biking | brickosdrafters

22mph westerly winds gusting up to 35 didn’t discourage 13 hearty Drafters from enjoying an otherwise beautiful night to play bikes.

Shaq and Speedy proudly represent the B Team

Shaq and Speedy faced the biggest challenge from a wind to weight ratio. Gutsy in the gusty, these two pedaled fiercely to Martinsville and then called it good. Only a blur of high vis yellow was seen as these two flew home.

Gopher was the first of the A Team to arrive, and made his mark (literally) as he locked em’ up, leaving a sweet streak of rubber on the pavement. Conversely, Vilks rolled in casually at 4:44. With a full minute to spare, he let out a streak of comments about Gopher’s beard, earning him a trip to HR.

JRad, LuLu, Rimshot, Spigot, Vilks, Car Wash, Keez and Gopher

Many of the A Team opted to saddle up on gravel steeds, a good stable choice against the ravaging westerlies.

Team OPEN WI.DE: BrickO, LuLu and Spigot.

Note LuLu’s salute LuLu to the open window above, where Z Wrecks is on the trainer, pedaling his way back to the Draft.

Given all of the recent shenanigans with federal grant cuts, LuLu is considering a career manufacturing and distributing his cycling ear muffs (patent pending). These carefully crafted muffs were the envy of all the Drafters, who were deafened by the wind as they entered a scene right out of the Wizard of Oz. Please submit payment directly to LuLu Wear, Inc.

LuLu fashions his muffs (not the ones over his ears, but the small ones attached to his helmet straps).

Despite being in the company of other WIDE bodies (reference to the model of bike), BrickO’s OPEN seemed to be a bit more sluggish compared to the rest of the herd. Further investigation into the matter raised suspicion that her recently painted OPEN, compliments of NYF Paint, must have been done in lead paint. There was no evidence of power outage due to old age or poor training. Common sense and the powers of deduction lead to this conclusion. Speed is a small sacrifice for going green.

Meet Maynard. Heavy on green. Light in BrickO’s heart.

No one dared to take their hands off the bars to capture action photos along the route. There was one image in particular worth a thousand words. As the group rode dutifully in single file down Pheasant Branch Road, BrickO could appreciate the straight line of red lights blinking ahead in the distance (review green lead paint memo). A tractor pulling a large farm implement emerged from a driveway, taking first position in the peloton. The image was glorious and hilarious. The title of this photograph: Sharing the Road

Ruby was grateful to Vilks and LuLu, who earned MVD (most valuable Drafter) honors for pulling the group out Schneider Road, and then going back several times throughout the ride to pull those who fell off the train back to the station. “I have an extremely large rib cage”, Ruby confessed, as she climbed Rauls Rd out of her saddle, turning over the pedals at a blistering 40rpms. Ruby went on to describe other biking battles that she has lost. Ruby vs Stan only lasted one round. Stan’s Tire Sealant was the crowned victor. Not the facial she had hoped for. Vilks had more colorful commentary, but HR restricted the transcript from being released.

Slim drafted most responsibly, opting for a tail wind from Cross Plains to Middleton Bike Park and onto the back porch where he had the fires burning.

Slim, Speedy, Keez and Vilks enjoy the warmth

A member of junior drafter, dressed appropriately in green (beneath the jacket), brought more heat! Check out these big steps.

Thing 1 and Keez amazed by this junior drafter’s big steps

A few other big steps to report:

Apex Cycling Team took 1st place at RoughRoad 100 USAC Team Event. The cumulative time of each team’s first 4 riders qualifies them for the podium. Keez took 8th overall, with teammates taking 1st and 3rd. Due to an unfortunate math error, another team took home the 2K cash prize. But hey, money can’t compare to the experience, right??? The smile says it all.

Congrats to Keez and her team Apex Cycling

Slim stepped up to instruct some femme gravel grinders in a cornering clinic on Sunday. Everyone left more confident on crushing gravel corners, and scones at Crossroads Coffeehouse. Drafters will have more opportunities to experience these scones as we move towards departures from Crossroads the first Monday of the month starting in May.

