CHEW 12 (Steady)

CHEW is a 12‑week winter training series designed to build and maintain cold‑season fitness. Each week's ride builds on the last, and the workload ramps up quickly—so starting this late in the series means jumping straight into the deep end. Expect hills, expect climbing and expect to work.

Ride Start: For the last ride of this series we are heading to Whidbey Island for a hilly metric century. We will meet in the northeast corner of the Ash Way Park & Ride. There are no bathrooms or water at the start, so come prepared, including having some snacks for the ferry and on the island. We will start with a required safety briefing, and roll out when that's done, so make sure you arrive early. 

It is important that we leave the park & ride promptly at 8 a.m. in order to get everyone to the Mukilteo ferry dock on time to catch the 9 a.m. boat. We will start with a route briefing and SMART talk then roll out. All riders must attend the safety briefing to participate.

Route: We will start with a 9-mile ride to the Mukilteo ferry dock. This section is mostly flat to downhill and will take approximately 30 to 45 minutes to get to the ferry, depending on your pace group. We will stage in the lane at ferry toll booth 4 (the left-most booth as you enter) and then walk up and pay at booth 3. Then we will be directed to stage in a lane on the dock for loading on the next ferry. There are bathrooms at both docks and on the ferry, and water on the ferries and in the waiting room at the Clinton dock.

If you don't have an ORCA card and want to speed up the ticketing process, you can purchase your ticket in advance online. Go to:  https://wave2go.wsdot.com/webstore/shop/viewItems.aspx?cg=21&c=12 then click on Single Ride Tickets, read Complete Ticket Details and then find the bicycling ticket option you want. (You can print out a ticket or load it onto your phone.)

There is only one food/water stop along the route - the Payless grocery store in Freeland, about 24 miles along the route once we get off at the Clinton dock. (Please, be considerate of shoppers at the store and avoid blocking the sidewalks outside the store with bikes or bodies.)

When your group finishes the route at the Clinton dock, take the first ferry back to Mukilteo that you can catch. Keep in mind that it is about 10 miles -- with a fair bit of climbing -- from Mukilteo back to the finish at the park & ride. 

Please note the rain route listed in the additional links, and download that too, just in case.

Pace: Riders should be able to sustain the appropriate pace which can vary depending on grade and tail or head winds. On hills, we will climb and descend at our own pace, and regroup when needed. A rider who is significantly under the pace of the overall group may have to either drop to a slower pace or continue the ride on their own. 

Fenders! Please be considerate of your fellow riders and have full fenders if the roads are wet, or you may be asked to ride at the rear of the group.

Things to bring: a spare tube and tools to fix a flat (just in case); a phone; ID; cash and/or credit card; ORCA card; water and a small snack. It's also recommended to have a navigation device or at least access to the RWGPS route on your phone, in case you need to finish the ride on your own.

Note: If weather conditions meet the weather cancellation criterion listed in the Weather Status or if there are unforeseen hazardous riding conditions or other unexpected events, the Ride Director will cancel the ride and all registered riders will be sent a notification email. If the ride is cancelled at least two hours before the start, Ride Leader(s) will not be at the start location. Please check before leaving for the ride.