Polar vests and long sleeve jerseys will be added to the store shortly.
As a reminder, VELOCITY is the race cut. AXIS is the more relaxed club fit. There are two inseam lengths to choose from for shorts and bibs. Historically, the longer inseam length is more popular, but you do you. There are NO RETURNS. Many of you took advantage of the demo sample sizes we had last week. If you didn’t have that opportunity, try on a fellow Drafter’s kit from 2019-2020 to guide you, as they are the same style.
Love your old kit? The Hincapie Store is willing to bring them back! You need to email me with specific details on the 1) kit style and 2) item, including male/female and size
14 Drafters showed lots of brawn, perhaps more than brains, drafting on the first official day of spring. A few sprinkles had us wondering if Captain Joe was the only one to stay dry, as he dutifully rode the course in the early afternoon to provide a full report on road conditions. The black box data indicated we were clear for take off.
PDQ, Skipper, Queenie, LuLu, Gopher & BrickO (photo by Z Wrecks) set out to conquer Braun Rd
The B team took a strong lead out Airport Rd, minus one. BrickO suffered a wardrobe malfunction, unable to engage her cleat due to a feisty toe cover. After several failed attempts to remove said toe cover in transit, she was grateful for a red light to remedy the situation.
Lyrics song by the police came to mind, “PUT ON THE RED LIGHT”
Abiding by the Drafter Code of Ethics, BrickO did the shamrock shuffle at Culvers to rendezvous with Vilks, who underestimated the extra riding time from Fitchburg to the start.
Drafting the B Team vs. Shamrock Shuffle at Culvers? Green wins.LuLu, PDQ, Z Wrecks, Gopher and Skipper start the climb up Braun. Gopher climbs like a beast but descends like Frank Schleck (I had to Google slowest pro). Perhaps more brownies will aid in the physics of descent. Or maybe new wheels? See marriage counseling conundrum below.Country Roads Take Me Home To The Place I Belong, WISCONSIN
There has been some recent debate on a proper description for the A Team. Cannibal offered up “FOG” to represent the Fat Old Guys, but the B Team took offense (since they can’t keep up) and re-acronymized them as the Fast Old Guys. Clearly, the debate isn’t about age. The newest inducted, Busch Latte, may be the most decrepit of the A Team. At the ripe old age of 28, he bailed on his teammates claiming his “legs were trashed from the weekend.” Way wah wah. FOG= full of garbage.
The A team also had a member with mechanical. Booker J is the first to join the 2021 FLAT TIRE CLUB! Well done, Booker J. Adding a bit more brawn to Braun, he dropped his chain at the start of the climb. Cannibal and Blurple were already hammering for the Strava segment, so Rimshot made the Drafter sacrifice, slowly spinning up Braun to keep Booker J in sight.
Post-ride marriage counseling was in session on the back porch. LuLu & Columbus were talking excitedly about their upcoming vacation with Gopher & Badger. The topic of how many bikes to bring was broached and debated by all Drafters not going on their vacation, which further led to a debate on how many bikes one “should own”. Gopher recently splurged on a gravel bike, but then responsibly passed on a new road bike, instead buying a new set of road wheels that could also function on his gravel bike. “I like being married”, . Vintage stood firm on his viewpoint that “I can buy anything without asking permission from Thing 1“. Struck with a the realization of the recent charge on their credit card, which prompted a fraud alert, Thing 1 said, “You are such an A$$”. Turns out wheel sets, even on sale, do not go undetected. The Discover card lives up to its name.
Minutes from the marriage counseling session: We all agreed that Gopher should stay married. And, should continue to bake toffee chocolate brownies to share with the Drafters. It is good therapy. Unanimously we agreed that n+1 is the optimal number of bikes. And that Discover should not discover any bike or bike part purchases and report them to the non-purchasing spouse. Fraud alerts should be directed to the spouse making the bike purchase.
The Hincapie sizing samples arrived. Proving the ride was no brains and all brawn, we donned our shorts and jerseys after Gopher’s brownies. Everybody was rethinking the dessert and beverage choices as we picked up the size we were last season. Dedicated to an upcoming race, Skipper had already completed a morning run, 30 min core workout, andobserved intermittent fasting…. and he imbibed in a post-ride draft from the faucet! Vintage went straight for the XXS… for his left big toe.
