There were a total of seventeen Drafters in 3.5 pours. The 4:30 B group included the usual suspects, plus Kick A** KK, to really make the B team Bad Ass. Always great to have a former professional enlisted in the Draft to keep us humble. Cannibal: Is that a GIRL ahead of us? Queenie: Why is she doing hill repeats while I’m still climbing? KickA**KK: I’m headed back to Italy to lead some tours. I have to be more fit than the clients. Good point. We are happy to provide KK with the hills to kick Cannibal’s a**.
Loose Screw, Footer, Queenie, Coach Arms, Kick A** KKCoach Arms provided KK’s son with a stick for hockey camp during their visit. It’s a great day for hockey and drafting.
Squeak showed up at 4:45 to an empty bike corral. “Am I really early or really late?” Well, Squeak, you are both. Off she went to enjoy some alone time. The 5PM crew seemed to shrink with the 94-degree temperature and high humidity.
Z Wrecks, Skipper, Rimshot, Cannibal, Booker J, Drone Master, Badger and Busch Latte
Badger was looking a bit green in the lineup, until her peeps showed up for the “shot” Turkey Trot.
Badger, Columbus and Daisy give it a shot
Skipper and BrickO led out the Draft on Schneider Road, reminiscing about their RAW fitness. Oh, how fast it fades. They were done with their magnificent pull well before Schneider Rd came to an end. BrickO: I was waiting for you to slow down. Skipper: Well, I was waiting for you to slow down. Dedicated to the Draft, but perhaps overestimating their abilities, matches were burned 10 miles into the ride.
Cannibal looking back to make sure BrickO was still hanging on. Barely.The descent on Spring Valley reunites the A team
The climb up County KP was a bugger. With the poor pavement conditions and a tractor behind pushing the pace (notice the yellow sign), it was every Drafter for him/her/their self.
The climb on KP has BrickO off the back. Skipper slows his role to capture the moment.
There was a magical moment in the Draft when (nearly) all riders rendezvoused on Otto Kerl Rd. Drone Master may have taken the “shot-cut” home and Squeak was still enjoying her quiet time. Loose Screw was initiated into the Flat Tire Club, but all else was quiet on the Turkey Trot front.
A magical mixture of 3.5 pours all in one Draft
Some absentees were Drafting elsewhere:
Thing One, Vintage, Gopher and LuLu were on a carrot cake and blueberry muffin ride. Sounds like a healthy dose of fruits and veggies.Squirrel and GrannyZilla are enjoying RAGBRAIStaying hydrated is key
If you are looking for some ride opportunities this weekend, please join BrickO’s Drafters in the Lake Ripley Rideon Saturday at 8AM. The largest donation will earn a free entry into the Greenville Hincapie Gran Fondo.
On Sunday, join us for an easy roll at 10AM. Text BrickO for details. The Sunday roll last week included 4 Drafters:
Duchess and Sandlot get things rollingHit-The Wall, Sandlot, Duchess, Pip (Squeak’s hubby) and several others roll on Sunday
PUT AUGUST 3 ON YOUR CALENDAR…. K2 is delivering her PhD defense!! And the Hincapie Store closes for 2021 Drafter Gear. We will not reopen the store again this year, so don’t delay.
Happy Birthday to Coach Arms on Aug 4. Sully gave her the gift of golf. The green represent a circle of cycling. Sully introduced BrickO to the sport 30 years ago (believe it or not, BrickO was not happy about it) and Coach Arms is responsible for nudging BrickO to host the the first Draft. 8 years later, there are 133 cyclists in our Drafter family.
Swing responsibly
Next week we will ride the historic Viaduct route. As of today, Pheasant Branch is still closed. If that remains the case on Monday, we will cut through Middleton Hills over to High Street, headed north, and then take Balzer back to Pheasant Branch. Short Pour Option: Stay on Viaduct (do not turn left onto Bonetti) to cut off a few northern most miles and hills. Shot Option: out and back to Dane.
There was something for everyone on the Old Getting Pleasant route on Monday. 21 Drafters set out to tackle nearly 43 miles and 2500 feet of pavement (and a little chip seal).
Belle, BrickO, Duracell, Footer, Queenie, Speedy, Pipes and Special K
The B for Badass Team had a solid line up, with all but one Drafter sporting the official Hincapie kit. Special K is special for a reason. We may not monitor what she wears under her robe in the Supreme Court or in chambers, but we certainly are not going to tolerate blue when the Drafters are a green party. We have confirmation that Special K has complied with the Drafter dress code, as outlined in bylaw 13.13.26b. A Hincapie 2021 green jersey was ordered on 07.20.21 at approximately 3:47PM CST. The prosecution rests.
For anyone else hoping to add to their Drafter wardrobe, the Hincapie store has reopened and you can place your orders for green attire until Aug 2. Also, for those who ordered Dirty Draft shirts for their kiddos, they should be here this week.
Special K called for order as an unruly chihuahua threatened the safety of her fellow Drafters. Among her many talents, the judge speaks fluent chihuahua and has a soft spot for rescue dogs. A strong warning to the dog’s owner was given but no citations were issued. Special K also held a special session to educate the Drafters on the 3 branches of government. Let the record reflect that Special K does not have any power to approve the use of “TCH” in Wisconsin. Ask Speedy about the Canadian translation for TCH.
