You pick:
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things!

~ Julia Andrews, The Sound of Music

OR

Sunshine on my shoulders and bikes that aren’t cheap
Wind at my back and hills that are steep
A ride that ends with beer and chicken wings
These are a few of my favorite things!

~ BrickO, The Sound of Drafters

Please consider sharing in the latter by signing up for TYRANENA’S OKTOBERFEST BIKE RIDE (30, 50 or 70 miles).

Register for Tyranena Here

Confession: I was actually doing a rain dance on Monday in hopes of a justifiable, legitimate Drafter cancellation.  When that failed (seems as though my kids aren’t the only ones who don’t appreciate my dance moves), I settled for the gusty wind excuse.  Truth be told- I was just out of gas. The tank is now full of high octane fuel (chocolate stout, mostly).  Let’s rock the Roxbury Tavern route on Monday.

Garmin Link

I guess you can’t technically cancel a ride that isn’t officially sponsored.  So, ride at your own risk.  I will not be there.  Drafting at gusts of 24 mph is not drafting responsibly.

New flash: Hell froze over and Jackie consumed a draft at the Terrace on Friday.  Known for her love of iced tea, she surprised us all with this “mug”.  Jackie also rocked the Horribly Hilly Hundreds on Saturday. I interviewed two HHH riders. One gave me this: “It was awful.  There was hail, torrential down pour, and wind.”  Jackie gave me this: “It was actually pretty good.  It rained and then let up.  I’m not that sore so was looking forward to the ride tonight.”

Sorry, Jackie.  Mother Nature won this round.  Let’s convene next week for the Roxbury ride.

BrickO

What better way to honor the summer solstice (albeit a day late) than a long ride to squeeze every last drop of sunlight out from the sky?  I can think of none.  This new route flat out rocks.  Dr. Corr, in anticipation of missing the Draft while driving back home to NY on Monday, rode recon today.  PLEASE be careful on Indian Trail… it needs some love.  Riding on Hwy 19 sucks, no two ways about it.  Fortunately, we aren’t on it long.  As always, ride at your own risk and draft responsibly.

The Roxbury route is 40 miles, with a shorter 25 mile loop.  Hopefully, the Garmin link will work.  If not, see map below.

Garmin Link (if it works….)

Z’weather cooperated beautifully.  Seven Drafters convened as the skies cleared to enjoy 40 dry, gorgeous miles past Lodi Marsh.  We are very happy with our two new draft picks.  We welcomed the last NBA draft pick from Davidson College since Stephan Curry. How’s that for a double entendre?  Riding behind Cliff provides a unique draft experience, sort of how I imagine riding in a vacuum.  Representing the XX field, we had a ringer.  Cindi is an eight-time USA Triathlon All American and a two-time Hawaii Ironman World Championship finisher AND, she has golden hands. You won’t settle for less after a therapeutic massage with Cindi.  I speak this truth from the heartstrings and the hamstrings.

Enjoy this draft:

Here’s the deal…. the forecast is never 100% accurate.  Take Saturday, for instance.  Three Drafters set out on a 50 mile quest from a cabin up nort’ with promises of no precipitation from our trusted meteorologist.  5 miles in, the drizzle started.  With 10 miles left to go (most of those unintentional, thanks to BrickO’s inability to read a map), we were smitten as the rain pelted at our unsuspecting and unprepared bodies.  Luckily, our fuel source (peanut butter, oatmeal, M&M cookies compliments of Drafter Christa) were safely stored in ziplock bags.  If I could have crawled in to the ziplock, I would have.  Let this be a lesson to bring rain gear this evening, or at least a bigger ziplock.  The forecast looks pretty green (not grim), with very little weather in the yellow or red zone.  Unless there is thunder, lightening or an absolute downpour, I will likely be there in my new George Hincapie rain booties to ride. The booties were on close out.  You can be the judge of why they were nearly free….

