21 Drafters set out for Indian Lake. Reconstruction of Parmenter to Hwy 12 was easily navigated, but the deconstruction of Indian Trail and Matz Road only benefited Hawkeye and other dentists. Hold on to your fillings. Holy cobbles, Bat Man.

This game day report will be relayed through Skipper’s photos, as the blog editor is recovering from hypoxia. Cogent content is unlikely. Although the reader may not notice a change in mentation for blog shenanigans.

Divide and conquer. The A Team established itself after the climb up Church. Perhaps they filled their bottles with holy water?

The cobbles of Matz Rd split the A Team. Vilks, Hammer, LuLu and Hawkeye burned up the road. Or was that smoke coming from the candles on Hawkeye’s cake? HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Hawkeye !!! Z, Twinkle Toes and Skipper looked toward the silo, the Dane County version of the Giant on the Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees.

Where are Keez and Rimshot, you might ask? The hills were not calling to them, as they wisely opted for the scenic bike path down Highway 12. Sounds like a Bob Dylan song in the making. The rationale behind their strategy will be revealed shortly.

The B Team bravely bypassed the short pour bike path option, charging full strength ahead to climb Rauls Road. And Woodland Rd. And Pheasant Branch. The trifecta of pain otherwise adverted on the bike path.

The boys hit the home stretch on Pheasant Branch. Just minutes away from a rehydration station.

My, how these boys have changed. Vintage lost a few feet of hair and his Junior Drafter has grown about as much. Curious selection of toys….

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

Representing our Junior Drafter MTB Team, Minnow Monster let er’ rip on the CAMBA trails. Cookie Monster captured this footage while drafting responsibly behind her daughter. E$ is priming Mellow Monster for the same.

No stranger to podiums, congrats to Squeak on her USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships success! I’m sure the Midas touch didn’t hurt.

Congrats to Keez on her longest gravel grinder yet. You know you are from Wisco when your 135 mile weekend ride covers the “Cheese Triangle”.

And you know what goes well with cheese? Beer. These two Drafters conquered the Great Taste Midwest Beer Festival. Strong work, Skipper and Rimshot.

A special shout out to Rimshot on his humanitarian work. Giving selflessly, Rimshot worked tirelessly to help set up the beer function. It is no wonder he was out of gas for the ride. In other humanitarian and beer drinking news, the Drafters are honored to have been selected to display a bejeweled and bedazzled beer bong. This work of art was hand crafted by Ruby’s wife during her college years at UW-Madison and is a revered family heirloom displayed proudly on the family refrigerator. Ruby does caution looking but not touching the work of art, as the beer bong is not BPA free.

Tour de Dane Femmes Standings:

They GC battle is heating up. Total mileage for last week went to Keez with 276, just nudging out Cujo with 201 miles. Keep in mind- those data are only for one week. The yellow jersey will go to the Femme with the most total miles in the month of Aug.

The battle in the mountains for the polka dot jersey currently is uncontested, with Sweeps in the lead!

The speedsters are racing for the green jersey, with Hammer Time taking the QOM on Stage 3 Cross Plains Time Trial by 0.1s over Cujo, who currently holds the QOM for Stage 4 Stagecoach Sprint.

The Femme in pink is currently Shaq! She made her attack this weekend. Let’s see if she can hold on!

On tap for Monday Aug 18 is Crystal Lake (dubbed Crystal Cat after the heroic rescue of a farm kitten by Squirrel and Keez years ago). Full strength 35 miles, short pour 26 miles. Departure time 4:50 for both groups. I know, I know. The TimesThey Are A-Chanin’. More Bob Dylan Trying to be respectful of those with less flexible work hours.

RidewithGPS link Drafters | Crystal Cat Short Pour

RidewithGPS link Drafters| Crystal Cat

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

21 Drafters came out to play with the Beast. This route likely tapped the most elevation gain of the season. Sweeps developed a “special relationship” with the Beast of Barlow. When asked how she did on the beastly climb, her positive response, “Well, I didn’t tip over.” That’s an award winning attitude, and one not shared by several drafters. You know who you are. Keez. “But, Mom, why would we climb Braun when we could just take KP back to Crossroads?” Because, my love, “When in doubt, CLIMB!”

Crossroads has vexed Nemo and Sherlock. Last month, it was a forgotten helmet that delayed the mother-daughter. This month, it was a forgotten car. In for repairs, the two realized too late that they needed to bike to the start. This action photo gives a sense of the speed Nemo is generating. She’s the Flo-Jo of cycling.

Their faux pas was appreciated by Ruby, who came in hot and was able to connect with the tardy duo. Jumping to the end, the finish photos say it all.

Ok, back to what happened in the middle for the rest of the Drafters. Pretty simple. Vilks, despite 124 miles and 11k feet of climbing on Saturday led the way. Hawkeye and Gopher, the representatives from Iowa, baited him with a few break away maneuvers, but Vilks wasn’t taking the bait.

It was good to have Car Wash back in the line up after a shoveling incident messed with his low back. Never let gardening chores get in the way of cycling! This route was not exactly a gentle return to the Draft, but he hung in there. Fully charged, Duracell made his debut with the lead group.

A huge thanks to Abby and her crew at Creekside Scoop for hosting us each month. The pizzas were hot, the ice cream was cold and the beer au jus was fabulous.

The Michelin star was only in part awarded for the fine au jus. The pizza is also worthy. Vilks, having stole a slice of pepperoni from Coach Arms last time, was prepared to share his pie. Alas, the Coach was celebrating in Canada with her family. HBD, COACH ARMS!

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

Tour de Dane Standings:

Pretty in pink, Speedy is out front. Not only did she complete Stage 7 Mountain Momma and Stage 2 LBS Love in the same day, she exceeded expectations by delivering treats to Trek West, which was beyond the tour route.

Nobody has entered the mountain stage, but our speedster in green is Shaq after hammering Stage 3 Cross Plains Time Trial. She also picks up some pink points by enjoying some coffee at Crossroads Coffeehouse.

RACING OUTSIDE OF THE TOUR

Congratulations to the Drafter Finishers at Dairyland Dare. Vilks dared go under 7 hours for 124 miles and nearly 11,000 feet of climb. Cujo was right on his wheel for the first 75 miles and broke the 8 hour barrier. Spigot and Tinker has a strong 100 mile finish as well!

In other endurance events, Shaq conquered the Best Dam Bike Tour, riding 150 miles over the weekend.

Switching from pavement to water, CONGRATULATIONS to Footer on two silver medals at Barefoot Nationals in Florida!! One medal for each foot. And CONGRATS to The Legend on being National Champion!

An Ironman Simulation was happening down at Law Park. Midas and MultiSport were there to support Tree of Rown on her next Iron challenge. Go get em!

On tap for Monday Aug 11: one route to Indian Lake 31 miles, with an option to take the bike path home 29 miles. Highway 19 has been repaved, with a VERY wide shoulder and rumble strip for protection.

One departure time of 4:45PM. The bike path home isn’t exactly a short pour. Given that Missouri Tavern is on the bike path, you may find an extra pour on that route.

RidewithGPS Link Drafters| Indian Lake

RidewithGPS Link Drafters | Indian Lake Bike Path Home

Draft responsibly,

BricKO

This stage of the Draft was full of surprises. When Phil and Bob announced Cannibal and Hit-the-Wall as contenders in this year’s tour, the crowd went wild to have the boys back in the line up. Perhaps a little disappointment seeped in with the realization that Cannibal would not finish the Champs-Middleton Hills bearing garden drinks and wearing an apron.

The heat is a great equalizer. 18 Drafters started and finished, mostly together.

There is a brief pause in the Tour coverage when the photographer gets dropped.

While we await his return, please enjoy some of his footage from the Riley Tavern route last week: YouTube Link to Skipper’s Drafting by Riley Highlights – July 25.

Coverage resumes as Skipper digs deep and overtakes the peloton with a brilliant break away maneuver up Buethin Rd.

Skipper was able to maintain the lead until Pheasant Branch, when Gopher sprinted for the town sign. Iowa was in it to win it, as Hawkeye gave chase. Gopher and Hawkeye were wheel to wheel at the finish. Phil and Bob are awaiting the judges decision.

Octane had to drop out of the tour after crashing in the MTB stage, but dropped by to single handedly enjoy a cold beverage.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

Drafters in the wild. Please feed the animals.

A bit further north, things really got wild at Wausau24. Skipper is nothing shy of a celebrity in the area, recently being hired to build miles and miles of MTB trail. Build it and they will come. And they did…. the largest MTB race in the Midwest sold out! Skipper took time out of his 12 hour race to grant an interview and announce the 6 hour winners. Despite several social engagements during the race, this beast managed to place top 10.

The rho Chi Minh Trail isn’t the only thing Skipper cleared. The race director cleared an entire camping area just for Skipper. BrickO couldn’t clear the rock garden, but she was happy to help fill the camp site space.

Before and after photos tell the story.

The Tour de France Femmes is underway. And starting August 1st, so is the Tour de Dane Femmes! Let’s make this the best tour yet.

On tap for Monday August 4: DEPARTURE FROM CROSSROADS COFFEHOUSE in Cross Plains. Two routes: short pour 23 miles and full strength 31miles. One departure time: 4:45PM. Given that this is a bit further of a drive from our usual launching pad, give a shout out on GroupMe if you are seeing other folks to leave at a later time.

RidewithGPS link: Drafters | CP Beast of Barlow Short Pour

RidewithGPS Link: Drafters | CP Beast of Barlow

PIZZA ORDERS: Please text BrickO by Monday noon if you’d like to pre-order a pizza: cheese, pepperoni, deluxe or veggie.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

The Drafter Grand Tour continues. 22 drafters set forth to Riley Tavern.

Skipper and Goose flew in hot in just after the photo, and Pepe joined the fleet from his home base, and Hammer Time started just as the group finished, sporting her new white Trek Madone. The bride to be choose her steed wisely.

The trickiest part of the ride was navigating through the chaotic intersection at the epicenter of Middleton Hills, where apparently blinkers, full stops and any other semblance of order imposted by traffic laws was largely ignored by drivers. But not the by the Drafters, who had two feet down and thumbs up at the red light.

Traffic quieted down and the drafters heated up once through the round-about on Blackhawk Rd. Skipper captured this gorgeous photo of the peloton climbing Blackhawk and Twin Valley.

The pecking order was established fairly quickly as Vilks and the Iowegian Birds of Prey, Goose and Hawkeye took flight. BrickO, von Diesel and Air Bourne managed to stay in formation until Riley, and then fell back into a more sustainable pace.

As is tradition, beers and smart talk commenced after the Draft. Shameless plug for Super Tuesday: for those who missed the rooftop concert last Thur, you can catch Queenie this weekend at the one and only WaunaFest!

Slim took a different route, MTBing through Cross Plains and Blackhawk trail systems to find his way to the backyard.

The Grand Tour was even more grand with a surprise drop in by Billy Boy, who actually intended to draft but was thwarted by a flat tire. There’s something a bit more Grand about Billy Boy this month…. congratulations to Sir Billy Boy the 6th!

Grandma Pit Stop and Grandpa Billy Boy were just ga ga over their grandkiddos.

Another surprise! A fly by visit from Gopher and a junior Drafter.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS: Congrats to Keez and Hawkeye on their Blue Mound Classic Cap Brew Ride event on Sunday.

Coming soon…. Calling All Femme Drafters! The 4th annual Tour de Dane Femmes will take place during the month of August. The format will be slightly different this year. There will be 8 stages with 4 classifications of awards: GC for most miles ridden during the tour, polka dot points for 2 climbing stages, green points for 2 sprint/TT stages and pink points for most spirited rider. Riders must complete ALL stages to be eligible for awards. Be sure to enlist on BrickO’s Drafters Strava Group in order to participate. You must be 18 years or older (for beer delivery purposes) and identify as Femme. No other restrictions apply.

On tap for Monday July 28: Full strength Latham Loop 30 miles and Northbound short pour 21 mile routes. Departure time 4:45. This worked well last week! The full strength self selected B team will roll out first, followed by A team, and then the short pour!

RidewithGPS link Drafters | Northbound Short Pour

RidewithGPS link Drafters | Latham Loop

Draft responsbily,

BrickO

It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. Bah. Enough complaining about mercury rising. 25 Drafters showed up and got after it.

