Cascade Bicycle Club’s first big ride event of the year is Sunday. Every year, tons of people pack the Seattle-to-Bainbridge ferry for the Chilly Hilly.
The route is a loop around Bainbridge Island, so the “hilly” part is guaranteed. And weather forecasts as of Friday morning show temperatures in the low 40s, so the “chilly” part is looking pretty likely, too.
Unlike many of the club’s other big rides, the Chilly Hilly has no rider limit, and you can register and pay at the start. This leads to big variation in the number of attendees, with rider levels swelling when the weather is nice even though bad weather is half the point.
Registration details from Cascade:
- Seattle: Day-of-ride registration will be on Alaskan Way opposite the Coleman Ferry Terminal.
- Open 7 to 10:30 a.m.
- $40 day of event registration fee – includes round-trip ferry fare.
- Bainbridge Island: Day-of-ride registration is at the B.I. Cycle Shop, 124 Bjune Dr SE, Winslow.
- Open 7:30 to 10:30 a.m
- $30 day of event registration fee – No ferry fare included.
How hilly is the ride? Here’s the elevation data from Cascade:
Here’s the route map:
Comments
6 responses to “Sunday’s Chilly Hilly ride likely to be ‘chilly,’ guaranteed to be ‘hilly’”
I used to pay for this ride, but then I’d arrive at the food stations… no food left… and I got to thinking what am I paying for?? The folks standing at the intersections are all volunteers. And I’d show up at 11am for a warmer ride than earlier and there wasn’t anyone to take my money anyway.
So I’m skipping this one.
The ride is a fundraiser for the Cascade Bike Club. By paying for the ride, you’re donating to them. The food at the stops and the help along the way are just a bonus.
I used to ride as a demonstration of the number of bicycle riders. The theory being that politicians would give us more funds seeing all those voters.
Cool story
This will be my first paid ride. I only have one question. How are the bikes parked onboard? Other ferry rides I just locked my bike to the rail with a cable and U-lock. Not enough rail for thousands of bikes though.
Lars – bikes are usually just laid down on the ferry. The side lanes on the ferries are reserved for the bikes. Some people lean their bikes on others that are attached to the sides, while others just lay them down. I’ve done both on the past years – it works out fine.