Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic (2 Day Ride) - CycleTour

Where to start on such a long day? It was still pretty dark at 0445 when we left the University of Washington campus start line but with nearly 1000 riders leaving for the double century portion of the ride it didn't seem nearly as dark as just before the start. The route wove it's way through Seattle, then south through many stop lights and railroad track crossings before smoothing out after about 20 miles. There was one serious crash about 1 mile into the ride; don't know if the guy got hit by a car or lost it on the rough road but he looked pretty out of it. Made the first food stop and my brother (Soretaint) got his bike tweaked by the mechanic and was good to go. At this point, there were still hundreds of riders in huge groups along the roads, and the volunteers and police did a great job of controlling traffic for us. Much appreciated.
We were able to find some good pace lines at times over the next 50-60 miles and ended up at the halfway point in Centralia feeling good and ready for more. At lunch, repacked our pockets, and filled drink bottles with supplies that my brother's wives had graciously trekked all the way for us.
Took off from the 100 mile mark and now it was getting uncomfortably hot and humid. 92-95 degrees and 70-80% humidity. Uggh. For the next 40+ miles, the course went through some euphemistically named "rollers". Yeah...hill after hill after hill. None of them really long or particularily steep, but pretty continuous. About 5 miles before the last major food stop, I noticed my cassette was having problems. I was dearly hoping it was an easy fix by the mechanics at the stop, and fortunately it was. Just a loose keeper ring but it took a few minutes for them to get to it. In the meantime, we were able to get some good food...chicken wraps and lots of fresh fruit.
Now I'm not too sure just what all was in the chicken wraps but for some reason, I got a burst of new energy after this stop. Maybe it was the fact that it was getting cooler; maybe it was the end getting in sight; I don't know but it came from somewhere. My brother (Soretaint) and I took off and for the next 30-some miles we absolutely hammered. We stayed steady at 23-26 mph during this stretch, even on some long, gradual uphills. I felt like the Energizer Bunny! We just kept hammering and hammering at this pace and it didn't feel all that hard at all. My brother John (who is an animal rider by the way) pulled quite a bit of this run but for the last several miles I jumped up front and still kept the pace. I still haven't figured out how after 150+ miles but when I do I'm gonna bottle the formula! We finally pulled off to wait for my other brother, Jeff, and he really wasn't all that far behind us! I was very pleased with how he hung in there all day long, not having that much riding time and experience under his belt. He's got more guts and determination than just about anyone I know though! For the last 25 miles or so, we rode together, in our own little line, and still kept a pretty good pace. It was a fantastic feeling to cross the finish line, 3 abreast, with my brothers and best friends!!
The whole ride was just a great experience. Some people are pretty good at riding pace lines...others not so much. But everyone was having a great time and there were smiles all around all day. Unfortunately, there were a few serious crashes. Not sure what happened but some of them looked to be vehicle related and others caused when riders got too close to each other. Good lessons in always, always, always watch out for the other guy.


Nothing! This was such a fun ride and to be able to do it with my brothers made it perfect! Nailed my nutrition and hydration all day long. In fact, I had to pee every 20-25 miles so the hydration, especially, seemed perfect. Maybe I would do one thing different...find out what was in the food at mile 145 and patent it!

Stayed with some friends in Portland who pulled out all the stops for us. They have beautiful home and made us feel like family with huge meals that night and the next morning.


If you ever want to do a double Century, this is the one! It is incredibly well organized and supported with tons of volunteers, law enforcement, mechanical support, and food stops. And the course, once you're out of the Seattle metro area, is beautiful. The sunrise over Mount Ranier was awesome and the rest of the way was through nice countryside. Can't say enough about how great it was. Will definitely do it again!