Specialized STP

This is how we rolled at STP 2008! by Kim Hexter

Event: Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic (STP)

Date: July 12 & 13, 2008

Location: Start – University of Washington, Seattle, WA, Finish – Halladay Park, Portland, OR

Duration: 327KM – Can be completed in 1 or 2 days

Cost: 400-600$ with hotels

Discipline: Cycling

Rating: 10/10

Group Recommendation: Highly recommend this event to anyone. It’s more efficient and definitely more fun to train and complete with a group.

Description:

“To accomplish great things we must not only ACT but also DREAM, not only PLAN but also BELIEVE”

For me, the decision to complete STP 2008 was made when Jason Sarai and I provided rider support at STP 2007. My husband Paul and TAJ co-founder Curtis were riding the event in two days, or, at least, that was the plan. On a whim during the ride, they decided to complete it in one day. Needless to say, it was incredibly inspiring to watch them work together to exceed their own expectations for the event. That was it – Jason and I high fived and made a pact that we would be doing STP 2008 in one day.

By Christmas I had a bike, by January I attended my first spinning class, and by the end of March, I had my first road ride…three and half months to show time….no problem.

Here’s what I knew going into the race…

1) It’s freakin’ long!!! 327kms or 203 miles is a lot to cover in one day. I also knew that it could be done because I had seen it with my own eyes. That being said, I would be lying if I said that there weren’t more than a few times that I questioned whether I would be able to do it.

2) I had the best support system that anybody could ask for. There was the IF White Rock team, particularly Curtis, Isabelle (my rock) and Kevin all who trained me hard to get me ready and never let me think I wouldn’t do it. There was Willie at John Henry Bikes who set me up with the best bike and accessories and gave me many excellent tips. My fellow White Rock STP riders were with me, spending countless hours on the road teaching me, encouraging me, and, best of all, making me laugh. There was an email I received from Mary Betts, a friend and fellow TAJ team member that would lay the groundwork for my mental game plan. And, I know I never could have done this without my husband Paul, his parents and the rest of my family whose support allowed me to get the required training in.

3) I knew, from a technical perspective, that the STP course is not considered to be a very difficult one. I had heard rumblings about “The Hill”, the Lewis and Clark bridge, and the long slow gradual (painful) climb coming out of Rainier, OR, but, overall, I knew that a person could have their first road ride in the early spring, and still be ready to do STP in a day.

4) I knew that I had put the required training hours in, and that I was ready. I also knew that my pace was slower than the rest of the group, so I needed to accept that and to create my ride plan based on my sustainable pace. Isabelle, who had trained me, made me climb endless hills, and had literally pushed me up a couple of those hills, was going to lead me through the ride. It was going to be a great day!!

5) Because of the training, the preparation and the support, at last I believed I would do it.

Ride Day

The First Half

We woke up at 3:00am on Saturday to ensure we would be ready to start the ride by 5:00am. I had my first mental challenge that morning because, while we were packing up, we noticed that our Passports were gone. We looked everywhere while getting our things together and fueling ourselves in prep for the ride, but they were nowhere to be found. Not wanting to get strip searched at the border, I had a bit of a hissy fit, but, when I heard the comment “Kim Hexter is stressing out”, I gave my head a shake because that is not how I want to behave and I knew that I was wasting energy on something beyond my control. Done.

The excitement of what we were about to begin overcame any negativity and we were off.

We started off smoothly and were yelling out random “Woohoo’s”. It was not too congested so I was able to gain confidence and warm up with minimal interference.

Our plan for the ride was to go at my comfortable pace, and get to Portland when we got there. We would ensure we were well hydrated and fueled and would keep the stops short.

We stopped to take a few photos along Lake Washington because it is one of the most beautiful sections of the ride, then we were on our way.

Along the way, we ran into Val, a fellow IF teammate who had a flat, so Isabelle stopped to help her and told me to keep going at a slower pace and that she would catch up. I kept going, but was a bit nervous about not having Isabelle with me. This was probably one of the best things that could have happened because I experienced my first low during this time and had to rely on myself to keep going. I dug in, pushed myself and gained confidence from the fact that I got through it. I also gained confidence from the fact that I literally ran over a stray water bottle on the road and didn’t even wobble, though it was definitely luck, and not skill, that saved me there.

I got quite a way along without Isabelle and was beginning to get concerned that she and I wouldn’t meet up again but then I heard the cheering from behind me and, suddenly, Isabelle was next to me riding with a great group that we were able to tag along with for a super fun, fast stretch. It was awesome!

We carried on until we reached “The Hill”, and were working our way up it when we saw Paul MacMillan, one of our teammates who had a major technical problem. Isabelle stopped to help him out and told me to go ahead. I did, only this time I was not worried about her catching up, since I knew what she was capable of!

At the top of the hill, I couldn’t believe it, but I ran into the rest of my IF teammates.

It was an awesome surprise because my expectation was to see them all in Portland. My husband Paul was there and encouraged me to join them. I accepted, but felt nervous about trying to keep up. We started out and, right away, I knew that if I tried to keep up with these guys, I wouldn’t make it to the first major stop. I let them go because I had been taught and have learned that you have to stick to your game plan during events. Deviating from your plan most often proves to be detrimental. I actually felt empowered by that decision and continued on my own feeling strong.