MIA since 2019, welcome back von Diesel. Close to missing the action, Skipper rolled in with 1′ to spare. Gopher arrived on time, but ran out of time to ride as Daddy Day Care duties materialized 1′ before wheels up.

Fashion and Fashionably Late. Shaq strikes a pose for the cover of for her new catalog, “Fashion Forward”. Taking two styles of older Hincapie kits to create a new one (leave it up to the reader to decide if she misordered or mixed and matched on purpose), this kit is also her first “onesie”. The Fashion Forward catalog will reference bibs as “onesies” for adults.

Fashionably Late was Twinkle Toes. At least this week he remembered his shoes.

The pace set by both groups was as blistering as the heat. Check out the bike etiquette on Schneider Road. Red hot!

The group sizzled down Schneider Rd.

Breunig Road was a good mixer, with the A Team and most of the B Team having a chance to say hello.

It was also a chance to say goodbye, as Hawkeye, Vilks and Hammer Time turned on the afterburners. BrickO’s flame burned out, but thanks to Duracell, was pulled back to the group. Twinkle Toes‘ light was also burning a little less brightly in the heat. Spigot benevolently stayed by his side, possibly relieved, given the 177 miles he had put in his legs Saturday at Ride Across Wisconsin.

Z, Knievel, Skipper, von Diesel and Air Bourne were on fire and could not be hunted down by the A Team.

The wise decision was made by the A Team to refuel at Missouri Tavern, honoring the “Brewin'” part of Brewin’ on Breunig.

Everyone drafted responsibly back to home base, where chocolate cake complimented the PBR in celebration of Speedy’s birthday.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

Congrats to Keez on wrapping up her criterium season at Momentum Indy, racing with Apex Cycling Team. She lost a little skin on Saturday, but gained a ton of experience in her first season as a Cat 2.

Could this Junior Drafter be the next phenom? Watch for her at Chequamegon MTB Festival!

Not just another pretty face, this Fashion Forward Model also finished the Ride Across Wisconsin. Congrats to Shaq, Special K and Spigot on their feat!

Cycling. Fashion. Music. We are such a cultured group. Please join Queenie and Super Tuesday this Thursday at Concerts on the Rooftop. Wear your Drafter jersey and get in for free. Not really.

Check out Queenie’s song, It Only Trickles Up, and earn a free scotch (need to get clarification on size of pour) on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, or Bandcamp.

ON TAP FOR MONDAY July 21. 2 Routes: full strength Backdoor Riley 30 miles and short pour 25 miles. Departure times 4:45 and 4:50 from Middleton Hills.

RidewithGPS Drafters | Backdoor Riley Short Pour

RidewithGPS Drafters | Backdoor Riley

Reminder to women looking to get dirty: Women’s Wednesday night MTB ride from Blue Mound at 5PM!

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

Hills and root beer floats were on tap Monday night. A huge shout out to Katy and Abby at Creekside Scoop for supporting the Draft. Climbing 2405 feet over 34 miles required massive refueling. There was no shortage of pizza, ice cream and beer to fill the tanks of 19 thirsty and hungry Drafters.

Safety first. Dan-yelly was anticipating sketchy descents and donned her helmet as soon as she departed from work.

Sherlock deduced that she left her helmet at home. Drafting responsibly, she drove back home to fetch her helmet and then sprinted to catch the group, earning the green jersey in the Crossroads Coffeehouse stage.

The drafters rounded up in the corral to discuss team strategy and examine closely the holograph on Vilk’s shoes, which apparently was a 3D rendition of Z.

Queenie mistook the Shimano S-Phyre for S-Piffy. That works. For sure, the new Drafter socks are spiffy. Thanks to Andrew at Beaker Concepts for spiffing up the Drafters.

The B Team went big, with nearly everyone riding the full strength route. Apologies to those who faithfully followed the short pour route, only to find Moe Road full of gravel. Kudos to Presley and Nemo who embodied the Drafter spirit, “We were so focused on navigating the gravel, we barely noticed the climb”. Watson succeeded in climbing out of that awful abyss, bypassing Moe Road completely. Elementary, my dear Watson.

The 4:45 and 4:50 departure times are working out beautifully. Thanks to all for adapting to this change. The groups now enjoy some playful banter on the course, with riders being able to switch groups as they feel more or less powerful. So good.

