17 Drafters came out to play. The sky looked ominous but they rode on anyway.

Cycling to the start, Herbie was nearly the casualty of a woman hurrying to get the mail.

Hammer Time arrived late and had to make bail.

Her penance was pulling BrickO all the way to Riley. Wheeee…..she said, all smiley.

One new Drafter joined the crew. From here on out, handle GQ.

Threading the needle, the Drafters missed the rain.

Twinkle Toes scorched the route without breaking a chain.

Griz came out of hibernation for his first draft of the season. Winter is coming, seems to reason.

Velo made crepes with jam and hazelnut butter. Making Marcé great again, he was heard to utter.

Pepe, Billy Boy and Loose Screw opted for an alternative route on Monday, climbing Pienza and Montalcino. Word has it they drafted responsibly.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS: Congrats to Pit Stop, McGritty and Shaq for completing a century over the weekend.

USA Gravel Nationals in La Crescent, MN was enjoyed by a few Drafters. Congrats to Spigot, Hammer Time and BrickO. Only one was brave enough to take on the Tilt-A-Whirl. This ride sponsored by Dramamine.

Columbus and Gopher ran the Yellow River Half Marathon, with nearly 2000 feet of climb. By foot or by bike, when in doubt….. CLIMB.

Tour de Dane Femmes Final Results

It was a wild tour, with the green and polka dot jerseys changing shoulders several times. The yellow jersey was never in doubt. Cujo started the Tour with the Dairyland Dare, and finished with Wright Stuff Century, accumulating 1114.35 miles in the month of August! BrickO was a distant second with 720 miles. Speedy lived up to her name during Stage 4, with a Stagecoach Sprint time of 2:38, 13 seconds faster than any other Femme! During a post-race interview, the Speedster credited Crossroads Coffeehouse for their double espresso for fueling her sprint. Speedy also recruited her son to do a stage, his first time riding the road clipped in. This is the spirit of cycling! Hammer Time left no doubt about the polka dot jersey, climbing Stage 8 Alp d’ Blue segments in 19:20, with the next Femme enduring 41seconds more of pain. Hammer’s selfie on top has been touted as the Mona Lisa of Blue Mounds. Shaq was prolific in pink, spreading cycling love throughout the community. From local bike and coffee shops to DNR kiosks, she brought cheer and left beer. While several Femmes accumulated all 45 pink points, Shaq’s touch reached the furthers corners of Dane County. This was the first Tour for newbies Sweeps and Ruby, who conquered more than miles. Congratulations to all of our Tour de Dane Femmes!

NO DRAFT MONDAY SEPTEMBER 29. A Monday draft on Oct 6 will be weather and daylight dependent, and will be posted on GroupMe.

The Drafter Finale will take place on Sunday, Sept 28 in Ridgeway. There is limited driveway parking, so please park on the west side of Ridgevue Road, south of Dream Acres. Bring a lawn chair and a lunch for after the ride, and hiking shoes if you would like to explore the springs and cave. See GroupMe for the address.

There are short pour and full strength routes.

Full strength 10:00AM departure, 45 miles.

RidewithGPS link: Drafters : Dream Acres Finale

Short pour 10:30AM departure, 31 miles.

RidewithGPS link: Drafters | Dream Acres Finale Short Pour

Draft responsibly,

BrickO