Astronomical spring begins at 5:24 p.m ET on Monday, March 20, 2023, in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the National Weather Service. According to the Executive Board of Drafters, spring begins at 5:30 p.m. CST, Monday, March 20, 2023 in the Northern Hemisphere of Middleton Hills. 19 Drafters enlisted in the inaugural ride, a record setting spring turn out.

Keez, Cujo, Vintage, Cannibal, Rimshot, Blurple, Booker J, Vilks, PitStop, Footer, Squeak, Skipper, JRad, Queenie, Captain Joe, Z Wrecks, Squirrel and Slim. Photo by BrickO.

There was certainly some spring ride shaming that went into to recruiting such a large crew. Here’s an early afternoon exchange between Queenie and BrickO.

With new cleats in place, Queenie proudly rolled in. And then rolled over in the grass, supine with his bike in proud quadruped position. Putting cleats on and securing them are two different things. No Drafters were injured in this demonstration.

There were plenty signs of Drafter green with individual fashion touches to welcome spring. Vintage achieved full man-bun status over winter and conquered the ponytail versus helmet battle. Squirrel opted for a full sail wind breaker, but saved a few grams on socks. Bare ankles to make up for the extra wind resistance on the top half? Seems like a fashionable trade. Squeak arrived with two left gloves. Admittedly, the hand surgeon relies on a sharpie to mark LEFT and RIGHT hands before operating and will consider this practice for her cycling gloves. Pit Stop may borrow that sharpie to mark her bikes, plural. N+1! Same for Cujo, who found a new gold bike at the end of the rainbow.

Several Drafters should be recognized for drafting remotely. Clearly, proper head wear is open for creative interpretation with upside down headbands (LuLu) and lopsided helmets (Cookie Monster’s lil’ Drafters). They got the green right!

Speedy and her lil’ Drafters were accounted for at La Bahn, helping Coach Arms and the Badger Women’s Hockey Team celebrate their 7th National Championship! Congrats on a new record.

Back to the Draft. Goin’ to the Chapel was 3 miles short of the advertised 20 mile route. Blurple figured out the mapping error, which included hill repeats on Woodland. Please see PVL to apply for a job as Assistant Drafter cartographer (Columbus creates flawless maps, which are seemingly used sparingly). BrickO has been fired, again. One climb on Woodland is plenty. No need to add repeats. Sheesh.

While BrickO received a vote of no confidence for her map making skills, Skipper was unanimously voted to remain Drafter Photographer.

And Vilker Drafter whiskey and wine connoisseur. The RAW boys were in fine form Monday night.

The first day of spring also marked the start of another lap around the sun for Slim. Keez was there to light the way, but was a bit confused on the numbers. Those 5’s are difficult directionally. Happy 2Z, Slim!

Z Wrecks broke out a heart sweat and bottle of wine for the occasion.

_______________________________________________________________________________

The route for Monday, March 27 is down relatively short EASY STREET, promising to hit 20+ miles, without hill repeats on Woodland. Departure time 5:30 for all from Captain Joe’s house in Middleton Hills. See GroupMe for details. Tennille regrets to inform the Drafters that her famous risotto will not be served, but hospitality will be otherwise fabulous.

The forecast, however, is predicted to be less than fabulous. Please check GroupMe for updates and cancellations.

RidewithGPS link for Drafters | Easy Street with Captain Joe

Looking to enlist in some longer group rides on road, gravel, dirt or snow? Check these out:

Dairy Roubaix April 22nd

La Crosse Omnium Spring Classic, May 5-7th

The Bear 100 Sat May 6th (gravel race, 3 distances)

Trek 100 Sat June 10th (sign up with the Drafters)

Horribly Hilly Hundreds Sat June 17th

Planning way ahead….. Captain Joe is entertaining a team for the Iditarod Ultra Fat Bike Feb 26

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR DIRTY DRAFT UPDATES (separate GroupMe list) starting as soon as the ground is fully thawed and dried out. Rides will take place on Tuesday evenings from various COPR trail locations. Be sure to renew your membership to support the trails.

Wanna get dirty racing? Consider the Wisconsin Off-Road Series (WORS). Super Q and Vintage are great resources to tap into.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

Not a lick of Irish courses through these veins, but March 17th is a favorite as the Drafter spirit flows through a sea of green. Spring is here so let’s see some green back on the road!

