.
The blogger at Electrolicious writes about a cyclist who wasn't so lucky. The front wheel came off her friend's bike as he crossed some railroad tracks just south of Seattle, resulting in a broken nose, a missing tooth, and 30 stitches.
The blogger at Terry's Worklog had a much more uneventful ride. He and a few friends completed the ride in one day. He knocked off the first century in 5 1/2 hours, a personal best. The second 100 miles took 9 hours, due partly to the stops and starts getting through Portland.
The Centralia Chronicle reports that the cyclists passing through town — the midpoint of the ride — are a boon to the economy, especially as a fund-raiser for churches, schools, and civic groups. The police chief urges motorists to show patience.
More information about STP is available at the Cascade Bicycle Club website.
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