Pipes, Special K, Footer and Speedy (photographer) consult the map for a short pour option
Belle kindly took it easy on the B team, fresh off the State Criterium podium and headed to Colorado for several weeks of altitude training before her epic Steamboat Springs Gravel Race on Aug 15. Some of the B team may have skipped both Old Indian and Pleasant Valley, the namesakes of the ride, but found solace in their shorter pour efforts.
For the first time (?) in Drafter history, the A team worked together and stayed together.
Hanging on to his RAW fitness, Skipper provides a strong Draft for Vintage, Booker J & Blurple (not in green), Rimshot, Gopher, LuLu, Cannibal, Z Wrecks and T1Vintage takes a pull for Rimshot, Booker J, Blurple, Gopher, LuLu, Cannibal, Z Wrecks, Thing 1 & Captain Joe“Click your heels together 3 times”, Cannibal makes a wish with his ruby red slippersVintage, Rimshot & LuLu benefit from Cannibal’s ruby red slipper request, “Take me to church.”
It appears the ruby red slipper wish may have been better reserved to help out Skipper. The former Flat Tire Club Champion is in contention for another title.
Abiding by the Drafter code, the entire A train stops to help (watch) Skipper change a flat.
Cannibal, fresh off of his podium dance at the Fitchburg Festival of Speed State Criterium (we will skip the part that notes Category 4-5, Masters), allowed Booker J to serve as his domestique. Throwing bottles whenever and wherever, Booker J worked feverishly to collect and refill them for the champ. Rimshot was also at the service of Cannibal, leading the descent on Moen Valley, right up until the last corner. Holding speed but missing the corner entirely, he gave a woman rocking in chair on the front porch quite a show, as he zipped up her driveway and then proceeded over the grassy knoll and back onto the course. It was reminiscent of a Lance Armstrong move in the Tour de France.
Tick Tock arrived 10 min after departure and ventured out solo, seeing the course with a new set of eyes thanks to a little prescriptive help. Getting old can be pleasant. Drone Master was also solo on the route, looking a bit furrier than usual (full beards must be status quo in Santa Barbara, where he is allegedly moving next month). The two didn’t recognize one another at first, but glasses and a beard can’t disguise a Drafter. Two became one. Nobody drafts alone.
Speedy, Cannibal, Rimshot, Belle, Booker J, Skipper, Duracell, Queenie, Drone Master, Tick Tock, Pipes, Footer, Z Wrecks and Special K
Vanity Fair was on site to report some exciting Drafter events. Gopher and Badger celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary, and Badger doubled down with a birthday to boot. LuLu and Columbus announced their engagement on Strava. “I wanted to tell everyone, but we were out of cell service range deep in Alaska. So I posted it on Strava.” Brilliant. This is exactly the type of survival skills Drafters are equipped with.
Strava becomes a social media platform for engagement announcements.
Here are some cycling highlights from the week:
BrickO, Queen Bee and Rocky show up for the inaugural Sunday 10AM ride.
I’m pretty passionate about spreading the cycling love to riders who may not be comfortable enlisting in the Draft. The Sunday rides are NO DROP 20ish mile rides with a 30 mile option. Of course, riders can bust a move, but there will be at least one representative riding ~13mph. For more information, check this out:
Billy Boy and Loose Screw conquered the Pedal and Party in Pardeeville with a Purpose “PPPP”.It is unclear the party purpose of the Popsicle….Ninja, Speedy and BrickO participate in Special K’s annual Devil’s Lake birthday rideBrickO, Skipper, Sandlot and Duchess at the Boys and Girls RideSkipper and BrickO claim the imaginary podium at the Boys and Girls RideKeez takes the real podium at a triathlon in MNCoach Arms claims a different kind of podium: claiming time for herself as a mother of two young girls and a coach for the UW women’s hockey team
Perhaps the most impressive adventure on wheels goes to Pit Stop. The Drafters are sending lots of love, and some cookies special delivery by Cookie Monster, and wishes for a quick recovery. Despite drafting responsibly, Pit Stop was cut off by a careless driver eager to reach the stop sign first.
We can all use a little help gaining mobility. Check out Drafter Yoga with Pipes on Tuesday mornings at 7AM at Indoorance.
Pipes leads the Draft: Rocky, Queen Bee, Flash, Footer, Z Wrecks, Queenie (out of view, Sully, BrickO, Billy Boy and some non-Drafters, too)
Surprise, surprise… we will be climbing next week. Far View and Turkey Roads have been repaved and offer some spectacular views (along with some elevation). There is a short pour and shot option for those wanting a little less climbing and miles. Huge thanks to Drafter Cartographer, Columbus, for interrupting her work day (and wedding planning) to draft these 3 Turkey Trot maps.
We are 0 for 2 on riding Pleasant Getting Old, or at least most of us. There were a few souls in tune with the Bee Gees Monday night: “We should be Draftin’, Yeah!”
LuLu, Gopher and Vintage charge up Old Indian while BrickO and Z wish they had been Draftin’, yeah
We will try again next Monday, with a slight CHANGE IN VENUE. This route is similar with the key differences being: 1) right turn on Old Indian off of Blue Mound Trail, 2) right turn on Blue Mound Trail off of Pleasant Valley. Here’s the scoop on Old Getting Pleasant:
As a warm up for Monday, please join us Sunday at 10AM for a 20 mile Coffee House Cruise, with the option to tack on 10 miles of “no brains all brawn”. We will start on University Ave at Branch Street.
A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SPEEDY AND SPECIAL K (tomorrow). We started the celebration last weekend and hope to continue it after the rides on Sunday and Monday!
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