After a two-year hiatus due to pandemic restrictions, Cascade Bicycle Club has announced a full calendar of 2022 events and rides, including the return of Seattle to Portland.
The 206-mile Seattle to Portland Presented by Alaska Airlines (STP) — the largest and most iconic group cycling event in the Pacific Northwest — will return on July 17 and 18, according to Cascade Bicycle Club.
Founded in 1979 and attracting up to 10,000 participants annually, STP is “a celebration on two wheels that attracts participants from around the region and nation,” with riders testing their fitness while raising money for Cascade’s youth cycling initiatives, bike advocacy, and programs that serve Cascade’s 9,000 members and bike riders throughout Washington state, said Cascade Bicycle Club in a news release.
Participants also support other community nonprofits that Cascade contracts with to provide food and services along the STP route.
The return of STP and the resumption of Cascade’s other major cycling events is “great news and a big morale boost” for Washington’s bicycling community and for the state’s tourism and outdoor recreation economy, said Cascade Bicycle Club Executive Director Lee Lambert.
“We invite bicyclists from across Washington, the Northwest, and nationwide to join us in July for the most special and highly anticipated STP ever,” said Lambert.
“Come join the fun, make new friends, and help us make STP — and our entire events season — the most exciting and celebratory in Cascade Bicycle Club’s 52-year history.”
Cascade’s major rides season begins in February with the return of Chilly Hilly on scenic Bainbridge Island, and it continues through the spring, summer and fall with one-day events including the Ride for Major Taylor, the Flying Wheels summer century and the Kitsap Color Classic.
Multi-day rides and tours include the Ride Around Washington (RAW), the Ride From Seattle to Vancouver and Party (RSVP), the Lake Chelan Tour Lite, plus two Seattle Bike-n-Brews events and the Woodinville Wine Ride.
“We have rides for everyone, from fitness buffs eager to pedal 100 miles in a day, to families looking for a joyous spin through Seattle,” Lambert said.
Participants in Cascade Bicycle Club’s rides and events support the organization’s advocacy, education, equity, and community building mission of bringing people together to experience the joy of bicycling, advocating for a safe and equitable Washington state, and building confidence and leadership by teaching bike skills to all ages, said Cascade in a news release.
Cascade Bicycle Club, the nation’s largest statewide bicycling nonprofit, serves bike riders of all ages, races, genders, income levels, and abilities throughout Washington, said Cascade. “We teach the joys of bicycling, advocate for safe places to ride, and produce world-class rides and events.”
See below for Cascade’s 2022 events calendar:
• Seattle Bike Swap, Feb. 13
• Chilly Hilly, Feb. 27
• Cascade Training Series, April 9 to July 9
• Ride for Major Taylor, April 24
• Lake Chelan Tour Lite, April 29 to May 1
• Gig Harbor Tour Lite, May 6-8
• Seattle Bike-n-Brews, May 14
• Flying Wheels, June 4
• Seattle Bike-n-Brews North, June 18
• Emerald City Ride, June 25 or 26, TBD
• Seattle to Portland Presented by Alaska Airlines, July 16-17
• Seattle Night Ride, July 29 (date TBD)
• Ride Around Washington, July 31 to Aug. 6
• High Pass Challenge, Aug. 15 (date TBD)
• Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party, Aug. 27-28 (if the Canadian border closes, the ride will be from Redmond to Bellingham and back)
• Woodinville Wine Ride, Sept. 11
• Kitsap Color Classic, Sept. 25
• Walla Walla Tour Lite, Sept. 30 to Oct. 2
