My apologies, but the Drafter ride for Memorial Day is off.  I do hope you all have taken advantage of some glorious riding conditions this holiday weekend, and drafted responsibly.

BrickO

The Enchanted Valley-Spring Valley loop was taking names on Monday night- 14 to be exact.  2000 feet of vertical climb over 38 miles claimed the glucose of many Drafters.  No worries if you felt defeated or deflated… we will have another opportunity to ride this route again in mid-June.  Promise.  It’s a good thing we aren’t in Salem during Witch Hunt times, as Tall Tim was pointing a finger and chanting, “Evil Woman”.  And it wasn’t at his finance, who rode Disenchanted Valley Road twice looking for her glucose deprived mate. Interesting that so many riders became disoriented and rode off course, and yet, nobody ran into Feng Shui Master Slow Cow who mysteriously (read: illegally?) arrived at the Free House, less thirsty and glucose depleted than the rest of us.  Hmmm.

A special shout out to Quinoa, who bravely embarked on Disenchanted Valley alone.  She estimated the vertical climb of that ghastly hill after County P and selflessly turned back to save a table at the Free House, suspecting that her fellow Drafters would return wounded and in need of drink.  True that.

Next Monday is Memorial Day and the Free House will be closed.  Several folks have expressed interest in a longer excursion, and since the holiday will prevent work from getting in the way of riding, I propose we leave at 3pm from our house.  The Rock of Gibraltar is a moderate 60 mile loop.  Captain McD argued that nothing good happens after 50 miles, so I have accommodated him with an alternate route home that meets his mileage criteria.  His bride has made clear her feelings on taking shortcuts.  It’s your ride, Cap.  Please feel free to bring beverages and snacks for a post-ride refueling session at the house.  This will be low key and informal (as if I know or am competent in any other mode of hospitality) and will not involve the stove or grill- the microwave is fully operational.  Please shoot me an email or comment on the blog ONLY if you PLAN TO ATTEND, so I can be sure to have enough clean fine paper plates and plastic silverware.  Text/call/email if you need our address/directions.

Garmin link to Captain’s 50

Draft Responsibly,

BrickO

The power of the Magic 8 ball should not be underestimated.  With grey skies threatening to unleash their furry during our ride,  I first consulted the Fly Boys Consortium to get an avionics official weather report.  Captain Joe McD stood firm with, “we may get a little wet”.  This detailed report was confirmed by co-pilot Z, who added, “the big stuff probably won’t hit until 8pm”.  Great, thanks Fly Boys.  The Magic 8 ball was much more definitive.

Fittingly, 8 brave Drafters set forth to out ride the dark curtain of doom.  We endured a mere sprinkle 35min into the ride, just enough to make our cycling chamois squeak.  Well, not all of us had cycling shorts.  Ms. Iceland was inspired to rethink the functionality of cycling in LuLu leggings. Her Ivy League training coupled with her current PhD student tax bracket were key for fostering an innovative and inexpensive solution. Patent pending.

The ride was magical, filled with majestic creatures.  Several Great Blue Herons circled Fish Lake, and we were treated to a Red Tailed Fox who sat patiently in a field as we admired his beauty.  What did the fox say? Draft responsibly.

Apparently, Nurse Sally and Counselor Queen Bee were not believers in the Magic 8 ball prediction, and sought shelter in the Free House. By the time we arrived, only their empty beer glasses remained.  The tale of drinking without cycling was relayed by Drafter Emeritus Laura, who was coerced by her companions into not riding.  Repeated episodes of frequenting the Free House without actually riding has earned her the status of Drafter Emeritus (title conferred automatically upon persons who retire at a given rank).

Next Monday we will head west towards Spring Valley.  This is a VERY challenging 36 mile ride.  Be CAREFUL on the descent on Enchanted Valley.  Recent road work has left the road less than enchanting just before you reach County P.   There is a lovely shortcut on Pine if you are game for a few less hills and miles.

Garmin Spring Valley Loop

The following week is Memorial Day, and the Free House will be closed.  It is likely that we will offer a longer ride starting mid-afternoon.  If you are interested, let me know.

Draft Responsibly,

BrickO

Wonder of the world, continents, virtues, musical notes, colors of the rainbow.  All of these have something in common with the Drafters: 7 showed up to battle the breeze on Monday.

Pair, duo, deuce, dual.  These also have something in common with the Drafters: 2 showed up to drink beer sans battling the breeze.  Nurse Sally/Sully and Counselor Queen Bee clearly have the highest IQs of the bunch.  Imagine how smart they would be if they didn’t drink beer?  What an awful thought. I can’t go there.

Needless to say, we were literally stuck in Lodi again as the wind was blowing swiftly from the southeast.  Vilks pulled all but one of us home like an animal worthy of the Zoo Kit he was sporting (love the cute Polar Bear). One of the Tobacco City Boys forgot to set his nap alarm, and was forced to go it alone.  Congrats on your new position as producer of the early AM  Channel 27News. Nothing like a bike ride to start your 11pm shift off on the right foot!

The ride for next week is one of my favorites.  We will head north and visit Fish and Crystal Lakes.  As always, shorter versions are an option.

Fish and Crystal Lake Garmin

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

The Drafters gathered last Monday to honor our eldest member in birthday celebration.  It could be said that Nurse Sully is the Mother of Drafters (not to be confused with Mother of Dragons, although I wouldn’t mess with either), not simply because she is an AARP card holder, but because she is responsible for getting many of us involved in cycling.  Prior to meeting Sully, I thought all bikes had motors , competitive sports required a ball (or puck) and victories were determined by number of points.  Little did I know that a cycling victory might look like this: “Hey, I finished the 200k Horribly Hilly  in 8 hours without bonking or vomiting!” or, “No flat tires or saddle sores this time.  Total win.”  Thanks for bringing the Draft to us, Sully.  We honored her with a cake and beer.  Actually, we honored Sally.  Ride Sally Ride!

Sticking with the late 60s musical theme, Creedence Clearwater Revival wrote about our destination for next week- LODI.  Borrowing from CCR’s chords, with lyrics from Cycling Clearheaded Revival:

Just a few years ago, we set out on the road,

Seekin’ my friends and a tailwind, lookin’ for cold beer at the end.

Things got hilly, and things got more hilly, I guess you will know the route.

Oh! Boy, drafting to Lodi again.

This is a 40mile jaunt with many options for shorter versions. You can skip the right turn onto Riddle Road and the Cherokee Marsh to knock off 5 miles (sadly, the most scenic 5).  You can take the 20/25ish mile Hyer Loop by turning at Kopp Rd.  Or, you can do an out and back to Dane for similar mileage.

Lodi Marsh 40 Garmin

Wheels up at 5:30 sharp.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO