Cascade’s Seattle to Portland ride sells out for first time since the start of COVID

After some rocky years, Cascade Bicycle Club's largest annual event is finally back in full form. The club sold more than its target 6,000 Seattle to Portland registrations for the first time since 2019, a great sign for both the event and the organization. For decades, STP has been the club's largest and most profitable event, and it has funded much of the club's other work such as its local and statewide advocacy.

STP is the kind of event that riders really do need to train for, but it has a special distinction of being a 200-mile ride that regular" people do. For many participants, it is the longest ride they have ever done by a long shot. It's ambitious and it pushes people's limits, so it's not the kind of event someone signs up for a whim. A whole social system within the ride has evolved over the decades as riders. Riders often ride with teams, whether formal or informal, and those groups do a lot of the recruiting work to encourage new riders each year. Odds are good that if you are riding for the first time, it's because someone you know invited you (or perhaps has been inviting you for years and you finally relented).

This kind of grassroots support doesn't form overnight, and the pandemic interruptions scattered so many of these informal social systems. So many events, businesses and community groups did not survive the pandemic because the social patterns they relied on did not return quickly enough. STP was also on shaky ground with 1,000+ unsold registrations some years.

Cascade has had to get creative about how they rebuild the dispersed community support behind the ride. For example, they created an STP ambassador program to market the ride through bicycling influencers on social media, reaching a younger audience and more folks beyond Washington and Oregon. They also went hard this year selling group registrations in the form of significantly-discounted 5-packs. A person who registered with a group of 5 during early pricing paid only $144, far less than the $300-345 it cost to register as a single at full price. Encouraging group registrations helps build back their numbers while also investing in building new small riding communities that will hopefully continue to pay off in future years.

The number of people riding with affinity groups is also growing. STP (and its training commitment) is a great structure for raising money for a cause or simply building community. Finding a group with people who share your race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality or physical disability can make it more inviting to embark on such a big challenge. It also helps make the event about more than just cycling.

The route will once again travel through a scenic section of Fort Lewis, which is much less stressful than riding on the Yelm Highway as was the route in some previous years. Traveling through the fort is only possible as part of this event unless you otherwise have permission to be on base, so it's a special element of STP.

Folks with vouchers that were part of a 5-pack can still use them even though other registrations are closed. Swing by Cascade's office in Magnuson Park Tuesday or Thursday from 3-6 p.m. or go to packed pickup at UW lot E-18 Friday 6-9 p.m.