Rimshot and Cannibal or Hans and Franz?
Please reach out if you want to try on samples before ordering (bibs, shorts, short, long sleeve and polar jerseys, wind jacket, wind and polar vests, polar jacket). There are no returns. However, if something doesn’t fit, let me know and I can usually find a Drafter with a wish list. I will send the samples back on Friday and open up the Hincapie Team Store. You will have one week to place your orders. Transactions and delivery are all handled individually. Throughout the year, you can receive 20% off all non-custom orders through https://hincapie.com/ with code SBRICKSON.
A shout out to Coach Arms and the Women’s Badger Hockey Team. We fully expect Coach Arms to be back in the Draft, now that she is off the ice.
On tap for next week, March 29th is Tom Collins. Departure times for B and FOG teams are 4:30 and 5:00PM, respectively. Any changes will be noted on GroupMe.
Spring sprung early and wasn’t the only green life to be appreciated on Monday. 11 Drafters found their way to the Riley Tavern on a gorgeous 60-degree day, the earliest in Drafter history for an inaugural ride.
B Team: BrickO, Belle, Footer, Pit Stop, Vintage, Speedy and Gopher
The B Team departed at 4PM, with some interesting looking bicycles. Vintage brought a beast of the same name while Speedy wheeled up on her Grandmother’s “grocery bike”, having dismantled the basket earlier in the day. The warm weather caught us all off guard. Speedy, being of shorter stature, simply couldn’t reach her LaMond hanging in the garage since November. Resourceful, although I do hope Grandma wasn’t looking to go shopping Monday evening.
The A Team rode with a bit more vigor, discussing Strava segments and pace line strategies. It seems Cannibal gained more power and lost more mass over the winter (highly irritating for those of us who thought the pandemic could be mitigated with Netflix, pizza and Imperial Stouts), leading the small A team paceline without regard for rotation. Blurple commented, “Ya know. We could go a lot faster if you went a little slower on occasion.” Rimshot had a strong start to the Drafter season, remembering to bring beer and even offered to pay one forward to the Newbie. Granted, it was a Miller Lite, so none were surprised when the Newbie declined. Turns out, the quality of the beer wasn’t the issue. The guy simply wasn’t thirsty. It came out that Miller Lite is actually a step up from his Busch Latte. Welcome to the Draft.
Busch Latte, Rimshot and Cannibal Drafting ResponsiblySpeedy and Footer: Iconic International Women’s Day Representatives from Canada and the only Waunakee in the world
Back at home base, we enjoyed some caloric reinforcements, compliments of Cookie and her little Monster. The snow in the backyard kept us on the porch, and we tested the safety of our new industrial outdoor patio gas heater under the wooden ceiling. Since staring the lawn on fire last year with an uncooperative and unruly fire pit, we are fully stocked with fire extinguishers for 2021. Blurple suggested we turn the gas heater into a blow torch to melt the remainder of the snow before next Monday’s ride. Looking at the forecast, we might need to order more gas heaters. Or blowtorches.
Speedy asks as she nestles in closer, “Are these heaters supposed to be inside?”LuLu is on the injured reserve list, Drafting responsibly on his trainer.
Super Tuesday seems to be a jammin’ day to ride, if you can’t make it on Monday.
Queenie and Duracell hope the Riley Tavern is open on Super Tuesday
Ignoring the forecast, let’s pretend that 60 degrees is here to stay and that we will Draft on Monday. The route is No Brains, All Brawn (or Braun, as the road is otherwise known). Departures: B Team 4:30; A team 5PM.
A reminder that we will be ordering Hincapie kits in the next week or two. If you would like to request a sample jersey, shorts, bibs, jacket or vest to try on for size, please let me know as I will be having those mailed soon. And for all other Hincapie Sportswear orders please enjoy 20% off with code SBRICKSON.
Welcome to the 2021 season, the 9th official Draft. Our secretary was hired in 2016, and data has been kept meticulously since that time (she’s worth the expense- pro bono). Here is a snapshot of the trends:
Let’s keep that momentum rolling! A few ground rules to review before we roll:
Have fun. Spread the love of cycling. The Drafters are a family first, and then a bike group. We do not have a process to vet newbies, so if you invite someone into our tribe, realize they are a reflection of you and should share our family values. We care little about power to mass ratio, and much about humanity for the masses ratio.
Represent the Draft well. Preferably wearing green. Hincapie kits will be available to order next week. Enjoy a discount on all non-Drafter Hincapie Sportswear with code SBRICKSON.
Be safe: you are responsible for your own safety, and realize your behavior impacts the safety of others. Please follow the rules of the road as well as social distancing until the threat of Covid has been eliminated. And while I am not legally liable for your safety, I do have a moral and ethical obligation to share suds with you after the draft, so text me if you have an issue on the route and let me know you are safe.
When in doubt, climb. And always go left on Johnson. Maps and GPS will be provided on the blog. It is your responsibility to download or print and be prepared to navigate. Recommend downloading the WordPress app on your phone for quick reference.
Communication amongst Drafters will occur through GroupMe, to include but not limited to weather updates, ride delays and cancellations, road closures and route changes. If you want to be added to GroupMe, please let me know.
Leave no Drafter behind or alone. Help a Drafter in need (flat tire or other mechanical) or suffer the consequences (being shunned on the blog).
Bring your own beverages, and consider bringing an extra to share with your thirsty fellow Drafter who forgot (won’t name names, Rimshot) , and anything you would like to eat during post-ride festivities. An industrial space heater has been purchased to complement the heat generated by fire pit… and promises to be a bit safer. Lawn fires are discouraged and by permit only.
The weather for early March looks promising for an inaugural ride on Monday, March 8. Due to limited daylight (sunset 5:51PM) and social distancing, we will have a TT rolling start at 4:00 from our home base in Middleton Hills. Many of you work until 5PM, and as daylight becomes more generous, we will move the start to a later time.
On the first ride with Drafters Pipes said to me: a gold medal, finally
On the second ride with Drafters Columbus said to me: Just how flat is Spring Valley?
On the third ride with Drafters Duchess said to me: Hyer Loop, bad history
On the fourth ride with Drafters Dan-yelly said to me: I’m planning to ride early
On the fifth ride with Drafters Special K said to me: Barlow with one gear, watch me
On the sixth ride with Drafters Flash said to me: No chance Dark Knight will catch me
On the seventh ride with Drafters Rimshot said to me: 3 flats one road Dane County
On the eighth ride with Drafters LuLu said to me: I ride with crazy socks high knee
On the ninth ride with Drafters Coach Arms and Cookie Monster said to me: It’s hard to Draft with a baby
On the tenth ride with Drafters Thing 1 said to me: Can we please rename Kermy?
On the eleventh ride with Drafters Romeo said to me: please push Keez up Bonetti
On the twelfth ride with Drafters Booker J said to me: Garmin mph always twenty three
On the thirteenth ride with Drafters Drone Master said to me: Got some cool photography
On the fourteenth ride with Drafters Duracell, Slinger, Mario and Queenie said to me: So many girls on Team B!
On the fifteenth ride with Drafters Bomber and Belle said to me: Leadboat is cancelled… YIPPIE?
On the sixteenth ride with Drafters Tick Tock and Blurple said to me: Commuted to work and back already
On the seventeenth ride with Drafters Pit Stop said to me: I could use a porta potty
On the eighteenth ride with Drafters Billy Boy and Loose Screw said to me: It’s flatter in Sanibell-E
On the nineteen ride with Drafters Footer and Speedy said to me: Cannibal’s drinks make us woozy
On the twentieth ride with Drafters Hit-the-Wall and Slow Cow said to me: Which road is this supposed to be?
On the twenty-first ride with Drafters Surly said to me: Barlow on a fat tire, it’s easy
On the twenty-second ride with Drafters Gopher said to me: I make a wicked brownie
On the twenty-third ride with Drafters Skipper said to me: Let’s get these Drafters Dirty
On the twenty-fourth ride with Drafters Captain said to me: I’ll host if there’s a debut by Sully
On the twenty-fifth ride with Drafters Ninja and Octane said to me: Funtathalon? Never met but we will see!
On the twenty-sixth ride with Drafters Wampus and Yoda said to me: Here comes the ortho PARTY!
On the twenty-seventh ride with Drafters Hundo and Knievel said to me: Love to ride but bed time is 7:30
One and done for JRad, Han Solo, the Rock, Pres, NBA Cliff, Vilks, Helios, Ditch and Daisy. Einstein came up with a new Drafter formula that calculated beer without a bike variable. Crazy.
