John’s Ramblings

My riding partner Kevin and I did the Chilly Hilly ride on Sunday. The first cycling “event” ride in the Seattle area, this 33 miles with 2,675 feet of climbing draws large numbers every year, despite the cold and the challenging terrain.

I missed this ride in years past: 2005 because I was a lardass who had only resumed any form of exercise two weeks prior, and in 2006 because I had a hangnail, was too lazy, and/or failed to see the importance of getting sweaty, wet, and then cold with 4,000 strangers.

Having set a goal to “ride through the winter“, as well as having been drafted to lead night rides through the same season, I have become a bit more tempered when it comes to foul weather. Thus I had not a moment’s hesitation to sign up for this ride, regardless of the meteorological forecast (although snow may have been cause for a pause).

The ride was as crowded and cold as promised. 4,000 riders spread across just 33 miles means that you are never alone, and on every hill you will have Tom, Dick, Harry, and their wives stopping in front of you as they lose the battle between momentum and gravity. There is quite a bit of hill climbing to be had on this route, some of it stiff and sustained enough to allow John to discover a new maximum on his Heart Rate Monitor.

Sometime before we hit the halfway point, the solid cloud cover started leaking, and it was not long before the rain was soaking through gloves and booties, providing ingress for the cold. We stopped a couple of times, but never availed ourselves of the official food, water, or bathroom breaks as the crowds were substantial, and we were very focused on the goal of getting done with the ride. Our hands and feet were cold, and the standing around associated with loading and unloading the ferry for the ride back to Seattle did nothing to improve matters. I was glad that I had a full fender and mudflap on the back of my bike, whereas Kevin’s rack on the back of his bike offered little protection, as you can see here. I found it surprising that so few bikes sported fenders, given the conditions. I’ll opt for unfashionable fenders over a muddy back any day.

I’m glad I did the ride. I’m looking forward to riding this route again, but not as a part of this event. It seemed to be more crowded than STP, and the crowds combined with the weather just seemed like a bit much. I’ll have to set aside a day to do this one again in late spring, when the trees are full and the flowers blooming.

538.10 miles year-to-date.

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