Kim Thornadtsson and Don Ligocki, both of Bellingham, leave St. John Lutheran Church in Chehalis Saturday afternoon as a married couple. The longtime couple have ridden the STP together for years and decided to hold their marriage ceremony midway through a one-day ride to Portland.
Kim Thornadtsson and Don Ligocki, both of Bellingham, enjoy cupcakes after their brief wedding at St. John Lutheran Church in Chehalis Saturday afternoon. The longtime couple have ridden the STP together for years and decided to hold their marriage ceremony midway through a one-day ride to Portland.
Bikers participating in the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic cruise down Pearl Street in Centralia early Saturday afternoon.
Bikers participating in the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic cruise down Pearl Street early Saturday afternoon. Construction on Airport Road prompted a reroute of the 10,000 cyclists over the viaduct, down the Miracle Mile and through downtown Chehalis.
Bikers participating in the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic cruise down Pearl Street in Centralia early Saturday afternoon.
Two bikers participating in the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classichad a brief wedding halfway through their journey in Chehalis early Saturday afternoon.
Kim Thornadtsson and Don Ligocki, both of Bellingham, began biking at 5 a.m. By 12:30 p.m., they were about halfway through their journey and took a break to get married.
During the 30-minute ceremony, Ligocki and Thornadtsson, wearing matching STP biker shirts, stood at the altar in St. Johns Lutheran church, their bikes parked in the pews behind them.
“We didn’t want to do anything fancy,” Thornadtsson said.
The newlyweds met through a family member and have been together for the past 22 years. They both said didn’t want a big ceremony and thought it would be fun to do it during an annual event they both enjoy.
“We wanted something quick,” Ligocki said. “We still have another 100 miles to ride.”
They said their honeymoon would be a nice night in Portland when they finish.
Thornadtsson said when they first met, neither were in a hurry to get married. Before they knew it, she said, the years just went by.
“It became obvious we were going to be together the rest of our lives,” Ligocki said.
Ligocki and Thornadtsson first participated in STP in 2002, and their wedding marked their 10th straight year riding in the STP bike ride. They used to do the Seattle to Portland in two days; now they do it in one.
Ligocki proposed last May, and neither of them wanted a big ceremony so Thornadtsson thought a quick ceremony during the STP would be appropriate.
When they first got engaged they looked at a few get-married-quick type chapels on the bike route, but they said they both were glad the pastor was available to do the ceremony at St. Johns.
The first time Ligocki and Thornadtsson stopped at St. Johns was several years ago during the STP ride and they saw a sign advertising lodging at the church.
St. Johns Church hosts about 100 riders each year, giving them a place to sleep and shower. They also serve dinner as well as breakfast.
“They have showers, wonderful food and great accommodations,” Ligocki said. “I highly recommend it.”
The newlyweds were two of 10,000 riders who passed through Centralia and Chehalis Saturday. The STP spans about 200 miles from University of Washington in Seattle to Holladay Park in Portland.