Switching holiday themes….
You know Captain and Skipper and Bomber and Z Wrecks Speedy and Footer and Sandlot and Brickson But do you recall The most famous Drafter of all (at least on Dec 25)?
Cookie the Monster-Wille Has a very special day And if you ever saw her You would even say she glows
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Cookie Monster!
Merriest wishes, Drafter Family. Here’s to health, happiness, hills and hops in 2021.
The winds were howling on Monday, pushing the Drafters effortlessly north on Black Widow. The A team was restless, deciding to leave before the more “mature” (read: slow) riders. But apparently not as restless as Queenie and Duracell who left mid-afternoon.
Queenie and Duracell hit Dane shortly after noon.A Team: Rimshot, Vintage, Speedy, LuLu, Footer, Gopher and Z Wrecks depart at 4PM
Footer and Speedy looked around at the 4PM foreigners and stepped out of the line up to re-establish the B-team. The A team had a head start, and there was no chance of catching them as Speedy was not feeling so speedy. Well, there wasn’t a chance, period, but who wants to post negativity in the blog?
“You guys go on ahead.”
Blinded by the fame of his Wisconsin State Journal front page press, Skipper was on the beltline before realizing he forgot his shoes. Honoring the No Drafter Left Behind mantra, BrickO waited patiently for Cinderella to retrieve his glass slipper. Honor was only part of the equation. A debt (or two) needed to be paid for times when Skipper was indeed left behind, not out of Drafter misconduct but simple age-related memory loss. Mid-way down Schneider Road two-weeks ago, it occurred to BrickO that perhaps she failed to mention leaving early to Skipper, who rolled in just as the A team was rolling out. Sorry, buddy.
BrickO, Skipper and Octane play catch up.
“I’m going 25mph uphill and pushing 110 Watts. This isn’t going to be good coming home.” No sh*t, BrickO. With Skipper at the helm, the B Team was quickly caught. Granted, they weren’t so speedy given the sinus infection limiting Speedy’s oxygen intake just above survival threshold. She upped the social distancing boundaries exponentially, respectfully leaving Footer to do all the work into the headwind home. “I was downshifting and losing speed on the descent out of Dane. This isn’t right.” said the aerospace engineer, Footer.
Easy come: Skipper, BrickO, Octane, FooterEasy goOctane burns some fuel taking a pull on Lodi-Springfield for Skipper, Footer and Speedy
Footer wasn’t the only one doing wind calculations. Vintage rode clear to the opposite side of the road to politely launch a snot rocket to ensure it landed out of Drafter orbit. The cross-winds were so strong on Woodland that the echelon had to tilt their heads due west in order to keep fluids from draining unilaterally. Did I mention that I’m not good at math???
Despite the wind and blistering pace, Skipper found time capture a wildlife photo. Check out the eagle in the tree behind Skipper’s left shoulder.
The Eagle has landed
This is the first ride in Drafter history where the number of riders (11) was exceeded by the number of beer-drinkers! Belle and Bomber crashed the party bringing gifts of chocolate from Sweden. Or at least from as far away as Ikea. Octane brought a Newbie to drink only. Is that guy smart or what? Drafter handle: Einstein. Gopher brought his wife, Badger, and a couple dozen delicious chocolate mint cookies. LuLu went home to get warm clothes and came back with Columbus. With all the excitement, Skipper had a hard time staying put in his chair. Luckily, the fire stayed put in the pit this week.
Footer, Octane, Speedy (drinking hot tea more than 6 feet away), Z Wrecks, Skipper, Vintage, Columbus, LuLu, Bucky, Gopher and Rimshot. Belle and Bomber soon to arrive.
The wind blew in some good memories for our last Monday night ride, and is much preferred to the rain the previous week which blew our chance to draft and to recognize a few weekend warriors.
The Draft was well represented at the Birkie Trail Run.
Northern Draft: Momma Monster, Footer, Cookie Monster and E$
Footer and E$ were nominated to run two of the 6 relay-legs. With calves like these, the Birkie Trail hills stood little chance.
An anatomy lesson in the superficial posterior compartment.
