Father-son team takes on Seattle to Portland bike ride

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

Father-son experiences never get old. But for John and Reid Dorsey-Palmateer, their upcoming experience is about to get very tiring.

That’s because the Gig Harbor natives decided to participate in the 30th anniversary of the Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic on July 11-12.

Nine years ago, the two set out on separate bikes and completed the 200-mile journey filled with backstreets and country roads.

This time, however, they’ll be trekking it as a tandem.

“I don’t have a whole lot of experience on a tandem bike, but, obviously, we’ll have to go the same pace,” Reid said. “I’ll have a good time. It’ll be a good experience.”

It will be John’s seventh Seattle-to-Portland event. At 55, he said he’s physically strong and mentally positive about the long trip.

“There is a lot of camaraderie with the other riders,” John said. “It’ll be interesting to see how we do.”

It was Reid’s idea to turn the journey into a package deal.

“I just thought it’d be a good experience with my dad,” said Reid, 26.

When the race begins to test their endurance on the second day, Reid joked by saying there won’t be much talking — just a lot of heavy breathing.

“It’s quite a long ride, so it won’t be fun all the time,” Reid said. “But hopefully we’ll have a good time.”

Having traveled the course a number of times, John knows he’s going to have a soar rear end by the time they cross the finish line, but he expects to have a good time as well.

“I like riding back through the farmlands,” he said. “It’s just a lot of fun.”

The two have gone on a number of camping trips through Mount Rainier and the Olympic National Park, where they’ve done extensive hiking. They’re used to covering ground together, in an effort to complete a single journey.

This time, the trip will be spun out by a couple hundred miles of leg work.

Known as the largest multi-day bicycle event in the Northwest, the event will feature up to 10,000 cyclists. The race is scheduled to begin at the University of Washington parking lot and end at the Holladay Park in northeast Portland.