The weather could not have been more favorable over the Memorial Day weekend for pedaling. Wonderful to see so many miles covered on road, gravel and dirt. 11 Drafters convened Monday for an A-Mazo ride.

Sarge led the charge. Apparently, kale and deadlifts are the key to successful climbing. Tick Tock was the only Drafter not to eat her dust as she powered up Enchanted Valley. At the short pour turn off off on Spring Valley and F, the couple announced their change in route in lieu of a last minute family cookout. BrickO, Z Wrecks and Knievel breathed a sigh of relieve (or maybe it was just a continuation of gasping for air). Squeak decided the 55 mile route would be easier than riding the short pour with Sarge in charge. Speedy and Duracell fell into line and were home before their babysitter knew they were gone.

Hit-the-Wall, a true rule follower, followed the rules of the road.

While Hit-the-Wall was dutifully minding the speed limit, Keez was breaking it in the Quad Cities. After a mere 3 criterium races, she advanced to Cat 3 status. Meow.

The Drafters are moving base camp next Monday, June 5 to the Crossroads Coffeehouse on 2020 Main St, Cross Plains. Start times are 5:00, 5:15 and 5:30PM. The full strength draft will consist of a 34 mile route, with a short pour option of 24 miles. Please park at The Creekside Scoop (same address- but different parking lot) or on Bourbon St. Following the draft, pizzas, beer and ice cream can be enjoyed. PLEASE TEXT ME IF YOU PLAN TO ORDER PIZZA so that the owners can be prepared.

RidewithGPS link Drafters: Crossroads Coffeehouse

Looking for a shorter pour? Try this 24 mile frothy mug.

RidewithGPS link Drafters | Crossroads Coffeehouse Short Pour

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

Formidable Festge met it’s match with 20 Drafters who staked their claim at the summit. The D Team (D for Determined, skipping C as it’s so average) was born out of necessity (advancing age, young kids, lack of training- need D’ list to continue?) and established a start time of 5PM. Feel free to join if you are in D’ same boat.

The D Team started out as a pentagon but grew to a heptagon when they picked up Nemo and Thing 1 along the route.

D for determined, but apparently also stands for Dropped. Dan-yelly dropped a light at the beginning of the Draft, and dropped her ear buds at the post-Draft festivities. She keeps track of 3 kids and 2 dogs. Everything else is subject to being dropped. The D Team ended up hexed (6 pack) when Nemo was vexed with a cramp and dropped out. Coach Arms offered up Nuun, but no amount of electrolytes could keep Nemo spinning.

The Drafters enlisted another Newbie! Admittedly new to cycling, her greatest challenge proved to be the technological challenges of downloading a GPS file. “I knew I had to be a big person and figure out how to get the route on my phone.” Welcome to the Draft, Shaq.

The B Team hit the road at 5:15. Cujo was rejected from the D Team, despite feigned fatigue from the Heywood gravel race, and a legit knee effusion. It was the right call. Cujo broke away to catch the D Team on the final stretch down Schneider Rd.

The A Team wasn’t captured on camera, but reports have it that Blurple, Booker J, Busch Latte and Granny led the charge. Apparently the shutter speed wasn’t adequate for their lightening speed. Granny beamed herself into the backyard seconds after the D Team arrived.

Billy Boy also beamed himself up from Sanibel to escape the madness of battling with insurance companies in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Too bad he doesn’t know any good attorneys… Good to have you home, Billy Boy.

Drafter of the Week (yes, this is a thing) goes to Queenie. Recognizing a Newbie in the ranks, Queenie dutifully followed the Drafter Code of Conduct and assigned himself as Shaq’s wingman. While is is being honored for his actions on Monday, it would be remiss not to mention SuperTuesday. You can pay homage and catch his beat this Sunday at Brat Fest (showtime 11:50AM) and Friday night, June 2 at Capital Brewery.

An honorable mention goes out to Pepe. Not only did he sacrifice fortune and fame by selflessly volunteering to take the photo of the illustrious B Team, but he returned the gift of beer 4 fold to BrickO. Not a bad investment.

This week’s spotlight shines brightly on several Drafters (technically it shines brightly on all Drafters, but there is a word limit to the blog). CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Cookie Monster, PhD, who defended her dissertation last Thursday, giving a shout out to her Drafter family.

She is making up for lost time on the bike with E$, Minnow Monster and Mellow Monster.

CONGRATULATIONS to Squeak who crushed the Chatty 70.3!

In dirtier news, CONGRATULATIONS to Vintage at WORS Englewood Open, shredding his time from last year. And for giving Thing 1 no reason to practice her new surgical skills.

