Turns out the 41-year-old Chilly Hilly bike ride, which draws thousands of regional and even some international bicyclists each year, isn’t the only cycling event on Bainbridge Island the last Sunday of February. The F*cking Hills Race (FHR) “pirates” also ferry over from Seattle that day to ride primarily along the Chilly Hilly route sporting pirate emblems, booing and croaking out loud ARRs, and imbibing along the way.
Reportedly in its 8th year, Point83′s FHR brought out roughly 80 bikers last weekend, this year sharing their liquor in little paper cups with two-wheeled takers wanting a Chilly swilly. And in case anyone might overlook the offer, they brought along a megaphone to broadcast their booze from their “whiskey checkpoint” on the corner of Lynwood Center Road and Baker Hill Road.
Referring to the organizers of the Chilly Hilly, Seattle’s Cascade Bicycle Club, as “Asscade” on their website forum point83.com, the Seattle-based FHR riders apparently come to Bainbridge to BUI (Bike Under the Influence) and “heckle.” According to accounts on their website, the pirates ended their day skirting the police on the beach and enjoying an illegal keg that they say they hid with a tarp and pile of bikes. They avoided Gideon Park this year, after, according to Bainbridge Police Lieutenant Phil Hawkins, they trashed the place and drew complaints from surrounding residents about public urination and noise at last year’s event.
Sound like harmless prankster fun? Depends who you talk to. Cascade Bike Club, a 14,000-member nonprofit organization that aims to “create a better community through bicycling” and that donates to ten Island charities with part of its Chilly Hilly revenue, is chilly on the subject of Point83′s event within their event. Cascade Executive Director Chuck Ayers described most of the “heckling” as not mean spirited and said that the FHR riders “have a legal right to be on the roads.” But, he continued, “when they are doing illegal drinking and growling at people on the ride, it gives a negative impression of who the biking community is.”
Free whiskey checkpoint and police
A Chilly Hilly rider from last year, who preferred not to be named because of her connections to the Seattle biking community and fear of reprisal from Point83, said she observed the Point83 pirates “riding erratically and fast, weaving in and out of other bikes.” According to Ayers, a few years ago one of the pirates who was speeding down a hill crashed and received care from the Cascade team, which pays for road assistance in part through its participant fee, something the pirates don’t pay. “It’s frustrating,” said Ayers. Ayers told me that his organization was initially thought to be responsible for the mess at Gideon Park last year and he had to explain to the Bainbridge Park District that the Chilly Hilly did not stop at Gideon Park. “The disrespect is disconcerting,” he said. “We want to make bicycling inviting to everyone. When their culture of drinking interferes with that message, then I think they are doing a disservice to biking. Ultimately I hope nobody is getting hurt or killed.”
Scott Gamble of Point83 who rode in this year’s FHR told me his group is all about being friendly, riding, and having fun. Speaking of Point83′s relationship with Cascade Bike Club, he said, “There’s a good-natured ribbing rivalry between the clubs, but that’s the extent of it.” He suggested I contact two specific members of Cascade Bike Club, one on the Board, who would vouch for Point83. I left messages for the individuals and even delayed publication of this article to give them a chance to respond but never heard back.
In their ad for The F*cking Hills Race, Point83 lists numerous big-name sponsors. I wondered how such a small event could garner such support. So I called a few of the companies. Terry Bicycles Sponsorship Coordinator Lisa Wilkes told me that she received a request from FHR but did not sponsor the event. She went on to say that Terry would not want to be associated with an event that calls itself F*cking Hills Race. That is likely why the event’s organizer Derrick Clark, whose mother used to live on Bainbridge, only uses the acronym FHR when he approaches companies for sponsorship. In his sponsorship request letter, which Wilkes shared with me, Clark describes the event as one that “attracts a several hundred people every year that race + lots more at the finish.”
Lieutenant Hawkins, who manages public events, said he has noticed in ads for FHR that bike shop sponsors have dropped off, indicating that perhaps locals who know Point83 are distancing themselves from the event.I talked with three other listed sponsors for the event, Osprey, Solio, and Nutcase, all of whom were unpleasantly surprised when they learned the actual name and tone of the Race. Sam Mix of Osprey Packs said his company sent a single simple pack to FHR with “no idea” who they were. He added, “I don’t think we would ever support it again now that we have learned more about how it is viewed in the community.” Solio CEO Andy Howe said his company sent some product for the event but “did not do any homework on the ride nor did we know anything about its history.” Nutcase, which provides extensive support of the Chilly Hilly, told me they sent FHR one helmet, also having not checked into the event. Nutcase’s Promotion and Event Coordinator Lisa Bauso added, “We won’t be sponsoring them again. They do not represent the Nutcase lifestyle.”
Finding phone numbers for Clark disconnected, I contacted him through Facebook, inviting him to talk for this article. He responded with his current phone number as well as a stream of insults. I invited another Point83 member to be interviewed, and he agreed but asked to be unnamed. Here is our Q and A, slightly abbreviated:
Referring to Bainbridge Island in their own website commentary as a “Malibu beach community,” other Point83 members strike a different tone. Here are some comments about the FHR from their online conversation in the last few weeks:
- “Bainbridge Island police get the gas face next year”
- “Also this year you are not allowed to race unless you dope up. So dope up you dopers.”