The other Drafter relay team had a rocky start, as they were registered under two different names: Ambassadors of the Cosmos and Ambassadors of the Clouds. Ultimately, they came together to win the Masters Marathon Relay. #oldladiescouldn’twalkfor2days and #took5oldladiestocover26.2
Nobody dared look to see if there were other teams registered in that division. Please don’t mess with our illusion of grandeur. Pipes added a long-awaited Gold Medal to her collection. She attributed her success to the inspirational singing by her crew during the road trip to Hayward and the hospitality of the Wille Village.
Ambassadors of Something: Ninja, Speedy, Pipes, Pipette, Judge and BrickOOlympic Gold at lastBrickO, Pipes, Ninja, Footer, Cookie Monster, Pensatoio, Millie, Pipette and Speedy at Wille Village
5 Women could barely cover 26.2 miles, and yet a newbie Drafter and friends easily covered the Ultra Marathon.
Columbus discovers more land than the Ambassadors
Back in Dane County, the weather wasn’t so favorable for The RIDE.
Z RIDES strongDuchess, PitStop and Sandlot RIDE 100 in the rainTree of Rown finishes a 70.3 in Racine (Drafter gear hidden beneath cold weather gear)
The Byrds were on to something when they sang, Turn, Turn, Turn.
To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time to wear green, a time to climb A time to pull, a time to sweep A time to draft, time on a wheel A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time to drink up, a time to break down A time to attack, a time to get dropped A time to ride all alone, a time to gather miles together
That time is Saturday, Oct 10. It is time to celebrate the season turn, turn, turn. The last official Drafter Fondo 2020 offers 3 routes: Gran, Medio and Picolo (borrowing terms from the Hincapie Fondo). A small gathering with social distancing is to follow. Please bring a lawn chair, beer and whatever sustenance you need. There are a few awards to be given, although to be honest, 2 of the 4 recipients of the “big awards” aren’t able to attend, and the prizes for those riding more than 10 times have been delayed. So don’t forget the beer as that will be the focal point of the gala. A large cooler with ice will be out back, if you want to leave beer to chill before the ride.
The Gran 53 mile Rock of Gibraltar will depart at 11:45AM.
Every season turn, turn, turn… the Draft may be ending, but the Dirty Draft is still in season! Join us tonight at Blackhawk: 4PM family time, big boys riding at 5PM.
Dirty Draft family style
Looking for a capstone event (or any event) in addition to the Drafter Fondo to wrap up the season? Check out the Ironbull Gravel Grinder 140, 85, 50 and 12 mile routes.
An unintentional blending of the A and B teams occurred on Monday. Tom. Collins; Corona. Lime; Brandy. Old Fashioned; Dark. Beer; Whiskey. More. These are natural couplings. A and B teams. 23 Drafters. Not so much. When Cannibal announced that the A team would be leaving at 4:45, most mortals translated that message to mean the B team should leave at 4:30 or earlier.
B Team Roll Out: Thing 1, Z Wrecks, Sandlot, Duchess, Captain Joe, Queenie, Speedy, Pit Stop, C Monster and Footer
Skipper’s translator must have been out on his new ski boat. He showed up as the A team was gearing up. “Sh*t. It’s just 4 fast old guys and me.” Good to differentiate by age and speed. Cannibal, Rimshot, Blurple and Booker J were a blur before long.
4 Old Fast Guys and Me
Where are they?
Our professional team photographer, Drone Master, was on site to capture the essence of the Draft. Except he missed BrickO and Z Wrecks. When you help build something solid, it can stand alone, without you. That mature and worldly statement came after intense sensitivity training (remedial) provided by Cannibal and Company. Discount Code: lil fkrz.
Rimshot slingshots to the front
Duchess, “Why does it look like I’m suffering going DOWNHILL???”
Duchess, per us, struggled with more than just the ride. While Skipper’s translator was altogether absent, Duchess’s Garmin was translating the route in Suomi, a Finnish language not common in Dane County. Skipper, wanting to redeem himself in the art of translation, offered up “gelande quaffing“. Intrigued without knowing exactly what that entailed (sounds like a decadent dessert), Sandlot asked Duchess if he would like to head home and have some. Duchess, no longer showing any signs of suffering, quickly accepted the invitation. Side note: this blog is powered by PowerDot, the smart electrical muscle stimulator, with performance enhancement and improved recovery settings.
