20 Drafters enjoyed an epic Spring Valley ride to conclude the June edition of the Draft. We had riders in the double fisted, short pour and the newly founded shot divisions.

The Bone Menders (Z, Rainbow Maker, IronMD and NBA Cliff) became a quintet with the (late) arrival of John Hit-the- Wollaeger.   Having not ridden 40 consecutive miles yet this season, Hit-the-Wolleger meandered to the starting line, where he met up with Dan-yelly. Bonded together by the forces of tardiness, they helped one other take 2 wrong turns on Turkey (yes, two wrong turns- one at each end of Turkey Rd), finishing just after dark. There’s nothing like adding a few extra feet of elevation to the hardest Drafter ride of the season to work up an appetite. Dan-yelly texted me, presumably while stopped to figure out the Turkey faux pas, to place her dinner order at Free House.  The thought of sweet potato fries fueled her to the finish.

B2 Bomber took the brunt of the wind, pulling with Captain Joe and the Human Metronome for most of the ride. While B2 was parting the air for the rest to Draft, the air in his tire was departing. Bomber is the third to join the Flat Tire Club this season. He still finished with the yellow jersey, despite the fact that none of us stopped to help him change his flat, capitalizing shamelessly on the opportunity to beat the Bomber. Mission failed.

At times, the ride felt more like a Wisconsin Wild Life Tour.  3 deer on Otto Kerl Rd joined the Draft for a few yards, before growing tired of the pace. Captain Joe is accustomed to seeing deer but was disappointed not to see a bear.

A small lap yap-yap dog on Spring Valley had Bomber, Captain Joe, Human Metronome and BrickO in a skid.  If I am going down due to canine interference, it better be a Doberman, German Shephard or some other dog weighing over 100 pounds.  Rural lap yap-yap dogs are a bit oxymoronic.

LuciO and the Power Couple, Mega and KiloWatt, created a new division, dubbed the SHOT. This 18 mile adventure wasn’t mapped out, but the crew boldly went where no Drafter has gone before. A few special treats of the evening: Nurse Sully and Counselor Queen Bee were back in Drafter action! And, CM Wille made her famous Monster Cookies to celebrate LuciO’s fellowship. CM apologized for their extra crispiness, which most likely was due to the extra dose of radiant light reflecting off her engagement ring during the baking process.

In honor of Independence Day, we will be riding independently on Monday July 3. There is no official ride. The Free House will be closed as well, so your routine Monday night dinner venue will require an alternate route.

Drafter Responsibly,

BrickO

Hey Drafter Crew,

Two quick things about the ride tonight:

1. I failed to do recon this weekend, and have it on authority that Enchanted Valley was recently chip sealed.  I do not know how friendly the surface is.  If anyone knows, please post.  As a backup route, we can head our Schneider, take a RIGHT on Vosen,  LEFT on K, LEFT on Otto Kerl.
2. My map was right but the directions had an error.  We turn LEFT onTurkey.

Speaking of turkeys, it reminds me of chickens.  CM Wille is in contention for the photo contest with this one.  It needs an explanation, which will require you to come this evening to shake out of her.

Tonight we celebrate LuciO’s completion of her primary care sports medicine fellowship and birthday!

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

I wasn’t embellishing the power of The Rainbow Maker in my previous blog.  I did forget to present the evidence.  Mother Nature at her best:

I would like to formally acknowledge and welcome the Rainbow Maker to the Draft.  Shortly upon canceling the ride Monday night, Newbie Dr. Squire, obviously unaware of our efficient blog mode of communication, called to ask, “Where is everybody?”  Billy Boy, Arms, Captain Joe and Z  were geared up and so an unofficial ride ensued.  We ran into Roy G Biv at least several times, and were beckoned to follow the bike path home, where a pot of beer awaited us.

Nobody was complaining about taking the short cut home on the bike path given that most of the group had ridden the 100k Horribly Hilly Hundreds on Saturday.  B2 Bomber “warmed up” for the 200k HHH with a double century ride on Friday.  Rumor has it that Yoga on Monday mornings from 6:15-7AM at the VFW with Karen Rigsby is largely responsible for his super human performance.  Drop ins are welcome.  Cost is $15.  Elton John had some words to say about Bomber’s HHH:

Z & BrickO

Legs and Arms

Billy Boy McC

Day before HHH 200 miles

B2 Bomber 200k HHH

Sprocket Man (borrowed heavily from Elton John, cannibalized by BrickO)

We packed our bags last night pre-ride
Zero hour six AM
And I’m gonna be carbo loaded and hydrated by then

I miss a flush toilet so much, I brought my wipes
It’s lonely out in Blue Mounds
On such a long a** ride

