10,000 Bicyclists to Cruise Through Twin Cities for STP

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The Twin Cities, the midpoint of the annual Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic, will see 10,000 bicyclists riding on city streets and country roads Saturday and Sunday, which could cause travel delays for local drivers. 

To help the cyclists and drivers, STP and law enforcement officials will direct traffic at different locations throughout the route, including increased patrols on Gold Street in between the Twin Cities where one lane will be closed to traffic. 

Police will also be directing traffic on state Route 507 at the Tenino Trail crossing. 

Chehalis Deputy Chief Randy Kaut said drivers will need to use extra caution on Gold Street and National Avenue, especially if they need to turn off the road by crossing the bike lane.  

The STP route previously included Airport Road until last year, when the road closed for the Interstate 5, Mellen Street to Blakeslee Junction project. Cyclists are now redirected to Gold Street. 

Airport Road is not expected to open until construction at the Mellen Street interchange is complete at the end of next year, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. 

Cyclists will then use county roads through Napavine and Winlock and state Route 506 in Vader before connecting with the West Side Highway on the way to the Castle Rock area. 

Based on previous STP rides, the most congestion and delays in Thurston and Lewis Counties occur in the mid-morning and afternoon on Saturday. 



The 200-mile bike ride is the Pacific Northwest’s largest multi-day event, which can be completed in one or two days, according to the Cascade Bicycle Club, a non-profit organization based in Seattle that organizes the event.

Riders begin at the University of Washington in Seattle on Saturday and travel to Holladay Park across the street from the Lloyd Center in Portland. 

The STP is sold out and filled its quota of 10,000 participants as of noon on Feb. 14. 

The sold-out event will have riders from 45 states and five other countries including Canada, France, the Netherlands, the UK and Malaysia. 

Last year, 10,000 riders came from 42 states plus Canada and England to participate in the event. 

Of the 10,000 riders, nearly 2,500 make the entire 200-mile trip on Saturday in one push, arriving into Portland on Saturday evening, according to the Cascade Bicycle Club.

The remaining participants spend the night around the Twin Cities.