Chilly Hilly: My First Organized Ride and Why You Need Sleep

Sunday's weather was pretty darn great! We did do the Chilly Hilly ride, and I'm so glad. This was my first organized (paid?) ride and it was very fun. I've done lots of group rides now, with up to sixty-ish riders, but nothing like this: close to six thousand riders zooming around a very hilly island. (Oh heck, who am I kidding, everything in the Pacific Northwest is hilly, I think!) It was 33 miles and 2,675 feet in elevation gain: not the hilliest or longest ride I've done, but nothing to sniff at, either.

That's Mr. W's friend, he's not really photo-bombing us. Except he kinda was, haha.

Thoughts on the experience:

• Gold star: I may be slow up those hills, but I didn't walk my bike up any of them. Bikes are for riding, not pushing! There were an awful lot of people walking bikes up hills, so I felt like a powerful athlete chugging along at 4 mph, hahaha.
• I was a bit nervous about riding the ferry (specifically boarding and disembarking) with a ton of other cyclists but it was no problem. Except when the guy in front and to the side of me dropped his water bottle and people (not me) started toppling like dominoes as he stopped to pick it up, haha.
• I had Clif Shot gel (citrus flavored) and it was yummy. And here I thought I despised all gels and their bizarre texture. Nope, this one was good. I also like/love Clif bars even though I don't like most/all any other bar I've tried. I should buy stock in the Clif company, or at least be their PR person.

• Matt Mr. Wonderful has a lot of biking friends. Sheesh. I am friendly but have never felt the need or desire to know everyone. I have a small group of friends I would die for. Most of the rest of the people in the world are sort of blurry entities I am aware of but don't focus on too much. I have limited attention and thought capacity and I must ration it carefully!
• Seriously, Mr. Wonderful is such a geek. Have I told you? :) This is my first up-close encounter with a  geek. I feel like Jane Goodall sometimes.

He's a much better kisser, though.

• I would follow that bullet up with examples of geek-dom but there are just too many and some of them might make you question my sanity. I can't have you doing that while I am doing that, we might come to the same conclusion. Skeery.
• I was REALLY slow on this ride. Why, you ask? Because I was horribly, horribly sleep deprived. Why, you ask? Because I spent the weekend at Mr. W's house. Is his bed lumpy? No. Are his pillows uncomfortable? No, not really, although I did stop and grab my own pillow from home for the second night. Loud neighbors? Nope. Mr. W. is GRABBY. 

I googled "Sleeping with Octopus" and isn't this the cutest thing ever?

A bit closer to what I meant, if you understand that I am represented by the cat.

Well, this one accurately depicts my body and the feeling of being suffocated by an octopus, anyway. ;)

• Wow, that man cannot keep his hands to himself. We "slept" (and I use the word loosely, at least when describing my night) twisted up like a candy cane. We haven't had many actual grown-up slumber parties, I realized, after spending the whole weekend together. Will we have many more?? I sleep alone in a king-sized bed. Ahhhhh, space. 

I know how, and it's really not that hard.

• This issue will need to be addressed, and I suspect message reinforced, before, during and after future sleepovers. I was exhausted. By Sunday night after the long ride, you couldn't distinguish between me and a walker from the Walking Dead.

So very tired.

• Anyway, so I was exhausted and very slow, but we made it through. I would definitely do it again! Next time with plenty of sleep the night before. Mr. W. is a fun riding partner because he's a good mix of chatting and leaving me the heck alone so I can chug up this damn hill. I enjoy him so much, even though he mistakes me for a body pillow. We are having a (Mr.) wonderful time together. And will continue to do so, unless I go into complete geek-breakdown. Such strange creatures.

Questions for you, Constant Reader (to steal outright from one of my favorite authors, Stephen King):

1. Can you sleep with someone velcroed to your body? Or do you paint a line down the middle of your bed, if partnered?
2. Do you like Clif Gel, and if so, are there other flavors that I should try, given that I have been known to take a mouthful of Gu and spit it on the pavement? (Normally, I swallow, but will spit if it is just too darn unpalatable, hahaha.)
3. Are you one of these social butterflies who knows everyone like Mr. W, or can you count your besties on your fingers and maybe toes?
4. Are you, or have you ever been a geek? Do you affiliate with geeks?
5. Do geeks deserve love, too, like real people? ;)