It has come to my attention that since my Formidable Festge recon mission, Enchanted Valley has become a dienchanting cycling experience.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO
Thirteen Drafters pedaled toward the light. Amen. Hallelujah. Technically, only a dozen Drafters actually made it to Church. Skipper, despite extending the route to 70miles, took a wrong turn and never made it to Church. Instead, he was christened into the 2020 Flat Tire Club. A former champion of the Flat Tire Club, he lost his way but is now home. Please pay attention to his calories “consumed.”
Successful Churchgoers pictured below.
Climate change may not account for hell freezing over. The appearance of the Dark Drafter may be a more probable cause. We’ve waited a very long time for the return of the Dark Knight. He made one appearance before the Drafters became an offical franchise in 2013, sanbagging his way to the yellow jersey. One and done, he went out on top. And now he’s back.
The Dark Drafter does need a little green. Pipes’ daughter, Pipette, has a solution. References upon request.
The ride next week will meet the Formidable Festge. This is more of a “hub” type route, intended to provide opportunities to venture off on various spokes. Footer and Skipper have been indulging in extra miles (like 70 of them), and I would hate to cramp their drafting style with a piddly 32 mile excursion. The photo destination is the Festge park sign at the top of Scherbel Road. You should appreciate the generosity of adding a slight detour on Cleveland Rd and Deer Run Rd, adding a little appetizer before the 20% entree.
Download PDF cuesheet and map: Formidable Festge
Off the road and on to trail news, the inagural Dirty Draft at Pleasant View was quite pleasant. We started with 9, and ended with 8. An additional equiment failure category will be added to the year end awards ceremony to recognize the broken spoke. Better a broken spoke than a broken bone, right Z Wrecks? Let’s get dirty again tomorrow (Wednesday). Look for confirmation on GroupMe. Meet at the end entrance of Blackhawk at 5PM. Or, if you are Vintage and Thing 1, meet at the John Muir trails to get dirty.
Other news: the Hincapie order has shipped and should arrive tomorrow. Be sure to manage your FedEx account for indiriect signature if you won’t be home. Because there are so, so many other places to be during lockdown.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO
I’d like to blame the quarantine for holding my memory captive, but I’m afraid being on the backside of this century may have more to do with my forgetfulness. 13 Drafters rocked Roxbury. 11 on the blog+ Footer + Slinger = 13. Here’s “two” my math and memory improving.
Sully and her Spotted Cow are ready to roll.And highlight another Drafter inductee.
Look for a boot-propelled strider and moose-mobile drafting with TCB and Dan-yelly.Draft responsibly,
BrickO
13 Draftess Drafters rocked 3000 feet of climb on the Roxbury route and lived to tell the tale. And there are tales to tell:
Pit Stop and Surly are RN heros on the front line and in Drafter line to climb Dunlap Hollow. Check out the 5″ fatty tires on the Surly. As if the climb isn’t hard enough…. hero all around.
Warped sense of fun.
Thing 1 was indoctrinated to the thrill of victory and the agony of Di2. Always check your electronic shifting charge before heading out to climb 3000 feet. Vintage has a full charge for Katzenbuechel, opting to ride the course in reverse to play favorties with the wind direction.
Still happy. Easterly winds and a few wrong turns later, smiles were traded for tears.Cycling with one’s spouse in “normal times” can be a wonderful opporutnity to keep the magic brewing. During times of the pandemic, it means more…. Til Dunlap do us part. Duchess and Sandlot, BrickO and Z rewnew their vows.
Z and BrickO ponder their vows.
The pandemic has also impacted cycling as a retreat for parents from their beloved offspring. The Drafter of the Week explains in video clip below:
Tobacco City Boy tries to break away but is quickly caught.
Dan-yelly can’t overpower the rubber boot propelled strider bike.There will be a time and place next week to renew vows as the route will Take Me To Church, Fo Sho. That’s urban speak for Forshaug, a gnarly little climb after the uphill battle to Vermont Church. Time to earn that holy water of the Gods.
Holy WaterCross your fingers that this will be one of our last Draftless rides.
Garmin link: Take Me To Church
PDF map and cue sheet download: Take Me To Church
Wednesday May 5, the draft will get dirty, pending dry trails (it is currently drizzling). Please click on these links to 1) consult the madcitydirt website for trail conditions, and 2) pay your CORP dues. Mountain bike action starts at Pleasant View trail head at 4:30. We will then ride to Blackhawk east parking lot (ski jump) to round up more Drafters at 5PM. Updates will be posted on GroupMe, NOT the blog. If you are intereseted in getting dirty and not on GroupMe, let me know.
Skipper, BrickO and Footer get dirty at CamRock. Well, technically, BrickO is the only one who came in contact with terra firma. Crash pads have been ordered. **NOTE: Hincapie order should ship today. Keep an eye out for an email with FedEx tracking information.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO
Oops. I really upped my game this week by including a formal cue sheet. And then forgot to attach it. Did I mention my secretary is on furlough? Or maybe I knocked a screw loose riding the new Saris platform?
In any event, Rockin’ Roxbury v2 is fortuitous as Duchess also had a forgetful Go Fish moment.
PDF map and cue sheet (for real): Rockin’ Roxbury
Draft responsibly,
BrickO
A half-dozen Drafters decided to Go Fish! Nothing clever in this post. Just the bare bones.
Bare Bones Post
Intimidator. Skipper dares you to Go Fish.Slow Cow meandered through the the countryside, seeking friends of his own kind rather than fish. Thanks for letting us know you are still out there wandering.
GPS Link: Rockin’ Roxbury
PDF cue sheet and map download: Rockin-_Roxbury
A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Pipes, making it clear past the half century mark. What you can do once, you can do again (maybe not two Olmpic medals, and hopefully not the scaphoid fracture with a bike tip-over part).
Pipes flashes her new birthday suit, price tag and all. Draft responsibly,
BrickO
What travels over 40 mph and generates less watts than a light bulb? Bob Dylan knows.
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind
No credit can be taken for choosing a route with a tail wind to deliver us home, but I will claim it anyway. 15 Drafters showed Brains and Brawn on a climb that ruthlessly “levels out” at 14% before nipping at the quads with a 15% bite.
Captain Joe shows his true colors before unleashing his brawn on Braun. A few Drafters have room for improvmenet when it comes to showing their true colors. Where’s the green???
Octane remembered his water bottle but forgot his brain bucket. Foiled to conquer Braun, he headed back home and filled his bucket with a double rainbow.
We have submitted a funds request for a babysitter in next year’s Drafter Budget. Dan-yelly and TCB were spotted Drafting together on Monday near their home in Oregon. Who is watching their children? And the beer frigde? It isn’t Longtable, but it is impressive.
Drafter of the Week winner(s) are rich with something much greater than brains or brawn. These sisters bring us pure joy. And a budget increase for that babysitter.
The ride for Monday April 27 will be Go Fish! My Dad and I used to play that game for hours, until advancing to Crazy 8s and eventually Buck ‘Em. I no longer play cards. One trip home from college, I found myself in a bar in my home town of Edgerton, playing Buck ‘Em with a group of guys. They were loud and obnoxious, and I thought I had more brains (and brawn for that matter) than all of them put together. Confidently I antied up, placed my bet, and lost more in one hand than I had brought to the table. I slunk to the bar where my Dad was having a beer and asked him to cover my debt. On the quiet ride home he said only this, “I hope you learned your lesson.” That I did. The late great Kenny Rogers heeded the same warning, “You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away, know when to run.” I tried that and decided biking was a faster escape. Anyway… back to Go Fish.
The road between Fish and Crystal Lake is still closed, and is the photo destination for the Go Fish! ride. The recon route through Dane to Lee is more scenic that the map below. Since my secretary is on furlough, we are taking the path more trodden (read: less work to post). Ride whichever route makes your heart sing, so long as your picture is taken in front of the Road Closed barricade.
PDF map to download: Crystal 36
Garmin link: Middleton Hills to Crystal GPS
OTHER RIDING NEWS: if the weather cooperates this Friday, April24, there will be a 50 mile ride to the Rock of Gibraltar departing between 10AM-2PM. The route will be posted. It might be fun to see fellow Drafters rocking to and from Gibraltar, riding apart together.
DIRTY DRAFT: with Skipper at the helm, we hope to kick off the Dirty Draft on Wednesdays. Blackhawk, Pleaseant View and CamRock will be our playgrounds. Announcments will be made through GroupMe. If you got dirty in 2019, you are inextricably enlisted. If you want to get dirty, email or text me. Please consider joining the Capital Off Road Pathfinders (CORP) if you are going to get dirty. Trail building and maitenance is largely done by volunteers who rely on the support of those enjoying the trails.
CORP link to trail conditions and membership
HINCAPIE Drafter Gear: slight delay. Look for FedEx shipping info on May 5.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO
Hair style has never been my strong suit. Recently, my mom cleaned out her basement and came across my K-12 school photos, leaving no doubt that my “style” is unrelated to the recent closing of salons. Undoubtedly, the chlorinated pool where I spent the better part of my early years did not tip the scales in my favor. Walking to school in 4th grade, I was attacked by a red-winged black bird who claimed the straw on my head for his nest. Surviving the BIG HAIR 80s as a teenager was painful. Perms weren’t really a good option. Thanks to the chemical combination of chlorine and farm well-water, perms left my hair a very unnatural and unsettling shade of orange (and once purple). My hopes were raise in college when a teammate promised that product would make it come to life. Defeated after much product, rollers and a curling iron, she said, “I’m sorry. There is nothing I can do.” A conversation at age 29 is not one to forget: (Stylist) “Your hair will really thicken up when you start taking pre-natal vitamins.” (BrickO) “I am taking pre-natal vitamins.” (Stylist) “Oh. Well, when you get pregnant, your hair will really be full.” (BrickO) “I am 3 months pregnant”. (Stylist) “Oh.” Many have tried and failed.
Over the decades, I have come to terms with my fine, thin, straight, drab dishwater color, lifeless hair. And by that, I mean I have as many hats as I do bikes. After all, it’s just hair, right? I have a strong motor, good treads on the tires, an electrical system that only short circuits occasionally- who needs the fancy finishes? I would check the box for the upgrade if available, but it’s not. And, for the first time EVER, I’m actually grateful for what sits on my head. Since there is no salon that can improve my hair lot in life, there is nothing about closure of the salons during the pandemic that can make it worse. My hair could be the only thing thriving (relatively speaking).
The inspiration for this soliloquy comes from you, my fellow Drafters. I feel your pain. Thank you for joining me.
Phew. That’s a half hour of entertainment (for myself). Keep those photos coming.Coach Arms- we need one of your new arrival. Congrats to Arms and Legs on the birth of their daughter!
Draft responsibly,
BrickO
Monday was certainly judgement day. The majority of us came up short on braving Rock of Ages due to 38mph gusts and the temperature to match . No need to recount the votes for Drafter of the Week. There was only one Drafter on the ballot.
Another Drafter faired well on judgement day, earning herself a seat on the bench. As a former mediocre division 3 basketball player, I have spent a fair amount of time on the bench, but not this kind. Congrats to Jill (I am reluctent to share her Drafter handle now that she’s a big deal) on being elected to the WisconsinSupreme Court. I’m taking up a collection for a green robe. I have a photo depicting a very green shade of green during an Ironman competition… but I’m saving it for a rainy day. Or snowy day, as it appears out my window.
The ride next week will test our brains and brawn (as in use our brains and find a way to not climb Braun) as we head west to Cross Plaines. The photo opp is at intersection of Union Valley and Braun. This will give you pause to consider the climb ahead as you flash your pearly whites and Drafter green.
PDF map download: Union Valley Brains and Brawn 30
Garmin link: Brains and Brawn GPS
Draft responsibly,
BrickO
In the words of the late and great Bill Withers, Monday was a Lovely Day to Draft.
When I wake up on a Monday, love
And the sunlight hurts my eyes
And something without warning, love
Bears heavy on my mind
Then I Draft with you
And the world’s alright with me
Just one Draft with you
And I know it’s gonna be
A lovely day
A lovely day
When the road that lies ahead of me
Seems impossible to find
When someone else in front of me
Always seems to know the way
Then I Draft with you
And the world’s alright with me
Just one Draft with you
And I know it’s gonna be
A lovely day
A lovely day
As discovered on my recon mission last week, and revealed via Drafter GroupMe (let me know if you want to be added to that list for f’d up direction and other construction updates), Pine Rd and Schuman Rd don’t actually intersect. “When the road that lies ahead of me seems imposssible to find.” I hear you, Bill. And I also hear Billy Boy… who wins round two of DRAFTLESS DRAFTER OF THE WEEK.
Billy Boy is all too familiar with my sense of directional impairment. Drafting on the deserted island of Sanibel, he writes, ” I found Pine, which is quite near Blind Pass, a name I’ve always equated with your direction handouts. Just ride blindly and figure it out! ” It’s gonna be a lovey day, a lovely day.
Footer, Slinger, Duchess and Sandlot set out a full 24 hours early, not trusting Mother Nature to deliver a lovely Monday.
A few trusted Mother Nature to deliver and Drafted Monday.
Yah know, we all have our strengths. And I’d be happy to post mine. It would be a short list (road bike, dark beer aficionado, MTB bike, dark beer taste tester, gravel bike, fat tire bike) – and by bike I don’t mean that I am a strong bikER. I mean that I have a strong showing of bikes in my garage. It’s really my weaknesses that are more plentiful and extraordinary. Here is the short list. Directional impairment is one most familiar to the Drafters, who have “benefitted” by exploring most of Dane (and unintentially) surrounding counties . Cooking. Math. Spelling. Wine appreciation. Singing. I’m just getting warmed up for my marathon of shorcomings. But back to directional impairment. There is one route that cannot have misdirection, and that is how long to Draft apart together. A Drafter, friend and Nurse Practitioner sent me this article, written by a cyclist and PhD in something that studies small things that kill us. It is worth reading. And directs me to continue to Draft apart together.
Bicycle Club of Irvine: Riding in the Time of Covid-19 article
Next week’s route will be Rock of Ages. Hills are good character builders. All sorts of characters are built in a sequence of 4s and expressed up the climb on Bitney. The selfie challenge continues. The photo destination is the intersection of Y and Bitney.
PDF map to download: Rock of Ages 35
Garmin link: Rock of Ages GPS
There is still beauty to appreciate in isolation. Enjoy the Full Pink Moon tonight.
Almanac link: What the phlox?
Draft responsibly,
BrickO
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