Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic presented by Alaska Airlines

STP is a 206-mile journey that thousands of first-time and seasoned riders complete every year. If this is your first, second, or even tenth time riding the event, we want you to complete the ride safely, confidently, and as comfortably as possible. To do so takes planning and practice. The good news is, many have come before you, so read on for some tried-and-true advice and informational events for how to prepare and train for this ride.

2025 "Prep for STP" Info Sessions

Join us at an orientation class to preview the 206-mile Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic with an engaging slide presentation taking you from the Start Line to Finish Line Festival. This information-packed class is aimed at first-time STP riders who have a lot of questions about how to prepare and what to expect on event weekend. Our Cascade presenter will touch on preparing, eating, training, packing, resources, ride logistics, and more. You’ll see how Cascade and community volunteers are out there to help you succeed, and why Bicycling Magazine has listed STP as one of the best cycling events in the nation.

We'll take relevant questions during the presentation. There will also be time at the end for a group Q&A and individual questions. 

You can view STP 101 presentations from 2023 and 2022 on YouTube. Keep in mind, some route information may change from year to year, but 98% of the information is relevant for each year. 

Training For STP

By Craig Undem, Dean of Cycle University

Your STP training plan - got one?
Since riding a bike is something most of us have learned as kids and as adults, it seems reasonable that we can just jump on our bike a few times and be ready to tackle the STP, right? Wrong! Becoming a competent cyclist, like learning to windsurf or playing golf, takes practice, good skills and instruction. 

Because we have received so many questions from riders wanting more guidance preparing for the STP we’ve created a free basic plan for both the one-day and two-day riders.

These have been updated on 12/3/2024.

Check out this Google Sheet to help track your training.

If you read no further in this article, these are the simplest ways to ensure a great time on the STP:

• Ride with others, take a cycling skills class, join a club like Cascade Bicycle Club on it's Free Group Rides or join the Cascade Training Series (CTS) to learn the language of group cycling.
• Don’t ride as hard as you can on every training ride. This is the most common rookie mistake! Ride steady and aim to add more miles each week to go longer and longer. Start with rides you can finish feeling like you could have done a little bit more and gradually build your endurance until you can complete 75% of the mileage of your longest day at this year's STP.
• Use Blue Steel anti-chafe creme (available on course at all major rest stops) to reduce friction in groin area, and don’t wear underwear beneath your padded riding shorts.
• Your bicycle also needs to be in shape!  If you are not well-versed in bike mechanics, bring your bicycle to your local shop to be sure it is also in the right condition to go 200+ miles!  Don't spend months getting your body in shape only to have your bike stop you from finishing.

The most important part of any cycling training plan is the number of hours or miles you will ride on a daily and weekly basis in the months leading up to a big ride like the STP. These training rides are the building blocks that will prepare your body and mind to ride long and hard on the day of the event. There are many other factors that will influence your enjoyment on the big day, such as how your bike fits you, nutrition, hydration, clothing, equipment, mental preparation, skill level and general comfort with riding long distances with lots of other people.

Below is a rough training plan giving you a very basic sketch of an average person’s riding mileage leading up to a successful STP. It has 3 rides per week. If you haven’t ridden a bike in 10 years, start with a 5-mile ride to get the hang of it. Your goal may be simply to have fun and stop when you are tired. If you had a good summer of riding last year and haven’t ridden since October, go out for a nice flat 20-miler and get back into it. From here build up your mileage gradually and challenge yourself a bit more every week.

Every person is different and no single training program will work for everyone; the important thing to remember is that “this is fun!” Take your time and work at a level your body will allow. Depending on your conditioning and riding experience, you may need more or less miles than this program presents. Feel free to consult Cycle University to outline a program to fit your level of riding and athletic background, and be sure and get an OK from your doctor if you are over the age of 30 and new to riding your bike long distances.

Special notes for one-day riders

Lights: All one day riders should have a front and rear light for starting in the dawn and possibly finishing in the dusk.

Learning to draft: Most people think that they can just ride tons of miles and get fast enough to do the STP in one day, but what many find is that even though they get strong and increase their average speed they still can’t meet their goal. Why not? They need the shelter of other people to help them achieve their finishing goal. The wind often blows from the south, which means that much of the ride from Seattle to Portland is into a head wind, and if you ride behind a group or even a single rider, you can save 30% or more of your energy and still go the same speed. It is like free money; you do less work and go faster! This skill is called drafting, and it is something that takes practice and good coaching to do it safely.

The best place to learn this is from other experienced riders or in one of the Cycle University Classes.  If you are not in Seattle, check out www.bikeride.com and look under “regional links” to find a club near you and see if they offer pace line instruction.

Pace: One day riders should be prepared to hold a 15-20 mph pace in order to make it before the course closes at 9 pm.  All one day riders should be in the starting chute for the 4:45 a.m. start.  

Training for one and two-day riders

Start your training with easy miles and add an occasional hard day once every week or two where you push the hills. For your normal days, when you start breathing hard and can't say a 10-word sentence at a normal tone, slow down. After the first half of the training, start looking at your average speeds during your midweek and Saturday rides. Increase the midweek rides to move toward your target average miles per hour pace. (i.e. to complete the 200+-mile STP in one day under 12 hours you will need to average 17.5mph and only take one 30-minute break. Two-day riders will need to average 10 mph to finish each 103-mile day under 11 hours, with 55 minutes of breaks each day.) Aim to get your average speed near your target ride level as the event approaches. Learn to ride in a paceline to further stretch your endurance and speed and maintain a high average mph.

June will be the hardest month. Plan to take good care of yourself between rides. Eat right, stay hydrated and get consistent sleep. Use Flying Wheels as your final rehearsal. Test out the energy foods, equipment and clothing you will use on the STP. After your last big ride two weeks before the event, focus on recovery. During these final two weeks you will rest more because the mileage is much less, but keep your cadence high and effort at or above event speeds to increase your speed.

Nutrition and Hydration

While training for STP, you'll need to pay attention to and fine tune your strategy for fueling yourself. No matter what dietary requirements or restrictions you have, there's one thing everyone needs to do: supply your hard-working body with energy, water, and minerals. 

Fueling yourself properly includes the meals you eat before a ride, during a ride, and your recovery meal after a ride. The same goes for hydration.

There are a lot of great resources available to help you learn about fitness, training and nutrition. To help you get started, here are some of our favorite sources of information and web based coaching help. 

• Dr Gabe Mirkin on Health, Fitness and Nutrition - a free weekly newsletter with up to date nutrition and training ideas based on the latest scientific research.
• Road Bike Rider - provides expert advice, tips and shared knowledge to road cycling enthusiasts. Also has a large selection of inexpensive eArticles and eBooks covering training, nutrition, riding skills, and medical advice.
• Cycling Performance Tips – a comprehensive site a little more on the technical side covering performance and nutrition physiology, training, equipment, and medical issues.

Although there are too many cycling books on the market to count, there are a few that we find particularly useful and comprehensive. These include:

• The Cyclist’s Training Bible, Joe Friel 
• The Time-Crunched Cyclist, Chris Carmichael & Jim Rutberg
• Metabolic Efficiency Training, Bob Seebohar
• The Athlete's Guide to Recovery, Sage Rountree

Please visit our library in our Members Room at our office for more books.