I just completed the Seattle to Portland 2020(STP), though this years STP was virtual in a certain manner of speaking. There was no real event with thousands of people forming a ribbon of bikes between Seattle and Portland, but people, many people, took up the challenge to ride real bicycle miles in an organized virtual STP challenge. The challenge was to ride over 200 miles, the equivalent mileage to Portland, within a 2 week calendar window. I think that some people even rode indoor trainer miles as part of the challenge, while I did my miles around Whatcom County. Many of the miles were just to and from work, but none the less all of the miles counted in the challenge, so 2020 STP is in the books now. 😉
It’s been decades since I rode the reality STP, and I literally mean decades; like I started at the the KingDome and there were a mere 6,000 riders as I recall. I’ve had passing thoughts about doing ithe STP again so when the virtual challenge popped up in my email I jumped on the opportunity. I know that it is not the same, but it is another reason to get out and ride, so I signed myself up as a team of 1 rider and waited for the challenge window to open.
Maybe in a post Covid world this is the way we will do all organized events, it’s how I’ve been riding the TDW in this Year of the Covid. This virtual challenge is not the same as reality, but it’s not a video either, and it’s better for me than sitting on the couch all summer.