What Were We Thinking?
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P2P started in the spring of 2011 with a test ride of 12 riders, "just to see if it would work."
Unfortunately it did. Most of us were competitive rowers who rode bikes hard on the Vashon hills for off-season training so that we could push harder when we rowed the boats. So we thought, What if we strung all those hills together into one epic 80-mile circuit of our Island? What if everyone carried a passport to be stamped at the top of the worst hills to prove they got there? The first official P2P in September 2011 had 53 riders, and half of those were rowers (known for their troubling relationship with pain). Despite a paucity of food and water on the course that year, most of us wobbled home several hours later with a full passport. What a hoot! We all wanted more. We even made a few bucks for the Junior rowing program. Our fundraiser was born. |
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Naturally, we wanted "Pain" for everyone, so over coffee one morning, we laughed about calling the full 80-mile P2P course "The Idiot" and including a new 30-mile version, "The Weenie," to get more participation, and even a 50-mile option lovingly named "The Weasel," for those who knew they weren't an Idiot but didn't want to be a Weenie. "Pain for all!"
In 2012, the word was out: the Vashon Island Rowing Club had created something either very good, or very bad, and more than 120 riders showed up with the lightest bikes they could find. This time they got a lot more than a stamp at each of 18 checkpoints, which were now loaded with all kinds of homemade treats from the volunteers who staffed them. Plus, the finish line BBQ was established, and riders hung out for hours afterward.
In 2012, the word was out: the Vashon Island Rowing Club had created something either very good, or very bad, and more than 120 riders showed up with the lightest bikes they could find. This time they got a lot more than a stamp at each of 18 checkpoints, which were now loaded with all kinds of homemade treats from the volunteers who staffed them. Plus, the finish line BBQ was established, and riders hung out for hours afterward.
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It was obvious we'd created not only a tough ride, but a great party as well. In 2013, a Devil appeared on Burma Road, the steepest hill on the course, and pitchforked riders over the top; he has become a P2P fixture. Someone actually tried to ride the course in a fixie, last seen in pieces at checkpoint #14.
In 2014, more than 300 riders signed up, including a skateboarder! (Does he count?) |
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In 2018, we added a fourth official course, The Tourist ‒ a 12-mile, 800 vertical-foot cruise up to town and back that we thought might appeal to vintage bike aficionados, as well as folks with a more rational relationship with pain.
As always, those who make it all the way to Checkpoint 18 get handlebar streamers for the last leg back to the start. Hey, they don't even do that at the Tour de France!
In 2020, the virus caused most organized rides to cancel. But not P2P! We went virtual, and a hardy band of benevolent supporters went along with it. The idea was to ride as many vertical feet as you could on September 12th, and we would send you a Virtual P2P Passport with a stamp for every 500 feet you climbed. When smoke from wildfires forced everyone indoors, the window for posting a ride was extended through the end of September. In recognition of the hardships facing our community, we split the net proceeds from the VP2P with the Vashon Island Food Bank and the Dove Project, Vashon's domestic abuse agency.
Also in 2020, the Junior team of the Vashon Island Rowing Club undertook for the first time to "Triple Everest" – climb 87,105 feet in one day, inspired by donors who had pledged varying amounts for every 1,000 feet they conquered. Despite having to wait until September 27th to avoid smoke and rain, 18 Juniors gained 105,951 feet – an average of almost 6,000 feet each – and together they raised more than $4,500 for the event. Five juniors were Complete Idiots.
The 2021 P2P had ideal weather and more than 300 riders grateful to be back to near-normal. See lots of pictures here.
Wildfire smoke suppressed registrations in 2022, and major ferry disruptions made it difficult for riders to get to the Island. Since it's not a race, we simply left the starting line up later than usual, our amazing checkpoint volunteers stuck around longer than we'd asked, and 250 hardy souls collected Passport stamps and enjoyed another great barbecue by Smokin' Pete's. Pictures from 2022 are here.
In 2023 nearly 400 riders registered for P2P a near record registration apparently partly motivated by nasty rumors of the event’s pending demise. Those rumors proved unfounded and P2P celebrated its 13th year and entry into adolescence with the most teenage thing we could think of: we revised the course to go in reverse. Thus, inflicting Maury on the Weasels and Weenies who had heretofore been spared this particular bit of suffering. Clandestine monitoring suggests that a healthy amount of “cheating” ensued – something we wholeheartedly endorse. Also, in 2023 we replaced the finish line Barbecue which had been coming from off island and for whose vendor the ferry challenges had become problematic with the Devil’s Tacos catered by on-island La Isla.
As always, those who make it all the way to Checkpoint 18 get handlebar streamers for the last leg back to the start. Hey, they don't even do that at the Tour de France!
In 2020, the virus caused most organized rides to cancel. But not P2P! We went virtual, and a hardy band of benevolent supporters went along with it. The idea was to ride as many vertical feet as you could on September 12th, and we would send you a Virtual P2P Passport with a stamp for every 500 feet you climbed. When smoke from wildfires forced everyone indoors, the window for posting a ride was extended through the end of September. In recognition of the hardships facing our community, we split the net proceeds from the VP2P with the Vashon Island Food Bank and the Dove Project, Vashon's domestic abuse agency.
Also in 2020, the Junior team of the Vashon Island Rowing Club undertook for the first time to "Triple Everest" – climb 87,105 feet in one day, inspired by donors who had pledged varying amounts for every 1,000 feet they conquered. Despite having to wait until September 27th to avoid smoke and rain, 18 Juniors gained 105,951 feet – an average of almost 6,000 feet each – and together they raised more than $4,500 for the event. Five juniors were Complete Idiots.
The 2021 P2P had ideal weather and more than 300 riders grateful to be back to near-normal. See lots of pictures here.
Wildfire smoke suppressed registrations in 2022, and major ferry disruptions made it difficult for riders to get to the Island. Since it's not a race, we simply left the starting line up later than usual, our amazing checkpoint volunteers stuck around longer than we'd asked, and 250 hardy souls collected Passport stamps and enjoyed another great barbecue by Smokin' Pete's. Pictures from 2022 are here.
In 2023 nearly 400 riders registered for P2P a near record registration apparently partly motivated by nasty rumors of the event’s pending demise. Those rumors proved unfounded and P2P celebrated its 13th year and entry into adolescence with the most teenage thing we could think of: we revised the course to go in reverse. Thus, inflicting Maury on the Weasels and Weenies who had heretofore been spared this particular bit of suffering. Clandestine monitoring suggests that a healthy amount of “cheating” ensued – something we wholeheartedly endorse. Also, in 2023 we replaced the finish line Barbecue which had been coming from off island and for whose vendor the ferry challenges had become problematic with the Devil’s Tacos catered by on-island La Isla.
