Pre-ride CHEW 3 Route

This is a pre-ride of the Climbing Hills Everywhere in Winter (CHEW) 3 Route

This ride follows the CHEW 3 route, to give riders another option if they prefer riding on Friday, or are unable to register for the official Saturday ride.  This is a Free Group Ride and is not part of the training series.  The ride starts in Woodinville, heads west to Kenmore, then south over Finn Hill, through Kirkland and into downtown Bellevue via Clyde Hill.  From there, we will climb up Rose Hill, descend through Redmond, and ride up Education Hill and English and Hollywood hills before returning to Woodinville.  

The park and ride where this route starts has neither bathrooms nor drinking water. Please come prepared with the water and hydration mix you will need for the ride. We will make a restroom stop at Blyth Park at mile point 3 and a food/restroom stop at the QFC in downtown Bellevue at mile point 21.

Please be ready to ride at 10 a.m. We will start with a required safety briefing, and roll out when that's done.  If you miss the briefing you will not be able to ride with the group.

Ride pace is Moderate with speed in the 14-16 mph range on the flats with no wind. Please bring a spare tube or patches to fix a flat, but note that the group may not be able to wait for you, if you are substantially off the ride pace or time-consuming mechanical repairs are needed. If you don't have a navigation device with you, please print out a cue sheet so you can navigate the route, should you be unable to stay with the group.  

It is a good idea to click on the route link below to see where and what kind of hills we will be climbing. The ride profile appears just below the map. If you scroll over the profile, you can see how long the climbs are and the approximate grade.

We will climb and descend hills at our own pace, and our goal will be to regroup at the top of hills. Ride leader will maintain a conservative pace on climbs, but faster riders are welcome to go ahead until the summit is reached.  We'll limit our speed on any multi-use paths to the legal maximum (usually 15 mph.)

FENDERS - Please have full fenders if the roads are wet, or you will be expected to ride at the rear of the group.

Note: If weather conditions meet the weather cancelation criterion listed above or if there are unforeseen hazardous riding conditions or other unexpected events, the Ride Leader will post a ride-canceled note in the Comments section below at least two hours prior to the start and Ride Leader(s) will not be at the start location.