STP riders start trek to Portland early Saturday | Community Spirit

There’s going to be a lot of bikes leaving the University of Washington in the early hours of Saturday morning, going on a very long bike ride.

But many are for great causes.

The Group Health Seattle-to-Portland Bicycle Classic (or, as many riders refer to it, the STP) will take off on Saturday morning from the parking lot just north of Husky Stadium. The riders who will be going the entire 200-mile distance to Portland’s Holladay Park will take off between 4:45-5:15 a.m. The riders who will be splitting their trip into two days will start leaving in 10 minute intervals from 5:15-7:30 a.m.

The route will take the riders across the Montlake Cut, up and over to the shores of Lake Washington, then south through Renton, Kent, Auburn, Sumner, Puyallup, Roy and Yelm before heading south toward Centralia, Kelso, and Portland.

Many riders are raising money for specific causes during the ride, while others are doing it for the experience. Some serious riders, doing the one-day ride, are actually trying to win the race. But all will celebrate once they cross the finish line in the Rose City.

More information on the ride is on the STP website. But if you see the riders during the day, cheer them on!