I Biked 206 Miles from Seattle To Portland In Two Days: Here Are My Top Tips
Want some behind-the-scenes peeks into the ride? Go to my Instagram, then click the highlight “200 mi bike.” Be warned: I get sassy.
Before last week, the longest I’d ever biked in one day was 35 miles.
So when my friend asked if I’d ride in the annual 206 mile event Seattle to Portland (“STP”) in two days, I knew I’d have some work cut out for me.
I had every intention of training: I have a decent road bike. I love training plans. I’m spoiled with some fun routes near me.
But also, it’s summer. Everything is distractingly fun. I wanted to run, to paddle, to hike, to backpack, and to ride my bike.
So, time got away from me. I had a few 25-35 mile rides in the months before STP, but not the century or two they recommended.
Oopsie.
Still, I have a great cardio endurance base, so I figured I’d be okay on that front. My biggest fear was the crotch pain I expected after increasing my longest ride sixfold. (Spoiler alert: I was correct.)
On July 15-16, 2023, I rode STP with Katie Crafts and Brandon Lake. It was 92° both days. Saturday took us from Seattle to Vader, WA, a total of 127.57 miles. Sunday took us from Vader to Portland, OR, a total of 78.29 miles.
Most of these miles were painful to some extent, but I’m a sucker for Type 2 fun. Even though I was borderline miserable at times, I’m already thinking about riding from Vancouver, BC to Seattle to complete the whole of Washington state!
If you find yourself planning to ride STP— with or without training— here are my top 10 tips for you to consider:
Expect traffic that can be loud and scary.
This was probably the worst part of the entire two day experience. I didn’t have much experience with riding on busy highways. Route 30 in Oregon was a sufferfest, and not the endurance sufferfest I usually love. It was more of a “OMG cars are whipping by at 70mph and I can’t get around these cyclists and others are passing me and I can’t hear AHHHH” type of sufferfest.
Another stretch that was tricky was around JBLM. There were a TON of riders at this point, which made passing (and being passed) tricky, especially with fast car traffic moving at the same time. There’s a mix of newbie bikers and seasoned cyclists and everything in between, so the mix of experience in pacing, etiquette, and, honestly, common road sense, led to some confusing and stressful moments.
A rude truck with practically a foghorn attached to it honked at us in an attempt to freak us out (more on pranksters in #6), which added to my hatred of traffic.
Be ready for crowds of cars and riders, and be mindful that not all drivers or riders will act very experienced.
Frontload electrolytes.
This was the hottest STP in the past few years, and plenty of people dropped out due to dehydration and heat exhaustion. I’m so glad the three of us took hydration and electrolyt-ation seriously.
Katie and Brandon shared electrolyte capsules and started the day with them, adding more periodically throughout the day. I opted for SaltStick chewable tablets and SkratchLabs chews (both of which I learned about from one of my favorite clients). We always had lightweight electrolytes on hand (well, on bike), and I don’t think any of us had any aid station Gatorade. We drank a TON of water both days.
Although it was undoubtedly hot, all three of us felt great on the hydration end. Prepare for it.
Review hand signals and voice commands before the ride.
LOL guilty. I share this one because I know how important it would’ve been. I thought I knew hand signals— turn right, turn left— but there was so much more to learn. Slow down, stop, obstacles, rough road… I had to learn it all on the go by watching other riders.
In river sports, you “point positive,” e.g. you point to where people should go. I learned that in biking, you point out the obstacles you shouldn’t ride toward. As a newbie, I didn’t know that, and you bet I wish I’d gained some knowledge before heading out for the big ride.
Verbal communication was also key. You’ll hear “on your left” seemingly nonstop for the whole ride. I also used “stopping” and packs used “rolling” when red lights turned green.
Switch up your seat.
I bought a gel saddle cover the day before the ride (as a last-ditch effort to prevent excessive crotch pain). I used it about half the time. I’m convinced that by switching between it and no pad, it shifted my pressure points and reduced discomfort overall.
Of course, endless globs of chamois cream helped. I’m grateful I already owned a chamois. It would be killer to not wear one.
Expect unusual cravings.
I never drink soda. I just don’t like it. Yet, on day 2, I was downright hankering for soda.
Another one was potato chips. I don’t typically eat them, but WOW, did I NEED potato chips. Thankfully, they were at most aid stations.
One major rest stop had a vat of pickles with cups for pickle juice. I’m not a pickle person (gasp!) but the people loved it.
Watch for fake markings and obstacles.
Can you believe people like that exist? Sigh. Consider yourself warned: There are occasional pranksters messing with riders along the route.
One section this year had fake markings spray-painted onto the road that led riders down a dead-end road.
Another stretch had nails strewn about, and yet another had syringes thrown across the road. I saw on the Facebook Group for riders that there were several blown tubes because of this.
Keep your eyes peeled, and keep your GPS track handy in case of confusing marks.
Coast into red lights to avoid stopping completely.
Perhaps this is common knowledge, but it seriously helped my morale and physical effort. Whenever I’d approach an intersection with a red light, I’d stop pedaling well before it and would stand up to give my butt a break.
90% of the time, I’d roll in just as the light turned green, so I’d never have to fully slow down or stop. I ended up passing a bunch of people this way who had stopped completely to wait for a red light.
Efficiency FTW!
Grab what you love from aid stations early.
Not all food and drink was the same across aid stations. For example, the very first major rest stop had delicious cookies and mini cups of cold brew coffee. Two of my favorite things in life!
But, I never saw them again. I wish I’d grabbed an extra cookie to go. There were different options at each aid station, so if you rely on certain things, pack them yourself or get extras early in the route.
The end of the ride is slow-going in the city.
Once you enter city limits, the lane gets narrower and more crowded. It’s harder to pass others, so you slow down a bit. But then, once you approach the ramp for the St. John’s Bridge, OOF. Rough. LOTS of car traffic, and they weren’t happy to be stuck with hundreds of cyclists, either. There was nobody to help direct traffic around the bridge entrance, and the crowding was sketchy and chaotic.
The bridge riding itself is nice, but after crossing the Willamette, it turns into stop-and-go city riding. Even the final stretch to the finish involved a handful of red lights that took some time. Literally AT the finish line there’s a traffic signal, so plenty of riders had to wait just yards from crossing the official finish.
Don’t expect a speedy last few miles.
Plan early. Like, months ahead early.
Also guilty. We didn’t meet as a trio to dive into logistics until a couple weeks before the ride, which we knew was a mistake, but we still had to deal with the consequences of waiting.
Example: Lodging. All hotels near the start and mid-points were full by the time we were ready to book, and all the camping along the route was full, too. We ended up getting a hotel in Bellevue for Friday night and a motel in Woodland for Saturday night, both of which were a bit out of the way of the route, but still accessible.
We were also too late to secure a shuttle, which meant we had to find our own rides home/back to the car. We are SO lucky to have had Brandon’s dad, Reg Lake. He picked us up in Portland and drove us to the start. He met us mid-ride to bring snacks and water. He brought us to our lodging and dinner Saturday, then dropped us off the morning of Sunday. Thanks to him, we were able to ride back to our car in Portland and not have to drive back up to the city. He was the real MVP.
(And, it was SO lovely to have a small group of friends meet us at the finish line to celebrate at Holladay Park!)
Lodging, shuttles, friends— get it all sorted out as soon as you register.
