# Strategic and Tactical suggestions for Riding Seattle to Portland (STP - 206 miles) solo in one day **URL:** \ **Category:** Racing\ **Tags:** road\ **Created:** [April 4, 2022, 10:58pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/strategic-and-tactical-suggestions-for-riding-seattle-to-portland-stp-206-miles-solo-in-one-day/71352 "2022-04-04T22:58:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jkyle](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/jkyle/32/157921_2.png) [@jkyle](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/jkyle)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 12:26am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/strategic-and-tactical-suggestions-for-riding-seattle-to-portland-stp-206-miles-solo-in-one-day/71352/22 "2025-07-08T00:26:03Z")
So, what do folks usually carry as far as ride nutrition? 50/60g / hr? Is it worth carrying my own electrolytes other than the first couple of bottles or will there be plenty of electrolytes to fill up at aid stations? ---
**Author:** ![NWcyclingman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/nwcyclingman/32/18640_2.png) [@NWcyclingman](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/NWcyclingman)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 2:24am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/strategic-and-tactical-suggestions-for-riding-seattle-to-portland-stp-206-miles-solo-in-one-day/71352/23 "2025-07-08T02:24:52Z")
LMNT packages in the bottle and bike bag. Along with Maurten carb gels. After riding Vancouver to Whistler I always have everything I need. They ran out of a lot of stuff on a very hot day. It was hell. ---
**Author:** ![jkyle](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/jkyle/32/157921_2.png) [@jkyle](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/jkyle)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 3:34am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/strategic-and-tactical-suggestions-for-riding-seattle-to-portland-stp-206-miles-solo-in-one-day/71352/24 "2025-07-08T03:34:26Z")
I was thinking of packing all I needed, but subbing in whatever caught my interest at the stops. I was just going to shove it all in my jersey. My bib has a couple of pockets too. Maybe a small frame bag would be wise. ---
**Author:** ![khg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/khg/32/60848_2.png) [@khg](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/khg)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 10:02pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/strategic-and-tactical-suggestions-for-riding-seattle-to-portland-stp-206-miles-solo-in-one-day/71352/25 "2025-07-08T22:02:19Z")
Cascade has had various electrolyte options over the year, varying with sponsorship. I’ve usually preferred to bring my own so that I have something I know I like and that works for me. Also consider palate fatigue - by the Lexington stop I’m usually pretty tired of drink mix and enjoy plain water or a Coca Cola plus some salty snacks. A little top tube bag can be handy, to increase carrying capacity and make snacks easy to access. One of my favorite things to do if it was a toasty year was to stop at the St Helens McDonalds for soft serve, fries, and a soda - and to enjoy some AC for a few minutes. The moral and physical pick-me-up had me flying into Portland some years. Have a great ride! ---
**Author:** ![sjmayclin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/sjmayclin/32/132048_2.png) [@sjmayclin](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/sjmayclin)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 3:58pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/strategic-and-tactical-suggestions-for-riding-seattle-to-portland-stp-206-miles-solo-in-one-day/71352/26 "2025-07-09T15:58:46Z")
My strategy is to bring carb+electrolyte mix in two bottles @90g each plus a concentrated mix to refill both in a flask in my pocket, plus some salt capsules and a few other gel/chew options. Eat some solid food at a couple stops. My wife and I are staying in Portland for a couple days after, so she’ll meet me 2/3 of the way to restock with a third fill of carb mix and plenty of assorted other snacks. For storage, I normally run a very minimal saddle bag, but will swap for a moderate sized one to accommodate a second TPU tube, chamois cream packets etc, plus I bought a rear top tube bag from LeadOut! for some extra storage and to get a few things off my back. Extra, emergency-type items like Advil and caffeine tabs will be in the pack as well. Pretty excited to get going! ---
**Author:** ![jamesdrichey](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/jamesdrichey/32/177510_2.png) [@jamesdrichey](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/jamesdrichey)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 6:54pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/strategic-and-tactical-suggestions-for-riding-seattle-to-portland-stp-206-miles-solo-in-one-day/71352/27 "2025-07-10T18:54:43Z")
I wore a USWE pack with a bladder for water while having mix in the bottles. Something you wont find at any of the aid stations is caffeine. I stopped at a gas station somewhere near mile 110 and grabbed a redbull and put it in each bottle. Carbs, Caffeine, and a change in flavor was really nice as the afternoon got hotter. I’d recommend a top tube bag to keep snacks close. Sunscreen from a bottle squirted into the corner of a ziplock makes it much less of a hassle to carry than the entire tube. ---
**Author:** ![MrBirchling](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/mrbirchling/32/116855_2.png) [@MrBirchling](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/MrBirchling)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 7:22pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/strategic-and-tactical-suggestions-for-riding-seattle-to-portland-stp-206-miles-solo-in-one-day/71352/28 "2025-07-10T19:22:49Z")
> [@jamesdrichey](#): > > Sunscreen Another +1 for bringing your own sunscreen. I reapplied some sunscreen provided at a STP feed stop. It turns out I was allergic to that brand. BYO sunscreen so you have control over the brand and the timing of the re-apply. ---
**Author:** ![jamesdrichey](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/jamesdrichey/32/177510_2.png) [@jamesdrichey](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/jamesdrichey)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 7:25pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/strategic-and-tactical-suggestions-for-riding-seattle-to-portland-stp-206-miles-solo-in-one-day/71352/29 "2025-07-10T19:25:30Z")
Thats certainly less than ideal… Kind of follows the notion of ‘only use products you’ve used in training’ because you really never know what will happen. Stashing a Peanut butter sandwich in the top tube bag also gives you something to get into when you really are just tired of sugar water. ---
**Author:** ![sjmayclin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/sjmayclin/32/132048_2.png) [@sjmayclin](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/sjmayclin)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 4:45pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/strategic-and-tactical-suggestions-for-riding-seattle-to-portland-stp-206-miles-solo-in-one-day/71352/30 "2025-07-15T16:45:32Z")
Finished the one-day STP, covering the 207 mi with an average speed of 19.9 mph! Under 10.5 hrs saddle time and just over 12 hrs elapsed time, with a TR-calculated IF of 0.63 and 419 TSS. Most importantly, I finished strong, without any cramping/bonking or honestly even questioning of life decisions. With this being a full 100 mi longer than my previous longest ride, I’m satisfied to have z2’d it steadily the whole way. As a first timer, I gathered as much data as possible here and through friends who’ve completed the ride and in the end my plan was good, and the execution was solid. I was riding without any partners/teams but freelanced my way into groups probably 70% of the time. Had a GREAT tailwind for 30mi or so late in the day to keep progress up through the hottest part of the day. Low 90s temps, but whenever I stopped at a signal, the heat coming off the pavement was BAKING. ---
**Author:** ![T\_Field](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/t_field/32/28414_2.png) [@T\_Field](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/T_Field)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/strategic-and-tactical-suggestions-for-riding-seattle-to-portland-stp-206-miles-solo-in-one-day/71352/31 "2025-09-01T16:18:16Z")
I did the one day STP last summer at the age of 69. Average speed before hitting the red lights in Portland was 16 mph Total time 15:40 including stops. 13 hr riding time. I got the t-shirt ---
**Author:** ![PrairieDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@PrairieDog](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/PrairieDog)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2025, 4:07am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/strategic-and-tactical-suggestions-for-riding-seattle-to-portland-stp-206-miles-solo-in-one-day/71352/32 "2025-10-29T04:07:21Z")
I just had to reply to say that was a delightful and quite helpful post, jamesdrichey! I’ve done the 1-day twice, and all your practical tips are quite good (well, I’d advise people to try hard not to put a burn on their legs on the hills in the first place). But having a good spirit about the whole experience, and having a good sense of fun, those things make all the difference, and you did a bang-up job of showing those. You’d be a great riding companion. [Previous page](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/strategic-and-tactical-suggestions-for-riding-seattle-to-portland-stp-206-miles-solo-in-one-day/71352.md?page=1)