The two became one on Pleasant View Road, a fitting name for the reunion.

Emerging rather than merging on the climb was Coach Arms. We’d all go guns with her arms.

For the third week in a row, the skies once again grew dark. Queenie threatened to file a libel suit if the blog opposed Duracell’s weekly forecast for rain. Maybe a drop or two, but nothing that registered in the rain gauge. Unless it was collecting sweat from Vilks, and then it was at least 2″. Vilks and 2″ might be an exaggeration. Whatever was lost was replenished at Creekside.

PVL: Pizza position vacancy listing. Last month, Twinkle Toes was shorted a pie. This month, the hardship fell on McGritty. The current pizza order recorder has been terminated and a PVL has been posted. Resumes will be accepted up until our next Crossroads adventure on Aug 3.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

Congrats to all those who finished the Ridin’ Dirty Gravel event on Saturday. Spigot, Shaq, Cujo, JRad, and Hammer Time (who happened to be Ridin’ Pretty on the Podium for the 100)!

Shaq was on the fashion podium. In her recent Drafter kit purchase, she chose this curious combination.

Off road but on podium, congrats to K2 on her 50k trail run in Ontario, the Summit700.

The route for Monday July 14 will head north just shy of Roxbury. Due to construction on Parmenter, we will continue out of town on High St. to Greenbriar instead of cutting through by Graber Pond. NOTE OF CAUTION: it is unlikely that I will have time to pre-ride this route. If anyone has updates on unfavorable status of these roads, please post in GroupMe. Thanks.

The full strength 34.8 miles and short pour 33.7 miles only differ by taking bike path home. Departure times are 4:45 and 4:50PM.

RidewithGPS Link: Drafters |*Brewin’ on Breunig and Bike Path

RidewithGPS Link: Drafters | *Brewin’ on Breunig

Draft responsibly,

BricKO

More photos than words.

26 Drafters. 2 Newbies. 2 New bikes. 2 Dead batteries. 2 Missing shoes. 1 Broken cleat. 1 Dog. 1 Dozen oysters and 1 bottle of white burgundy.

A big line up for the B team. And somebody has to be responsible for riding Sweep. Thanks to our Newbie for accepting the challenge!

Our wingman, Goose, brought his Mavrick to the Draft. Married for less than a month, it is clear who wears the watts in this family. Welcome!

In addition to two newbies, Sweep and Mavrick, we welcomed two new bikes for Squeak and Air Bourne.

Squeak took one look at the Pinarello and had second thoughts about her purchase. Not because the BMC isn’t a fabulous bike, but the gold sparkles in the Pinarello match her sunscreen. Today happens to be Squeak’s birthday. Maybe the bike fairy will sprinkle some gold dust on her BMC?

Pit Stop didn’t get a new bike, but upgraded her old cassette to include granny gears. Officially a grandmother, it is only fitting she has granny gears. We are still waiting for her timeless smile to show signs of age.

There were signs of aging at the Draft. Twinkle Toes forgot his shoes. Again.

If the shoe fits, wear it. Twinkle Toes has been there, done that. Z had just the right size shoe, but the cleats were not up for round 2 of goodwill. Maybe when Squeak’s birthday fairy sprinkles some magic dust on her BMC, she could drop off some cleats as well?

And while she’s flying around distributing magic dust and cleats to Drafters in need, maybe drop a few extra batteries Rimshot’s way?

Goose, being a faithful wingman, was able to provide Rimshot with an extra battery. That got him from Lodi Springfield Road to Woodland Road, and then his other battery died. Goodwill has limited miles.

Despite 2 forgotten shoes, 1broken cleat and 2 dead batteries, the Drafters finished strong. Or at least finished.

There was plenty of wildlife in the backyard. Slim and Drafter Dog, Lozi joined the fun. The gnats were in full force and seemed to be drawn to Vilks. Or at least his chamois which was hanging up to dry.

The wild life ultimately found their way into the kitchen for oysters and white burgundy.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

Race #6 in Wauwatosa for Keez. What a remarkable comeback. Nearly two years ago, she was recovering from VMO detachment (sort of a key part of the quadriceps) and ACL reconstruction after being hit by a car on a training ride. Two weeks ago, she entered the Tour of America’s Dairyland series as a newly upgraded Category Two racer.