And I think it’s gonna be a long long ride
‘Til HHH brings me round again to find
I’m not the cyclist they think I am at home
Oh no no no I’m a Sprocket man
Sprocket man burning out his glucose up here alone

Blue Mounds ain’t the kind of place to race your bike
In fact it’s steep as hell
And there’s no one there to draft behind if you did
And all this climbing I don’t understand

It’s just a ride 5+ hours a day                                                                                                                                A Sprocket man, a Sprocket man

And I think it’s gonna be a long long ride
‘Till HHH brings me round again to find
I’m not the cyclist they think I am at home
Oh no no no I’m a Sprocket man
Sprocket man burning out his glucose up here alone

And I think it’s gonna be a long long ride

BIG Drafter News:  Guess who has a bump and a rock? (Hint: they are not the same person).

In Drafter Professional Development: Congrats to K2 on defending her thesis.  She’s been noticeably absent from the Draft while “goofing” off as a graduate student at the U of Oregon (because PT school wasn’t hard enough).  Go Ducks!  CM Wille found time to study for her PT Sports Specialist Certification amidst working on her PhD and baking Monster Cookies with special ISU colored M&Ms for my daughter’s graduation party.  She found out during the Rainbow Ride that she passed her exam.  CONGRATS to both of you!

LuciO is celebrating a tri fecta of accomplishments: 1) completing her Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship at the UW, 2) Aging up on July 2, and 3) a 4th place finish without coughing up a hairball.  Please help us CELEBRATE with LuciO after the ride on Monday! Her boss, Mega Watt, also has a July aging event.  It’s a twofer.

Lastly,  I had a request for the Spring Valley route for Monday.  It is, in my opinion, the most challenging Drafter ride, best done during the Summer Solstice as we will need the light.  Bring your dinner plate for Enchanted Valley.   

Short Pour: take a left on Pine Rd to shorted by ~10miles.

Garmin link to Spring Valley

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

Sorry for the late notice. True to form, Mother N is unleashing her excess H2O at precisely Drafter time. I think the next cell will pass to the north, but I can’t risk your safety with the thunder and lightning at the present moment.

We are sitting in the back of my jeep keeping a close eye on things and will let you know if the situation changes.

The weekend proved a challenging one for racing.   Hot with a top knot pretty much sums it up.  I’m talking about the weather conditions. 

The Tour de Coulee reached 92 degrees with a 30-knot wind, fortunately a cross for most of the 100 miles. The ride declares an official King of the Mountain. Although Arms and Legs didn’t ride the Tour de Coulee, they definitely won the Queen/King of the Mountain award (and likely the Drafter photo competition)!

Z placed top 10 overall and 2cd in his age group (40-45, right?) at the Tour de Coulee. His push was just what I needed to finish seconds ahead of him. Good thing he can shoulder such a heavy load.

I suppose we could have crossed the finish line together, but competition is healthy for a relationship, so long as I win. The Watson brothers, Mega and Giga Watt, rose above such childish behavior, finishing their first half Ironman together on Sunday, literally. Kilo Watt is making her debut in the Door County tri, so be ready for the real power surge.

Congrats to IronMD Mott on also completing the 70.3 AND showing up to the Draft on Monday. 10 riders enjoyed the Riley Tavern route, right up until the skies opened up and showered them.

Water issues were totally avoided by NBA Cliff, who ventured to San Francisco to do the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon on Sunday. Apparently, the swim was cancelled for the first time in history due to high winds. Rumor has it that there wasn’t a life raft suitable to rescue a man of Cliff’s stature, so the attorneys decided it was best to cancel the swim. Tri- turned duathlon left plenty of time for clowning around in SF.

Escape the Swim

On a more somber note, I want to recognize the loss of a cycling icon, Steve Pye. I had the privilege of being mentored by Steve when I attended the USA Cycling Coaching Clinic in MN in May. In a mere 3 days, he made an impact on my approach to coaching that will last a lifetime. Little did I know that his lifetime would only extend a few more weeks. Steve was hit by a SUV while on a training ride in Denver, CO on Thur, June 8th. May we honor his memory, and our own lives, by riding visibly and respectfully. Bad things may still happen that are out of our control, like this tragedy, but please take whatever steps possible to improve our odds.  Ride with a blinky light, wear brightly colored clothing, follow the rules of the road and be aware of your surroundings.

