Cassandra: Today is Friday the 13th and the last day before the STP! It seems like it took forever to get to this point, months and months of training rides and looking ahead with anticipation. I couldn’t sleep very well last night for thinking about this weekend.

Although our training rides have decreased in the last week as we’ve been resting our muscles, our logistical preparations for this weekend’s ride have really ramped up. We started last weekend by finalizing our jersey choice for Saturday (matching). Mom had picked out a pair of very cute white, pink, and black jerseys for us and luckily the jerseys fit both of us well. So, we will match both days of the STP, wearing our black-and-white mother-daughter jerseys on Sunday as we cross the finish line. After we got our clothing finalized, it was time to make a packing list for the STP. We divvied up things like patch kits, tire levers, toiletries, and camping gear so that we could bring as little as possible. Then we wrote down things that we simply could not forget, like cash for the food stops and earplugs for sleeping in the tent and extra pairs of socks. Mom took over the food preparations, having picked up gel and sports chews and Nuun. We have gotten lucky, though, because Nuun is a sponsor of the STP, so we will get free electrolyte drinks at the rest stops. But we wanted to have some extra to be prepared.

This week I picked up the few things I needed to, like sunscreen and cash and our race packets, and then last night I spent a good hour and a half packing. It seemed like it took forever to get out the camping gear, empty a duffel bag to put it all in, and organize my biking bags. On top of that, I needed to pack a bag for the night and day we are going to spend in Vancouver at Uncle Mike’s house and buy a ticket for Amtrak to get back to Seattle. Whew! This morning I finished things up by sewing velcro circles on my fanny pack to keep the extra straps out of the way. It was such a little thing to do but it took me over an hour!

Now that most of the preparations are over, I am getting excited for tomorrow morning. I know mom is kind of nervous about the STP, but I am not. I guess I figure it is going to hurt no matter what, so I will get through the hurt when it comes. I love biking and am so excited that the weather is supposed to be amazing this weekend, but I know that riding 204 miles in 2 days is probably going to be painful. I am not looking forward to the pain, but I am looking forward to so much more. I can’t wait to see what the starting line is like, and what it’s like to ride with 10,000 bikers. I am probably most excited to hang out in the midst of so many bikers in Centralia, all of us bedecked in spandex. I want to feel the collective excitement of so many people on bikes! And, of course, I can’t wait to see the finish line and feel how proud I am that mom and I have accomplished something so cool.

This has been a great challenge so far and I think this weekend is going to be the crown jewel in our time. I feel really lucky to have a mom who wants to do fun and difficult things together, and I really believe that this time spent together has been way better than discovering a love of biking, getting in shape, or biking 204 long miles. That’s the good thing about memories. They’re great, but they’re nothing compared to the people we share them with.

Go bikers go! Portland, here we come!!