We experienced record high Drafter Lodi Canning Co. attendance! The order included three “shots”, one short pour, and the rest full strength drafts for a total of 27, including one newbie, Vi-King!! Donning a STOTON Cycling jersey, we welcome this Vi-King from the Norwegian Ghetto (said with love, as one of them).

Retro is definitely in!

• 

• 

Rimshot picks up a metal shard in the driveway, threatening to flat before take up. Perhaps it was the GroupMe challenge Cannibal posted hours before about Rimshot bringing us home in the headwind. 27 strong, we are (eventually) dressed and off.

It should be noted that this is the only proof, and coincidently the only instance, whereby BrickO took a pull. The Big Kids invited her to the table, and she really wanted to behave up to their standards. However, after one pull, she fell off her booster seat and had to pedal quietly for the rest of the Draft sucking on a wheel. There is rumor of QOMs being acquired, but according to Drafter Bylaw 13.13.13.ABC, no Drafter shall claim QOM or any other measure of success if not able to pull his or her own weight. Skipper, Cannibal, Blurple and Vilks… thanks for the wheels. Looks like I best put my training wheels back on.

Shortly after this photo was taken, Busch Latte dropped a chain on Meek Rd, one of the steeper climbs, and disappeared from future photos until later in the Draft.

Loose Screw’s first Draft of the season and he performs some sort of David Copperfield disappearing act. Stymied by the construction, his secret short cut was revealed.

DRAFTER LOST AND FOUND: out team Physical Therapists and Biomechanists have been contemplating the counter-forces required to keep the avid cyclist upright. With a monster posterior chain comes the counter balance requirement. Anybody drop this out of their bibs?

The Wednesday Dirty Draft was small but mighty. Great to see LuLu, Vintage, Air Bourne Company, Speedy and her off spring out getting dirty.

A shout out to a few Drafters out in the wild:

• 

• 

Slow Cow has petitioned for a name change from Slow Cow to Care Bear. The Executive Board will convene upon Slow Cow’s return (now at mile 300) and vote on this unusual request. Check out his hiking adventures at: Adventure Guy

You too can be a winner. Sign up as a team member of BrickO’s Drafters for the MOVEBGC July 17 or/and the Lake Ripley Ride July 31 and WIN A FREE ENTRY TO THE HINCAPIE GREENVILLE GRAN FONDO on October 23. The Drafter who raises the most money for the Boys and Girls Club or/and JRDF will receive one free entry to this amazing event. Lodging may also be included, although beds are going fast. If you choose to play but don’t win, use code SBRICKSON for 20% off.

There is a virtual Ride for Mental Health on June 23-24 (or in person in NY on June 19-20). Entry is $75 and includes a Hincapie Jersey! Super value and a super cause. Consider it. Not sure of the logistics, but entertaining a group ride on those days to help stop the stigma.

Feeling blue? Go green! Several Drafters have shown remorse for not jumping on the new kit order and would like a second chance. Stout- don’t procrastinate this time. The Hincapie Store will open after Memorial Day. This will likely be the last time to order a kit in 2021, so don’t miss out. PLEASE EMAIL ME IF INTERESTED.

Also, I HAVE NEW NEVER WORN MEN’S MEDIUM VELOCITY RACE CUT, MEN’S LARGE AXIS CLUB CUT in this 2021 design, along with a WOMEN’S MEDIUM AXIS Sprocket 2020 jersey for sale (discount if you ask nicely).

For those who ordered Drifit shirts from SweatVac… they are coming soon. Supply is low and demand is high, but they will be here before the snow flies. And I can still take orders (I think).

Lastly, DRAFTER YOGA IS BACK! Or at least, it looks promising. Indoorance is a “country club for endurance athletes” located on the W Beltline Hwy near Seminole. They have a studio that may work beautifully for Drafter yoga (not that the VFW didn’t provide a fine floor to make gains). A recent poll indicates TUESDAY 7AM to be the most popular time. Pipes will be forthcoming with details. As the survey was anonymous (screwed that up, again), please email or text her if you would like to join the fun.

MEMORIAL DAY RIDE WILL BE HOSTED BY CANNIBAL. This will be a Century Ride at 6AM leaving from Fitchburg to Ja Ja Janesville and back. Expect average speed of 20mph and 3800ish feet of climbing. Group size is 8-10 and growing. See GroupMe for details.

The following week, we will return to our normal Drafting channel at 5PM from Middleton Hills to tackle the Formidable Festge on June 7.

RidewithGPS link Formidable Festge

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

An incident has been brought to the attention of BrickO’s Drafters Editorial Staff . This retraction, correction and amendment (to cover all the bases) is to rectify erroneous reporting in the blog released earlier this morning.

Let the official record show that Hit-The-Wall did indeed complete Cannibal’s Verona Route in its entirety. Protected sources provided accurate intel, but the translation to Northern WI was muddled. To be clear, the journalist’s mind might have been muddled. Too many S’mores and dark beverages.

Booker J should also be recognized as fulfilling his Drafter duties, diligently and dutifully pulling Hit-The-Wall to the Garden Party. Well done, Men. Please accept our sincerest apologies for false accusations of drafting off course.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

Fashion. Clearly the theme of Monday’s Draft.

Vogue and GQ are in a bidding battle for an exclusive interview with the The Drafter’s Cannibal, master of Garden Drinks and Apron Fashion calendar contender. Apron stock shot up 200% after the Monday night Draft, as men and boys all over the world stripped the shelves of aprons. The careful tailoring exposes just enough quadriceps to make one wonder, “just how big is it?” Straps are tastefully adjusted to cover the chest without impeding motion required to grasp 4 Solo cups. The apron falls away to allow arm pit aeration, a functional feature for post-draft odiferous emanations. The flip flop accents the ensamble by highlighting the bike sock tan lines.

A dozen Drafters drafted the roads around Verona, although some of them off course.

Calling all Drafter fashionistas to Lodi Canning Co on Monday May 24, departing at 5PM from Middleton Hills. New Hincapie Drafter gear is encouraged. If your kit doesn’t fit the way you’d hoped, let me know. Usually, there is some swapping that can be negotiated within our Drafter family. Speaking of new.. Footer has a new Cervelo ride! She will likely leave at 5:30 and still be first to finish.

RidewithGPS link

Garmin link

Short Pour Option:

RidewithGPS link short pour

Looking for a Drafter Team ride? Here are two:

MOVE4BGC July 17 Registration Link

Lake Ripley Ride July 31 Registration Link

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

A season high number of Drafters showed up to face the Beast of Barlow; 23 in total including 3 Short Pour riders (well done, Badger, Columbus and Daisy).

The executive decision was made to abandon the split departure times in favor of one unified group at 5PM. And you know how that story ended….

Riddle: What is always first and last?

The First Team (formerly the B team, but who can classify these 3 beasts as B unless is stands for Badass?) objected to the executive order. Footer pleaded the case: ” If we leave at 5PM, everyone will be done drinking beer and gone by the time we are back.” Objection stands.

Let’s take a closer look at the line up.

Fortunately for Vintage, Thing 1 starts Medical School at the UW this fall and will provide at home care. For a fee. After the gravel event Saturday, she was found at Ringle reviewing her anatomy.

Tick Tock made his 2021 debut. “I picked the worst effin’ ride of the year to show up!” Don’t let the Beast get you down. Keez didn’t. Coming from the plaines of Iowa, with her 53-39 chainrings and 11-25 cassette spread, she debated avoiding the Beast and riding the short pour. Her mother didn’t exactly point out the short pour turn off, nor did she introduce the Beast.

Miles past Barlow and the climb on Mineral Point, BrickO warned her cub of the upcoming climb on Braun. “So when are we going to meet the Beast?”, the cub asked innocently. “Oh, we did that already, Keez.” So much of what we dread is in our head. As evidenced by Keez then dismounting Ruby, her 15-year-old hand me down Kestrel, to walk the crest of Braun. Brains and Brawn, you CAN have both.

Vilks would argue the Beast isn’t so much in his head: “It isn’t a Drafter ride unless I set a new FTP and throw up twice in my mouth.” Busch Latte, still left wondering what happened to the motto “we are all riding together” as he got spit out the back on Airport Road, dropped his chain on the two ghastly climbs. Romeo claimed second fastest all time male to challenge the Beast. In true Drafter spirit, he didn’t know it was a segment and soft pedaled between peaks to wait for his fellow Drafters. Such a nice boy. The Beast got its claws into Z Wrecks, causing TWO flat tires. The Beast affects us all differently. Vintage made an excellent point, “Keep your friends close and your Drafters closer. Never know when you’ll need a pull.” Or help changing a flat…

6 Drafters were well prepared for the Beast as they had faced the Bear on Saturday, a 100k gravel race in Laona, WI.

LuLu’s banana chocolate chip pancakes and an assortment of home baked cookies by Gopher ensured no one left in caloric deficit. My internal organs were sorer than my quads from the jostling around on the gravel, the endo I took on the 2 mile unmanicured section of the trail, and the copious calories I stuffed in after the race. On Sunday, the Bear participants stopped to MTB at Ringle to make sure the load of laundry was worth doing.

Columbus led us out…. on foot. That Drafter can run! Columbus discovered most of Chippewa Falls, or at least 50k of it the week prior. Finishing top 10 in her first ultra distance race, in a time of 5:09:01, despite rain and hail. Hail to Columbus.

The Draft on Monday May 17 will depart from Cannibal’s house (Verona- see GroupMe for address). There is promise of garden drinks. And if Cannibal wears his apron, be sure the Drafter Team Photographer is on site. Drone Master, check your schedule for availability.

RidewithGPS link: Cannibal Ride

Download map and cue sheet: 

DIRTY DRAFT: we will convene again at Blackhawk this Wed from 5-7PM. We can discuss moving to other MTB trails. It seems like most dirty drafters are coming from Middleton and on tight schedules, so I’m inclined to keep it at BH and PV until school is out and Drafters are a bit freer to roam.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

Mother Nature may have saved us from the Beast on Monday, but the Beast is patient and eagerly awaits our arrival next Monday, May 10. For those looking for a bit more beauty, you can bypass the Beast (see map below). Team departure at 5PM, drinks to follow. Romeo and Keez will be home from ISU and ready to draft, so plan to carbo load accordingly.

RidewithGPS link: Beast of Barlow

Z Wrecks, Vilks and BrickO faced a different Beast over the weekend. Looking Glass covered a wee bit over 8000 feet of climb, perfect 70 degree temperatures, not a wisp of wind, and without so much as a pot hole or angry driver. A huge thanks to Blue Ridge Adventures for hosting such a wonderful event. And to our RAW Crew Chief, Lynnie Lou, for supporting us all day.

Before and after photos. No mechanicals, body or bike.

I’m listening to a TED talk by Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, about confident humility. That is, surrounding yourself with people who challenge you. The strength I have gained from being around this crew of strong people extends beyond the bike (and the bar). Like most Drafters, I’m not very good at talking about myself. It is, in fact, prohibited as outlined in Drafter bylaw 3.1A.3VC. However, Vilks insisted that I post this post-race excerpt. I do believe allowing others to do something nice for you is, once in awhile, a sign of strength, too. And so, here I go….

To be added to this week’s blog- you’ve earned it!!

The rhododendrons were Red

The Ridges were Blue

BrickO kicked my ass in the Looking Glass Tour

and she smoked a Columbian Chica too!

I requested a guest spot on this week’s Drafters’ blog on account of we all know just how humble our fearless leader is, somebody has to brag on her behalf.  Z and Vilks got a front row seat to what was one helluva historic performance.   From mile 1 to mile 101, BrickO was’a dazzling and’a dancing all over her pedals.  There would be no denying what was rightfully hers, neither the steep, long climbs nor the whizzing and winding descents would stop her.  She pulled away early and often as the road grades turned from 0 to 16% (first long climb was equivalent to 4 trips up blue mounds- bottom to top), and she did more than her fair share of pulling for those less capable on the flats. It was an absolute joy to witness (when I was close enough to do so that is). Hard work pays, you proved that in spades BrickO.  Good on ya kid, good on ya! ~ Vilks

Confident humility also states that you are secure enough in your strengths to acknowledge your weaknesses. I did not smoke the young woman from Columbia. The only reason I took first on the podium is that there was a mix up with her registration (ie. she wasn’t registered). We both knew, however, who brought the stronger game on game day.