Shaq, Momma Monster, Keez and a few others learn from Slim how to crush gravel

Hammer Time wasn’t able to attend, given her bike trip with the Colonel in Mallorca, but has made special arrangements for a tutorial.

Hammer Time and The Colonel explore Mallorca

The City of Middleton stepped up to answer our pot hole and bike path on Century Ave inquiries. Thanks to all of the Drafters who stepped up to report these issues. Please continue your efforts to improve the cycling infrastructure in our community.

Please reach out to your alderperson. For many here in Middleton, District 6 Alder is Lisa Janairo at district6@cityofmiddleton.us.

So that someday, we can look a bit like this community as described in this article in the New York Times

On tap next week: Backdoor Riley Tavern. This is a 30 mile route past the historic Riley Tavern approaching from the south. Warning: do not follow Gopher’s lead. Historically, this has lead to missing the key cue. Vilks, please note departure times are at 4:30 and 4:45.

RidewithGPS link: Backdoor Riley Tavern

Drafters | Backdoor Riley Download

Draft responsibly,

BrickO

The wind was knot for everyone. A baker’s dozen of Drafters who did dare the stiff breeze were rewarded with a sweet southerly tail wind on the way home from Riley Tavern.

Gopher, Knievel, Captain Joe, Keez, Hammer Time, Ruby, Octane, Shaq, Twinkle Toes, JRad, Vilks (missing is The Colonel)

The roster is growing, as Drafter #184 enlisted Monday night. There is no simmer setting for this spicy red head. As she battled to keep in step with her commanding officer, The Colonel, one could overhear her chanting, “get better, get better.” Roger that, Red Leader. One of the many Drafter mottos, which she could not have known, is to “get better or stay the same. The choice is yours.” We are very happy to have Ruby join the ranks.

Hats off (but helmets firmly secured) to Twinkle Toes for powering through this ride, giving all of us a sense of reassurance after the crash last week that we can and will continue this Drafter community.

The wind split us into two groups. Keez and Hammer Time were the Femme Force, showing the world what can be done on 45mm gravel tires. Hammer Time was glowing, between her new golden yellow Checkpoint and her ring bling. Congrats to The Colonel on moving up the ranks!

Vilks and Gopher followed the code, leaving no Drafter behind. With a much appreciated circling back maneuver, they picked up BrickO and Twinkle Toes, who had fallen out of line. Or created a new line, perhaps. Two is still considered a chase group, no?

Post-ride fueling never looked or tasted so delicious. Octane made sure there was no need for rationing of brownies. Which was fortunate, as Badger stopped by with a very hungry little Drafter.

Slim skipped the Draft to make sure the fires were burning on the back porch for the wind blown Drafters. He earned Octane’s brownies, too, playing soccer with the new Drafter mascot, Lozi. There is no live footage of Lozi v. Slim in the backyard, but here is a family photo.

The forecast for next Monday, March 24th, is calling for snow. Most Drafters have retired their fat bikes for the season, and the weather is too unpredictable to retrieve our studded steeds from storage quite yet. Check GroupMe on Monday by 3PM for an update on riding conditions.

Barring snow, the Pine Loop route will be a 27 mile enchanted hill adventure, leaving Middleton Hills in a slightly different manner. Instead of braving Century Ave, crossing under Hwy 12 onto the bike path, the route will weave through the neighborhood behind Northside Elementary School into the Industrial Park, onto Schneider Rd. This reroute is to avoid the traffic and sh*t road conditions of Century Ave, which also lacks a shoulder (or bike lane). For those who have routes loaded into their Garmin/Wahoo devices from previous years, please note this new exit strategy is marked with an asterisk*. Departure times 4:30 and 4:45PM.

Link to RidewithGPS Drafters | *Pine Loop

Drafters | *Pine Loop Download

Draft responsibly,

BrickO