If you want to get serious about bicycling, local riders say the best way to find training partners and established, safe routes is to join a bicycle club.
Here's a list of clubs around the South Sound:

• Tacoma Wheelmen’s Bicycle Club
Tacoma. Phone: 253-759-2800. Web: TWBC.org
• Capital Bicycling Club
Olympia. Phone: 360-480-7356. Web: CapitalBicycleClub.org
• Cascade Bicycle Club
Seattle. Phone: 206-522-3222. Web: Cascade.org
• Seattle Bicycle Club
Seattle. Phone: 206-444-4075 . Web: Seattlebicycle.com
• West Sound Cycling Club
Silverdale. Phone: 360-779-1819. Web: WestSoundCycling.com
• Different Spokes - Seattle
Seattle. Phone: 206-264-5529. Web: TeamSeattle.org/Spokes.
Note: This is a club for gay and lesbian cyclists but is open to everybody.

It takes a certain kind of person to wake up at 4 a.m. on a Saturday so they can sit on a bike seat for two days.
Dana Tilton-Anderson, a 52-year-old long-distance bicyclist from Shelton, is clearly one of those people.
Dana met her husband, Steve Anderson, at a burrito stand during a ride across Iowa in 2002. Steve proposed to her a few months later during another long ride.
Last year, at 7:45 on a summer morning, they were married next to that same burrito stand. Then, still in tux and gown, they hopped on a tandem bike and pedaled across Iowa again.
Dana and Steve’s example might be a little extreme, but long-distance bicyclists say they have the right idea. You have to be dedicated to do this sport.
Most long-distance bicyclists put in more than 2,000 miles per year to make sure they are ready for long rides.
Some, like Bryan Wooldridge of Olympia, put in 1,000 miles per month.
The dedication required for long-distance riding, is the primary reason many people don’t get into this sport until their kids are grown.
“When I ride in the STP (the 203-mile Seattle-to-Portland ride), once you get into the second part of the race with the one-day riders you see a lot of gray hair,” said Wooldridge, 42, who finished Rapsody in a day with his wife, Robin. “... You have to have the time to be committed.”
Your life doesn’t have to revolve around the sport, but if you are interested in trying a long distance ride like Rapsody or the STP this summer cyclist suggested getting started now.

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On her mountain bike, Marla Streb has won a World Cup race, sped down a bobsled track in an IMAX movie and posed nude for Outside magazine.
But, perhaps the most fun she ever had on a bike came in Europe in the early 1990s when she pedaled 100 miles on a road bike for the first time.
“It was the most satisfying feeling in the world to bike 100 miles in a day,” said Streb, a 41. “I felt liberated, like I really accomplished something.
“It changed my life. I decided I wanted to try this lifestyle.”
That day and several others just like it on a trip that took her through 13 countries was the catalyst for her professional riding career.
While she’s made her name off road, she still rides the roads, still rides centuries (100-mile rides) and encourages others to do the same. Last month she released her second book “Century Training Program: 100 Days to 100 Miles” (Rodale Books, 240 pages, $14.95).
Streb says the century is riding’s marathon. Not because it’s as physically demanding as a marathon – it’s definitely not – but because it's an excellent source of motivation.
“It’s a big round number to work toward,” Streb said. “And if you have something out there like that to push toward, you’re more likely to stay motivated.
“But for most people it’s a lot better way of getting in shape than running a marathon. Cycling is way better for your joints and ligaments. Plus anybody can ride a bike. It’s a little harder to get started running, especially if you are out of shape.”
Streb says even if you don’t ride, you can be ready for a century in 100 days.
This is good news for those with life goals of riding the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic – back-to-back centuries. The two-day, 203-mile STP, the Northwest’s most popular ride with 9,000 participants, is July 14. That's 87 days to get ready, but plenty of time if you are already in decent shape.
With no time to waste, here are six tips Streb and other experts offer for getting ready:

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