The STP brings summer smiles — father & daughters ride together

Ron’s first Cascade Bicycle Club event was last year’s Group Health STP presented by Alaska Airlines. 

And he had a little help. Ron and his two girls Elena (age 7) and Hailey (age 5) completed the 2015 STP on a triple tandem bike. 

Many participants and staff remember seeing them at rest stops or biking alongside them, seeing their smiling faces as they chugged along — it was heart-meltingly memorable to see Hailey’s big grin and dancing in her saddle while still pedaling. 

On top of the 206 miles, to avoid having to assemble the triple tandem in the early morning at University of Washington, they decided to ride it about 60 miles from home to the start line on Friday. (They spent Friday night in the E1 parking lot.) That’s 266 miles in three days! And, this was their first century ride together. 

The girls completed the event and still had energy to spare. The three of them pedaled chain-linked-in-sync the entire time. The girls really helped to push Ron up the big hills. Without their significant pedaling effort/ assistance, he admits he couldn’t have pulled the 300-pound load (bike = 60 pounds, two kids = 80 pounds, captain = 160 pounds) 

And guess what? They loved it so much that on July 16 – 17, they’ll be pedaling from Seattle to Portland again this year!!! 

Whether you’re riding alone, with a friend or in a big group, there are a lot of great reasons to smile when riding the STP. So let’s all dry off from the rainiest winter on record and get some well-deserved STP smiles (and vitamin D). 

STP sells out every year! Be sure to get your spot on this year’s ride (July 16-17) before they’re gone. Register today at cascade.org/stp.