Anyone out and about Saturday morning, July 9 in the Kent Valley can expect to see thousands of bicycle riders.
Up to 10,000 riders are expected for the 32nd annual Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic. Riders will hit a free food stop from 5:45 to 9:30 a.m. at the REI headquarters in Kent at the northeast corner of South 228th Street and the West Valley Highway.
The 200-mile ride starts at the University of Washington in Seattle and ends near Lloyd Center in Portland. REI is 24 miles from the starting line, where riders will leave between 4:30 and 7:30 a.m. Some riders make the ride in one day while others take two days.
The route, which is marked with directional arrows, leads riders through the scenic valleys, forests and farmlands of western Washington and Oregon.
Riders enter Kent from Renton along South 180th Street, turn south on 80th Avenue South, west on South 196th Street and head south on the West Valley Highway (also known as 68th Avenue South). After the REI stop, riders return to the West Valley Highway and go south into Auburn and beyond.
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