Last month, my buddy Chris Peck and I joined approximately 9,998 other riders to test our endurance in the 33rd annual
Seattle to Portland bike ride ("STP"). Considered the most important rite of passage in the brutal Pacific Northwest biking scene (second only to riding a fix gear bike, while drinking a PBR in the rain and singing an Arcade Fire song, AKA "the quadrahipta"), the 204 mile ride is a long hard slog down the I-5 corridor, through small rural towns (ever heard of
Puyallup?), over bridges, and alongside some gnarly freeway
traffic.
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| Seattle, 5am Sat morning..and it begins. |
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| Chris Peck at the first rest stop...25 miles in, don't look so glum! |
While not the most beautiful route, it was my first big ride and it was a blast riding in a
paceline and covering some serious miles. Chris Peck was an awesome riding partner, even though I wasn't (ask him about his bruised rib...), and I would love to do some more long distance riding (provided there are no hills, plenty of rest stops, and tubs and tubs of chamois butt'r). It was even better when upon crossing the finish line I was greeted my my parents who came all the way up from San Jose!
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| The bike corral at Centralia Community College where we camped the first night (Mile 100). There were some nice bikes in there, mine wasn't one of them... |
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| Chamois Butt'r, made from the best stuff on Earth. This stuff saved our asses. |
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| Chris Peck giddy as a clam after reapplying Chamois Butt'r and realizing we are almost done! |
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| This photo should not be posted, never ever ever. Get this guy some pants. |
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| My lovely parents at Multnomah Falls. What? it was their first visit to Portland, I had to take them. |
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