BIG shout out to the 10 Drafters (Cannibal, Gopher, LuLu, Thing 1, Z Wrecks, Daisy, Columbus, Speedy, Sandlot & BricKO) who donated a chunk of their time and quads on Saturday to help out with Horribly Hilly Hundreds pre-ride clinic. Supported by Wheel & Sprocket and the Friends of Blue Mound State Park, the Drafters wrangled nearly 40 HHH riders through some of the more horrible hills in Iowa County.

The highlight of the HHH clinic was the transformation of Gopher. No longer seeking to burrow, Gopher seeks the higher road.

If Saturday wasn’t enough, the Draft was tapped again on Sunday. Thanks to Slim of Ascend Performance for all his hard work to teach us how to Draft responsibly.

Cue in Billy Preston’s “Will It Go Round in Circles”. Keez, Z Wrecks, Granny, Squirrel, Knievel, Velo, Octane, Duracell and 2 Newbies (Drafter handles TBD) did just that for 30 miles. Velo literally burned the rubber off of his rear tire. Welcome to the Flat Tire Club.

Crossroads Coffehouse provided a fabulous lunch for the ravenous Drafters before they headed back out for a 30 mile ride to cement their skills. Octane added his high fuel brownies for a super charge.

The participants eyes were not bigger than their stomachs. Their legs, however, didn’t have a big appetite for hills. The route was adjusted from 50 miles to 40. To 30. Draft responsibly.

Since Monday is Memorial Day, normal programing will be ignored. The Draft will be moved to 10AM to allow for a slightly longer (55 mile) adventure to Mazomanie. For those who rode the final draft last October, the route will look familiar (hence the name A-Mazo Finale Rocks).

RidewithGPS link to Drafters: A-Mazo Finale Rocks

Looking for a short pour for Memorial Day? Consider the Spring Valley route, which will take Drafters out the same roads for the first 18 miles.

RidewithGPS link short pour Drafters | Spring Valley

A reminder that the Draft on Monday June 5 will commence at 5, 5:15 and 5:30PM from Crossroads Coffeehouse located at 2020 Main St. in Cross Plains. Details to follow.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

23 Drafters celebrated a gorgeous evening to cruise through the historic Viaduct. With two consecutive rainouts, the Drafters appeared to have fresh legs. More than fresh, a few Drafters were suspected of having plugged their quads into a 220 outlet, as they were pumping wattage out of their quadage at alarming rates. LuLu, Granny, Keez and Slim must submit to electrical testing next week to verify quadriceps battery implants. It’s a thing.

LuLu took a preliminary Viaduct lap with Gopher as a litmus test for his quadage wattage. All lights were green in their retro red and blue Drafter kits. The boys rolled back in just in time to greet our first Newbie of 2023, Velo. First impressions can say a lot. They can also be misleading. But I think Velo’s character was transparent when he asked, “How does this work? I brought a bike.” That’s all you need, Velo! Draft responsibly.

Both teams picked up strays along the way. The B team started with 7, quickly joined by Duracell who opted out of the group start. “I’m just not photogenic”. There are photos to suggest otherwise. Coach Arms, in her first Drafter appearance since helping her Badger Women’s Hockey team claim their 7th National NCAA title when they upset the Ohio State Buckeyes to win the NCAA National Championship, was a bit late to this game. Once out of the penalty box, she pedaled furiously on her Short Pour route to join her teammates. Missing the cut off, Coach Arms ultimately went the full distance. It’s a great day for Drafting.

The A Team also started with a smaller nucleus of 9 and grew to 13. Cannibal sprung a leak on his commute from the one and only Waunakee, requiring a bike swap. The team car was nowhere to be found on Monday, so Cannibal had to bike back to Waunakee to fetch his N+1, and caught up with the Draft as they headed out Pheasant Branch. It is unclear if this qualifies him for the Flat Tire Club, since technically the flat occurred before the Draft.

Vintage did a rather lengthy “warm up” before joining the Draft. Powering by us the opposite direction, a shout rang out, “HAS ANYONE SEEN MY WIFE?”. An odd inquiry for a Draft.

Slim and Keez were held up with construction on University Ave, coming in hot a few minutes after wheels up. The rabbits saw carrots ahead.

There was a short delay in the A Team departure as the official rule book of cycling etiquette was consulted. Zephyr arrived with legs unshaved AND his front tire tread facing the wrong direction. The right to bear hairy legs was unanimously voted as a Drafter constitutional freedom. However, rubbers on backwards earned a red flag.

Viaduct wasn’t the only thing historic about this Draft. While chasing carrots, Keez and Slim narrowly escaped the wrath of an ankle biter on Viaduct. Only one brand new CamelBak water bottle was lost in the battle. Catching the core of the A Team shortly after Viaduct, Keez was inspired to learn Granny and LuLu were in a breakaway. Wattage pounded from her quadage as she closed the gap.

Another gap was created when Rimshot tangled with some gravel, this one in the right rear compartment of his Drafter kit. If you don’t like the green shorts, just say so! No need shredding a perfectly good kit. As if things couldn’t get worse for Rimshot, Granny, the Drafter Dermatologist on retainer wasn’t sagging back to do wound debridement. Fortunately (?), Z Wrecks stepped up to take down the rubble left “behind”.

The most historic moments of the evening came when the A and B Teams merged. There is no greater feeling than having a unified front.

Viaduct proved to be a historic opening night for bugs. The Drafters got a mouthful of No-see-ums coming home on Pheasant Branch. Um…we see you. And taste you. Despite the additional protein and consumption of carrots, Slim and Keez drafted directly to Lupes, where burritos are king. Consuming burritos amidst hungry Drafters is a powerful marketing strategy. Granny bolted for Lupes 10 minutes before they closed. Several others are scheming to make Lupes a Monday night staple.

Vintage was reunited with Thing 1, and bequeathed her warmth of the Solo Stove. Much discussion was generated on the topic on bequeathing.

A far less academic discussion between medical physicist and engineer took place at a nearby location.

A shout out to many Drafters who competed last weekend in various events. Columbus finished at 50k at the oldest trail race in the world, or at least in North America, Ice Age Trail 50.

To the north, several Drafters narrowly escaped the Hungry Bear in a gravel adventure. Congrats to GFK, Ninja, Belle and Bomber.

Formidable Festge awaits us on Monday May 22. Departures from Middleton Hills will be at 5:15PM and 5:30PM.

RidewithGPS link Drafters | Formidable Festge

LOOKING AHEAD: There will be NO DRAFT on Memorial Day. Take advantage of the day off to go long. The Drafters will change it up a bit when we reunite on Monday June 5, starting and finishing at Crossroads Coffeehouse at 2020 Main St, Cross Plains. A shout out to Speedy’s friend, Kate, who is excited to host us at her recently remodeled establishment, which includes pizza ovens, outdoor seating around fire pits and ICE CREAM at Creekside Scoop. Please don’t BYO but please do bring an appetite and thirst!

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

The Drafters succumbed to two weeks of rainy Mondays. The first was valid. In the prophetic words of the late and great Gordon Lightfoot, “Rainy day people always seem to know when it’s time to call”. 40 degree temperatures made the rainy day call an easy one for Speedy and Duracell. They are in the running with Captain and Tennille for best rain out hosts! Last week was more of a light mist, but “Rainy day people all know how it hangs on a piece of mind” and BrickO’s mind was not in a frame to pedal in the drizzle. Apologies for those who rose above the mist and drafted responsibly.

And a shout out to those with tired legs from extraordinary feats over the past few weeks.

The gravel season is well underway for Belle as she tackled the Driftless 100.

Keez continues to supplement her graduate student income (zero) by sweeping the premier Midwest cycling classic, the LaCrosse Omnium with a second place podium.

Z Wrecks had the best century of his life while racing in Mallorca, disproving the physiological principle that nothing gets better with age.

And climbing her way back from the injured reserve list, kudos to Sandlot for her strength, perseverance and eternal positive attitude.

And with those bursts of inspiration, let’s ride!

There are been two iterations of the Viaduct Route. In order to create more chaos and uncertainly, here is the third and final route, leaving from Middleton Hills and exploring a historic Viaduct and 100 Mile Grove Road.

RidewithGPS link Drafters | Viaduct to 100 Mile Grove

Looking for some more adventures with the Drafters? Consider joining us for the TREK 100 on June 10 and the HORRIBLY HILLY HUNDREDS on June 17. Thanks to the 8 Drafters who courageously volunteered to help with the HHH pre-ride event on May 20th. See you at Blue Mound State Park shelter at 11AM. If you have not enlisted but would like to join the troops, shoot BrickO an email or text. The Skills and Thrills Clinic with Coach Slim of Ascend Performance on May 21st is FULL!! Looking forward to a morning of skills, lunch at Crossroads CoffeeHouse (included), an afternoon ride, followed by pizza at BrickO and Zs.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO