It wasn't until a good friend of ours quit smoking and decided to get healthy that we ever heard of the Seattle to Portland ride. A grueling-sounding (though apparently not in reality) 204-mile bike ride between Seattle and Portland, the STP takes place this year Saturday and Sunday, July 12 and 13. (The hard-core riders apparently do it in one day; most do it in two.) Despite our until-recent ignorance of the event, apparently like 9,000 people do this every year, and Seattlest has been roped into serving as side-car, toting around coolers of water, food, Gatorade, beer...whatever these crazy people need as they cruise down I-5.

For those who want to participate, general registration opens on Feb. 1. However, for members of the principal organizer, the Cascade Bicycle Club, registration has been open since Jan. 1. The cost to join Cascade Bicycle Club is $25 for a one-year subscription, and according to the website, you can register for the STP at the same time (registration costs $85, $40 for juniors). Nervous about whether you're prepared? Cascade offers free training rides (see here for a calendar and info on events). Additionally, Cascade offers a series of training events for participants.

The STP is a fully supported ride (that means medical personnel in the event of an emergency); about one-third of the riders pull it off in one day, the rest spend the night in or around Centralia, the center point. (We're finding it hard to find a hotel room already, but apparently there are other options you can find out about through your fellow riders--another reason to join Cascade.) But be prepared to act fast, whether you're willing to join Cascade or want to wait till the first: apparently, the slots do fill up.

"Spokes" by El Gregein, a proud contributor to the Seattlest Flickr pool.