Despite the confusing “take 3” updates on the last route, 11 Drafters found their way through the gorgeous peaks and valleys. The UW Physical Therapy program was well represented, and well dressed, for the ride out west.
UW PT students Hoopster and CoKeHo have only a few rides left before moving on to their clinical rotations. Good luck in your pursuits!
It occurred to me on our ride out west that road names which include “valley” (Union Valley Rd, Moen Valley Rd) are a bit misleading, as a valley also implies a peak. But who would chose to ride Union Peak Rd or Moen Peak Rd? It must be some sort of Jedi mind trick intended to lure cyclists into thinking these are all downhill ventures. Vermont Church was a helluva climb, and this week, we are headed back to church, this time in Ashton. I haven’t ridden this route since last year, so I don’t have GPS coordinates or the exact mileage, but I’m estimating just shy of 40 with a shorter option noted below.
A fellow Drafter has heard tell of cyclists getting ticketed on P between Bourbon Street and Stagecoach for ignoring the “No Thru Traffic” signs. I called the Cross Plaines non-emergency number to inquire, and was told that “technically” citations can be awarded, although the nice police man I spoke with was not aware of any that had been issued.
With the recent cycling tragedy in Cross Plaines, I am inclined to play by the rules. The alternate route home is, as you might guess, hilly. From KP, please consider turning left on Scherbel Rd. Be CAREFUL crossing highway 14 and immediately get in your granny gear to climb up to Festge Park. From the park, things should look familiar as this is essentially the home coming from the Spring Valley Route. Turn right on Table Bluff, R onto KP, left onto Otto Kerl, right onto Enchanted Valley, left onto Schneider and home on the bike path.
Sorry that I don’t have a map or GPS coordinates. This is the best I can do on short notice.
This is a good time to remind one another to ride safely, smartly and politely. Be sure to ride with somebody, and with a charged cell phone.
I was able to do a recon mission on Sunday. The route has a few imperfections to note. When you enter Cross Plaines and cross 14, Hwy P to Stagecoach is closed. No matter. The road is ridable and actually, having it closed to traffic makes it a bit quieter to ride. The second obstacle is construction on Blackhawk Road just before the intersection with Pleasant View, as you cross and turn left onto Deming Way. Again, you can get through , but it is down to one lane so ride with caution.
I would suggest one deviation from the original posted route (see Garmin link below): when coming home on Old Sauk, please consider turning left onto Twin Valley, and then right on Blackhawk. This is more direct than the scenic tour through the Blackhawk subdivision, and offers a few more opportunities to climb hills. Yeah.
A dozen Drafters felt like Rockstars on the way to Fish and Crystal Lakes. Like most Rockstars, living the good life caught up to us. When we rounded the northern most bend and felt the 25 knots of wind in our face, the party was over. Our “Most Determined Drafter” award this week goes to Dan-yelly, whose car was rear ended on the way to the ride. Her loyal Tobacco City husband waited patiently for her dinged up chariot to arrive, while the rest of us departed at 5:30. The couple finished the ride just before nightfall (along with Slow Cow, who appeared somewhere along the way), and were greeted by our competent Drafter staff of orthopedic surgeons and attorneys, who tended to all of Dan-yelly’s immediate and foreseeable needs.
I’m unable to do a recon mission for the route on Monday as I am in Louisville, KY watching my son and his basketball team slug it out at Hoopfest. Go Triple Threat!
A big thanks to the Human Metronome’s friend who lives in KY and supplied me with bike routes to keep me sane between basketball games (and counteract the Bourbon that is so plentiful here). I’ve ridden along the Ohio River on both the KY and IN sides, and have come to appreciate just how lucky we are to be cyclists in Madison. The folks are very respectful of cyclists, but cycling lanes and shoulders really don’t exist- or worse (see photo).
Um… are you sure I cross the Ohio River on this bridge?
Here is the 35 mile route for Monday. There is an easy shortcut by passing up the turn onto Bourbon St (I can’t pass up a Bourbon anything) and staying on P straight through Cross Plaines. If you ride the full figure 8, we start out counter clock wise and the smaller inner loop is clockwise.
Irrefutably the most scenic ride of the year, we will be riding to Fish and Crystal Lakes. It is time to change the ride up a bit, so we will be touring the lakes in a clockwise fashion.
I rode a recon mission today and am happy to report that the route is in great shape and full of wildlife surprises. I spotted a creature from the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, Class Aves, Order Pelecaniformes, Family Pelecanidae, Genus Pelicanus and was told by local ornithology experts that Fish Lake is a common stop en route to Green Bay. Who knew?
The ride will take ~2.5h so don’t be shy about using the shortcut on Mussen (Slow Cow, this is for you). Due to the high incidence of presbyopia amongst the Drafters, I’ve included a link to the map in PDF. This should allow enlargement without distortion, and along with the Garmin coordinates for those who get confused between clockwise and counterclockwise (you’re welcome, Billy Boy), all “issues” should be accommodated.
There is NO official 6pm departure due to lack of numbers.
Photo taken on recon mission earlier today. Clearly, a blurry photo due to high speed (mine, not the pelican’s).
Rockin’ to Roxbury proved to be the most challenging ride of the season with respect to distance, elevation and pace (thanks to Turbo JT). The route will henceforth be dubbed “Hit Rock Bottom and Rox-Buried”. We welcomed two Newbies, MDott and Turbo JT, who join our orthopedic and cardiology service: the Disjointed Arrhythmias, call 1-800-HRT-BR8K for a consult.
The Disjointed Arrhythmias: our attending orthopedic surgeons and cardiology staff take care of all your Drafter needs. Pictured: T-Wall, NBA Cliff, and Turbo JT. Below: MDottTo follow in the IM footsteps of his son and daughter-in-law this Sept.
The Human Metronome kept up with Turbo JT, but he wasn’t keeping up with the idea of the drone filming the Drafters. WhoYaKnow accelerated past the peloton in the support vehicle several times seeking position to launch the drone. The first time he raced by, the Human Metro cussed the inconsiderate driver under his breath. The second pass, a few expletives were released. The blog is rated PG so I won’t share. On the third pass, the idea caught up with Metro as he muttered, “Oh, that jerk is WhoYaKnow. And he is flying a drone over the peloton!” Enjoy the footage.
The Farmer’s Almanac reminds us how special the ride was last week, marking the first time the full moon and summer solstice have coincided since ~1948. 16 Drafters enjoyed the sweetness, including Newbies Tim (see previous photo of unidentified man drinking beer post HHH with Billy Boy), Dr. Watt (who powered up the 200k HHH on 25pounds of raw steel), and Alex (a man who drinks beer from a chalice is instantly likable- code name ChaleX). Returning to the scene after a pole vault coaching hiatus was WhoYaKnow Hujanen, our resident aerospace engineer, currently in charge of the Drafting Drone. Be sure to look sharp next week (perhaps in the team Hincapie apparel that just arrived), for the drone footage, which will conceivably be airing on the Channel 27 Morning News. Tobacco City Boy has made no promises, but if there’s a slow news day, we aren’t a bad option (kudos to our Drafter who rides then immediately goes to work while the rest of us imbibe). Without a doubt, we have enough material to fill the sporting news: congrats on strong Milkman finishes (or at least a finish) to Slow Cow, MadPower McKaylah, NBA coulda but didn’t Cliff, Tall Tim and CoKeHo. With that starting lineup (3 being over 6’5″), we may consider drafting our own basketball team.
We have another longish 42 mile route for Monday through Roxbury, with a 25mile cut off for those departing at 6pm. Per Billy Boy’s request, arrows have been added to demonstrate a counter clockwise riding pattern. The section on 19, just after the 25mile cut off, is brief but dicey.
What a week it has been! The Draft last Monday included newbie MitochonRODria, who earned a spot as power house and amature team photographer. Clearly, his camera angle needs adjusting to prevent making some objects appear larger than they really are. Rod did received a warning for “riding up hills while talking fluidly, fluently with an irritating amount of extra energy left over to make feverish hand gestures, without regard for the hypoxia experienced by his fellow riders.”
CoKeHo, K2, Human Metronome, Z’s left shoulder and BrickO on Spring Valley
The conditions for the Horribly Hilly Hundreds ride on Saturday were epic, with a gentle breeze, temperatures hanging below 90 and many Drafters shredding it. Congrats to Billy Boy McC and his buddies, Tall Tim & Coach Freezin’ for a Reason, and Z (who made the 3pm wedding in Janesville with 10min to spare) on a strong finish. A special shout out to Quinoa, who was on site to cheer on her husband, bro- and father-in-law across the finish line. Congrats to Team W3 (three generations crossed the finish line-the youngest on foot) on being served one of the very last beers at the HHH.
Please cheer on CoKeHo, Slow Cow and Tall Tim at the MilkMan half Ironman today. I guess the HHH wasn’t enough of a challenge for Tall Tim, or maybe he’s trying to get REALLY fit before his wedding in Aug?
As for tomorrow, we will enjoy a leisurely 40mile recovery ride to the Lodi Canning Co. Wheels up at 5:30 sharp. There is a 30 mile and 20 mile (out and back to Dane) option for those wanting a little less miles or a bit more recovery. The 30 mile turn off on Stevenson requires a bit of a jog on P, which isn’t my favorite, but the shoulder is descent. THERE WILL BE A GROUP DEPARTING AT 6pm riding one of the shorter options.
There was plenty of excitement following the Draft, prompted in part by this fine literary work, a gift from Dr. Stitch. Seriously, there is more to the book than sexy bike pictures- there are inspirational quotes from JFK, cycling legend Eddie Merckx and numerous others.
14 Drafters took Merckx’s advice to heart. Slow Cow started the long course with a short cut. He is an oxy moron. The 6pm charge was led by Lady Digs, who showed incredible strength but much less wisdom following the removal of her hindmost molars a few days ago. The vitamin I wore off mid-ride, but she bit down hard on her remaining teeth and led the determined XX Drafters down Whippoorwill. Counselor Queen Bee and Quinoa conquered the technical descent and expired the warranty on their brake pads. Billy Boy McC, legal counsel for the Big and Tall members of the team, might have been the only Drafter who came prepared (ever) with a map and readers. He diligently turned left onto Lodi-Springfield, as indicated by the cue sheet. Sorry for the typo, Billy Boy. I meant right. I will talk to my editors about proofing the maps and blog more closely, heaven forbid we ride into the furry instead of the fury again.
In preparation for the upcoming Horribly Hilly Hundreds event and to honor the return of K2 from her first year of graduate school (the PhD kind to supplement the DPT kind, because you can never have too many initials), we will ride her favorite route: the Disenchanted Valley- Spring Valley loop. Yup, it’s back on our schedule, as promised. Human Metronome and Tall Tim will be providing Cliff Shots and Gatorade to all those threatening to bonk. Pay it back, pay it forward. Wheels up at 5:30. Dan-yelly, please arrive at 5:15 to serve your time in the penalty box.
The 6pm crew will have an equally exciting HHH route, albeit slightly shorter so as to avoid delay of game “rehydrating” at the Free House. The previous gravel patches on Enchanted Valley have been paved, finally. Turn left on Pine to shorten the route to 30miles.
Red Loop is ~36miles. Blue (Turkey) just avoids F and saves a mile or 2. Green (Pine) ~30miles. An out and back of whatever distance is always an option.
I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. I’m sorry that the Rock of Gibraltar ride got bolloxed up. Slow Cow reported an alternative 10 hour tour of Blue Mounds, although his mileage was suspiciously unreported. Funny how he really excels when there are no witnesses… I did witness Z rocking Gibraltar on Monday and can attest that there were no shortcuts. Instead, additional miles were unintentionally tacked on due to a striking similarity between “Chrislaw” and “Chrisler” roads. Who knew? Add map reading to my long list of shortcomings and ineptitudes. That said, my faux pas resulted in touring a rustic road well worth being lost on. Long live Chrislaw.
Z Rocks Gibraltar on Memorial Day
What goes up must come down. Many of you have suffered up Whippoorwill and this week, will have an opportunity to descend this beast. PLEASE ride cautiously. It is a technical descent with a hairpin turn and an abrupt stop on Hwy 19 awaits at the bottom, with traffic that will not hesitate. We will be on 19, unfortunately, for a short bit before climbing back up Matz Rd. This is a much tamer route compared to the Enchanted-Spring Valley loop, but certainly not flat. Once we cross Hwy 12, there is an option to shorten the route by taking the bike path home (25miles).
OFFICIAL 6pm RIDE OPTION. We are going to pilot an official group ride at 6pm for those wanting a later start time, and slightly shorter ride. If there is enough interest and regular riders, this will become a weekly occurrence. Two dedicated Drafters, Digs and Quinoa, have agreed to lead the Draft this week. The ride can be 25miles (see map below and Garmin link) or 20miles. Simply follow the dark hashed lines on the map, continuing on Martinsville to P, ,Kick-A-Boo, Pahl, Riles, Church, Schneider.
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