Z entered his first event after his accident back in March and was a top finisher. Granted, his registration noted his gender as female, but still….. a strong finish at SBT GVL.

No room for third person here. I am so very proud of my daughter and husband, in general, but specifically for their display of grit and determination in overcoming their horrific cycling injuries. And to all of you, the Drafters, for your support in their comeback. Z and Keez truly embody the Drafter spirit. It definitely was an uphill battle, and they dug in and climbed their way to the top.

ON TAP FOR MONDAY JULY 6. It is the first Monday of the month, so we will be departing from Crossroads Coffeehouse/ Creekside Scoop in Cross Plains. The 4:45 and 4:50PM departure times worked really well. It was fun for the groups to see one another on the course and finish at the same time, so let’s stick with that plan. Two options: full strength 34 mile route and short pour 25 mile route.

Link to RidewithGPS Drafters | Crossroads Coffeehouse Short Pour

Link to RidewithGPS Drafters | Crossroads Coffeehouse

Have a wonderful July 4th holiday.

Draft responsbily,

BricKO

Heavy storms were predicted to hit at 8PM, giving the Drafters a solid hour+ window of safety to draft responsibly. The prediction was 100% right on the storms hitting, and a little less accurate on the safety window. 13 Drafters rolled the dice and hit the jackpot! 12 won. Nobody was lost. You can’t win if you don’t play, but interestingly enough, you can lose if you don’t play. Ask Cujo how she got soaked by choosing not to draft.

Z said, “Suns out, guns out.” The B Team rolled with the Z pose.

Velo wasn’t on a winning roll: rolling in too late to catch the B team, and rolling against unanticipated resistance from the rubbing rear brake on his borrowed bicycle. He did roll with a great attitude, and that made all the difference.

On the first formidable climb up Enchanted Valley, the A Team showed signs of cracking. Air Bourne sent up a flare at the base of the climb, “I’m already out of gears!”. Fear not. His new Pinarello is being delivered on Friday with gears to spare. We suspect Air Bourne to be spending much, much more time in the front. Velo, gassed from climbing with his rear brake rubbing relentlessly, waived the surrender flag atop Enchanted Valley.

As the skies turned dark, Shaq, Speedy, Loose Screw and Queenie decided not to challenge Mother Nature’s hand and folded.

As Hawkeye, BrickO and Octane forged ahead to the next formidable climb up Schuman Road, they waved to the returning Drafters. “Smart call”, yelled BrickO in passing. “If they are being smart, does that make us dumb or smarter by continuing to ride?”, pondered the shrinking A Team.

Air Bourne contemplated the motto on his headset stem cap that reads, “Make Good Choices”. He and Velo did a U-Turn and hopped the B Train back home.

BrickO, Hawkeye and Octane peddled on, fiercely determined to reach Far, Far, Far View. Once on top of the ridge, the winds of change came a callin’. Hawkeye spread his wings and the trio literally flew. Until the wind did a 180, and the three folded their wings and opted for the short pour.

The remainder of the B Team, Z, Skipper and Lost Boy were already past the short pour cut off when the front came in. The temperature dropped at least 20 degrees (not an official meteorology report, just a sense) and the wind turned 180 degrees. YeeHa! A headwind both ways for the boys as they wouldn’t back down from the full strength route. Only those 3 had the grit to go the distance.

It was truly a dry draft to remember. The ride was a gift. To have escaped a drop of rain, while also beholding the raw power of what Mother Nature could unleash was indescribable. Actually, Hammer Time could probably describe it. Late to the Draft, she rode solo and was not so fortunate in staying dry. After 4 days of criterium racing at Tour of America’s Dairyland, a shower wasn’t so bad.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

Things really heated up at The Tour of America’s Dairyland. Congrats to Keez, Hammer Time and Unicorn Blood on three FIRSTS.

Keez raced 5 back to back criteriums in Janesville, West Allis, Grafton, and back to back days in De Pere with Apex Cycling Team. This was her first time racing with the big dogs in the Pro/1/2 division.

And by big dogs, I mean professionals like Marlies Mejias Garcia of Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24 and Olympic track alternate, Olivia Cummins. She took a turn at the front and reached her goal of a top 20 finish. Nice pull, Keez!