Spring isn’t the only season that brings green. Here are some of many hibernations highlights.

DRAFTER POND HOCKEY with curb side lace tying service by Cannibal and lessons by Speedy. Squirrel and Granny shed their full face masks for the photo.

BADGER HOCKEY with Coach Arms (paying in the Frozen Four today- Go Badgers!).

BIRKIE OR BIRKIE WANNA BE TRAINING

FAT TIRE BIRKIE

Fame strikes as Skipper becomes SINGLETRACKS COVER BOY

And just some good femme fun. More of these to come!

For those re-enlisted, welcome back! For those new to the Draft, we are excited to have you join our community. A few ground rules and expectations:

1. Above all, we are a cycling community. We welcome the fast and the not so fast, and even those who don’t adore and don green, so long as there is a strong passion for pedaling.
2. Departure times are strictly enforced, most of the time. Wheels up at 5:30PM , most often from Glacier Ridge Road in Middleton Hills, but there will be other hosts throughout the season. As the days and routes get longer, there will be a division of “A and B Teams“. The B for Bad Ass group will leave at 5PM to allow extra pedal time. Please self-seed so that you enjoy the Draft.
3. The blog will be the source of important information regarding weekly routes, and other organized cycling events. Each post (one per week) will auto generate an email, of which you can certainly opt out. Are you likely to show up Monday without a clue? Same. Downloading the wordpress app on your phone (you’ll need to create an account, but it is free) will allow quick and easy access to the route in GPS and PDF formats.
4. Please download the GroupMe app on your phone for last minute updates on route changes, draft cancellations, and important birthday notifications. Don’t want the interruption and distraction? Understood. Turn off the notifications but PLEASE check GroupMe before riding in case there are changes. Route updates will NOT be noted on the blog. Contact me if you aren’t on the GroupMe list.
5. Each Drafter has unique goals for the season, but all Drafters must share the following common goals: have fun, avoid injury, improve in some way- be it fitness on the bike or passion for cycling, and love your fellow Drafters, or at least don’t leave them with a flat.
6. Follow the rules of the road. Single file in town, stopping at stop signs. Once we are out of town, riding two wide is acceptable so long as there is not a vehicle back. Pacelines may form when and where appropriate, but ironically are not the mainstay of our Drafters. Always ride within your abilities. Call out potholes and traffic as you see and hear them coming, respectively. Gotta Strava? Do what you need to do, but please don’t interfere with the group ride dynamic.
7. All Drafters are invited to partake in post-draft drafts. BYO lawn chair, beverage, alcoholic or non-alcoholic, and sustenance as desired.

Weather permitting, the first draft will depart from the usual location on Glacier Ridge Road at 5:30PM on Monday March 20th. This is a VERY short route, a little warm up to make sure your bike, legs and cardiovascular system are in working order.

RidewithGPS Link: Drafters |Chapel Ride

Looking forward to our first spring fling.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

Beware listeners: this version has been agnosticated, not out of disrespect for they hymn, but to honor just how amazing the last Draft of 2022 was for 35 Drafters (record tie for the season high).

Amazing draft how sweet the ride
No flats no wrench need be

No one was lost, and beer was found
Was bonked but subs fed me

‘Twas Dunlap Hallow my heart did fear
And quads my fears revered
How precious did those watts appear
The hour I first believed

Through many dangers, toils, and snares
We have already come
This draft that brought me safe thus far
And paceline lead me home

When we’ve ridden five hundred miles
Drafting under the sun
We’ve few more days til’ snow stays
As when we first begun

Amazing draft how sweet the ride
No flats no wrench need be

No one was lost, and beer was found
Was bonked but subs fed me

The next generation of Drafters carries on the spirit.

What started in 2013 as a small group of cyclists who gathered each winter to train indoors has evolved into a Drafter Family of 155. Tracing the cogs back 30 years, Sully is really to be credited as the family matriarch, as she convinced BrickO to give cycling a try (that first ride did not go well).

