It didn’t rain last evening, but it was a wee bit windy and chilly (for August).  The whine cellar opened up around 4pm with this “So, if you decide to ride tonight, I will put my big girl panties on and come”.  I thought Canadians loved beer but I guess they prefer whine.   A vintage whine came from Sully: “There’s nothing fun about that NW head wind. Without my helmet I would look like Trump.”  K2, apparently well on her way to earning her doctorate of philosophy, slammed the door on the whine cellar with this insight: “If it were this temperature in April, we’d be out riding in guns.”

Gusts at 27mph blew in newbie Billy Boy McC.  He joins the existing Drafter bench of counselors to make it three. Billy Boy qualified for the offensive line, riding side by side with Cliff, there was no wind at all.

To be sure there was no net caloric debt, the Drafters imbibed and demolished the biggest cookie yet.  14 Drafters and 16 cookie slices- Heather and BrickO were up to their old devices.  2 extras pieces were devoured like a drug… anybody wonder which two Drafters found their new jerseys a bit snug??  My abdominals hurt from laughing so hard.  We all agree, driving gloves should be barred.

Ah…. leaving the wine cellar and onto Tom Collins.  Next week we will embark on a slightly new 30ish mile adventure.  From Collins Ridge Rd, you can take the bike path home, which is an excellent option if you want to knock off 10 miles.

Garmin Link to Tom Collins

Last reminder that jersey orders must be placed by Aug 31.  Some of you inquired about wind and winter cycling Drafter jackets. They are available.  I know this because the extra cookie slice isn’t the only thing I treated myself to… Email Seth for details (see previous post).

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

Did everyone notice the rain that fell Tuesday at precisely 5:25 (in sheets, no less) instead of on Monday?  I know there was some confusion, with several Drafters contacting me to be sure they hadn’t misunderstood the departure day.  Ripley’s Believe It Or Not was on site to record the FIRST EVER consecutive weeks of dry Drafter Monday night rides! T-shirts will be available soon.  Donna, there is a 2XL reserved for you. Dan-yelly, I’ve requested extra wide through the armpits.

Loyal friend, Drafter, extraordinary PT and doer of all things outdoors and extreme, we will honor K2 this coming Monday by riding her favorite route, a 40 mile jaunt through the western zip codes of Dane County.  There are two short cuts for a 30 and 20 mile-ish routes, respectively.  K2 is trading in her goniometer for an opportunity to earn her PhD in Exercise Physiology at University of Oregon.  Please join us in giving her a proper send off after the ride at the Free House.

Garmin Link Spring Valley Route

Headlines should sound familiar: chance of scattered showers for Monday, likely to start at 5:30 on Parmenter Ave, and traveling 34 miles west over portions of the Horribly Hilly Hundreds course.  Looks like I will be forced into early retirement, spending every Monday on vacation so that the Drafters may ride without rain. Sacrifices must be made.

This is a new route for the Drafters, so be sure to download the Garmin link or print the map to ensure safe travels.  We did a recon mission 3 weeks ago and discovered that several of the roads had received fresh gravel.  It should be settled by now, but use caution on the descents.  There is an easy cut off for a shorter 20 mile route by simply riding through Cross Plaines and heading back home.  If you choose to ride the entire 34 mile route, you will be treated to several beautiful and challenging roads, including Union Valley, Vermont Church, Moen Valley.

Reminder that wheels up is promptly at 5:30 and bring a light.  We are losing daylight, so routes will continue to get shorter until we only have time to drink beer.

Garmin Link to West HHH Route (note time not accurate as it includes 30min helping an IM chick change her flat tire).

Last call for jersey orders is August 31.  The quality is the best of any jersey I own. We stopped into Hincapie Sportswear last week while in SC.  My agenda was to see George, but missing that opportunity, I settled for sealing a deal for jerseys next year.  They fit a bit snug.  Great for showing off guns, but unfortunately, also my post-vacation gut.  Here’s the skinny:

NEW TEAM MEMBERS WITH EXISTING HINCAPIE TEAM CENTER ACCOUNT:
Click the link below to go to the Hincapie Team Center home page. Log in to your account, and then use the drop-down menu at the top right-hand corner of the screen to select Account. Scroll down to My Teams and enter the access code provided below. This will link your account to our team order.
After you have done this, click Home at the top of the screen and click New Order begin your product selection.
RETURNING TEAM MEMBERS WITH EXISTING HINCAPIE TEAM CENTER ACCOUNT:
Click the link below to go to the Hincapie Team Center home page. Log in to your account and click New Order begin your product selection.
TEAM CENTER LINK: https://teamcenter.hincapie.com/
Access Code: BrickOsDrafters
Seth Withers
Custom Inside Sales | Hincapie Sportswear
Main: 864-400-3040 | Direct: 864-400-3051 | Fax: 864-298-2616
45 Pete Hollis Blvd. | Greenville, SC | 29601
swithers@hincapiesports.com | http://www.hincapie.com

In an effort to remain true to my scientific training, I must go on vacation (again) next week.  It would appear that my former precipitation hypothesis has been challenged.  I showed up Monday and it failed to rain.  Therefore, in order to rigorously test the BrickO= rain hypothesis, I will be absent for the Riley Tavern Route on Monday.  Jim and Matt will be your tour guides.

Due to the rapidly disappearing daylight, routes will become shorter.  Sigh.  The Riley Route is approximately 25 miles.

Jersey update: they arrived today and look spectacular.  If anyone is interested in placing an additional order, I think Hincapie Sportswear will honor the current pricing through Aug 31.  Shoot me an email if you are interested.

Newbie update: Welcome Kaiya and Tom to the illustrious ranks of Drafter.  Apparently, Tom has another ranking… that of Cat 2 racer.  He was humble and tried to hide his quadzilla legs beneath bike shorts, but after the first climb, his secret was out.  Allegedly, Kevin baited him to sprint up the hill, but I think he is incapable of generating less than 500 Watts.  Just a guess, since I don’t have a power tap (not that power tap training was a topic of heated discussion over drafts and dinner).   Kaiya was so exhilarated by the riding experience that she purportedly stayed up until 1am, ordering new bike shorts and shoes (borrowing Tom’s pair 2 sizes too big with 10 years of wear warrants an upgrade, I think).  Welcome to the Draft.

Oops… I forgot to attach the cue sheet (see link below).  I rode a recon mission this morning and found that our route has one minor inconvenience (aside from a few hills).  Warming: there are two short patches of gravel on County Line Road, just before 113. There is a generous bike lane on 113 into Lodi.  The ride is splendid.

Dane And Lodi

It looks like we have discovered an antidote for the Monday Precipitation Phenomenon.  I just have to go on vacation!  I can live with that.  After a week at the cabin, I have lost most of my biking fitness and all of my biking tan, but my enthusiasm for dark beer survived and is ready to go this Monday.

The ride is a gorgeous hybrid between our Insane Dane route through the Viaduct and Lodi, including the Canning Company and Lodi Marsh State Natural Area. The full route is 40 miles.  There is a 30 mile cut off point and it is 20 miles out to Dane and back.

Garmin Link to Dane Lodi Route

Ride responsibly,

BrickO