The bicyclists ride through every year. This time, they’ll stop. | The Olympian

For years, the city of Yelm has seen thousands of bicyclists ride through its downtown as part of the annual Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic.

This year, they’ll finally stop.

“The fact that the STP came through here all these years and never stopped, that was a no-brainer,” said Michael Grayum, Yelm’s city administrator.

Yelm made the list of official mini-stops along the 203-mile ride, which runs Saturday and Sunday. Sponsor Clif Bar will hand out samples at Yelm City Park, and local groups and businesses will sell food.

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For those feeling the burn, there will be a massage station, and Yelm High School’s sport medicine club will offer first aid services.

The city also was awarded $5,000 from ride organizers to help build a war memorial at Yelm City Park and install bike racks at the nearby Yelm-Tenino trailhead.

Other stops are scheduled for McKenna, Tenino, Centralia and Chehalis.

Of course, being on the STP-route comes at a cost: the traffic. Based on previous years, officials say drivers should expect delays on:

• Route 7 in Pierce County on Saturday morning
• Route 507 in Thurston and Lewis counties on Saturday mid-morning to afternoon
• Route 411 from Castle Rock to Kelso on Sunday morning
• Route 432 and Route 433 between Longview and Rainier, Oregon all day Sunday