In the words of Creedence Clearwater Revival, the route for Monday will have us “Stuck in Lodi Again”.   When I did recon yesterday, I was happy to see that the stretch of Hwy 19 has been repaved.  However, the lines have not been painted and cones were still out, so ride with caution (well, you should always ride with caution).  The full route, including the top knot, is ~40miles.  Skip the top knot to knock off 5, or further shorten to  25 miles by hanging a left on Kopp (Hyer loop in reverse) or simply do an out and back to Dane.

Lodi GPS link

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

Quick recap of the highlights of last night’s epic ride:

• Newbie Schubie upon approaching the hill on Woodland uttered, “Is THIS the beast?”  We will save Bitney for another time, Shubie 🙂
• A few of us could almost keep B2 Bomber in sight when he would take off for a Strava challenge.  Sadly, we learned later that he had ridden 112 miles the day before…including 3 repeats up Blue Mounds.
• The green machine was a thing to behold.  A season record of 15 Drafters were out in full force, many in their new kits, which looks fabulous.  Being my first kit EVER, I am pretty darn excited to be sporting Drafter green top to bottom.  Billy Boy McC was decked out in green socks, helmet, and handle bar tape.  Rumor has it that he has Cronometro ordering him a lime green saddle. Such a good Irish boy.
• Cliff was getting in some last minute training before heading of to San Francisco to race the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon this weekend.  He didn’t really pay close attention to the race details before signing up…. like how long or cold the swim might be.  We hope that he comes home with all his parts in tact.
• How Ya Know Hujanen made an inaugural appearance after coaching MHS Pole Vault for the past few months, which precluded him from fulfilling his Drafting duties.  Conveniently, he had a “meeting” at 6:30, which prevented him from riding the full route.  Aerospace engineers are no dummies.
• Dan-yelly gets the Drafter Momma of the night award.  How many mommas can ride 42 miles so quickly after giving birth?  Here’s a shout out to the Drafter Mommas and the next generation of Drafters.
  

  

  

Next week we have something special on tap.  Order me a double, it is happy hour!  PLEASE JOIN US FOR YOGA MON JUNE 12 AT 6:15AM at the Middleton VFW.  The first class is FREE.  After that, the cost for remaining 6 weeks is $72, or drop in for $15/class.  Please contact Karen Rigsby to reserve your spot karenkraftrigsby@gmail.com

Following yoga, will be good and loose for the second round, our ride to Riley Tavern at 5:30pm.  I’ve intentionally made this a short ride given that many Drafters are doing the Tour de Coulee Century on Sat or the Half Ironman on Sunday.  Go Get Em! There will be many tired bodies primed for Yoga and a short spin.

Riley Tavern Garmin Link

Draft Responsibly,

BrickO

BrickO’s Drafters is thrilled to announce Yoga for Cyclists with Karen Kraft Rigsby.  Karen is a Yoga Master with 13 years of teaching experience, 2 time Olympian (oh yeah, and 2 x medalist), with graduate training in Biomechanics and honestly, one of the most genuine people I know.

I have a hard time getting off the bike and onto a yoga mat, but I’m all in when it gives me flexibility to ride more miles with less aches and more power.  Karen’s approach reflects her Olympic success, intellectual understanding of biomechanics, and sense of humor (which is friggin’ hilarious).

Mondays, June 12- July 24

6:15-7:00 AM

Sonny Simon VFW Post 8216

6210 Century Avenue, Middleton

Come check it out. Your first class is free with a Drafter Dollar. Print off more Drafter Dollars for friends, but only one per Drafter. Drafter Dollars ONLY valid for class June 12 or June 19.  Bring a mat, water and a towel.

What’s the cost?

• $72 for entire session (price break of $12/class with first one free)
• Checks can be made out to Karen Rigsby
• $15 drop in fee (see details in attached document)

Please see attached document for full details: Yoga for Cyclists Info PDF

Print free money here: Drafter Dollar

If there is enough interest, we will consider adding a noon class.

Namaste,

BrickO

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.  Ignore the elephant in the room, the Drafter photo contest isn’t over yet. Keep those pictures coming.  I’ve decided retro photos are fair game (mainly because I wanted a reason to post my oldie but a goodie).

LuciO gasping (?) at 7000 feet.

LuciO

The ride for Monday is one of my all time favorites.  We will be sojourning to Fish and Crystal Lakes.  The route is 38miles from my house, so bank on 42 total from Free House. Not a trivial ride, so we will be holding to our 5:30 wheels up time.

Short Pour: you have many options.  The longest option is to take a few miles off the most northern point, coming back on Mussen.  The other shorter options would be to travel east (right turn) off Brereton onto V or a little later on Y.  These aren’t my favorite cycling roads, but the only way I can think of to give you a loop.

Fish and Crystal Clockwise Loop Garmin

Draft Responsibly,

BrickO