Chuckanut Century Bike Ride
Continuing the summer of biking, today I got up way too early to drive to Bellingham to ride in the Chuckanut Century, an organized 100 mile ride.
Despite the early start (6 am wakeup, 6:45 departure, and after gearing up, 9 am on the road), a lot of elements conspired to make it a great day of riding: near perfect biking weather (not too hot, not too cool, with mostly clear skies), a beautiful, scenic route, not too hilly terrain, good friends, reasonable cost ($38), and an event t-shirt I might actually wear. Being in pretty good biking shape probably didn’t hurt either.
The finish at the Boundary Bay Brewery was much appreciated, with a nice burger and some Harvest Ale schooners to complete the day.
The century was split into two parts: a 38 mile south loop followed by a 62 mile north loop, both around the outskirts of Bellingham. Riding highlights included the Mercer Island-esque section of Chuckanut Drive with great vistas over Bellingham Bay, lots of miles of rolling farmlands, and the waterfront ride along Birch Bay (including a much-enjoyed rest at Birch Bay State Park).
This ride really made me keen to do the RSVP next summer (it’s already in my calendar to sign up in January, since it sold out in five days last year).
As the cooler air sets in and the feeling of fall arrives, I can feel myself making the mental transition to snowboard season. But hopefully the weather and my state of mind will allow for a few more spins in 2009.