Thursday, March 5, 2015

Chilly Hilly - Riding Season Kicks Off!

Well, it's been a long time since I blogged. I think it was late last summer. Nice to see once again the Times New Roman, 11 point letters unfolding onto the blogger screen in front of me tonight. 

Last weekend saw the Great Puget Sound ride, the Chilly Hilly. This ride is the official kick-off to the riding season. Usually, to me, its more a ride snickeringly full of punishment - reminding you Seattle winter is not over yet and hills are always painful. Usually Chilly and always Hilly. But, this year, by God it felt like the Boy was back. El Nino and yours truly. The ride was full of - warmish sun and I was full of pedal grinding, teeth gnashing grit.

First- time for a blog weather break. El Nino has officially returned for 2015. Our winter has been mild and precip is down. Hell, the Summit at Snoqualmie has not even opened this year for skiing. Hell again! Hell seems to be warming things up! But that makes for nice winter riding weather. Oh yah!

Now, the other boy is back too. Last year for me was a decidedly 'down cycle' kind of year for me. I did not really ride like I am used to. I had some minor, pesky health issues I needed to navigate. I tried to zig when the health issues zagged and zag when they zigged. This took a lot of my attention. Spring came and went. Summer took hold and before I could say "Presta", the season was lost. No training for the Big Tour, no Big Tour, no post Big Tour bliss - just other-life needing its fair share of attention.

Come fall, I formally stated the season, and my riding were of -the former me. And I had made peace with this. Some of the health issue continued anyway and it was easy to just put the season in the back of the mind. I had to focus on the newest health concern, a pesky neck injury. Physical therapy came and went, acupuncture needled me, Chiropractic popped and all along progress was slow.

Do you know how heavy your skull is? Extend it forward, pretend to look at an Excel spreadsheet on the computer, cock your right shoulder, extend the right hand and move that thing we call a mouse. Now create a pivot table and enter a Vlookup function in Excel. Gooood. You got it. How about reviewing a 10,000 word contract? Done. Email comes in... write response - hit send. Left click, left click - oh now right click. Nice. Now do this every day Mon through Friday, 40 plus hours a week for 15 years. What do you get? Chronic neck pain. I had it.

I Had it. Had it. I am finally on the recovery. And the Chilly Hilly proves it. 


It was a beautiful, sunny day in Seattle. The winter has been kind to us this year.  The Chilly Hilly is actually on Bainbridge Island and unless you drive, or ride around it involves a ferry ride. Most riders ride right onto the boat.

[click pics for larger view]











It is a really cool way to ride an event. About 4000 riders ride this each year! 

The ferry ride is about a half hour ride. Then, boom, time to ride. 




I felt really strong the whole ride. I had been able to train for about four weeks leading up to the ride - thanks to the mild weather. Of course, I rode the Seven. She's light and loves to go like the wind. 




I was going to ride the Burro (Salsa Fargo, AKA El Supremo Touring Master Bike), but that durn bike is heavy. I did all my ride training on it and I thought my neck would do better on it since it is a more upright riding position - but I decided last minute to whip the Seven out. 

I completed all 32 miles and 2500 feet of climbing in 2.5 hours. Not smoking fast but for the first official ride of the year - its more about the kick off to the season. Here is the longest, sustained hill - Baker Hill. Its pretty difficult - smacks you smartly at about mile 22!






At the finish line, there was the usual vendor booths and the Chilly Hilly Chili Feed - always a tradition for the cold and usually wet riders. I stopped and took in the sites a bit, stretched the neck out and booked it for the ferry.







I had to wait for about 25 minutes for the next boat. Just like 1000 other riders!





So the ugly little secret about the Chilly Hilly is bicycles DO NOT receive priority boarding on the return trip. Yep... you gotta duke it out with the autos. Where I was in line, I did not think I was going to get on the ferry and I would have to wait for the next boat... 55 minutes later. There were some folks who were pretty hide chapped about the situation, but I did get on. Thank goodness - I was pretty cold just from the exertion.

On the boat! 



The Seven is healed over (hah boat talk!) like all the other steeds - tired and ready to take a break. 


Its quite a sight - seeing all those bikes.






I kind of felt what it might be like to be a soldier riding an amphibian craft and storming the beach head! Well, ok not really. I never have served. But, these folks sacrifice dearly for our country.


The ride back to Seattle was very nice and satisfying... I had kicked it!






This was a great day. I do feel like most of the health issues are behind me now and I am able to clip in, grip the bars, huff, puff and pedal and keep this thing I love in my life. I don't say this lightly. This is a true passion for me. I ain't perfect at it and sometimes life does get in the way. But, I do feel blessed I can keep riding. Each year, each Spring, I get a little crazy (Jen knows this - Love you babe!) and its often hard work... but with each spinning spoke, it can be pure bliss. Over the top you say? Meh? Over the hill!