What and when?

Next Willy Nilly: v17 - Sunday, February 23, 2025

The Willy Nilly is a free-form version of an annual season-opening bicycling spin that happens on beautifully weird Vashon Island.


Willy Nilly Basics

> Registration/fees: None (for the record: this is not a ride that is "organized" for, or by, anyone...)
> "Ride your ride": Willy Nilly riders choose their ride details...start time, route, distance, pace...lycra, wool, or denim...maybe some road, gravel, or single track (there are trails on Vashon)...
> Number of riders: People frequently ask about this...basically the numbers are unknown, as riders start/finish in different locations, at different times...and ride different routes...plus weather factors year over year, etc...we've estimated hundreds some years, and dozens other years...
> One of many Vashon routes (a "standard"): map

Scroll down to view hastily-scribed blurb posts about past Willy Nillys...

Click here to sign up for Willy Nilly ride news (Willy Nilly season-opening, Sunride summer solstice, Ogriteride gravel celebration of/thanks to Fred Hutch)

Willy Nilly Gear

> Willy Nilly t-shirts ($0 profit): view/purchase

Willy Nilly History

> In January 2009, a handful of cycling friends were discussing options for a wintery road bike ride to kick off a new season. None of us were game for the iconic Chilly Hilly on Bainbridge Island. While the Chilly Hilly (CBC) does an amazing job of inspiring thousands of riders to register and ride the designated route, a structured ride of this ilk just wasn't our particular cup of tea (loose analogy: we feel more aligned with backpackers vs cruise ship passengers). To each their own, right? We decided to ride a more personalized and free-form ride on the same day as the Chilly Hilly, in solidarity with the herd to the north of us. Thus the present-day Willy Nilly was born.


Click here to sign up for reminders about upcoming Willy Nilly rides

v11: 2019: Soggy Bottom riders

 Willy Nilly
February 24, 2019

(Soggy Bottom Boys)

 (cue banjo) "I...am a man...of constant sorrow..." - Now hang on there just a goldarn minute...there's no need for sorrow here. Quite the opposite, in fact...it's all a matter of perspective...


...on Willy Nilly day, one should be prepared for anything, such as a mix rain, snow, and almost-sun combined with the beauty and hospitality of Vashon.

 

 And while some riders evidently wimped out this year due to weather forecast, a respectable number - including the first showing of the Alki Velo Club - turned out for classic Willy Nilly conditions...  

...with many roadside view points that offer "candid" photo ops...


And per usual, some Willy Nilly riders opted to finish with pints and pizza at the Beveridge Place Pub...which was arguably all the more enjoyable with a thawing and soggy bottom.