- “All the cool kids will be rolling on uppers and analgesics. I’ll have my Mellow Johnny’s bottle in my cage in support of the Lance Lifestyle.”
- “if you know of anyone that wants to help out and donate anything (service, item, etc) put them in touch with me. Anything related to cycling or outdoors or strippers or booze makes great prizes.”
- “it was neighbors of gideon park that called a few days prior. they’ve been getting more and more upset over the years. mainly because of the lack of bathrooms and the proximity of trees.”
- “the cops were scheduled to come check it out in case we were back. i think they found the whiskey stop by chance (or maybe went to investigate after being tipped).”
- “they basically said no open flames, and no liquor. so i put away the firepit and beer and they were fine with that. they mentioned giving tickets for peeing in the woods, but luckily no one did that while they were there.”
- “then we drank the keg on the beach where no one cared. but we were a bit more discreet about covering it with a tarp and bikes.”
- “Big thank you to Derrick for organizing this wonderful mess every year. It was very nice to see all of you this weekend. We “painted our names on the walls of the pain cave” today.”
- “[Next year] let’s pick a different spot, different alcohol, and group name and pretend we don’t know what they are talking about.”
- “two thoughts: the local PD has been embroiled in drama recently so they might be a little touchy and we might have had Ass-cade errr Cascade members complain to the cops that we were mooching on their event. Also, bullhorns = attention, attention + booze = cops”
- “maybe if we can get the local BBI girl scout troop to run the “point83 free lemonade and homemade cookies” stop at the corner of Lynwood and baker hill rd. next year we’ll be ok. Seems legit.”
A Chilly Hilly organizer, who asked not to be named also for fear of retaliation based on past experience, told Inside Bainbridge that some parents this year complained that their kids were frightened by heckling from Point83 riders: “We asked for an increased response this year from the Bainbridge Police.”
Police presence at 2013 Chilly Hilly
Lieutenant Hawkins said that the department has to deal with FHR every year. “We thought they were a small rogue group. Now we know more about how they operate.” He said that there is always drinking involved. According to Hawkins, a few years ago one of the riders was so impaired he crashed and had to be carried away.
No one I spoke with said they knew of an accident involving a Chilly Hilly rider or Bainbridge resident resulting from an interaction with a Point83 rider.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other biking safety organizations estimate that 25-30 percent of bicycling deaths involve a rider who is intoxicated. In Washington State there is no law prohibiting riding a bicycle while drunk. This is at least in part because bikes are not registered like motor vehicles, and riders don’t have a license to ride a bike that could be restricted with a BUI charge.
Related Stories
- Accident Report and “Free Whisky” Police Incident from 2013 Chilly Hilly
- Chilly Hilly 2013 Photo Gallery
- Yard Art of the Week: Chilly Hilly Cautionaries
- Welcome 2013 Chilly Hilly Riders, and BYO Espresso
Photos by Julie Hall.Â
Anti-Chilly Hilly "F*cking Hills Race" Brings Booze and Bravado to Bainbridge,
Disgusting!
Silly article. The FHR isn’t anti-ChillyHilly at all.
This is a “biking club”? Look at that guy holding the whiskey, he couldn’t pedal from his kitchen to his couch without getting winded.
Maybe put down the booze and put on some miles instead.
A) He arrived there on bike, so obviously you've got some hyperbole going on.
B) You're really shown yourself to *not* be a bicyclist. Bicyclists can tell a lot about other riders by looking at them. In this case you might notice that his thigh muscles are almost as large as the police officers who are all six inches taller than him. Those are strong legs, cyclists know how to size up other riders and we know from experience that you can get passed by some husky riders that are simply just really powerful riders. I'd suggest maybe spend more time on a bike Loreen and less time on the internet, it'll do you some good.
This FHR thing sounds fun. Thanks for the heads up, Julie!
Awesome these point 83 people sound like people that know how to have a good time. I'm riding with them next year. Thanks for the tip
I (a cascade cyclist) saw some of those pirate flags flying around the course. The ones I interacted with were some of the more pleasant people on the ride, many of which were riding much safer than some of the 'official' cascade members (I hate to admit), pointing out oncoming cars and signaling their turns. I'd welcome them back any day.
Read their message board, these "cyclists" are terribly upset that they can't wreak havoc all over the city, public parks and bars without someone calling them out for it.
How dare anyone mention all the trash and debris they leave behind at the Fremont Fire Pit every other week or how they waste valuable public resources every time the fire department shows up to put out their abandoned fires.
Obviously I've struck a nerve. I'm flattered they took the time to create a phony account for me on their forum.
If only they could channel all that childish angst to do something positive. It takes great effort to make critical mass look good, so hats off to .83 for at least accomplishing that.