To borrow a line from a famous CCR song, we are “stuck in  Lodi again”.  There are 3 options (see map below).  Sully is out of the country, so we won’t have a formal 6pm bike path option, although you are free to ride that at your leisure.  Stay tuned for a rain report.  As of now, the forecast is threatening an 80% chance of rain.  This is Dr. Corr’s final ride before heading back to New York, so rain would be just plain rude.

1) turn around in Dane for a 20 mile route

2) skip the right turn onto Riddle Road into Lodi and back- that cuts off roughly 10miles

3) Get stuck in Lodi for a 40 mile route

A new Drafter high of 16 riders set out to dodge the storms on Monday night.  An offering to the Rain Gods was made in the form of two sacrificial flat tires.  In an effort to conserve tubes, we offered up one mountain bike tire (thanks, Liz) and one tri bike tire (Christa has a tendency to be the first in most things she does, including having a flat tire).  The Gods were kind to those brave enough to endure the full Spring Valley Loop, but punished those who took the short cut with a brief deluge.  In the short cut group included our visiting professor from New York, who was sporting a loaner Colnago from Cronometro.  Dr. Corr was overheard mumbling something about taking the rest of his sabbatical off to clean the Colnago and reflect on the post-deluge rainbow.

We welcomed 4 new Drafters.  Frank and JB set the pace. Fortunately for morale, we didn’t learn until well into the first round of beers that JB had ridden 70miles BEFORE joining our humble group.  Good luck at Ironman Coeur d’Alene in two weeks.  I think you can start your taper now.  Ting finally had a day off from her rigorous orthopedic surgery residency and decided to spend it with us.  Not wanting to be outdone, Ting decided to ride the full loop on a mountain bike.  After heavy sedation and therapy, she agreed to ride with Nurse Sully and Counselor Liz, where she received excellent counsel on the art of shifting. Finally, we welcomed Susan, our long track speed skating time trial wonder.  Had she been here last week, the Ice Queens would have had competition for the Drafter’s Magazine Best Legs Edition.

Jackie was notably absent, wish some fish tale excuse (see below).  Kudos to Matt and Danyelle for conquering Blue Mounds on Saturday.  Note: there is only beer at the top when you finish the Horribly Hilly Hundreds.

The Trifecta of cycling happiness- three routes to provide something for everyone.  Warning: The full spring valley loop is one of the toughest rides we will conquer.  Shy of Blue Mounds, we will hit the biggest hills west of Middleton.  The full Spring Valley loop is roughly 40 miles.  If you are seeking to cut off 10 or more miles, turn left on Pine, KP or Scherbel (see second link). These rides will leave PROMPTLY at 5:30.

WE HAVE A THIRD OPTION FOR THOSE ON MOUNTAIN BIKES or just hoping to burn a few calories.  Nurse Sully and Counselor Liz will be departing Free House at 6pm and cycling the bike path along Hwy 12.  In addition to sharing their sun shinning personalties, they will address medical and legal needs as they may develop on the ride.

Full Spring Valley Loop

Short Spring Valley Loop

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

The full moon brought out a full house of Drafters.  We hit a season high (and the season is just warming up) of 14 riders.  A special welcome to newbie Drafters Tracy, Jackie and Michelle.  Drafter Magazine was on site, preparing for the annual Best Legs Edition.   It was a tough decision, with many strong legs to choose from.  Ultimately, a tie was declared between the Ice Queens.  Cornell hockey standout, Tracy, and UW-Badger legend, Jackie went quad to quad, calf to calf, before agreeing to a tie for the gold.  Michelle receives the “I’m not just any soccer mom” award.  While her daughter may get the kudos on the field, Michelle can hold her own on 2 wheels.  Some other notable quotes from the evening:

“I can’t race Ironman this year.  I am too busy husband shopping.”

“I’m not slow.  I had a really bad mechanical.”

“My wife just got the bill for my new bike.  I can’t stay to drink beer.  I need to go home and look at feng shui colors for the living room.”