February 29th isn’t the only oddity in the calendar this year. Fat bike season came and went, with my new 45NRTH Wolfgar boots still in the box. There was a small widow where Lake Mendota (mostly) froze over and the most daring (and light weight) Drafters took to the ice, with water wings and PFDs in their packs.

Ice is still solid at the UW LaBahn Arena. As are Coach Arms and the Badger Women’s Hockey Team! Some Drafters came out to cheer them on against St. Cloud and St. Thomas.

Some Drafters found man made snow to complete the Birkie. But they may have used it all up….

The Fat Tire Birkie, scheduled for next weekend, is entertaining swapping studded tires and snow for knobby tires and gravel.

On a more positive note, with a handful of days in February in the upper 60s, many Drafters were seen riding on the road baring arms.

It appears the season was fruitful one way or another.

NOTE: these two glorious events are not sequential or related. Can you guess who drafted responsibly?

The Garage Band broke up, but a new indoor group rose from the ashes. A huge sweaty thanks to DJ Jazzy for letting us draft responsibly over the winter. If the Monday weather pattern continues, the members of this indoor group will take their show on the road on March 4th to wrap up their season. And with that…

Look for the regular drafter season to start on Monday March 11th at 4:30PM. In the early rides, there will be only one group. As the days grow longer, we will shift the start times to 5 and 5:30PM with A and B teams. Be sure to come well lit (as in blinky lights) and BYO beverages for the post-draft draft. Solo stove and heat lamps provided, but bring your own lawn chair.

As is tradition, the first draft will be a 25 mile southernly route to Riley Tavern.

RidewithGPS Link Drafters | Riley Tavern

Cancellations due to in climate weather and route changes will be announced via Drafter GroupMe. When in doubt, text BrickO. Alternatively, when in doubt, climb. That is the motto for our 2024 Hincapie kit.

Link to the Hincapie Team Store will be posted as soon as the graphics are done for the bibs/shorts. Despite the popular request for white bibs/shorts, they will most likely definitely be black. The ponytail on the rider on the rear pocket will only be available in the female jerseys. Sorry, Vintage.

Please note: if there is something you would like other than a kit (polar jacket, wind jacket, vest), PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP. Also, if you would like to try on sizes before ordering, PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP so that a sizing kit can be ordered before the store opens. The sizing is the same as past years. You can choose between Velocity (race cut) or Axis (club cut). We have not offered the highest pro line (Signature Collection) due to cost, but if you are interested, please let me know. Lastly, Hincapie has a new gravel line of clothing that I might make available, if there is interest. Check out the different lines here.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO