The annual Chilly Hilly bike ride on Bainbridge Island didn’t get its name because of February days like last year, when the temperature was nearly 60 degrees and the sun didn’t peek behind a cloud all day.
More than 6,000 bicyclists broke the annual event’s attendance on the last Sunday of February 2010, but it was a different story for the 38th rendition of the 33-mile tour of the island’s hilly terrain. In a word, Sunday’s race was “typical” for this time of the year.
Temperatures were in the 30s most of the morning, which is when the large majority of the 3,700 riders traversed the course. They braved cool, gusty winds, occasional rain and snow showers, but it could have been worse. By noon, the rain and wind had increased dramatically, making the ride more grueling than fun.
But few seemed to care, and it was a good turnout considering the weather. In fact, the roads weren’t quite as treacherous as they were a year ago when the heavy turnout caused heavy congestion in some areas and a few riders were attended by first-aid crews after taking spills.
But not this year, when the event was generally accident free.