2022 was a tremendous growth year. And while it is exciting to welcome more cyclists, we must take a moment to remember those who have retired, bought a van and are drafting responsibly across the country. Happy retirement, Slow Cow. His story fittingly made the front page of the WSJ on Sunday, which we read before setting out on our final draft.

The end of the year awards ceremony gave us an ample opportunity to honor and poke fun at many of our Drafters.

Newbies! Along with your Drafter handle, you earned a key to the city. In Drafter speak, that translates into a bottle opener. Welcome Nemo, Pepe, Cujo, GFK, Momma Monster, Nitro, Calico, Venus, Sarge, Zephyr, Knucklehead, Sherpa, Sean Connery, GQ, Gov, Charlotte, Taquito, Comet and Fly Boy Joe .

The 10+ Club. This isn’t a Bo Derek 10. The 10+ club is even hotter. 23 Drafters committed to 10 or more rides during the season. Thanks to our friends at SweatVac for keeping the sweat out of our eyes so we can Draft Responsibly.

Rimshot was the first drafter in history to have perfect attendance, earning him an embroidered foldable cooler/lawn chair to put up his feet after a long draft. The 10+ inductees are: Rimshot, Pit Stop, Duracell, LuLu, Vintage, Speedy, Thing One, Cannibal, Gopher, Cujo, Skipper, Pipes, Z Wrecks, Booker J, Blurple, Queenie, Octane, Nemo, Captain Joe, Footer, Squirrel, Granny and BrickO.

Two Drafters volunteered to host the Monday night ride. Captain and Tennille got a 5 star rating for the risotto. In order to encourage future fine dinning experiences, they were awarded a personalized serving tray.

Cannibal hosted a route with plenty of elevation, and rewarded those thirsty Drafters with his famous garden drinks. May his cup always runneth over.

When Cannibal hosts, the fear of running out of Garden Drinks is real. But there is never a fear of Vilker, Slim and Skipper running out before the beer is gone.

There are always plenty of baked goods to soak up the Garden Drinks and beer. It is rare to have a Draft that results in caloric deficit, thanks to our fine bakers, Gopher, Cookie Monster, Momma Monster and Octane. Personalized aprons will ensure that they bake responsibly.

Fashion is never far from our list of priorities. It is hard to argue Slim’s choice of basketball cotton socks as he is one of the strongest and most accomplished Drafters enlisted. If we can’t convince him to wear cycling socks, we can certainly ensure his cotton crews are Drafter green.

In order to raise awareness and promote women’s cycling, the Drafters hosted their own event concurrent with the Tour de France Femmes, called the Tour de Dane Femmes. We celebrate all of the contenders: Dan-yelly, Coach Arms, Cujo, Belle, Sandlot and BrickO. The podium winners, with jerseys supplied by our friends at Online Cycling Gear, are:

We thought it only just to have a Maillot Silver award for the most “mature” rider. This year, Nemo joined the Draft as a newbie, make the 10+ club, and was 0.32 seconds from claiming the sprinter’s jersey in the Tour de Dane Femmes. As our “most mature” femme, she earned the Maillot Silver jersey. Nemo had to miss the final draft as she was parenting responsibly, but was ready to roll the following Monday.

On the podium: Squeak, Maillot Verde (sprinter’s green jersey); Columbus Queen of the Mountain (polka dot jersey), and our overall winner, Pit Stop, Maillot Jaune (yellow jersey). Congratulations to our Tour de Dane Femmes champions. We are all winners, and if you would like a podium jersey, please use discount code 20%brickson on your next order at OCG.

Also on a podium for World Champion Master’s Barefoot Water Skier, and therefore unable to be at the final Draft, Footer!.

The Drafter organization needs little aside from a posted route and a place to drink beer. People who draft are passionate about biking, but the Drafters are more passionate about looking out for one another. We need more Drafters in the world. What I give each week is very little. What I get each week is priceless. I cannot thank you enough for that, along with the incredibly thoughtful gift basket.

Our Monday night drafts have come to a natural seasonal end, but please join us for the Dirty Draft on Mondays at 5PM as we rotate through the various CORP MTB trails. Once the snow flies, we will Drift Draft on fat bikes until spring, when we will reconvene for our 11th year of drafting responsibly.

BrickO

19 Drafters made their way to the final 2022 destination: the Bridge to Nowhere. The cool of the evening set in as quickly as the light began to fade away.

