It is the biggest local bicycle event of the year in our state and it rolls right though our neighborhoods. They come out of the Puyallup Valley on Canyon Road. Canyon is a more gentle slope than Meridian, but it probably seemed like a mountain to the rider from Ohio.

They turn on 104th Street, avoiding the messy intersection over SR512. From 104th, they turn onto Waller Road, 152nd Street and then B Street. At Spanaway Middle School, most of them take a break. There’s bicycle repair, massage, food, lots of porta potties (with long lines), and liquids to refresh the water bottles. Thousands of cyclists at a time are there starting before 7 a.m. Some kept riding straight past it on B Street.

From the refreshment station at Spanaway Middle School they turn on 159th Street then Pacific Avenue. From there, the cyclists head on toward Roy, McKenna and Centralia. It’s a grueling, long ride. Patient family members drive along as crew. There were long lines of cars parked on B Street waiting for their cyclists to stop in. Many were checking their friends progress using the smart phones. This is where the GPS functions are really useful.

I met Danielle and Brett’s parents, children and Bernese Mountain dog patiently waiting for them at the school. Another woman had a large distinctive mylar balloon on her car to help her 3 family members spot her. The morning started off as early as 4:45 a.m. for the first riders out of the gate. Riders depart Seattle every 10 minutes after that. In Spanaway it was as low as 42 degrees int he early morning. Although the riders worked up a sweat, one noted he was still rather cold.

There’s lots of sweat, love and work going on today. I hope everyone stays safe, has fun and makes great memories.