I reached to first major checkpoint in time to see my teammates before they left. Their plan was to slow their pace a bit, and Isabelle was still not back, so I decided to try again to ride with them. I lasted a bit longer with them this time, but the pace was still not my pace, so, again, I let them go. They were looking solid as they rode away and I felt so proud of my mates!!

It wasn’t too long before Isabelle caught up with me and, again, the goofiness random cheering and (bad) singing began.

We carried on until we ran into a fellow Vancouverite fixing a flat. We stopped to help her because she had a tear in her tire and no patch to fix it. This is how Isabelle earned her new nickname, “MacGyver”. She fixed the tire by patching it with a folded empty energy gel package, an old trick learned on the adventure race circuit. Incredible.

Reaching the halfway stop, and eating the famous Creamsicle, was a HUGE high point for us. We had a quick spaghetti meal and were on our way again.

The Second Half

The portion of the ride from the halfway stop to the three quarter stop was one of the most erratic for me in terms of the emotions I would feel. We had a couple of belly laughs (my favorite), but it was also the hottest part of the day, so there were a couple of lows, and a couple of hills that Isabelle pushed me up with her hand on my back. We stayed well hydrated and fuelled, and, during down times, we recited the phrase “the lows will go”, because we knew that when a low hit, it was temporary. It really became a mental game during this leg.

About 45 minutes from the three quarter stop in Lexington, Isabelle got a flat. We stopped to change it and had a great time taking pictures while Isabelle worked her magic. We were on our way again.

Not too long after, we were climbing a small hill when we passed by a man and his son on a tandem bike with a flat tire. Isabelle stopped to help them, but I couldn’t look back because I knew I needed to reach Lexington.

At this point, I should mention our amazing rider support. We had three drivers and support vehicles with us, and they did a fantastic job. Kay and Katie took care of Isabelle and I and their support prevented me from “hitting the wall”. We always had them to look forward to and they never let us down. It was Kay and Katie that were getting me to Lexington. I arrived at the park and was so happy to see that Paul MacMillan was there in great spirits considering his bike was beyond repair and he could not complete the ride (this year).

Isabelle arrived about twenty minutes after me and we decided to do some push-ups and bicycle abs before continuing our journey (pictures don’t lie).

A quick rest and we were off. I mentioned earlier that I had heard rumblings about the Lewis and Clark Bridge, but I never really got the details. Good thing because when we arrived at it, the look of sheer terror that crossed my face would have scared anybody off. Nobody had ever said it was that steep, and that we would have to cross it on a narrow bike path. Oh well, as Isabelle said, I had to embrace the bridge (that’s actually a censored version of what she said, but close enough), and I started climbing. The whole way, thanks to advice from Mary’s email, I recited the words I can, I will, and, the next thing I knew, I did and we were in Oregon.

The stretch from Rainier to St. Helens was my strongest of the day both physically and mentally. It seems incredible that, after 14 hours of riding, the body can experience an energy surge powerful enough to result in the fastest riding of the day. It was awesome!

We arrived in St. Helens at around 7:45pm. It was the last major stop before the finish line. We had some fruit and a quick drink to recharge, but, at this point, it was about finishing. We had 40kms left!!! This was crunch time.

We started out fresh, strong and excited. After a few minutes of riding, we passed a girl on the side of the road who said she was ok, but that she was waiting for her ride since she was quitting. I couldn’t believe it! She was so close and was standing upright so she wasn’t injured. Isabelle said that even though we had ridden most of the distance, we had actually completed only 5% of the ride…the last 40K would be the remaining 95%. It had come down to sheer will and determination and we had to focus on the finish line.

By this time, The IF group ahead is just arriving at the finish line( I think Steve was ready for a beer!!)

The last leg was a portion of the course that I had driven last year, so I had an expectation of what it would be like. This was a mistake because, in my mind, it was much shorter than in reality. It was also getting dark, a fact that was manifested because I had forgotten to remove my sunglasses (minor detail). I went through a bit of a mental low at this point, but gave my head a shake when Isabelle asked a fellow cyclist for one of his lights (he had two). He was more than happy to oblige and, once again, I was inspired by Isabelle’s solutions based leadership. I relaxed, removed my sunglasses, realized it wasn’t quite as dark as originally thought, and began to envision finishing this incredible ride. Portland was in our sights.

The last minutes of our ride together were so amazing. We kept cheering each other on, high fiving at the lights, and couldn’t get the smiles off our faces. I knew that there were many traffic lights along the home stretch so we pedaled hard to make the green lights. The next thing we knew there were people cheering and we crossed the BEST finish line ever!! It was the best because our teammates and supporters were all lined up along the fence smiling and cheering with outstretched hands. We high fived every one as we finished! We had all been through so much together and they waited for us for over an hour after their ride finished! I will always treasure that moment.

My Highlights (in no particular order)…

1) Chamois Butter (enough said)

2) Riding with Isabelle. I learned so much and had such a great time.

3) Going through the entire journey with an amazing group of people.

4) Reaching the top of “The Hill” to see Paul and the rest of my teammates.

5) Our rider support team.

6) High fiving and hugging everybody after crossing the best finish line ever!!!

7) Getting a phone call on our way home from a good Samaritan who had our passports. (phew…no strip search at the border)

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