10,000 cyclists ready to roll through Thurston county

Ten thousand bicyclists will roll through Thurston County along the 202.25-mile route from Seattle to Portland today and Sunday in the 33rd annual Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic.

Riders will begin early this morning from the University of Washington and conclude at Portland’s Holladay Park. Riders of all ages, ranging from children to one 85-year-old participant, come from 40 states, as well as Canada, Japan and Malaysia.

There are two stops in Thurston County along the route – at the Yelm and Tenino city parks. The Tenino City Park mini-stop has been run by the Tenino High School boys and girls basketball programs for more than a decade. The two programs use the annual event as a fundraiser and split the proceeds.

“This is our big money-maker usually,” Tenino boys varsity coach Rod Enos said.

“We’re hoping for a good year this year.”

Enos said in recent years donations have been down. While he noted it takes a few thousand dollars to get everything needed for the thousands of riders coming through the mini-stop, last year’s donations totaled around $2,400, or $1,200 per team.

“My first year as JV coach, we made almost $3,000 a team,” Enos said.