STP July 14-15 2007

[mimitabby]

Susan, we always start as early as possible. Sometimes food runs out if you're in the back. If you start early, you miss a lot of the inexperienced and slow riders. Then of course, if you're not fast, people pass you all day, but of course
the other part is, the earlier you leave, the earlier you are done riding!

[salsabike]

Both times we started around 4:15 am. It's great! You avoid major crowds for a very long time---the really fast one-day riders pass you early, and then you have long stretches without tons of people.

[Susan126]

Thanks Mimitabby and Salsabike for the info regarding start position. I will make sure I am as close to the front this July 14th

My daughter said she will do it with me. She has never done anything over 40 miles so this will be a challenge for her. I have done double centuries with my husband before. We are going to start our serious training the first of March. Hopefully the weather will start to calm down by then. She is a fair weather rider. Hmmmmm She is young (24) so it shouldn't be too hard for her to train.

[mimitabby]

so someone asked about Chilly Hilly. It's a beautiful ride. but in some ways it's worse than the STP because a million people ride it and it's a lot smaller place (an island!). It's also the "first" ride of the season and we saw many people out on their new bikes for the first time.
We rode our tandem and came very close to running other bicyclists over because of their erratic actions. (Lady stopping in the middle of the street on a hill, for example, right in front of us) we saw bikes that were obviously just purchased worn by people in shiny new clothes. And they didn't know how to shift their gears yet. . The route for Chilly Hilly is so beautiful, i want to do THAT again, but if we do it with the rest of the gang, we'll be on the early ferry so we miss the mob. There were also people who had no idea about riding any distance, and came out in the sneakers and shorts and were in serious pain at the end of the day. Hilly = really means hills!
The natives are incredibly patient and friendly!

[Susan126]

I have been in one Chilly Hilly (2003) and yes, Mimitabby is correct when she says Hilly means HILLY and the year I did the ride chilly really meant CHILLY! We took the ferry over with a thousand others and it was crowded. On your left meant nothing as people were riding 4 - 5 abreast! My husband was upset about this. He said he would never ride another Chilly Hilly. I actually enjoyed the ride and especially the Mexican food afterwards! Oh I just have to say this, I made it up the "Big Hill" is it Baker? My husband did not! LOL

[Eden]

Yeah - the trick to the Chilly Hilly is to either leave early and ride the first hill fast to get away from most of the crowd or to just chill (hee, hee) and go with the flow. I've done it several times and I've found that the crowd thins out after the first couple of miles and bunches up again a bit on the longer hills.

[mimitabby]

I can't remember which was the big hill, but we had to walk up one since that woman stopped us in our tracks and it was too steep and crowded to try and get going again. Good for you that you got up that hill.

I have a coworker who does chilly hilly two times each year, back to back the same day!

[MM_QFC!]

I'm another one agreeing w/mimitabby about Chilly Hilly. It's the opening ride (for Seattle's Cascade Bicycle Club) event for the cycling season each year and has become hugely popular aka - crowded. I rode it on the actual event day for about 5 yrs and since then have opted to volunteer and help with registration etc over in Winslow, on Bainbridge Island at the start. I always have my bike along in my car so that, if I feel like riding it well after the hordes of people have already gotten out on the route, and after I finish volunteering...I can enjoy the route by myself or with some friends. This is a VERY popular route for cyclists in the Puget Sound region, so it's a regular on the training calendar year-round and the Dan Henry markings are visible for long after the last Sunday in February. I've also had fun riding the usual Chilly Hilly route backwards (clockwise around Bainbridge Island), just to mix it up. fyi - my P.T. who is a RAAM veteran, has ridden the STP in sub-10 hrs (so would she be considered a 1/2 day STP rider??!), etc., etc. does NOT recommend riding this on the last Sunday in February when it is traditionally held, as it's too early in the year and it's too hilly for so early in the year, so consider what kind of shape you are in - especially your knees as well as whether you want to take your chances with your bike bunched with thousands of others on the ferry ride (all it takes is one person stumbling while stepping thru and between all the bikes lying down on the ferry deck and putting their foot through your spokes) and negotiating around all of the first-time riders, kids, families on tandems w/trailers on the hills. They do tend to wobble and stray out into the middle/left side of the road and it makes it difficult to keep your tempo and ride around them while not obstructing oncoming car traffic on the winding roads of the island. Not wanting to sound negative - just realistic and sharing from my own multiple experiences and observations of the ride. One year, while I was rehab-ing from knee surgery, I arranged a "chilly, non-hilly" ride for the same day on the bike trail and was met by an almost crowd at my designated starting point! Just my $.02, as usual...have fun, whatever you do!
Mary