SEATTLE TO PORTLAND IN ONE DAY

Location: Seattle, Washington - Portland, Oregon 
Total Miles: 202 Miles
Date: July 2022 
Disclaimer: I made a training plan based on my research and crazy determination to follow through with this journey. Physically, this is a hard ride but doable with a good pair of shorts, a generous amount of chamois cream, and proper nutrition. Mentally, riding 200+ miles will be extremely exhausting, so having a great team is key to making it through the finish line. The organized event is well-equipped, but the crowd thins out after mile 100 and designated stops close after a certain time so having a crew is helpful for moral support, but also to provide you with any of your needs. Our friends, Erica and Kaitlin supported us after mile 75 and would meet Nina and I every 25 miles until we arrived at the finish line!
Quick Backstory: Seattle To Portland (STP) is a 200-ish mile organized bike ride hosted every year by Cascade Cycling Club. There are designated stops along the route that provide water, food, first aid, bathrooms, and bike maintenance. Most people complete the ride in two days (Saturday and Sunday) by camping/booking a room halfway. I first completed the STP in 2018 with a group of about 10 friends. The energy and community of this event are inclusive and encouraging which has ultimately led me to keep exploring long-distance bike rides. During the pandemic in 2020, my friend Nina and I picked up endurance riding since it was about the only Covid safe activity. This created an opportunity to explore Seattle and neighboring towns. On the weekends we would ride 50-110 miles. Each ride taught us something new such as when to stretch, how often to drink water, and how much and when to fuel our bodies. After completing these rides in 2020, cycling in Alaska in 2021, and some additional training, Nina and I agreed to attempt STP in one day. July 2022, we fucking did it!
Pace: One-day riders must at least average about 15 mph. I created the map above to illustrate an estimated timeline of our location and end goal within a designated speed. On the day of our ride, we started off strong and averaged 17mph for the first 120 miles. After this threshold, we both enter uncharted territory. After mile 120 Nina and I both struggled on and off until the finish line. Each one of us would encourage the other when one of us would bonk. As previously mentioned, this is where having a great team comes in. If you are riding with a team, I encourage you to train with them too. It is a fun ride, but there are a few times you might go into a moment of despair. Ride with people that go at your pace, know how to draft to save energy, and keep things positive.
Equipment: The wild thing about STP is that you do not necessarily need a two-wheeled bike to participate. I have seen people on Razor scooters, one-wheel bicycles, tandems (maybe next goal), recumbent bikes, and long boards. However, one-day riders are mostly road bikes. Make sure to tune your bike about a month or two prior to the ride, because most bike shops will be busy/unavailable the week before the event. Cascade does a great job of carrying your equipment to your destination if you are doing this solo too. However, our crew carried our stuff just in case we arrived in Portland after hours. As a one-day rider, you will need front and rear lights because you will need to ride at dawn and/or at dusk. The roads are well maintained but there will be a couple encounters with potholes, glass, nails, and gravel. My bike has 38c gravel tires and Nina has 28c road tires. Neither of us got flats but we did see other roadies get flats. Make sure to carry any extra tubes and a repair kit. You can also call Cascade for help if you get stuck on the side of the road but that will lose you some time. I downloaded the course on my Garmin. Again, the course is well maintained with signs guiding you, but sometimes others might take a wrong turn
and people will blindly follow. This happened the first year I did it and made sure to avoid that from happening this year. Chamois cream is required to
prevent saddle sores. Most importantly, gloves are a must. This long period of time on your bike will put a lot of stress on your body. Having a good pair of
gloves is essential to prevent your hands from going numb. I also made this mistake STP 2018. My right hand went numb on Day 2 and I crossed the finish
line unable to change gears with my right hand.
Water: Hydration is extremely important. July in Seattle is mild. Mornings and evenings usually range in the 50 degrees and afternoons range from 70-90 degrees. Make sure to wear layers to acclimate to the Seattle summers. We got lucky this year to have a cloudy 70 degree weather day. I have heard of other years when the STP falls on an extremely hot day. The route has designated stops to refill your water bottles and some stops also include electrolytes tablets such as Nunn. We made a habit to drink Nunn water a little bit often to stay hydrated. I also personally started to drink Pedialyte after mile 130 and this was extremely helpful too. Not as healthy but just as needed, we drank smoothies, ICEES, coffee, pickle juice, and soda. Not all at once, but you will need calories and electrolytes to prevent cramps so you need to make the most under these circumstances. 
Food: Understanding how to fuel my body is what I think was the most important part of training. Number one rule is not to introduce anything new to your system the day of a big event, because this might lead to an upset stomach. There are several sponsors at the event who will be providing free protein bars, power gels, fries, cookies, candy, pickles, PB&J sandwiches, and other treats. Although, we ate some of the food provided, Nina and I stayed away from protein bars and power gels, because they make us nauseous. This year we provided our main meals. We each brought two sandwiches along with some other treats. Every 25 miles we ate a small snack, stretched, and refilled our water bottles. The break was 5 minutes max. Every 50 miles we would eat a slightly bigger portion of food, stretched, and refilled our water bottles. This break was about 15 minutes. Bicycling Magazine states, "Stuffing yourself full of calories prior to the ride will divert blood to your stomach, which weakens your legs and slows you down". This information made sure our performance stayed consistent throughout the day. Stretching at the beginning might not feel needed, but your body will thank you once you go past mile 100. Following these methods and creating a routine made the ride easier and enjoyable for us. Again, a lot of this we learned by trial and error when we were training. 
Training: Seattle winters are not ideal for riding, but it was important to me to stay as active as possible 6 months prior to the event. I joined a fitness class in the offseason to focus on strength training. In February 2022 I started riding my bike outside again. During the week I made a goal to ride about 15-20 miles 2-3 times. The weekends were for riding long distances. I began with 50 miles and increased distance every week. The longest ride we did before the STP was 110 miles. Not only do these rides build our endurance, but they are essential to learn how to listen to your bodies. The links below are resources I used to help me develop a routine and educate myself on ultra-endurance riding. Hope this information serves useful for others interested in STP in One Day! It is a hard ride, but it is such a great accomplishment. The views are great, the strangers cheering you on is encouraging, and there are only three hills to really worry about. Happy shredding!  
Helpful Resources: