Passport2Pain bicycle ride

When:
September 14, 2019 @ 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
2019-09-14T07:00:00-07:00
2019-09-14T19:00:00-07:00
Where:
Vashon Island

̶The Vashon Island Rowing Club (VIRC) is set to host its
infamous “Best Hard Time” bicycle ride fundraiser on Saturday, September 14th. Registration
in now open at www.Passport2Pain.org.

Organizers expect about 400 riders for the event. The heartiest will pedal an 80-mile loop
from Vashon’s Jensen Point Park and climb a total of 10,000 feet up Vashon’s short but
wickedly steep hills on a course aptly named The Idiot. They will be supported by 18
checkpoints along the way, where costumed volunteers in movie-themed sets will serve food
and fluids—and put stamps in their Passports to remind them forever of the fun they had
thrashing themselves.

Less ambitious riders can tackle a 30-mile, 3,400-foot version of the course called The
Weenie. Those torn between trying to be an Idiot or admitting to being a Weenie can opt for
The Weasel, riding 50 miles and climbing 6,400 feet. Folks who want to be part of the fun
but skip most of the pain can ride The Granny, 12 miles with 800 feet of vertical. And
everyone gets to enjoy the catered barbecue back at Jensen Point Park.

Passport2Pain, or P2P, has become a bucket-list experience for many and a season
capstone for others. About half the riders are new to the event each year, and there is a
handful of rugged souls who have ridden all eight previous P2Ps. More than three-fourths of
the riders came from off-Island last year, representing 10 states. Almost two-thirds of the
participants chose to ride The Idiot, and 90 percent of them completed the course, returning
to the barbecue sporting the coveted handlebar streamers issued at the final checkpoint.

In the spirit of the event, Jim Marsh, the Executive Director of the Vashon-Maury Island
Chamber of Commerce, has created and assumed the role of The Devil of Burma Road,
stationing himself near the top of P2P’s toughest hill in full devil costume –with pitchfork—to
exhort flagging riders over the top.

P2P isn’t a race; no times are taken, and riders start off in small groups to keep from
clogging the Island’s rural roads. Everyone is encouraged to stop and enjoy the checkpoints
and the stunning views along the way. Many riders linger at the finish-line barbecue trading
stories, debating which checkpoints were the most clever or outlandish or just plain weird,
and cheering later finishers.

The idea for P2P emerged from the bike cross-training that many of Vashon’s rowers do over
the summer, making a virtue of the Island’s notoriously hilly terrain. VIRC enlists its members
and several community groups to staff the checkpoints. Proceeds from the event are shared
with participating groups and help VIRC maintain its fleet of rowing shells. One-third of
sponsor revenue and all direct donations from riders go to financial aid for the Club’s Junior
rowers.

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