Chilly Hilly

Feb 23rd was the date of the chilly hilly. This is probably the second most famous ride in Seattle next to the STP (Seattle to Portland) attracting as manny as 6,000 cyclist. My team mate Joe advised that we get there early and get as close to the front of the first ferry as possible so we don't get stuck riding the whole thing at 14 mph. We still had to pass about 400 riders despite our best efforts since a lot of people get a head start on the rout before the ferry arrives. 

My friends and I were looking to get a good workout and the weather was cold and damp so we burned our legs out on one fast 33 mile lap rather than extending the rout to two. By the 10 mile mark we were more or less by our selves out front. 

We road fairly fast averaging 17.5 mph in the end. That's not bad considering the 2,600 feet of vert and some 15+ percent grades allong the way. I was riding a 34 23 gear combo which was just enough gear to keep me motivated to peg my heart rate on each of the 3 major climbs. I stayed in my big ring on all the rest. 

Beers and protein patties were well earned. I would consider riding in this event again next year, even tough I tend to ride faster than 90% of the participants.