Speaking of game day… we had 13 Dirty Drafters show up at Blackhawk last Wednesday. Let’s keep it going this week, pending the dirt drying up. Speedy and kiddos, Footer, BrickO, Captain Joe, Tick Tock, Kubi, Squeak and her entire family.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

A season high 20 Drafters, including a Newbie (Drafter handle being pondered) set out with variable winds at 12-18 knots. It was as if the world spun off axis, tossing the pink moon and the wind into an unusual pattern. The B Team (who petitioned for a name change, approved by the Executive Committee, from this blog forward known as the FIRST TEAM) had a straight tail wind on the way to Crystal Lake, with occasional help on the return leg. The A Team was the unfortunate recipient of this variability, claiming to have battled head winds both to and from Crystal Lake.

Spoke’N Four had fuel to burn as they searched the horizon for blinking red lights, the equivalent of an artificial lure in Greyhound racing. Vintage, Gopher and Pit Stop hopped on the trolly as the Peloton stretched to reach Thing 1, LuLu and Z Wrecks. Vilks yelled out to Thing 1, who was leading the pack, “Jump on that juicy ham”, referring to the well developed gluteus maximus of Vintage. The wind was playing tricks, compounded by the fact that Thing 1 had paid Urgent Care a visit earlier for brief loss of consciousness, which caused her to interpret the conversation as, “Jump on that juicy hamster.” There was no mistaking what we all heard in response, “I did that last night.” And there it is. Draft responsibly.

Together but not for long. At the intersection of Lodi Springfield and Highway 19, Villks called, “CLEAR!” And it was, for half the Peloton. The Drafter subscription to the Vilker channel has been cancelled. May the treasurer’s report show a credit of $8.95/mo. BrickO, LuLu, Vintage, and Thing 1 pedaled on to finally catch Surly on the Woodland climb while the other Drafters paused for station identification.

Feeling a bit sassy, BrickO nudged her way up on the inside of the paceline. LuLu glanced her way, but clearly not at her, as he unleashed the snot from deep within. Mouth closed and sunglasses on, she escaped total contamination. PPE are now part of the Drafter uniform when riding with LuLu.

A lively discussion ensued during the post-draft draft about quads. Specifically, Queenie was curious about the Newbie and how she came to have the female version of Cannibal’s legs. Wondering if his inquiry was inappropriate, we put it up for discussion. It was unanimously decided that quads, male or female, are to be appreciated in a cyclists and viewed as part of the necessary machinery. Glutes were deemed a grey area not be discussed, along with body parts north of the equator, as they don’t contribute to wattage. While on the topic of Cannibal’s quads, we recollected on his other fine attributes, such as concocting and serving garden drinks. Although he has not officially made this a fee for service business, he generously offered to host a Garden Party on May 17 or 24. Stay tuned for a flowery invitation.

Pit Stop did a victory lap with the checkered flag to celebrate a 40k PR before collapsing into her lawn chair double fisted.

This young Drafter is still mastering the single fisted technique.

Next week will mark a switch to a 5PM departure for all. Thanks to Columbus and LuLu, the Drafters now have an official cartography department. No more cue sheets with left turns on Johnson or U-turns at the top of climbs. This is the REAL DEAL.

BEAST OF BARLOW will be on tap.

Ride with GPS link: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35821926

Map and cue sheet:

For those wanting a bit more beauty and a little less Beast, stay on Garfoot (skip turn onto Barlow) and rejoin the route by taking a right on Braun. Don’t worry- that’s another Beast.

Rain is in the forecast for this evening, so check GroupMe for updates on Dirty Draft tomorrow. Duracell is ready to rock. Blackhawk 5-7PM is the plan. We can change it up once we get an established following.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

Our last Monday draft in April will take us to Crystal Lake. See blog post from last week (best if you download the WordPress app rather than fish through your emails) for GPS, map and cue sheet. This will be our last split departure: B team 4:30 and A Team 5:00PM. Moving into May with longer daylight and a promise from the A team to play nice, we will depart as a cohesive unit at 5PM. Beverages to follow. It doesn’t appear Drafters are interested in pizza. We can revisit ordering pizza again later in the season should post-ride hunger cravings increase. BYO lawn chairs (a Coleman black and blue was left behind).

PDQ has generously and obliviously done recon (read: failed to check GroupMe for cancellation notice) and reports favorable road conditions. IF YOU ARE NOT RECEIVING GROUPME NOTIFICATIONS AND WOULD LIKE TO, PLEASE TEXT ME.

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST DRAFTER! Congratulations to Tobacco City Boy and Dan-yelly. We can’t wait to meet her.

And congratulations to Cookie Monster on being the cover girl for the Birkie Tour. With a million dollar smile and personality, and a billion dollar brain covered by a Drafter hat, not a bad choice.

Skipper also got some press. Check out the Bike Fed Guide for the MadBAT scoop from our very out IMBA Trail Solutions Drafter.

Lastly, Hincapie 2021 orders should be sent May 12, and older kit orders June 9th. Thanks for supporting the Draft. Enjoy 20% off on non-Drafter items at Hincapie Sportswear all year with code SBRICKSON.

Th order for SweatVac drafter DriFit shirts is being placed next week (no interest in headbands). The Drafter Youth will be represented by a root beer float mug rather than a frosty beer mug. If you missed the memo and would like to order a shirt for you or your offspring, please let me know ASAP.

It is really exciting to promote cycling in our youngins. The Dirty Draft on Wed from 5-7PM at Blackhawk is a great opportunity to share the cycling love with our kids. Memberships at Blackhawk are extremely inexpensive, but required to ride.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

Gusty winds did not deter 15 Drafters from enjoying the historic viaduct route Monday night. 

The B Team set out with Skipper at the helm. 10 watts stronger each week and 10 pounds lighter thanks to RAW training, BrickO and Z Wrecks were the grateful recipients of his draft protection.  And not only from the wind.  Two separate oncoming honey wagons with their poop shoots extended horizontally, perfectly aligned with the wind direction and the Drafters in the cross hairs called for heroic measures.  Thanks, Skipper. 

Pit Stop and Squeak were chaperoned by Surly. Impervious to the added weight and rolling resistance of his fat bike, the only notably oversized components are Surly’s mitochondria. Pit Stop lived up to her name, while Squeak downplayed her handle.  Her beautiful yellow SEVEN was finely tuned and quiet.  A squeak by any other name is still a squeak. 

Speedy and Footer were the B team caboose, but not the only train on the track.  Passing through Dane, they had to outrun the train twice, once on Military Road and then again turning (left) on Johnson.  Their sprints were rewarded as they were privy to watching the train pass over them on Viaduct. 

Dark Knight and Flash caught a romantic moment under the historic viaduct (read: Flash paused to let Dark Knight catch his breath) earlier in the day.

The A team was in full force, with Cannibal providing the steam for the 5:00 PM train. Blurple, Booker J, Busch Latte and Rimshot were on a mission to catch the B team caboose.  Adding an extra hill to the route, because “when in doubt, climb” is the Drafter way, they still managed to catch Footer and Speedy on Hyslop.

Bush Latte heard the train take off on Hyslop and revved up his engine.  “Is this a Strava segment?” he called out to Cannibal.  “No, we are chasing wabbits!”. 

“Is that a sick cow?”, wondered Footer out loud.  Nope, only the sound of Cannibal’s diesel engine closing the gap.  For the second week in a row, Cannibal embodied the Drafter spirit, pausing for nearly 30 seconds to converse with Footer and Speedy.  His behavior modification training has clearly made a dramatic impact, as he sacrificed the opportunity to challenge Romeo, our Cat 1 Drafter, last week to shelter a fellow Drafter.  And this week, a polite exchange with Footer.  What’s next?  Perhaps serving garden drinks in his apron?

Another Drafter train left the station with precious cargo in their caboose.

That’s full circle for our Drafter family, from our youngest Drafter to our oldest Drafter.  Sully, the matriarch of the Drafters, returned from sunny AZ to share a post-draft draft.  Welcome home, Sully. 

We will soon welcome another new Drafter.  Two weeks to go, Dan-yelly!  It is the homestretch.  What you can do once (or twice, in your case) you can do again!  Captain Joe was curiously absent from the Draft, , helping Dan-yelly and Tobacco City Boy assemble a bike for their eldest Drafter.

Vintage drafted on the couch after his 146-mile gravel adventure on Sunday.  Wuss.  There are some great gravel adventures coming up:

The Bear May 8 with 107, 73 and 31 mile options:

The Bear Gravel Event Link

Wheel and Sprocket May 15 Wiowash Trail Oshkosh with 60 and 44 mile routes

Grass Routes Gravel Link

HISTORIC DRAFTER KITS are now available through the Hincapie Store.  Order deadline Sunday April 18.

2015 Retro Blue and Red Link

2017 Green Beer Skyline Link

2018 6 Pack Link

The route for April 19 will take us to Crystal Lake.  Sadly, the route will sadly not include Fish Lake due to flooding and road closure. 

RidewithGPS: RidewithGPS link Crystal Clear

Throughout April, we will maintain the A and B team starts.  Come May and more daylight, we will bring both teams together for a unified 5PM departure.  Hopefully, this will allow some of our hard-working Drafters (Sandlot, Duchess, Hit-the-Wall and Wampus) a bit more time to get to the starting line.  I would also suggest talking to your boss about work-bike balance…

DIRTY DRAFT UPDATE: the board has agreed upon Wednesday evenings from 5-7PM. Blackhawk, Quarry Ridge, CamRock and other Capital Off Road Pathfinder (CORP) trails are fair game. Think about joining CORP to help support the trials. I’m looking for someone to lead this week, as we are getting dirty at DuPont. Use GroupMe to arrange the ride!

Draft responsibly,
BrickO

It’s a little bit funny
This sunshine outside
I’m not one of those who can easily ride
I don’t have much storage, but boy if I did
I’d buy some more bikes where they all could live

If I was a wrencher, ha
But then again, no
Or a Drafter who makes pacelines in the sleet and the snow
I know it’s not much, but it’s the best I can do
My gift is the Draft, and this one’s for you

And you can tell everybody
This ride was long
It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done
I hope you don’t mind
I hope you don’t mind
That I put down in the blog
How wonderful life is riding in the world

I sat on the porch and kicked off my shoes
Well a few of the climbs, well they’ve got me quite lost
But the sun’s been quite kind
While I rode so long
It’s for people like you that keep it turned on

So excuse me forgetting
But these roads I do
You see I’ve forgotten, if they’re Garfoot or Barlow
Anyway the thing is, what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest rides I’ve ever seen

And you can tell everybody
This ride was long
It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done
I hope you don’t mind
I hope you don’t mind
That I put down in the blog
How wonderful life is riding in the world

I hope you don’t mind
I hope you don’t mind
That I put down in the blog
How wonderful life is while riding in the world

And that wraps up the sentiment of the Monday night Draft to Church.

The team secretary goofed up the coordinates, taking some Drafters down Barlow while others down Garfoot, and then directed some home via Airport and others on Enchanted Valley. As Blurple said, “we all just ride in a circle anyway.” Yup, and Romeo pretty much ran circles around every single one of us.

Vintage named the ride on Strava, “We’re gonna put the memory of this ride in the brain-hole category of weight loss motivation”, Keez was more concise with “ouch” and Vilks surrendered, “beat the old man up night”. Z Wrecks pointed to the favorite climb of the night, “Forsh**g”, seconded by Skipper’s title “F’n Forshaug Draft”. Boys, boys. It wasn’t that bad. Even our newbie, Squeak, didn’t complain as loudly. Although her beautiful new yellow SEVEN did (hence the name). Booker J had a rough night, drafting Cannibal all the way to the backyard, and further requested a Draft escort to his car.

HINCAPIE DRAFTER GEAR UPDATE: the 2021 store has closed. Thanks for supporting the Draft. Another store will open in the next week with older kits. Stay tuned!

DIRTY DRAFT: Check GroupMe for updates. Air Bourne sent out an inquiry for this Wednesday. We will try to get a more formal organized time and location in the upcoming weeks.

Next week, we will take a historic Viaduct tour.

Download map and GPS:

Garmin link: Viaduct GPS

RidewithGPS link : RidewithGPS

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

It’s hard to land on one most favorite musician. But if my hand was forced, I would go with Bob Seger. Growing up on a small family farm in southern Wisconsin, I have fond memories of my Mom blasting Seger through the Advent speakers such that we could hear him singing throughout the house and well into the tobacco fields. I thought of Bob Seger Monday night.