The B Team was 9 strong. Well, 8 strong and one concussed following a crash. BrickO leaned on Knievel and Z Wrecks for experienced Drafter crash-support.

The Clash (aka the Crash) was running through BrickO’s concussed head as she pondered the Bridge to Nowhere.

Should I stay or should I go now?

If I go there will be trouble (breaking concussion protocol).

And if I stay it will be double (crabby, crabby, crabby).

So come on and let me know.

Should I stay or should I go?

Keez and Slim took the credit for a delayed departure. Keez spent time making sure she looked her Sunday best in her new Drafter kit.

And Slim took this last opportunity to join the Flat Tire Club on his way to the Draft, slowing down the departure as they played musical wheels (a spin off of musical chairs). Slim raided the garage for a spare wheel. Finding none that fit his enormous rotor, Gopher swapped his wheel for one on Z Wrecks’ gravel bike, surrendering his own to make Slim whole. At last, the A Team was off like the wind.

If they A team had delayed any longer, Tick Tock and Sarge could have commuted home from work, changed and joined the draft rather than drafting responsibly together. Could be timing… could be love. Hard to know.

The Drafters were eager to return to base camp and warm up by fire. Gopher is really heating up as he prepares to turn another year older this week! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GOPHER.

We said a final 2022 farewell to Granny and Squirrel, who will be joining Captain and Tennille on a mountain adventure in Montana over the weekend. Granny was presented with the Tour de Femmes Maillot Blanc jersey, gratis of our friends at Online Cycling Gear. Use code for 20%brickson off your Tour de Femmes jersey! The young rider jersey rewards those under 25 (we are raising the bar) who show ambition. Granny earned her handle as a Newbie last year when she wasn’t sure how, why or when to shift out of the small chainring. She’s figured it out, bought a bike that weighs less than she does. WATTS OUT for Granny!

Clean jerseys are one thing. But handling Vilker’s left behind kit required nothing short of a hazmat suit. The embers were still hot enough the next morning to take care of the contamination.

Many of the usual suspects didn’t draft as they were recovering from The Badger Challenge. Congrats to Pit Stop, Nemo, Duchess, Sandlot, Dan-yelly, Pres and Walton on their extraordinary efforts drafting in the rain.

Further north, the Shawano Bike the Barn Quilts event drew a big crowd. The race to the podium for the 70 mile route included 4 contestants, including 3 Drafters: Rimshot, Z Wrecks and BrickO. BrickO almost didn’t make it, after an epic crash half way through the event. It must have been something in the cheese curds at the rest stop.

One crash in 30 years of road riding is not a bad record, especially considering her earlier years. At age 3, in a fit of jealously over her older cousin riding a two-wheel bike (without training wheels), BrickO challenged her to a race down a rather steep hill at the farm, requiring a hard left turn to avoid the Yahara River. The tricycle pedals were faster than BrickO’s little legs could turn (no doubt -you have witnessed her max 70rpm cadence). She abandoned the race and her trike, just as it became airborne and secured a water landing. DNF. The second crash was much more sophisticated. Looking to christen her 10th BD present, a new Ross baby blue 10 speed (after sleeping with the color advertisement for months under her pillow this was a big deal), BrickO thought she would see how many pedal strokes she could achieve. With her eyes closed. Turns out not many due to the parked utility van. Maybe not her first concussion?

Even further north, Squeak was running her 13.1 while her kids were “Kruse’n” to the podium (1st and 3rd). What do they say about picking your parents wisely?

And further to the south in the Big State of Texas, Footer is battling it out for the World Championship Barefoot Title. Catch her live on ESPN 6 between 2 and 3AM lunar time. And we thought women’s cycling was under appreciated….

Lil’ Monster has a Drafter Towel waiting for Footer when she’s done playing in the water. Warning: towels may vary in size.

The FINAL 50 DRAFT and PARTY will take place on Sunday, Oct 2 at 10AM. Spoiler: it is actually 55 miles. Jimmy John’s subs and beer to follow. Please feel free to bring goodies to pass and more beverages as you see fit. If you can’t Draft but want to attend the awards ceremony, please do! The ceremony should start around 1:30PM.

