The annual Seattle-to-Portland Bicycle Classic (STP) will ride into town Saturday, July 12, bringing thousands of bicyclists through Thurston and Lewis counties as they make their journey to Portland.
It’s the 46th edition of the ride, which takes participants on the 206-mile journey from Seattle to Portland.
The exact route the bikers will take is available to view at ridewithgps.com/routes/49196511.
Drivers are advised to watch the roads this weekend, as Amanda Haines, an organizer of the event at Centralia College where she is the head of communications, said to expect upwards of 5,600 riders this year, which is a 25% increase from last year.
Cascade Bicycle Club posted July 5 on its social media accounts that the STP has sold out for the first time since 2019, with more than 6,000 total registrations.
“Begun in 1979, STP is sold out for 2025 with the biggest number of registrants since prior to the pandemic,” said Lee Lambert, Cascade Bicycle Club’s executive director. He attributes the increased ridership to new marketing, outreach and community partnership initiatives Cascade has implemented.
“We have worked hard to spread the message that STP is an inclusive, welcoming and fully supported ride that is open to everyone no matter their race, background, gender identity, body type, or biking ability,” Lambert said.
Overnight camping is available at Centralia College, as well as RV parking and private room rentals through the college dorms.
Also at the college will be food carts offering an array of options including Mexican, pizza, barbecue, sandwiches and fried food. The college cafeteria, Blazer Bite, will be open and serving high-carb items and cooked-to-serve meals. Orange creamsicles are also offered to the riders as they come in Saturday.
On Sunday morning, hot breakfast is available to the riders, as well as cold to-go breakfasts available for riders who want to hit the road early.
There will be a beer garden with indoor and outdoor seating that is open to the community from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
Additional accommodations to the riders include Providence providing on-site first aid, Washington Sports Massage offering on-site massages, and Bike Works and TREK providing mechanic services.
Anyone interested in volunteering at Centralia College should contact the sports programs office at 360-623-8926.
Volunteers are also requested in two- or four-hour shifts from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, at the V.R. Lee Community Center in Recreation Park in Chehalis to greet bikers and supply food and water. The Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce is spearheading the effort to welcome riders.
Volunteers interested in helping out with next year’s ride should email sarahm@cascade.org for more details.
“Thank you to all of the hundreds of volunteers that help support our riders throughout the event! STP would not be possible without the support, time, and effort that is put in by the multiple community organizations along the route,” Sarah Mantey, the director of the STP, wrote in an email to The Chronicle. “These groups and our volunteers are the heart and soul of the ride and we strive to keep STP focused on supporting these local Washington and Oregon communities. Thank you!”
STP is Cascade Bicycle Club’s largest fundraising event, but it also provides an economic boost to communities along the route that see an influx of riders and families who spend money on everything from restaurants and hotels to lemonade stands, according to a news release from Cascade.
Cascade partners with multiple nonprofits and civic groups including the Portland Bicycle Club, Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, Centralia College, Spanaway Middle School, the St. Helens High School Band, the Rotary Club of Longview and others that provide food, water, sandwiches and support to STP riders.
“All of the rest stops along the route are community run, and we intentionally partner with local groups to ensure communities along the route get an economic boost from STP,” said Cascade Bicycle Club Events Producer Sarah Mantey. “For many of these civic organizations and community partners, STP is an opportunity to mobilize volunteers to raise money for their causes. STP is sort of like the biggest bake sale of the year for many of our community partners.”
The STP is sponsored by Alaska Airlines and Zenni Optical.
