If there was any doubt (maybe just for me), we all made it! STP 2011 was a success in all respects, and has potentially set the bar too high for any other type of event. With a backdrop of perfect weather, a light breeze, and a relatively gentle route, we successfully rode 204 miles without mishap, emotional tantrum, or major breakdown.

The night before Day 1, we stayed at a local Travelodge and carboloaded on pasta and breads. I had been feeling a bit under the weather for a couple of weeks, so I probably felt a little more anxious than the others due to my throat hurting, my ears popping, and my chest feeling a little shaky. Meh. It could have been worse.

We loaded up our bikes, pinned our numbers, and managed to get a fairly decent night of sleep before our 5:00 am alarm. 

I have to say that Cascade Bicycling put together a thoroughly well organized affair, and managed to corral and send 10,000 eager cyclists out in seamless waves. The guys seemed pumped and excited, and well, I felt a little like I did when I was 12 and preparing for a gymnastics competition. Excited, check. Nauseous, check.

The first 24 miles of STP were incredibly beautiful and bucolic (as Jim would say), and included a lovely stretch by the water. Compared to training rides, this first section flew by with little effort. Maybe it was set up to be purposely confidence building, because we all felt like we could take on the Tour de France at that point. And the free Odwallas and bagels at the Kent REI stop (mile 24) were a great way to start the ride. I had to really fight the urge to stuff extra food in my pockets, because free items just seem to gravitate to me.

After the Kent stop, we hydrated briefly at Puyallup (mile 40) to prepare for the infamous “hill” (mile 43). Let’s just say that it was akin to the build up of a scary movie, and the inevitable let down when you realize that the monster was infinitely more terrifying in your head. This 1 mile, 7% grade hill is nothing to get your panties in a twist about when training or prepping for the ride. I think there are other sections of the STP ride that are more difficult for varying reasons (see Part 2). It’s a hill with a little bitty roar. Not too bad…

Only 10 miles after this point was the lunch stop at Spanaway (mile 53) hosted by Jamba Juice. At this point, I felt great and confident that I would make it through, despite the fact that we had not reached the halfway point of our first day yet. Nothing was sore, legs continued to feel fierce, things were good.

Right before the Yelm stop (Mile 71), Jim managed to get a flat, but apart from that we had no mechanical problems during the course of the event. The next section of the route included 14 miles of paved trail; although it bottlenecked in the beginning, it ended up being a speedy and well shaded section of the path. I started to fight a little mental boredom during this section, and felt a little displeased that I had 50 miles to go for the first day. By the end of the trail (Tenino stop, mile 86), I was falling a little behind the boys, while they looked completely physically unfazed by the experience.

The stretch to Centralia (100 mile point) went by quickly, although was marred by an unfortunate crash of a cyclist, with a truck no less. We haven’t heard too much news about this, except for reading that he was careflighted to Vancouver. Hopefully he has a speedy recovery…

The Centralia welcoming party was quite lively, and included a beer garden (thanks New Belgium!), pizza, ice cream, and a band. Word of the wise: if you are continuing on, I definitely advise not consuming everything in sight before getting on the bike. It was all very tempting, but all I could think about was the last 20 miles, and the sneaking suspicion that there were a few mini hills to climb.

And yes, the mini-hills did come next. Really nothing to write home about, but when you’ve already ridden 100 miles, a final flat 20 is ideal. That was not in the cards, though. I felt a little irritable, and randomly started counting prime numbers in my head to make the time pass. Let’s just say that we were all relieved to roll in to Winlock at mile 120.

Part 2 to come…