From 4:45-7:30 a.m. Saturday 10,000 cyclists from around the world will begin the 200-mile Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic (STP) from the starting line at the University of Washington. Cyclists will be sent out in 10-minute waves exiting south onto Montlake Boulevard to begin their journey to Portland, Ore.

One-day riders will arrive in Portland in the evening of Saturday, July 11, and two-day riders will spend the night at the midpoint at Centralia College and arrive in Portland on Sunday, July 12.

Some of the first riders will be entering Kent by about 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning - the remainder of the 10,000 will be coursing through the city throughout the morning.

The route will take cyclists through Kent on portions of the following roads: South 228th Street, 68th Avenue West (West Valley Highway), Washington Avenue, James Street, Meeker Street, West Willis Street (SR 516), the Green River Bridge on the West Valley Highway.

The cyclists will continue along the West Valley Highway to the Sumner and Puyallup areas.

The Group Health STP is a 200-mile bicycle ride, the largest multi-day bicycle event in the Pacific Northwest, and Cascade Bicycle Club’s largest fundraiser. Considered one of the best cycling events in the nation by Bicycling Magazine, the route takes cyclists through the scenic valleys, forests and farmlands of western Washington and Oregon, with water, food, first aid and rest stops along the way. This year registration was opened up to 10,000 people and sold out in May 2009 to riders from 46 states and six other countries – Australia, Bermuda, Canada, England, Puerto Rico and Sweden.

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