Seattle to Portland Bike Ride

STP Ride Wrap-up

That was quite an experience.  Dad and the boys rode 206 miles from Seattle to Portland in one day.  Wow.  Every rider had a story and obstacles to overcome to even get to Seattle on July 15, 2017 to join the BlackPack Peloton.  The almost one-year-long plan finally came together though and every one of the boys joined their dad for a grand adventure.

Curtis and Daniel dreamed up the fantastic challenge and invited the guys to join them.  Most riders do the 206 miles in two days, but the BlackPack didn't want to bike on Sunday so they elected to ride the full route in one day.  

These pictures don't really tell the whole story because they always look in control and smiling.  Here were some of the obstacles they had to deal with before the STP Ride even officially started:

LeGrand and Mike jumped in the Logan GranFondo 100-miler one week before STP.  The Centennial ride would have been just great, but LeGrand, while clocking his best time ever for a long distance race, got pushed off the road with only 10 miles to go.  He insisted on finishing though and bloody and in shock he made it to the finish line.  His shoulder and hip were pretty banged up.  Tyler was there to help him which saved his life.  His headaches during the next week were scary.  During the STP, he fell again and injured his other shoulder, but not nearly so bad this time.  He joked that now his neck was straight since both injuries canceled each other out on the crooked neck.

Curtis, while running a triathlon weeks before the STP , pulled his Achilles tendon and could barely walk.  He came back with a smile on his handsome face to join the STP contingency, but that day his legs were not strong.  It's funny like that.  Some days you feel great and once in awhile, you just don't have it.  Curt was normally one of our strongest riders, but on that Saturday, he just gutted it out.  As I followed the racers, I kept encouraging him to jump in the car and just help me drive.  He was tempted, but in the end, he just would not give up.  He never did feel good during the whole 200 miles but he would not stop until the finish line.  I shed many tears during the day watching his tenacity and pain.

Mike had a few mountain bike collisions preceding the STP but the most aggravating injury was a dog bike he received on the trail over the mountain to work.  Of course Mike is an amazing top competitor in Utah and didn't let rabies stop him for a minute.

David had to give up training on his bike in Phoenix pretty early in the summer because of the triple digit temperatures.  Most of his conditioning and training was done in a gym.  He was a little uncertain if his training indoors would translate to a real outdoor race.  David did great!  He looked so fit.  The secret to his success might have been the water aerobics class Ronni dragged him to.  He told us all about his experience in the pool with 50 old ladies during our devotional the night before the race and had us all in stitches.

Daniel has so many time commitments and church, institute, and family responsibilities, he was worried he had not put in the training miles necessary to complete 200 miles in one day.  Not only did he finish the ride, but he felt pretty good and was a real asset to the peloton.

Brent didn't ever commit to ride the whole 200 miles since he joined the team late and was working two jobs while training.  Not wanting to be left out of this historic experience he decided to just do what he could do and join his brothers as long as he felt good.  Brent always told me he would meet me at 60 miles, put his bike on the car and come with me so he could help me drive through Portland.   The morning of the ride, he told me to just go to the 100 mile marker/rest stop and check with him there. At 100 miles, he was still smiling and feeling strong.  He was having so much fun he could not stop and actually finished in great shape!

And don't forget the contribution of the support teams.  My worst fear in this life is city traffic.  After driving Mike's van and trailer through the city of Vancouver Canada last year riding support for the RSVP from Seattle to Vancouver, I swore I would never do anything like that again!  But here I was committed again to drive crazy roads I didn't know and try to not get lost.  Luckily for me, Amy and Katelyn jumped in my car the last 30 awful miles and navigated us to the end line safely. Thank you girls!  

Kristin, Emily, and Brook drove their vans/families to support their hubbies.  Lori and Ronni were so cute about allowing Brent and David to fly up and join their brothers in this crazy attempt. All the sisters were praying their hearts out for their brothers--we felt the help!

Taking pictures of long bike races does not represent the effort because I only see them at a few rest stops and for 20 seconds on the road when they come into view and go back out into the distance.  But here are a few shots to help you guys remember a wonderful unifying, inspiring bike ride with some of the most awesome men in the world.