Please do read the message board. If you actually read it, you'll notice we were terribly upset at each other if when someone gets thrown out of a bar or leaves trash. The only one calling us out on that is ourselves, and we do call ourselves out on it. If someone in our group persistently rides recklessly, leaves trash, or causes problems at bars then they are ejected from the group.
Consider this, the ride has been going for 8 years, we usually visit two bars, often three, so that is 8*52*2, almost 800 bar visits. In that time we've been banned from maybe two of them? We're also a less rowdy group than we were several years ago.
I'll point out that you Loreen, are straight making things up. I'm glad you were there with the dozen of us when we were at the Fremont Fire Pit maybe 2 months ago and the FD department showed up to put out a fire that was almost nothing but embers. We certainly don't go there every other week and we don't leave trash behind (the waffle ride was an exception and we were not happy about the trash either). We also *never* abandon fires, not one. We watched the FD put out the Fremont Fire pit fire, so not even that one was abandoned.
But thanks for posting Loreen, you're comedic gold, it's a blast to make fun of you and we're having a good time doing it. You just clearly have no real personal knowledge of the group and apparently believe way too much of what you read on the internet.
If anyone wants to ride with point83 fun time bike club the meet up is every thursday (52 weeks a year rain or shine) at West lake center. The meet up time is 7:00 pm and the ride usually leaves at 7:30pm. These are no drop rides average mileage is around 20 per ride.
I'm all for irreverence and having a good time, but it seems that at least some of the Point83 folks have taken it a bit far. The Chilly Hilly is a family event, and there are kids along the route cheering the cyclists on, so perhaps that's not the best environment to be jeering or heckling other riders – especially ones that don't know this is supposed to be a joke. Personally, I love that people want to come out and have a great time, but I think we should draw the line when it comes to things like public urination.
Oh Bainbridge…I moved away 8 years ago and have never missed your wealthy, white, easily offended sensibilities.
You don't like white people, Matt?
Yup, I totally went to the FHR with the sole purpose of heckling Cascade. Never mind that I was going to go on a bike race with a cash prize, or that I was going to hang out with some old friends before, during and after the event. Let's also forget that this was a chance to enjoy a ferry ride across the Sound on a nice day and an opportunity to enjoy a ride on a good route accompanied by many other fellow cyclists. Forget all that, I was there just to heckle and scare little children and ride recklessly. I certainly was not shouting "car up", or signalling when I was going to turn or change road position. Heck, I've never even road in a bike pack before. I certainly never asked stopped cyclists if they needed help, and I certainly did not have any spare tire tubes at all to give away. I'm also still not sure how I managed to ride in a straight line for that long at a 17mph pace without stopping or getting off my bike to walk up the hills, it must have been all the pot and booze I was taking during the race.
While getting out for a bike ride or a race with friends is clearly a shared passion, the pirates did not do themselves (or cyclists in general) any favors in the first four or five miles of the ride. Despite calls of "car up," individuals marked as pirates insisted on jumping the yellow line, essentially playing chicken with the on-coming cars to get ahead of . . . someone . . . for some reason. It was scary and unsafe. And all of us in the vicinity had the pleasure of dealing with the unhappy motorists they left behind.
I'll admit that once the crowds thinned out, many of the pirates proved themselves to be safe wheels and nice people. But bad first impressions certainly do linger.
I think that may be a difference in perception. The first four or five miles there were often 3 or 4 people abreast in the right lane, and I both followed and was followed by plenty of Cascade riders who used the oncoming traffic lane to pass. There was a time I remember when an oncoming car was approaching, but I had plenty of time, so I checked my right carefully to not merge into bikes quickly and I gradually moved over tot he right. Maybe you thought that was a game of chicken? I've learned over time to move left and right on the road very gradually to increase predictability and it's very important in a pack otherwise darting over to the right and you'll clip someone's wheel and cause a pile-up.
Most to the point, I don't think the incoming lane riding did anything for any kind of perception. There were maybe only a couple dozen cars total that came along in the opposite direction for the whole ride. It was a much bigger ding against the biking community when cascade took over a couple of intersections and didn't yield to some cars that were waiting. That was a particular problem at around the 2nd or 3rd stop sign along the course. Bainbridge islands hate the chilly hilly, and it's not because there were 125 pirates mixed in with over 3200 cascade riders.
Respectfully, Fargo, you and all the other riders that were taking up the entire lane should have been aware of what was behind you.
Riders that wished to go faster, be they so-called Pirates or not, should not have been forced to cross into the oncoming lane in order to get around riders who were spread out.
Ring your bell or use your voice, you say? If you've tried that, you know it takes an awful lot to get the attention of someone in front of you – even when walking – and especially if they are socializing with those next to them.
I wound up spending a good portion of the ride in the oncoming lane.
If that's the only wrongdoing you witnessed on the part of the "Pirates" then thew were doing pretty well. Before I had any notion of this whole controversy, I did notice the red skulled & crossboned riders and assumed they were a group that chose to ride rogue. I didn't witness any poor behavior on their part.
I started the ride about 10:30 thinking the crowd would be quite thin by that time. I was wrong.