I beg your forgiveness for having slipped off the page for a while.

What brings me back to the fold isn’t that I lost interest in bicycling for a while and just now found a new spark. No, bicycling still holds the same grip on the central core of my being, and I suspect it will until I’m carted off in a pedal-driven hearse. It’s just that writing about one interest can be challenging. Angles from which to view the subject get all used up until something fresh comes along.

This time the new angle is in the form of an annual ride that the Cascade Bicycle Club sponsors every year at about this time. It’s called “Chilly Hilly.” Some of you may have heard of it, and some may have even ridden it. “Chilly Hilly” marks the start of the biking season in the Seattle area. For those of us who don’t recognize a start of the season since the season is year round, it’s a good training ride that is also beautiful.

Chilly Hilly takes place on Bainbridge Island, but for a lot of us it starts at Coleman Dock in Seattle. Included in the registration fee is the fare to board the ferry. I took the 7:55 run to Winslow along with several thousand others. (See the photo to get a feel for the numbers.) The dock waiting area was a blur of colorful dress and bikes of all description. The fast paced crowd was allowed to get on first because they could then get off first and speed on their way without being blocked by us slower types. Once the ferry was under way there were bicycles covering a good share of the car decks. I have a habit of examining others’ bikes for ideas about something I might want on mine. There must have been several million dollars worth of bikes and equipment just hanging and laying on the boat. On the passenger deck it was a buzz of activity, eating, meeting people and just sitting and contemplating the ride ahead.

Chilly Hilly isn’t the most challenging ride in the area. It’s not even close. But it can be a bit daunting for those who have let the bike set in the garage for the winter. It covers 32 miles with about 3,000 feet of climbing. The distance isn’t the killer of those not prepared, it’s the climbing. I saw a lot of folks walking up some of the longer climbs. That’s a serious no-no among the more committed of us. Delores asked me when I got home if a got off the bike on any of the hills. My response was, “it simply isn’t done.”

Delores recalls the Chilly Hilly we did together a few years ago. The name fit the description that year. It was raining and cold. The hills were still there. We didn’t stay together because we have different paces and find that the marriage remains solid if we don’t ride at the other’s pace. We could live with the rain and cold when riding, but stopping meant serious suffering. I got ahead and waited for Delores in Winslow. I didn’t have a bike lock for my new bike, so I didn’t go into a café to wait. As time progressed I got more and more cold. By the time Delores arrived I was shaking to the degree that it was difficult to control the bike. On the ferry dock we did a two person group hug to prevent hypothermia. It wasn’t one of our more memorable rides. This year the weather was great. But the hills were still there.

Don’t let the last paragraph discourage you from riding the Chilly Hilly. It’s beautiful on many levels. The ferry ride is always a treat. Winslow is a picturesque village and the island can’t be beat. The islanders come out in droves for the ride. They stand at the side of the road and cheer us on. They sell goodies from driveways. They help with flats. At the midway point they sell food to raise funds for various causes. At the finish, chili and corn bread are served to raise funds for a worthy cause. Then we get back on the ferry and return to Seattle. Did I mention the ferry crews? Their patience is heroic to the extreme given the numbers of riders and bikes they have to deal with.

While planning for next years Chilly Hilly, ride safely.