Hammer Time cut her criterium teeth at ToAD, racing the Novice Cat 5 in Janesville. The Colonel was providing novice support, placing her numbers in the wrong place. Thankful for a little help from a competitor, they got the numbers pinned correctly before the start of the race.

After lapping the field, TWICE, Hammer Time found herself on the podium in the leaders jersey. Rinse and repeat the following day in West Allis. Well, technically she only lapped the field once in her second criterium ever.

Everyone in the novice division was relieved when she moved up to Cat 4 for the Grafton and De Pere races, where she still hung in there for a top 10 finish. Like Keez, she mixed it up, taking a turn in front for 1.5 laps in De Pere. Nice pull, Hammer!

Shout out to Coach Slim who helped Hammer Time with some cornering tips, which she credits largely for her victory in this exclusive Insta ToAD interview.

Unicorn Blood also posted up on the podium at Toad West Allis, winning the Cat 3-4.

Congrats to all the competitors at ToAD. From those of us in the slow twitch category, it is hard to fathom doing a criterium in any category from novice to pro.

ON TAP FOR MONDAY JUNE 30

Making good use of the training hours we have accumulated since March and the summer solstice daylight, it’s due time to up the mileage. The routes for Monday June 30: full strength 38.4 miles and short pour 33.6 miles. Departure times 4:45 and 4:50. IF YOU NEED A 5PM START, PLEASE CONTACT BRICKO. No Drafter will be left behind.

RidewithGPS Link: Drafters Shy of Lodi Canning Co. Short Pour

RidewithGPS Link: Drafters Lodi Canning Co.

NOW HIRING: the Drafter Junior team is growing. Between the diaper and chamois stage, their parents would benefit from a having a day care professional to watch this growing peloton on Monday evenings so they could catch a draft. PVL: CPR and and RED CROSS babysitting certification. Other skills: diaper changing, bottle warming, mind reading, patience. Salary negotiable. Willingness to trade time for beer (not to be consumed on duty) appreciated. Hawkeye floated this idea, and it is a good one. It would be awesome if the Junior Team parents team up and rotate taking a pull each week. Please submit your resume through our secure website.

MORE DRAFTS ON TAP: another good idea submitted by Lost Boy. If you are interested in drafting during the week days or weekends, you are not alone. Please suggest days and times during the Draft or post on GroupMe and see what shakes out!

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

Monday started with a steady rain, which settled into a comfortable drizzle before clearing up just after lunch time. With dry roads and clear radar, the Draft was clearly on. Until a sneaky little cell found its way to Middleton Hills at precisely 4:24PM. A handful of optimistic Drafters waited patiently and just like that, Mother Nature took her showers elsewhere.

The B for Bad A** team welcomed back Velo, fresh off the plane from France. Ignoring jet lag and the inconvenience of needing to borrow a bike and shoes, he was ready to roll. His only request was for clé tri allen. Thank goodness for Google Translate. From a little less far away, Loose Screw and Skipper found their way back into the saddle. So good to have the boys back in town.

The A team was saddling up at 4:57 when what to their wondering eyes did appear, a man on a Trek ready to commandeer. Wheels up at 5PM, newbie. Saddle up and don’t leave your wingman. Welcome to the Draft , Goose!

The return of Skipper is cause for celebration for many reasons. One of those being a notable improvement in quality and quantity of action shots.

And dutifully falls back to capture this action shot on the formidable climb up to Festge Park.

BrickO and Hammer Time pulled whenever there was a headwind, while Vilks and Goose took their turn during the tailwind portions of the ride. In the final stretch down Schneider, the A team tried to shield Hammer Time, as she is competing in her first criterium races later this week. But she just couldn’t resist putting the hammer down, “It is so much fun!”. Yeah, it is. Go get em’ this week, Hammer Time!

The rain dampened any hope of a fire, but things still heated up in the back yard with Vilks and Skipper holding court from their perch on the hot tub.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

Dirty Drafters. Congrats to Momma Monster on her first 50 mile gravel grinder! And to Belle on yet another successful day in the dirt.

Cookie Monster set a new PR for first and fastest 5k race with all 3 kids!