• 

• 

Seems like yesterday
But it was long ago
Weather was lovely, she was queen Monday night
There in Dane County with the spring peepers playing low

And I remember what she said to me
How she swore that it never would end
I remember how she led me, oh so tight
Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then

Against the wind
We were ridin’ against the wind
We were youngish and strong, we were ridin’
Against the wind

And the miles rolled slowly past
And I found myself alone
Surrounded by Drafters I thought were my friends
Found myself further and further from my home and I

Guess I lost my way
There were oh so many roads
I was living to ride and riding to live
Never worried about paying, or even how much I owed

Moving eight miles an hour for most of the time
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
I began to find myself searching
Searching for shelter again and again

Against the wind
Little something against the wind
I found myself seeking shelter
Against the wind

Well those Drafter’s days are past me now
I’ve got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out

Against the wind
I’m still ridin’ against the wind
I’m older now but still ridin’
Against the wind

19 Drafters, including one Newbie, Badger, ventured out against cross and head winds. Where was the tail wind, you wonder? We wondered the same. Duracell and Queenie left at 4PM, transmitting warnings back to HQ about the conditions, which were largely ignored. After all, how reliable is intel from a source without a clean Drafter kit ready for Monday night?

Tough enough to ride against the wind, but not with two toddlers in tow, Coach Arms opted for wind resistance from her trainer.

Speedy and Footer, collectively meeting the weight requirement to ridin’ against the wind, departed shortly after. The FOG (fast old guys) FOG (feeling overly generous), offered to catch the 2 XX and pull them home. This only fueled the duos fire. Speedy struggled a bit to make the turns, but saw the positive side. “That was a lot of time under tension.” I’m no mathematician, but there is likely an equation to describe this phenomenon. Our resident medical physicist, LuLu, observed that anyone under 160 pounds needed to lean at approximately a 45-degree angle to keep ridin’ against the wind. At that weight to lean ratio, Speedy was parallel with the ground. LuLu was throwing around the p=mv equation, which I looked up. Basically, in no uncertain terms, it means that Gopher’s brownies from last week kept me upright and should be consumed at a higher velocity.

Cookie Monster and E$ have another strong XX Drafter ridin’ against the wind:

Columbus and Newbie, Badger, could be the smartest of the XX Drafters. They constructed a 9 mile route consisting entirely of a tail wind. Pretty sure they stole ours. Columbus humbly declared, “WE CRUSHED IT.”

The B Team showed incredible Drafter spirit, taking turns drafting behind Vintage. Facetiously, LuLu scoffed, “Feels like we are going 5 mph”. Looking at my Garmin, we were cranking out 5.1mph. Skipper thought his Garmin actually read 0mph on the stretch home, ridin’ against the wind. The wind was ripping through the valleys such that the telephone wires were howling. It sounded like F16s flying overhead.

The A Team suffered under the same wind conditions, but apparently found a segment of tail wind on Church Rd. Rimshot topped out at 47mph. I guess if the spirit moves you, it really moves you. Not paying heed to the sand and pothole riddled conditions of Whippoorwill Road, FOG was focused on capturing a Strava segment. “I finally slowed down when I went off the road” rejoiced Rimshot. The spirit wasn’t so generous with Blurple, who joined the FLAT TIRE CLUB. Booker J was singing another Bob Seger hit song, “Horizontal Bop”. Cross-winds are fierce when a snot rocket lands in the next county.

The Drafter ride for April 5 will Take Me To Church. B team departs 4:30, A team at 5PM. Back by popular demand, Pizza from Glass Nickel will be provided. If there is enough interest, we can discuss ordering logistics, but next week, it is on the house. The Brick House.

GPS link: Take Me To Church GPS

HINCAPIE STORE UPDATE: Polar vest and polar long sleeve jerseys have been added to the store, open through April 5.

Hincapie Drafter Store Link 2021

An additional HINCAPIE STORE LINK for older kits will be available soon, likely later this week or next.

DIRTY DRAFT UPDATE: we are predicting many new dirty members to the Wednesday night rides. CamRock are Quarry Ridge are open, with Blackhawk and Pleasant View drying out quickly thanks to sun and wind. Look for updates on GroupMe. Captain Joe and Ninja provided some new MTB porn, and rumor has it that Dark Knight and Duracell have new MTBs waiting to get dirty. Give some serious thought to joining Capital Off-Road Pathfinders, or support them by ordering a MTB jersey (10% back to CORP).

CORP jersey link

• 

• 

• 

Draft responsibly,

BrickO