A tour through the Historic Viaduct under the Wisconsin and Southern Railroads seems a fitting route for next week as 21st century technological challenges plagued the Drafters on Monday. Let’s revisit the historical events leading up to the posting of GPX files and uploading, downloading or otherwise off loading them to Garmin.

Back in the days of the original draft, a cartographer was employed to create routes. She set out with a paper map, the kind one used to carry in their horse drawn buggy and ultimately in the glove box of their gas powered vehicle. With pencil in hand, routes were carefully crafted by trial and error. Route lines were traced along roads in red Sharpie on a clean map. Fresh typewriter ribbon at the ready, a list of turns and road names were typed out and placed with double-sided tap along side the map. A Xerox copy was made and then shrunk, and shrunk, and shrunk again until 4 maps could be placed in the Xerox machine and printed on one sheet of paper, then cut down to pocket size maps for each Drafter. It was discovered that maps printed on regular paper did not withstand the salt concentration of human sweat (for sure not Octane’s fuel), and so lamenation became necessary.

During that time in history, few Drafters survived over the age of 40, and so presbyopia was not a concern. As the lifespan of those enlisted exceeded the ability of their eyes to focus on nearby objects, maps became unreadable, and hence the impetus for data files to be born our of necessity. And so the Drafters moved into the new technological era, trading square wheels for tubeless tires, Xerox for GPX, and laminated cards for Garmin computers. As history teaches us, change is the only constant, and change requires adaptation. And so here we are on a Monday night…. with a new set of technological challenges.

It all started with a failed reconnaissance mission. These typically takes place over the weekend to ensure safe passage for the Drafters on Monday. However, the recon mission for Bridge to Nowhere failed as the crew was called away to do reconnaissance for the upcoming Horribly Hilly Hundreds in Blue Mounds. Shout out to Bomber, Octane, Z Wrecks and Shaq for their efforts.

Fortunately, we have a man on the inside (merci, Bomber) who got wind of road construction starting on Hwy 19, interfering with our scheduled route to The Bridge to Nowhere. A press release with a new route, Backdoor Riley, was sent out using cutting edge technology via the GroupMe app. But GroupMe has its limitations, as it requires attentiveness to incoming messages, and to be fair, many of the messages are non-essential. The Drafters are looking into chip implants with route change updates that cannot be missed.

Captain Joe is no stranger to technology when it comes to flying with a Garmin. But this was his first Draft using Garmin technology on a bike. There were no issues downloading the Bridge to Nowhere route onto his Garmin…. but like his teammate, Duracell, the GroupMe message broadcasting change of venue did not reach its target.

Vintage, an iconic name for this blog, trusted his memory rather than technology for time of departure. Which was not at 5:30PM. He drafted responsibly, alone, but joined the group post-draft with champagne.

Our last technological blunder came from Gopher, who got the memo on route change from Bridge to Nowhere to Riley, but missed the Backdoor cue. Staying true to the Drafter code, Captain Joe, Z Wrecks and Tinker followed Gopher through the front door to Riley Tavern.

Luckily, when it came to the first Draft for Gopher’s daughter, he made no mistakes and drafted responsibly.

Despite the technological set backs, 22 Drafters started at various times and made it safely back to base camp.

The B-Team welcomed back Presley and her blue suede shoes and newbie Grit. She came with her handle, a rare occasion when one isn’t assigned at boot camp. Fitting that she joined McGritty on her first expedition. This group had to rely on McGritty for coordinates. Presley did download the route, but got a Garmin error message, “course corrupt”. Shaq, too, loaded the course but her Garmin did a wild Ivan and directed her in contradictions. Grit couldn’t get her Garmin and phone to connect, and so the course couldn’t not be transmitted other than in morse code.

The A Team had to be photographed in two parts, since the photographers ability to work the panorama feature on the iphone was limited. DJ Jazzy joined the fleet on route so is not pictured. NOTE: right and left wing does not have a political connotation.

With the long light at Parmenter and Donna, it was tempting to refuel at Culvers. The 4 Gravel Grinders set a blistering pace, and a chocolate malt would have done wonders for those of us trying to keep up with Slim, Keez, Granny and Squirrel.

Fueled by bourbon aged porter the day before, Vilks had a strong showing. It was Vilks and Keez in a break away for the gold, until they hit red.

All is well that ends well.

It is sooooo good to have Keez back behind bars. There was a great post by Wisconsin Bike Fed recently that I’d encourage you to check out. She is one dot amongst too many. Thank you for Drafting Responsibly. It is an honor to be part of such a group of cycling enthusiasts and advocates.

Next week we will offer a short pour for those who prefer not to ride double fisted. The route starts and finishes the same, with a few less miles (just under 30). Both routes include passing through the Historic Viaduct under the Wisconsin and Southern Railroads.

Departure times are 4:45 and 5PM, regardless of route. Or, you can choose your own time and adventure like Vintage and Duracell.

RidewithGPS | Viaduct Short Pour

The full strength ride offers 34 miles of smiles.

RidewithGPS Drafters | Viaduct to 100 Mile Grove

For those who ordered new Drafter gear from the Hincapie Team Store, be sure to check your email for shipping updates from FedEx. As these kits are made in and sent from Columbia, they require a signature (perhaps an international rule?) BUT you can click “manage” and provide an indirect signature if you won’t be home.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO