Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic

This is STP, from start to finish!

Start Line

Location: University of Washington, Seattle, Parking Lot E-18 (map)

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Food Stops

There are three types of food stops on the STP route: 

• Official Rest Stops - Food is free, sports drink available, Honey Buckets onsite, full medical staffing, and mechanic onsite.
• Official Mini Stops - Food is for purchase, water may be for sale, Honey Buckets onsite, self serve First Aid kits, and some have mechanics onsite.
• Unofficial Stops - Community groups, kids with lemonade, and others set up stops along the route. Some offer free food, some offer food and drink for purchase. No additional services have been arranged at these sites. They are often unknown to the organizers until the day of the event. Riders are encouraged to use any and all stops along the STP route that fit their personal needs.

Our fully supported 200+ mile ride is kept at a comparatively low cost with five free food stops on route. Participating in mini-stops helps the communities along the route raise funds for their community work and allows us to keep your registration fee at a minimum. Food at official stops is not a three course meal; food is chosen for caloric intake and meant to keep you fueled. If you have multiple food allergies we suggest carrying bars that you know you can eat. The route goes through many small towns where grocery and convenience stores are readily available.

Official Rest Stops

Chehalis will host the one-day rider (or any points beyond Chehalis) stop this year. Full medical support will remain at the official midpoint stop at Centralia College, but free food and services will be available at the Chehalis stop on Saturday only. On Sunday, Chehalis hosts a mini-stop for two-day riders who have over-nighted in Centralia.

Official Mini-Stops

• Mile 10- No Host, Mechanic and Restrooms- Seward Park (5:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.)
• Mile 40- Puyallup- Grayland Park (6:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.) Updated 6/18
• Mile 71- McKenna Elementary- McKenna, WA (8 a.m. - 2 p.m.)
• Mile 74- Yelm City Park- Yelm, WA (8 a.m. - 2 p.m.) Portapotties only. 
• Mile 88- Tenino City Park- Tenino, WA (9 a.m.- 4 p.m.)
• Mile 101- OFFICIAL MIDPOINT STOP- Centralia College- Medical and mechanical and food for purchase. 
• Mile 108- Chehalis Recreation Park- Sunday Only Mini Stop (Saturday free food for points beyond Chehalis) (Sun. 6 a.m. - 10 a.m.)
• Mile 129- Welcome to Vader Sign- Vader, WA (Sat. 10am -5 pm, Sun 6 a.m.-12 p.m.)
• Mile 138 Castle Rock  - Castle Rock High School. Running tap water and portapotties. Limited baked goods for sale. (Sunday ONLY 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.) UPDATED 7/8
• Mile 163- Goble Tavern- Goble, OR (Sat. 1 - 6 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.) 
• Mile 188- NW Boat Basin Rd - Scappoose, OR (Sat. 2 - 6 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.) Free tap water hauled in. Other items may be for sale.

NOTE: Roy Cutoff Rd and Winlock will not be supported this year.

Finish Line

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Location: Holladay Park, Portland, OR (map)

Stop by the finish line and get your finisher meal, enjoy the beer garden, take photos, pick up your finisher T-shirt and badge, pickup your luggage, load onto buses (ticket required), and get your bike onto the bike truck back to Seattle (ticket required). 

Buses and bike trucks are located on NE 9th Ave. Exit the park towards DoubleTree Hotel and walk through the breezeway.

Water refill stations are conveniently located within a stone's throw from the end of the chute. Look for the big blue "WATER" flags.

A refresh station will be available for you to quickly spritz off on NE 11th Ave.

Showers are available at the nearby Lloyd Athletic Club for a $20 day pass. Day use lockers and towels available. Riders must sign a waiver and sign in on each entry to the gym.

Route Support

Rider support # (206) 841-9665

This number is printed on your bib and map. Only works during the event hours.

Official support hours

Saturday     5:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sunday       6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Support vehicles

Ten support vehicles will patrol the route to pick up riders unable to continue. These vehicles will circle the course until the support hours end. While we keep an eye on the last riders and when they will finish, please be mindful that there is a point where we will end official support.

The Gold Wing Touring Association will be on route with up to 60 motorcyclists who patrol the route. They are equipped with radios and first aid kits. Gold Wings respond to mechanical problems, minor medical situations, and support traffic and crowd control in case of a detour, unforeseen hazard or emergency.

Mechanical support

Each official rest stop and most mini-stops provides mechanical support for your bicycle. Supporting bicycle shops provide volunteer labor, but charge for parts. Come prepared to pay for bicycle repairs that you may need on the route. Many mechanics are cash only, but a few will accept credit cards. Tips for service are appreciated.

Medical support

Each year up to 60 people (medics, firefighters, police officers, nurses and doctors) volunteer to ride the STP as members of the Medical Team. These volunteers are identified by red medical team jerseys or helmet covers.

Additionally, the five official food stops and the finish line will be staffed with volunteers from local Medical Reserve Corps, fire departments and more. All other mini stops on the route will have first aid supplies available for riders, but will not be staffed.

Outriders

Cascade Bicycle Club Outriders are a team of trained and experienced Cascade volunteers and ride participants. They are well versed in Cascade events and are available to help with minor mechanical issues, fixing a flat and can answer any questions you may have about the ride. You’ll see them wearing the green, white and black Outrider jerseys. Flag them down if you need assistance. The safety of ride participants is their first priority.

Stay supported

If you are not able to keep up a pace of 10 miles/hour (including stops), you will fall behind support. Our drivers will assist you as much as possible and will often offer “bumps” to get you back into the areas of support.

If you are not coming to the start line, calculate your pace and your start time accordingly or you will be ahead of support. Do not leave the start line area after 7:30 a.m. or luggage trucks will be closed and you will be behind support services.

Operations Center 

Our operations and support crews on STP are crucial to the success of the event, receiving phone calls and messages from the rider support line, dispatching SAG vehicles or escalating issues to first responders, and communicating with services like bike mechanics along the route.

Personal Support Vehicles (PSVs)

STP riders are well-supported with plenty of food, mechanical support, and medical support.

In past years, we have seen an excessive number of PSVs on the cycling route, leading to unsafe and unpleasant riding conditions. If you must rely on a personal support vehicle, we ask that your driver and support team follow this etiquette. Please see our Google Map with easy navigation tools to meet up points. See the .pdf document for written instructions.

Support Vehicle Etiquette 

1. Avoid the cycling route at all times. Only drive the route if you are needing to pick up your rider. Cell phones work well over 90% of the route. For the other 10% riders can flag down Goldwing motorcycle support or a marked support vehicle in order to get them to a rest stop with cell phone service to call their support driver.
2. Do not pull your vehicle into official rest stops. There are 5,000 riders trying to safely navigate these rest stops, and only official STP support cars are allowed to pull into these locations. Please follow the driving directions and determine meet up spots with your riders in advance. 
3. Do not eat the food at official rest stops. Please feel free to stop at mini-stops where community groups are selling items to raise money for their organizations. It is great to give back to them as they graciously host the ride once a year! The food at official STP rest stops are for registered riders only.
4. If your rider calls for support, please have them walk to a safe place fully off the road. It is much easier to pick up a cyclist in a designated lot on the opposite side of bicycle traffic. Try not to turn directly in front of the cyclists' route whenever possible.
5. Slow down, give riders three feet of space, and only pass when safe. STP is a steady stream of cyclists and that is why we ask that you stay on I-5 wherever possible.