14 Drafters sang this song by the Lovin’ Spoonful:

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck gettin’ dirty and gritty
Been down, isn’t it a pity?
Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city
All around, people lookin’ half dead
Walkin’ on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head

But Monday night, it’s a different world
Go out and find a ride
Come on, come on, and draft all night
Despite the heat, it’ll be alright
And babe, don’t you know it’s a pity
The days can’t be like the nights
In the summer in the city
In the summer in the city

The bar was open, but no shots were ordered. There were two takers for the short pour.

Kudos to Z for making the leap when he discovered the B Team had transitioned to the AC Team. There was a strong showing for the A for Acclimated Team. GQ was fearful is pretty face would melt, and Car Wash certainly did his best to keep his friend hosed down. Dr. Dewey, Z and BrickO broke the wardrobe code but beat the heat putting on a gun show. Rimshot was lobbying for a hydration break at Missouri Tavern, and was last been seen riding home on the bike path. It is possible there was a shot ordered after all?

Duracell get’s full credit for drafting full strength, with a permissible head start as he was needed home for parental Uber duty.

The heat advisory wasn’t issued for the temperature, but for Speedy looking cool and ridin’ hot on her new fire engine red Madone.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

LuLu and Vintage did some aerodynamic testing. Turns out the kitchen sink has more drag than anticipated.

Congrats to Gopher on his Olympic distance Triterium triathlon. His pace picked up after this HIGH-FIVE from his #1 fan.

CONGRATS to Grit and JR, Herbie and Tank on their SBT GVL victories. A win for sure finding a window without the fires threatening air quality.

The SpokeNFour reunion was in full swing at CamRock. Sadly, it ended in one wing in a full sling. Sending Slim healing wishes for his next flight.

So much green. Feeling left out? The HINCAPIE STORE is now reopened through July 4th. at midnight. PLEASE note when ordering there are options for jerseys: Velocity (race fit) or Axis (club fit). Bibs come in race or endurance (side pockets) and 2 inseam lengths. Link to Drafter store. Looking to make a deal? New, never worn women’s medium bib (2025 logo) and men’s medium axis jersey (2026 logo). Contact BrickO (or Watson and Hawkeye, respectively through GroupMe).

HAVE A SAFE JULY 4th WEEKEND! Ready to take the INDEPENDENCE CHALLENGE?

Not sure of the logistics, but gonna run with this half baked idea. Octane, Momma Monster and Spigot are the bakers, so I welcome there ideas on how to perfect this challenge. I suspect most of you equate riding with freedom, and given our country’s 250 anniversary, it seems fitting to link the two. Send BrickO via email or text (not GroupMe, please) a photo of you on a bike that gave you a sense of flying, freedom, or pure joy. If you have a Junior Drafter and want to share their first moment of movement freedom on two wheels, that would be great. These will be posted in an Independence Day Edition. Or something like that. TBD. Here’s a preview.

July brings the Draft back to Crossroads Coffeehouse in Cross Plains. No pizza, but there should be beer on tap. The bridge on KP is still out, so please note the routes are Creekside version 2.0. Full strength 39.7 miles and short pour 28.1 miles options. There is rumor of a KickAssKK return, so saddle up.

RidewithGPS Link: Drafters | Creekside 2.0 ShortPour Departure time 5PM

RidewithGPS Link: Drafters | Creekside 2.0 B team 4:45, A team 5PM

Draft responsibly,

BrickO