RidewithGPS link to A-Mazo Finale Rox

Next week, Monday night will morph into the Dirty Draft. Our first ride will be Oct 3 at CamRock starting at 5PM at the trail head on Water Street. Come early, come late, but ride the gorgeous trails and stay for beer. We will use GroupMe Dirty Drafters to communicate. Email me if you want to be included. If you enjoy the MTB trails, please consider joining Capital Off Road Pathfinders (CORP). The madcity.com website gives trail condition and other important information. Trails are maintained by volunteers, so your support is appreciated.

But what would I wear, you ask? Gottcha covered, Grinch. Hincapie Drafter MTB jerseys are available through Monday Oct 3 using this link.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

Cycling doesn’t get much grander than Monday night. John Denver wrote a song about it. Sort of.

Almost heaven
West to Cross Plains

Union Valley
20% up Braun Rd
Hills are old there
Older than my knees
Younger ones like Granny
Climbin’ is a breeze

Country roads
Take me home
To the place I belong
West to Cross Plains
Mountain Drafter
Take me home, country roads

24 Drafters chose brawn over brains. Footer left ahead of the B Team. This Drafter has places to be, World Championships to win. Good luck next week, Footer!

Dan-yelly made the 4:30 departure with seconds to spare, “Sorry I’m late. It was hard to leave the meeting I was running.”

The B Team welcomed a Newbie, Fly Boy Joe, to the Draft. Fly Boy was found drafting alone on Airport Rd. Adhering to the bylaws, “No Drafter Left Behind”, the B team took Fly Boy under their wing, flew him up Braun and back to Middleton.

Skipper’s absence means the actions photos are limited. But fear not, the past two weekends have been rich with Drafter activities.

The post-Draft shenanigans was not lacking in chocolate chip cookies, thanks to Cujo. Her right biceps were particularly prominent, evidence of mixing the cookie dough by hand. Not owning a mixer leaves a smaller carbon footprint and a larger biceps brachii.

As the days are getting shorter and the nights cooler, the Monday night Drafts are coming to a natural end. The ride for Monday Sept 26 is the Tom Collins 28-mile route past the bridge to nowhere. Departure times 4:30 and 4:45.

RidewithGPS link to Tom Collins and the Bridge to Nowhere

The Drafter Final 50 will be on Sunday, Oct 2 at 10AM. This will be a 50ish mile route through Mazo, Roxbury and Lodi. A celebration with awards will follow. As Captain Joe won’t be in attendance, he received his award last night- a serving platter “Captain and Tennille. Draft Responsibly” as a token of our appreciation for hosting the draft AND serving delicious risotto.

A recap of the past two weekends is in order. Congratulations to Pit Stop and Granny on their 70.3 performance. Pit Stop took the cycling leg on her relay team, and earned the respect of The Voice for Ironman. Granny took no prisoners, placing top 10 in her age group without the help of aerobars. Arguably the most successful triathlete of the weekend was Squeak. The full Ironman took place on Sunday, during a steady rain that lasted the entire day. Reports of it being among the top 4 worst IM conditions in the history of triathlon ran rampant. Squeak wisely decided that would be the only thing running. With nothing left to prove other, she chose to draft responsibly.

Further north, Special K laid down the gavel on Ride the Ridges.

The Drafters have been making an impression off road as well. WARNING: the following video is not intended for young audiences. The mullet and porn stache have not hurt Vintage’s rating on the charts as this video has gone viral.

Vintage isn’t the only playing dirty. Momma and Poppa Monster welcomed the crew to the Dirty Drafter Den in northern WISCO for the Chequamegon MTB Festival

The deluge hit towards the end of the Short and Fat/Smart route, making sure every Dirty Drafter earned their title. One might think the rain ruined the ride. On the contrary. The mud made it all the more fun. Momma Monster, who just recently bought a mountain bike, said it best, “This ride was worth the cost of my MTB.” A shout out to Skipper who is largely to blame for our dirty addiction.

The Chequamegon 40 Drafters got a full blast of Mother Nature. Bomber had a plane to catch, so the sluggish mud left him in a time crunch. Poppa Monster came to the rescue, cleaning Bomber’s bike while he showered up and made the mad dash to the airport. Can you imagine a flight to Spain looking like this?