Gelande Quaffing
The evening was rowdy. The lawn caught fire, which was a definite improvement over the smoke two weeks ago prompting an air quality index alert for Glacier Ridge Rd. Skipper brought his favorite beer to share, a curious construct of habanero and cinnamon. Blurple was the Master Sampler, eagerly accepting Skipper’s Mayan Mocha Stout and a sip of my Big Bad Baptist. The professor had class at 9:30PM. We will be reviewing his performance next week. I think there is a PowerDot setting for that, as well.
Not everyone opted for habanero and cinnamon beer.
Recovery drinks WISCO style: Hamms and chocolate milk.
Speedy heated things up dancing around the ring of fire, and hubby Duracell got down to his socks.
Gopher returned for his second Drafter appearance. He failed to bring his famous brownies, but brought something even sweeter.
Sweeter than brownies
Speaking of sweet things, Cookie Monster showed up for her second ride of the season, multitasking to make it happen.
Pres made his first Drafter appearance of the 2020 season. He bought an official Drafters jersey on ebay. Who knew that was possible??
Pres comes to town
If ebay doesn’t have what you are looking for, the Hincapie store is giving us one last opportunity to buy Drafter gear. Store closes Sun Oct 4 at midnight. Do not use the discount code noted above.
North of the lawn and ring of fire… Congrats to the Chequamegon 40 finishers!
Bomber, Belle, Thing 1 and Vintage at the Cheq 40
Next week we will head towards Lodi, abbreviating the route to honor the Sun Gods who are taking a bit more each day. Black Hill is a killer. But fun. The route is 28miles, so we need to hustle. If possible, B team 4:15 wheels up, with the A team giving a wide berth with a 4:45 departure, and Skipper somewhere in between. If enough folks can continue to leave early, we will keep Drafting into early October. Be nice to hit Easy Street and Riley Tavern 25 mile routes before we call it quits. Please check your email for a Survey Monkey concerning the Drafter Year End Gala on Oct 10th or 11th. Prizes and beverages will be served.
In summary of Cannibal’s 2000+ feet run up Timber, Barlow, Mineral Point, Witte, and oh yeah, Timber again… he’s sweet but he’s psycho. A taste of my own medicine, perhaps? So grateful for another Drafter to craft a route and host the shindig afterwards, I barely complained. Define barely: the interval of time after 1000 feet of climb and before 2 garden drinks and 4 monster cookies. Ava Max said it best: Sweet But Psycho
Oh, he’s sweet but a psycho
A little bit psycho
Monday night we’re screamin’
“I’m-ma-ma-ma hill’s a grind”
Oh, gin drinks but a psycho
So green but it’s right though
At night we’re screamin’
“I’m-ma-ma-ma hill’s a grind”
He’ll make you climb, cause he’s Cannibal
He’ll rip your Strava within a second
You’ll be coming back, back for seconds
In your dinner plate, you just can’t help it
No, no, you’ll ride along
Let him lead you o-, o-, on
You’ll be saying, “No, no”
Then saying, “Yes, yes, yes”
‘Cause he messin’ with your head
Oh, he’s sweet but a psycho
A little bit psycho
Monday night we’re screamin’
“I’m-ma-ma-ma hill’s a grind”
Oh, gin drinks but a psycho
So green but it’s right though
At night we’re screamin’
“I’m-ma-ma-ma out my mind”
The B Team fueld up for Cannibal’s Run with help from a fresh baked batch of cookies delivered just in time by Cookie and lil’ Monster.
Cookie and Lil’ Monster
B Team Fueled Up
Footer, Belle, Speedy, BrickO, Queenie, Duracell and Loose Screw stayed together for all of 10 minutes. By the end of Midtown Road, the B team was minus Queenie and Footer. There was report of Queenie joining the Flat Tire Club,with Footer dutifully executing her Drafter duty of lending mechanical and emotional support. The remaining B team reviewed the Drafter bylaws (always good to have an attorney present- thanks, Belle) and unanimously voted it was appropriate to pedal on. Why stop at one? If you are going to join the Flat Tire Club, go big or go home with as many tubes you can secure from the B and A team members. The A Team was hungry like the wolf, catching the B team in record time. Speedy yelled, “Car back!”, mistaking the sound of the fast moving A team machine for a motor vehicle.
