The Devil

One of the common questions questions that was asked last year was how bad are the hills? There are two significant climbs on the longer courses. The first is up Chuckanut which is a picturesque climb early in the ride. Several miles long but not steep. The second hill is a brute. Bow hill road comes late in the ride after you are tired. For reference it is shorter than the "Hill" of Cascade's STP but steeper. It is a mean hill and a hill where many riders have spotted the devil. . . .Our devil shares many of the characteristics of the Tour De France Devil except stench, gender and weight. Other than that you will think you are climbing the Alps

Below is an blog exerpt from one of last years riders.

"There were some hills on the ride, but they were no worse than some of the hills that are on Whidbey Island, which are the real deal when it comes to hills. I have learned that whenever you are on a road that is named for a hill, you are in trouble. Yesterday, the big hill on the ride was on Bow Hill Road. As soon as we turned onto this road, I thought: "uh oh." I was right. After about a mile we came to "the hill" of the ride.

We were huffing and puffing our way to the top when I looked up and saw, in the distance, the devil. Smiling down toward us. Some woman was dressed head to toe in a devil costume, complete with trident. Standing in the middle of the road looking down at you as you pedaled mightily to reach the top, with a mask on that had a cheek to cheek grin on it. Grinning down on you. Huff puff. When you passed her she tapped you on the shoulder with her trident and gave a little wish. It was so funny that it was a bit difficult to concentrate on the huffing and puffing. It made the climb easier, oddly, I guess because you can't both laugh and concentrate on the pain in your thighs as the same time."

For more from Dan Graybill blog please click here

Before you ask. No I wasn't aware that the devil enjoyed enjoyed Coors light tall boys either. It's probably just water.