Sir BrickO-lot. Little in the middle but she’s got big back.

With every season, turn, turn, turn. As Monday night road rides come to an end, we will continue with the Dirty Draft. And beyond that into winter, the Drift Draft. Be sure to join the Dirty Draft GroupMe if you are interested in details.

Draft responsibly,
BrickO

27 Drafters tackled a ferocious head wind on the way out of town. Dobie Grey had something to sing about as Z Wrecks and Slim pulled the B and A teams out Schneider Rd:

Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock ‘n’ watt and draft away
Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock ‘n’ watt and draft away

Bond has been riding out west on a secret mission this season, but a new, older Bond joined the Draft. Welcome Sean Connery!

The A Team was treated to a cameo appearance by Sandlot, who has been battling her way back from a nasty knee injury sustained skiing. Despite missing breakfast and lunch, Sandlot found an ounce of extra body fat in her big toe for fuel. With Draft protection offered by Vintage and Cujo, she exceeded her goal of an out and back 10 miler and rode full strength with her drafter family.

Booker J held up the Draft as he needed a hot minute to apply at least three different sprays, lotions and creams. He is currently seeking start up funds for development of the Booker J Spray– a product that combines sunscreen, chamois cream and preparation H all into one easy body application.

Slim’s legs (not slim legs) provide safe passage into the head wind, as many of the other Drafters were spent from weekend shenanigans. Credit to LuLu for the following Drafter photos. Not included in the photo session is Super Q, who was drafting serendipitously and joined the Draft for a good chunk on KP and Otto Kerl. Always great to have those quads take a pull.

Slim wasn’t the only power in the house. It was good to have B2 Bomber back in Drafter flight.

The climbs up Enchanted Valley and Schuman always leave us breathless, both due to the elevation and the beauty. This time, Schuman also provided an unanticipated cheering section!

Kilo Watt has been absent from the Draft, but she took time out from mowing the lawn to cheer on the Drafters as they crested the hill.

IN WEEKEND NEWS: Congrats to Vintage on his WORS race. Vintage also deserves a letter of apology from the editor. Apparently, the mechanical debacle with T1’s bike last week was not entirely his fault. Noted.

Keez’s quad low battery light was also on as she had raced her heart out at the Maple Grove Triathlon on Saturday, representing UW-Madison Triathlon Club at Collegiate Club Championship. The Badgers took 1st overall team and Keez took second in the female division. Go Badgers!

Special mention (because there are no photos) to Loose Screw for competing and competing in the Core4 Gravel race in Iowa. In the other direction, Dan-yelly and Tobacco City Boy are representing the Drafters in the UP while LuLu was learning just how steep climbs can get in British Columbia. He might not be KOM, but he is on top of the world.

IMPORTANT DRAFTER NEWS: Hincapie kits are en route. Please check your email for tracking information from FedEx. If you do not anticipate being at home on the date of delivery to sign for your package, you can opt for indirect signature. It works about 50% of the time, sort of like marriage and weather forecasting.

There is no formal Draft on Labor Day.

The Final 50 and End of The Season Drafter party (although the season never ends, it just morphs into MTB and then fat biking) will be on Sunday, Oct 2 at 10AM. Awards to follow.

Sunset is going to make rides over 30 miles dangerous. WHEELS UP AT 4:45 AND 5:00PM, SHORT POUR and FULL STRENGTH, respectively. If work prohibits a 5PM start time, please consider riding the alternative (short pour) route at 5:30. It is only 2 miles, but (a little) less demanding.

Both routes include Braun Rd. The full strength route tackles the backside, which includes a 20% section, and extends the route home to include a few more climbs. The short pour tackles Braun the “normal” way, which is a bit less steep, and retraces the route home on Airport Rd (one of our earliest routes in the season).

Full strength RidewithGPS Link Backwards Brawn No Brains 30 miles

PDF Map and Cue sheet download for Backwards Brawn No Brains

Short Pour RidewithGPS Brains and Brawn 28 miles

Map and Cue sheet download for Brains and Brawn

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

WARNING: the following may contain numerous typos, non-sensical lyrics from a favorite Bob Seger song and stream of consciousness lacking hilarity, cleverness or any other form of entertainment value. There are reasons, none valid, but plentiful. My apologies, Mr. Seger. You deserve better.