Queenie joins the club
Second flat conveniently at Riley Tavern
The A Team dropped a tube for Queenie. They were in a dropping sort of mood. Averaging 23mph until Barlow, Cannibal announced, “let’s stick together.” LuLu called BS and Vintage opted not to listen to the command. In fact, LuLu and Vintage were rogue from the start, opting to ride from Middleton to Cannibal’s beautiful house in the woods as a “warm-up”.
A Team: Booker J, Cannibal, Rimshot and Bomber (LuLu and Vintage warming up)
The A team cannibalized one another, pushing the limits of quadriceps power. The destruction was clear by the conversation afterward. LuLu: My legs are tingling. Rimshot’s Garmin indicated that he required 41 hours of recovery. “I don’t think I’ll be able to go into work tomorrow.” Booker J’s Garmin recovery forecast wasn’t so ominous, perhaps because it curiously continuously registers 17mph. While that is a favorable report climbing Barlow, relatively speaking that meant the rest of the A team had to be climbing over 40mph. “I thought I would die here on Barlow, alone.” In the throes of desperation he was seen kicking at his derailleur and throwing a water bottle at his chain, hoping for a mechanical issue that would invoke the Drafter code and temporarily cease the climbing pain.
Booker J decided to contact Garmin with a complaint: “Dear Garmin. You suck.” To which Garmin responded: “Dear Booker J. Please remove the protective sticker from the Garmin screen and you may notice the numbers changing.”
The Drafter Board is considering sensitivity training for all members. The A team, as rough and tumbly as they appear, have feelings, too. Rimshot, in a moment of vulnerability, expressed sadness over not being included in GroupMe. While an unintentional oversight by the IT department, it also came to our attention that he also feels some sadness when not mentioned in the blog. Rimshot is much nicer than he looks. A reminder that one cannot judge a book by its cover.
The Drafters were treated to the generous hospitality of Cannibal, his wife (who needed tube educated on the n+1 rule) and 3 German Shepherds, and fresh baked cookies by Cookie Monster. Belle was particularly taken with the house and hospitality. “Do you think they’ll mind if I move in? I can sleep with the dogs.” Mind you, they each have a very inviting bed with a killer view of the woods. Dances with Wolves, Sleeps with Dogs. Sounds like a Kevin Costner movie.
Vintage doubles up on monster cookies
Speedy does the math: half a Solo cup = half the alcohol content
Speedy, Z Wrecks, Queenie, Booker J, Footer, Rimshot, Jen, Bomber, Belle, Loose Screw and Duracell enjoy garden drinks by Cannibal (LuLu and Vintage already departed on their bike ride home)
Late but not forgotten, Dan-yelly rolled in just after sunset. “It is a bit eerie out here riding after dark.” Talk about dancing with wolves!
Dan-yelly feasting after a hard solo ride
The days are getting shorter and so will the rides. Next week we will sip a Tom Collins, a short 28 mile route. There is an option to take the bike path home after crossing Hwy 12, shortening the route to 25 miles. Staggered start per norm, 4:30, 4:43 and 5:00PM departures. Pizza and ring of fire to follow.
The Dirty Draft has had a run of bad weather. The sun finally cooperated. Great to see Octane and his buddy Rudy, Stout and his buddy Mike, Speedy and kiddos at Blackhawk yesterday. Reminder that Blackhawk membership is required to ride and registration is open: Link for Registration.
It is nothing compared to the Tour de France stage 15 many of us watched this morning. But we are not Pogacar. We will suffer like Bernal. And like it.
I’m taking the liberty to cannibalize the blog for the sole purpose of celebrating my daughter’s first triathlon today. Due to Covid, I declined the 9 hour round trip to witness 1:24 of her glory, but I was there in spirit. First collegiate female, 4th overall female!
Full of pride, I had some emotional bandwidth left to revisit my first sprint triathlon, also during my senior year of college, with my PT classmate and lifelong friend. What I remember most clearly is that her helmet was on backwards during the bike leg. Helmets were a bit different back then- much harder to tell the front from the back of a dome that sat a foot above your skull. The equipment has come a long way, but the feeling is the same ….
Pre-race jitters
Post-race euphoria
Check out the aero helmets in 1992. And the aero bars on my Giant. Nevermind the Umbro shorts.
brickosdrafters 
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