What and when?

Next Willy Nilly: v18 - Sunday, February 22, 2026

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

v12: 2020: Danger, high voltage

Willy Nilly
February 23, 2020

Let's just say this was the year of the Willy Nilly electric slide...

...the one where riders encountered storm-downed trees, requiring a dismount from bicycles to slide under/around the trees splayed across the rainy road...all while keeping downed power lines - some encountered were ablaze - at a respectful distance.


Otherwise, Willy Nilly 2020 started off normally enough...this year we heard that the blustery-cold stormy weather had deterred many, but per usual there's no way to know how many individuals and groups rode their own Willy Nilly rides...given there's no registration, with riders starting at their own times, choosing their own routes...


Meanwhile, gravel Willy Nilly riding made its debut, thanks to the Alki Velo Club...






The winds were fierce, as were the thirsts afterward at the Beveridge Place Pub, which is about the only aspect of Willy Nilly that one can anticipate reliably...