On a long and lonesome highway
East of Middleton
You can listen to his engine
Moanin’ out his big gear song
You can think about the Drafters
Or the ride you had the night before
But your thoughts will soon be wandering
The way they always do
When you’re ridin’ thirty-six miles
And there’s much pedalin’ to do
And you don’t feel much like quitin’
You just wish the hill was through

See here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up in’ the watts
Here I go
Playin’ bikes again
There I go
Turn the pedal

26 Drafters conquered Easy Street. The excel spread sheet with that data was consulted 3 times in the last 30 seconds to verify the head count. Because I can hold a number in my head for less than the time it takes to look at the spread sheet and bounce back to the blog. Sad. True. And not improving with age. The B for Bad A** Team had 10 little Drafters went out to ride. Seven opted for the short pour and then there were nine. Or three. But that doesn’t work with the rhyme. Z Wrecks, Loose Screw and Pepe led the XY-Z full strength crusade.

No wonder the XY-Zs rode separately from the XXs. Who would want to bare arms with these two women?

Not Tick Tock and Sarge. They decided to start and finish a few blocks away.

The A team was missing a few due to tired legs post Race the Lake (Cannibal, Blurple, Sandals, Zephyr, maybe Rimshot and many others who I’m sure I’ve missed) and Ride Across Wisconsin (Special K).

Fashion models of the week go to Gopher and Pipes. There isn’t photo evidence of Pipes, but imagine a pair of denim shorts over cycling shorts. Her drafting prowess may be questionable, but this 2 time Olympian (silver and bronze, just shy of gold, but what’s the big deal over a fraction of a second? Second, apparently) was bragging to Midas about her incredible gold medal ball handling skills. Back yard banter.

Siri: What is the meaning of flamingo dance?

1 : a vigorous rhythmic dance style of the Andalusian Gypsies also : a dance in flamenco style. 2 : music or song suitable to accompany a flamenco dance.

The sock fashion game is really heating up. Skipper brought Slim a pair Pseudo Sue socks, which will be a dramatic improvement from his white Nike cotton basketball crew socks- a different kind of dinosaur. When you put out big watts, you can get away with wearing whatever socks you please.

The draft was relatively Easy, with only 3 “real hills”. Keez pointed out that BrickO qualifies a hill as being above a 10% grade, and regardless of how many occur on a single road, they count as one.

The only real excitement was a flying Squirrel sighting, or perhaps it was a heron, or a crane? Hard to tell. We can rule out flamingo.

Cannibal wins the Moulin Rouge award, which is much more prestigious than the Lanterne Rouge award. He went back for Booker J, who decided to use his two-wheeled machine like a scooter rather than a bicycle up climb on the Madigan Rd. Clipless pedals can be tricky, Booker J.

Vintage was so busy pre-drafting that he forgot to submit a service ticket for Thing 1’s bike. While still falling short of his mechanical duties as husband, it is a dramatic improvement over last week when he left her chainless. Some husband leave their wives breathless. Resourceful, T1 found some dirt to play in.

Thing 1 isn’t the only one playing in the dirt. Two thumbs up for our Little Dirty Drafters.

Also playing in the dirt, or at least the dusty gravel was our long long Drafter, Slow Cow. Perfect timing for a reunion, as BrickO joined the Flat Tire club drafting responsibly on the Badger State Trail with Ma Brick. In exchange for using Slow Cow’s tire pump (CO2 misfires are no joke), a flat tire changing clinic ensued. Slow Cow is now a card carrying member. And vowed to Draft this coming Monday (not starting from Free House, as he did in his previous attempt).

ANNOUNCEMENTS: The end of the year Drafter 50 mile ride will take place on Sunday, Oct 2. Awards to follow. There will be NO DRAFT on Labor Day, Sept 5.

The ride for Monday, Aug 29th will be the Pine Loop.

RidewithGPS link for Pine Loop.

Download map and cue sheet.

Draft responsibly,
BrickO

The Drafters reached new heights on Monday as attendance soared to 35! Both teams were kitted up and eager to pump some wattage through their quadage on the western front.

