This weekend, roughly 2,000 cyclists will stay at Centralia College during their two-day bike ride from Seattle to Portland.
“The faster riders will start blowing through 9 to 10 o’clock (on Saturday morning), but they’re not really slowing down for anything,” said Steve Ward, who is the executive organizer for STP at Centralia College. “Then the mass of 2-day riders will start showing up about 11 — 11 to 3 is when they all show up.”
The ride, which connects two major cycling cities in the U.S., is more than 200 miles long. It is the largest multi-day bike ride in the northwest, with 10,000 cyclists who participate.
The official midpoint is at Centralia College, with the largest free camping location. Riders make their own arrangements for midpoint lodging, but many choose to stay in Centralia.
“A lot of folks like to camp here and walk downtown,” Ward said. “At first, they come, shower, pitch their tent, eat, relax. Then they get a little energy and walk downtown.”
This year, there are 10,000 riders from seven countries and 45 states. More than 8,000 of the riders are from Washington and more than 1,000 are from Oregon. The oldest rider this year is 89 years old.
There will be live music at Centralia College from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. from Backlash, which is a classic rock act from Olympia. Tour de France will also be screening in TransAlta Commons.
“It’s not just about the bike riding,” Ward said. “It’s the social part as well...It has a good vibe to it. There are a lot of locals that just stop by.”
Ward said one reason he believes the event is so successful is that he patterned it after a 24-hour mountain bike race, which also has a social aspect to it.
Ward expects about 2,000 people to book accommodations through Centralia College this year. He said there will be a couple hundred people in the gym and another 100 or so camped out in different classrooms on campus. There will also be RVs parked on the college’s campus that will hold about 100 people. The rest will camp in tents around campus.
In addition, cyclists had the option of staying in private houses with a host. Ward said private housing is provided by friends of the college, including people from Centralia College Foundation, alumni and Booster Club members.
Ward said the college uses close to 200 volunteers for the event. Most are athletes or coaches, others are Booster Club members and some are Centralia College Foundation board members.
When Centralia College became the midpoint for STP in 2005, Ward worked with the city and Cascade Bicycle Club to ease congestion by changing the route in Centralia. The college also encouraged local businesses to come to the college and post their menus, which brought in business.
“It’s a great riding area down here,” Ward said. “I remember when I used to ride (the STP). We used to avoid the whole midpoint area. There was a lot of animosity between the locals and the riders because they were coming downtown and causing a lot of congestion….working with the city, and (Cascade Bicycle Club) we changed all that.”
By 9 a.m. on Sunday, Ward said all the riders will be gone.
“The nice thing about STP bike riders is they are conscientious,” Ward said. “They know they’re guests and they clean up after themselves. It is just amazing.”
STP is currently in its 39th year. Both Centralia College and the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce organize meals, private housing and entertainment for riders. Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce is still looking for volunteers to assist with STP on Saturday, July 14 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. To sign up to volunteer, go to http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=9ggnigdab&oeidk=a07efiyg90ne8402760.