Congrats to all of the Drafters who conquered the Horribly Hilly Hundreds: BrickO, Vilks, Colonel, Hammer, Octane, Car Wash, Shaq, Pit Stop, Squeak, Pepe, Puma, VonQ, Hawkeye, Spigot and Gopher. “When in doubt, CLIMB!” It was an absolutely gorgeous day to climb but many were often in doubt. Vilks, BrickO and The Colonel missed a turn and shorted themselves 20 miles of hills. While Vilks and BrickO made up for it with 20 oz glasses of beer, The Colonel did hill repeats to get in his 10k feet of climbing. Hammer Time took a different wrong turn, showing up all of the 200k riders with a few EXTRA miles.

Octane had some doubts at the start when he blew a shoe. Thanks to a fellow HHH rider who happened to have a role of velcro, he made the grade. Car Wash never left his side, making sure the Macklemore meets MacGyver solution was up for 10,0000 feet of climb.

Pit Stop was never in doubt when it came to rest stops!

In other shoe updates, Squeak swapped her cycling shoes for running shoes and ran repeats up and down Blue Mound. No doubt, Kona is coming.

A huge thank you to all those Drafters who volunteered for the various HHH clinics, pre-rides and packet pick up (Shaq, Octane, Z, Gopher, Hammer, Cujo, Car Wash, Spigot, Pit Stop and BrickO). And to Midas and Comet at Madison Multisport for hosting those clinics! Great teamwork.

Sad to have missed the HHH? Here is another fabulous opportunity to climb, L’Alpe Bl’Huez Time Trial.

Into climbing Blue Mounds but prefer dirt? Please join the Wednesday Night Women’s Blue Mound MTB ride, starting from the Blue Mound State Park trail head at the shelter/swim pool at 5:30. Not a woman? No worries. You are still welcome to ride, just not with the ladies.

LAST CALL! The Hincapie Store for Drafter gear closes Friday. This is your last chance to order kits this year. Please ask if you are unsure about sizes. Velocity is race cut, Axis is club cut. Measure twice, order once.

ROUTES FOR MONDAY JUNE 23: Full strength is 34.4 miles and the short pour is 31.2 miles. It’s hard to get a far view without going far! Departure times 4:45 and 5PM.

RidewithGPS link: Drafters | Little Less Far View

RidewithGPS link: Drafters | Far Far Far View

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

14 Drafters came out to play. One silver truck tried to take that away. No license plate was recorded that day, so law enforcement could not make her pay (yes, road rage doesn’t belong to men). The Drafters are here to stay, with the group supporting one another, and all those in dismay. We can’t change the climate of drivers at bay. We can appreciate the gift of the ride every Monday. And the gift of community.

Apparently, Shaq was the only Drafter responsibly recording directions. Pepe delegated her the official “Naviguesser”. The route wasn’t hard to navigate: when in doubt, climb. With each hill, Pepe muttered with the breath he had left to spare, “she loves us, she likes us, she loves us, she likes us.” Both Shaq and Pepe will be grateful for that tough love at the Horribly Hilly Hundreds on Sat.

The silver pick up truck was distressing, but a silver lining awaited us back at the fire pit. Here here are the gifts the evening brought: two dogs and folks who just came for the community, including one wearing a tiara.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

Congrats to all those Drafters who participated in Epic Bike Fest: Pip, Squeak, Momma Monster, Belle and Bomber. So much green and so many smiles to be found shredding in the north woods!

Even further north in the South of France, there was another Drafter sighting. Good to see you drafting responsibly, Velo!

Looking to go green? The Hincapie store is open for the When in Doubt, Climb kit until Sunday June 22. Reminder: Velocity is the race cut (tighter fitting) and Axis is the club cut (looser fitting). Please be sure on sizing as there are no returns on custom orders, although I can often times find a taker. Ask BrickO if you need to try before you buy.

On tap for Monday, June 16 is a less hilly ride for all of those Drafters who will suffer tremendously on the Horribly Hilly Hundreds this coming Sat. When in doubt… CLIMB! Departure times 4:45 and 5PM from Middleton Hills. This is a short 28 mile route, so no short pour. NOTE: Be sure to load this route with the * as the one with the same name from last year is longer and has a different outbound route.

RidewithGPS link Drafters: *Festge Frenzy

Draft responsibly,

BrickO