Motorist alert: Passport2Pain bike ride coming up
Published 1:30 am Thursday, September 1, 2022
Vashon and Maury Island motorists will need an extra measure of caution and patience on Saturday, Sept. 10, as the annual Passport2Pain fundraiser takes place for the 11th time.
An estimated 300 bicyclists, with 80 percent from off-island and half of them participating in P2P for the first time, will start from Jensen Point in small groups from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. and will head toward the south end of Vashon. On their way north from there up the Westside Highway, after dropping down to the water and climbing back up at numerous points, some will peel off and head back to the P2P barbecue at Jensen Point.
Hardier cyclists will complete a full circuit of Vashon’s steepest hills and then head to the barbecue from Portage, while the remaining half will carry on and begin a circuit of Maury Island’s most challenging roads in the afternoon, returning to Jensen Point late in the day having ridden 80 miles and climbed 10,000 vertical feet.
Drivers are likely to encounter P2P cyclists on rarely traveled, narrow roads at any point, and at several intersections along the main highway.
The Vashon Island Rowing Club organizes the event and provides many of the more than 70 volunteers who staff 19 checkpoints along the course as well as the start/finish area at Jensen Point Park on the Burton Peninsula.
Proceeds from the ride, which amounted to about $40,000 last year, will go to the Rowing Club for Junior financial aid and equipment, and to three organizations chosen by the Club’s members: the Vashon Food Bank, Vashon Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness, and Vashon Youth and Family Services.
“We tell the riders to not ride in clumps, and to be aware that every road is open to two-way car traffic, said P2P co-producers Colby Atwood and Zabette Macomber, in a letter to The Beachcomber. “They always mention how friendly the locals are, but we don’t take that for granted; we’re grateful for the community’s tolerance of this event.”
Signs marking the course will appear the Thursday evening and Friday before the race and will be removed after the race. Markings on the roads will be made of non-toxic chalk and disposable paper. Learn more about the event at Passport2Pain.org. Questions? Contact colbyatwood@comcast.net.
