STP: Once is Enough
Cascade Bicycle Club's Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic!
It was a big goal, and Bryan and I set out and completed it. Having done that, aside from my personal goals being reached, and hammering out some of my best work, fastest sustained speeds, and an even better second day effort... I won't ever do that again. Between not being supported, and almost being murderdeathed by other riders, this event should draw red flags. They'll draw 10,000 riders every year, who don't know better, or like punishment but anyone else should stay away. (And certainly there were a lot of volunteers who worked really hard... by no means is this an attack on any individuals out there.)
Here's the route and speed data:
Day 1: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40965710
Day 2: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40965689
Here's a map, complete with all my other rides this year.
There were just too many people on the route. Most of the route had a soft shoulder with hardly a bike lane. Add to that a mix of everything from hardcore weekend warriors to once a year bike riders all moving at different speeds ... See moreand trying to pass each other... all it takes is one clipped front tire to take someone down because someone veered without looking. Often times you'd have people blow by at serious speeds without any warning.
Also, paceline behavior is encouraged, but riding in a paceline takes some decent handling skills. Done wrong, you're in line to get hurt, or hurt someone.
I saw several ambulances over the ride, and I was present for one of the accidents, which was REALLY sobering.
Beyond that, 10,000 people is too many for the facilities they have on the ride. The entire second day of the ride, Bryan and I did completely unsupported. We filled our water bottles at gas stations, peed in bushes, and ate food we carried or bought along the way.
The route isn't all that pretty either. The entire OR part is on the shoulder of Highway 30, so you're buzzed by Semi trucks for 40 miles. The WA side barely has a chance to get away from light industrial areas or strip malls.
Then at the end, which mixed us yay-hoos with pedestrian traffic on the bottom of the Steel Bridge. There a guy stopped dead in his tracks right in front of Bryan, causing me to swerve and hit Bryan's leg, and the lady behind me to hit my wheel, because he wanted to look at the river.
I was really ready to be far away from other people riding. Some of the local event promoters put on AWESOME rides. PDX Century, Reach the Beach... Sure 2,000 riders, vs. 10,000, but at the PDX Century, they offered to radio ahead to make sure there was a salmon dinner waiting for me since I was late in finishing the course. STP... I didn't see a single square of toilet paper until I arrived home. For a 31 year old ride, they haven't seemed to solve some logistical problems that other event promotions have.
I certainly feel rad on many personal levels for having done it...maybe moreso for having to overcome the conditions it was done in. Bryan and I talked about it, and maybe the next step is to bicycle to Bend, or to Eugene. Take back roads and see beautiful things, or knuckle down and try to keep a 23mph pace for 30 minutes... It can be done better, and maybe the scale needs to be 2-10 people, instead of 2,000 to 10,000.
It was a big goal, and Bryan and I set out and completed it. Having done that, aside from my personal goals being reached, and hammering out some of my best work, fastest sustained speeds, and an even better second day effort... I won't ever do that again. Between not being supported, and almost being murderdeathed by other riders, this event should draw red flags. They'll draw 10,000 riders every year, who don't know better, or like punishment but anyone else should stay away. (And certainly there were a lot of volunteers who worked really hard... by no means is this an attack on any individuals out there.)
Here's the route and speed data:
Day 1: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40965710
Day 2: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40965689
Here's a map, complete with all my other rides this year.
There were just too many people on the route. Most of the route had a soft shoulder with hardly a bike lane. Add to that a mix of everything from hardcore weekend warriors to once a year bike riders all moving at different speeds ... See moreand trying to pass each other... all it takes is one clipped front tire to take someone down because someone veered without looking. Often times you'd have people blow by at serious speeds without any warning.
Also, paceline behavior is encouraged, but riding in a paceline takes some decent handling skills. Done wrong, you're in line to get hurt, or hurt someone.
I saw several ambulances over the ride, and I was present for one of the accidents, which was REALLY sobering.
Beyond that, 10,000 people is too many for the facilities they have on the ride. The entire second day of the ride, Bryan and I did completely unsupported. We filled our water bottles at gas stations, peed in bushes, and ate food we carried or bought along the way.
The route isn't all that pretty either. The entire OR part is on the shoulder of Highway 30, so you're buzzed by Semi trucks for 40 miles. The WA side barely has a chance to get away from light industrial areas or strip malls.
Then at the end, which mixed us yay-hoos with pedestrian traffic on the bottom of the Steel Bridge. There a guy stopped dead in his tracks right in front of Bryan, causing me to swerve and hit Bryan's leg, and the lady behind me to hit my wheel, because he wanted to look at the river.
I was really ready to be far away from other people riding. Some of the local event promoters put on AWESOME rides. PDX Century, Reach the Beach... Sure 2,000 riders, vs. 10,000, but at the PDX Century, they offered to radio ahead to make sure there was a salmon dinner waiting for me since I was late in finishing the course. STP... I didn't see a single square of toilet paper until I arrived home. For a 31 year old ride, they haven't seemed to solve some logistical problems that other event promotions have.
I certainly feel rad on many personal levels for having done it...maybe moreso for having to overcome the conditions it was done in. Bryan and I talked about it, and maybe the next step is to bicycle to Bend, or to Eugene. Take back roads and see beautiful things, or knuckle down and try to keep a 23mph pace for 30 minutes... It can be done better, and maybe the scale needs to be 2-10 people, instead of 2,000 to 10,000.