19 Bad-Assadors enlisted for the short pour. Dan-yelly and Ditch were off like a shot before the camera crew arrived.

Speedy, Duracell and Nemo came in so hot Nemo’s bike was flaming red. The crew picked up Queenie who was jammin’ down the street. All tardiness sins were washed away with confession at Church. Z Wrecks and Knievel pulled a stunt and rode full strength, clearing 7 deer who ran out on Moe Rd.

The A Team wasn’t entirely innocent. As Thing 1 was all dressed up with no chain to go, which she didn’t realize until attempting to roll out of the garage. Vintage’s penance for chain thievery was paid by riding 47 miles before Drafting, keeping him right on the edge. Vilks definitely missed out on an opportunity there.

The A Team did a fly by on Airport Rd to give Zephyr a lift. Never discount the draft protection of somebody over 6 feet tall. Skipper was able to capture the essence of the Draft in heavenly light.

Weekend Events: Congrats to Bomber and Belle on their SBT GRV race! Brutal.

A very Happy Birthday this week to our Tobacco City Boy.

The days are getting cooler (yeah) and shorter (boo), and so will our routes to keep us in before dark. The routes for Monday August 22 will take us north through Dane. Departure times are 5PM and 5:30PM. There are 30 and 36 miles options for the short pour and full strength, respectively. If there are concerns about getting in before dark, please do not hesitate to form your own drafter until with an earlier start. For the sake of trying to heard cats, the official times are 5 and 5:30PM.

RidewithGPS link 100 Miles to Easy St SHORT POUR

Download PDF map and cue sheet short pour:

RidewithGPS link Viaduct 100 Mile to Easy St FULL STRENGTH

Download PDF map and cue sheet full strength:

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

In order to provide the best service possible, there are two services on Monday.

The 5PM service will be a bit shorter confession ( 33.5 miles).

RidewithGPS link to Confession Shorter Church Session

PDF map and cue sheet to download for short pour

The 5:30 service will be a bit longer (40 miles) and is worth the extra time. Of course, if you arrive at 5PM and want to stay for the 40 mile service, please do so.

RidewithGPS link to Moe Church

PDF map and cue sheet to download for full strength

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

You can take BrickO out of the Drafter but you can’t take the Draft out of the Drafters. Slim and Keez stepped up Monday night to host the Draft, wrangling 27 Drafters north to conquer Black Hill. Wrangling Drafters is easier than herding cats, including Calico, our newbie Drafter. Welcomeow.

Pres and Walt made their 2022 debut with the B for Bad A** team. Knievel rode strong without pulling any stunts requiring medical attention. Missing from the group was Loose Screw, as he was celebrating his birthday responsibly.

Keez provided a strong pull, although perhaps not always in the right direction. Apple. Tree.

The A Team was light on numbers for women, but those women were not short on watts. Granny and Thing 1 represent the finest in female physicians and watt output, brains and brawn.

All made it back to base camp safely. There was a RAW reunion with plenty of ruckus. Videos were sent and will not be posted.

A shout out to a few Drafters on their weekend activities. Keez and Cujo rocked age group national championships in Milwaukee. Not the same age group.

Footer locked in two gold medals and is the overall champion for her division at Barefoot Nationals. Her husband, the Legend, took silver in the UW Open Pro Top Division, and son H earned two silvers. That’s a footin’ family!

Z Wrecks, Vilks and Z finished matched miles with degrees at the Dairyland Dare and lived to drink another beer. Due to some faulty map reading, the crew finished the 150k in a record 65 miles. Keez comes by her directional impairment honestly. They did an illegal U-turn just before the finish timing mat and dutifully set back out to recover their missing miles. Integrity over intelligence, in this case?

Ninja, with out Green Bay cohort, also bleed green in the heat and recovered responsibly.

Sending good vibes to Belle and Bomber as they face the SBT GRVL this weekend!

CONGRATS to LuLu and Columbus on their NEW HOME. Roof responsibly.

Monday Aug 15 Confession: we are taking the shorter route to Church and not feeling guilty. This is a 33 mile route without any super obvious short pour option.

RidewithGPS link to Confession: Shorter Church Session

Map and Cue sheet PDF

Draft responsibly,

BrickO