Cascade Bicycle Club’s major event season kicks off Sunday with the 45th annual Chilly Hilly.

Thousands of people will meet up at Colman Dock to catch the ferry to Bainbridge. Numbers swell when weather is sunny and warm, but that’s not the point of this ride. It’s still fun to bike when it’s rainy and cold. And the colder it is, the better a bowl of chili tastes at the end.

Or so I’m told.

Online registration ends Wednesday ($35), but Chilly Hilly is one of the few major Cascade rides that allow people to register at the start ($45).

Folks on the Bainbridge side of the bay can skip the ferry ride and save some cash. Swing by the B.I. Cycle Shop or Classic Cycle during normal business hours Wednesday through Saturday to register.

And, as has been tradition alongside Chilly Hilly itself, there will be several adjacent events. You can expect the 12th annual Fucking Hills Race to happen on Bainbridge, as usual. There’s also the “Willy Nilly” ride on Vashon, as posted to our events calendar.

More details on the Chilly Hilly from Cascade Bicycle Club:

With chilly February weather and 2,191 feet of climbing, the name says it all!

Kicking off the riding season in the Northwest for its 45th year, Chilly Hilly is a must-do. The 33-mile route around Bainbridge Island starts with a scenic early morning ferry ride across Puget Sound from Seattle, or you can join the crowd directly on Bainbridge Island.

Join us on Sunday, Feb. 26, for the ride Bicycling Magazine named “one of four classic rides” in the nation. It’s guaranteed to be hilly, probably chilly and always a heck of a lot of fun. So get the dust off your bike and get ready for cycling season early!

Enjoy:

• A scenic cruise on a Washington State Ferry (Seattle start)
• Free food stop at Battle Point Park
• Supporting local Bainbridge charities
• Finish line festival with a fantastic chili feed benefiting a different Bainbridge Island nonprofit each year (additional cost)