Kitsap Color Classic 2023

It had been a couple of years since I rode the Kitsap Color Classic (KCC) and I decided to ride it again this year. The route was slightly different, but it still included the hill and hair-pin turn where I had a bad bike crash in 2021 (I still have the facial scars from that accident).

I lined up to catch the first ferry from Edmonds to Kingston and ran into Jake and Wenmei. One cyclist brought his trumpet and sounded off when we were loading onto the ferry. It was quite amusing.

On the ferry crossing, I ran into Lee, Cascade’s executive director. I always like hanging out with Lee. He was riding with his wife today.

Since I was riding pretty fast between 16-18 mph, I would have other cyclists draft on me from time to time.

At one point, I rode up behind Marlene, startling her. I could recognize her from behind by her curly hair and bike.

In Poulsbo, the Tri Babes were hosting the snacks and I ate a huge cream-filled powdered donut, refueling for the rest of the ride. I needed that extra energy…not far out of town, a new trail climbed a steep hill. I was almost to the top when I rain out of steam and had to stop and walk the last foot (so close).

At the finish in Kingston, I picked up my free meat pie, which wasn’t really a pie. It was like a very poor version of Shepherd’s Pie and tasted terrible.

I didn’t have to wait long for the ferry back to Edmonds. It was slow crossing because we had to stop and wait while the USS Nimitz headed south to Bremerton.

Once in Edmonds, I loaded up my bike onto the car and headed home. Halfway there, it started to rain. I’m so glad it waited until my ride was over!