Seattle to Portland 2012

I finished my fifth Seattle to Portland Bicycle ride this past Saturday. It took me about 13 hours 45 minutes to travel the 210 miles in one day.

My day started at 3:30am, when my alarm went off. I slowly got out of bed, made some eggs, gathered my gear and was on my bike by 4am. I rode to the start line at the Husky's Stadium, where I had to drop off my bag. The start of the ride is officially at 4:45am and it was nice witnessing the countdown for the first time. The energy and excitement as the time draws near is hard to explain, but if you've ever run a marathon or have participated in some other extreme event, then you may understand the feeling. It is a combination of fear and nervousness, since you can't really know how your body will perform until you go.

This year I was again riding solo, with the other Librarian's doing the ride in two days. In a way this is easier to do because you set your own pace all day long and you don't have to worry about where your other riders are. Due to the sheer amount of other riders, it is easy to loose your friends in the masses.

The air was humid and even though it was still dark out, I took off my arm warmers and just wore the jacket figuring I would still be comfortable. The temperature was about 62 degrees and cloudy, staying that way well into midday.

For several hours I rode without much stopping, spending many of it in various pace lines. A great way to conserve energy, people in a pace line can save up to roughly thirty percent of their energy, with the leader of the pace line taking the main hit of wind. Fortunately for us one day riders, the wind was a tailwind, helping push us along even faster. I spent almost the entire ride in my lowest gear, something I've haven't done before. With rest stops about every 20 miles or so, I ended up going to about every other stop, where I was able to refill my bottles, eat some food, stretch and use the amenities.