Final Draft: A-Mazo Finale Rox
19 Drafters made their way to the final 2022 destination: the Bridge to Nowhere. The cool of the evening set in as quickly as the light began to fade away.
The B Team was 9 strong. Well, 8 strong and one concussed following a crash. BrickO leaned on Knievel and Z Wrecks for experienced Drafter crash-support.
The Clash (aka the Crash) was running through BrickO's concussed head as she pondered the Bridge to Nowhere.
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble (breaking concussion protocol).
And if I stay it will be double (crabby, crabby, crabby).
So come on and let me know.
Should I stay or should I go?
Keez and Slim took the credit for a delayed departure. Keez spent time making sure she looked her Sunday best in her new Drafter kit.
And Slim took this last opportunity to join the Flat Tire Club on his way to the Draft, slowing down the departure as they played musical wheels (a spin off of musical chairs). Slim raided the garage for a spare wheel. Finding none that fit his enormous rotor, Gopher swapped his wheel for one on Z Wrecks' gravel bike, surrendering his own to make Slim whole. At last, the A Team was off like the wind.
If they A team had delayed any longer, Tick Tock and Sarge could have commuted home from work, changed and joined the draft rather than drafting responsibly together. Could be timing... could be love. Hard to know.
The Drafters were eager to return to base camp and warm up by fire. Gopher is really heating up as he prepares to turn another year older this week! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GOPHER.
We said a final 2022 farewell to Granny and Squirrel, who will be joining Captain and Tennille on a mountain adventure in Montana over the weekend. Granny was presented with the Tour de Femmes Maillot Blanc jersey, gratis of our friends at Online Cycling Gear. Use code for 20%brickson off your Tour de Femmes jersey! The young rider jersey rewards those under 25 (we are raising the bar) who show ambition. Granny earned her handle as a Newbie last year when she wasn't sure how, why or when to shift out of the small chainring. She's figured it out, bought a bike that weighs less than she does. WATTS OUT for Granny!
Clean jerseys are one thing. But handling Vilker's left behind kit required nothing short of a hazmat suit. The embers were still hot enough the next morning to take care of the contamination.
Many of the usual suspects didn't draft as they were recovering from The Badger Challenge. Congrats to Pit Stop, Nemo, Duchess, Sandlot, Dan-yelly, Pres and Walton on their extraordinary efforts drafting in the rain.
Further north, the Shawano Bike the Barn Quilts event drew a big crowd. The race to the podium for the 70 mile route included 4 contestants, including 3 Drafters: Rimshot, Z Wrecks and BrickO. BrickO almost didn't make it, after an epic crash half way through the event. It must have been something in the cheese curds at the rest stop.
One crash in 30 years of road riding is not a bad record, especially considering her earlier years. At age 3, in a fit of jealously over her older cousin riding a two-wheel bike (without training wheels), BrickO challenged her to a race down a rather steep hill at the farm, requiring a hard left turn to avoid the Yahara River. The tricycle pedals were faster than BrickO's little legs could turn (no doubt -you have witnessed her max 70rpm cadence). She abandoned the race and her trike, just as it became airborne and secured a water landing. DNF. The second crash was much more sophisticated. Looking to christen her 10th BD present, a new Ross baby blue 10 speed (after sleeping with the color advertisement for months under her pillow this was a big deal), BrickO thought she would see how many pedal strokes she could achieve. With her eyes closed. Turns out not many due to the parked utility van. Maybe not her first concussion?
Even further north, Squeak was running her 13.1 while her kids were "Kruse'n" to the podium (1st and 3rd). What do they say about picking your parents wisely?
And further to the south in the Big State of Texas, Footer is battling it out for the World Championship Barefoot Title. Catch her live on ESPN 6 between 2 and 3AM lunar time. And we thought women's cycling was under appreciated....
Lil' Monster has a Drafter Towel waiting for Footer when she's done playing in the water. Warning: towels may vary in size.
The FINAL 50 DRAFT and PARTY will take place on Sunday, Oct 2 at 10AM. Spoiler: it is actually 55 miles. Jimmy John's subs and beer to follow. Please feel free to bring goodies to pass and more beverages as you see fit. If you can't Draft but want to attend the awards ceremony, please do! The ceremony should start around 1:30PM.
RidewithGPS link to A-Mazo Finale Rox
Next week, Monday night will morph into the Dirty Draft. Our first ride will be Oct 3 at CamRock starting at 5PM at the trail head on Water Street. Come early, come late, but ride the gorgeous trails and stay for beer. We will use GroupMe Dirty Drafters to communicate. Email me if you want to be included. If you enjoy the MTB trails, please consider joining Capital Off Road Pathfinders (CORP). The madcity.com website gives trail condition and other important information. Trails are maintained by volunteers, so your support is appreciated.
But what would I wear, you ask? Gottcha covered, Grinch. Hincapie Drafter MTB jerseys are available through Monday Oct 3 using this link.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO
Tom Collins and the Bridge to Nowhere
Cycling doesn't get much grander than Monday night. John Denver wrote a song about it. Sort of.
Almost heaven
West to Cross Plains
Union Valley
20% up Braun Rd
Hills are old there
Older than my knees
Younger ones like Granny
Climbin’ is a breeze
Country roads
Take me home
To the place I belong
West to Cross Plains
Mountain Drafter
Take me home, country roads
24 Drafters chose brawn over brains. Footer left ahead of the B Team. This Drafter has places to be, World Championships to win. Good luck next week, Footer!
Dan-yelly made the 4:30 departure with seconds to spare, "Sorry I'm late. It was hard to leave the meeting I was running."
The B Team welcomed a Newbie, Fly Boy Joe, to the Draft. Fly Boy was found drafting alone on Airport Rd. Adhering to the bylaws, "No Drafter Left Behind", the B team took Fly Boy under their wing, flew him up Braun and back to Middleton.
Skipper's absence means the actions photos are limited. But fear not, the past two weekends have been rich with Drafter activities.
The post-Draft shenanigans was not lacking in chocolate chip cookies, thanks to Cujo. Her right biceps were particularly prominent, evidence of mixing the cookie dough by hand. Not owning a mixer leaves a smaller carbon footprint and a larger biceps brachii.
As the days are getting shorter and the nights cooler, the Monday night Drafts are coming to a natural end. The ride for Monday Sept 26 is the Tom Collins 28-mile route past the bridge to nowhere. Departure times 4:30 and 4:45.
RidewithGPS link to Tom Collins and the Bridge to Nowhere
The Drafter Final 50 will be on Sunday, Oct 2 at 10AM. This will be a 50ish mile route through Mazo, Roxbury and Lodi. A celebration with awards will follow. As Captain Joe won't be in attendance, he received his award last night- a serving platter "Captain and Tennille. Draft Responsibly" as a token of our appreciation for hosting the draft AND serving delicious risotto.
A recap of the past two weekends is in order. Congratulations to Pit Stop and Granny on their 70.3 performance. Pit Stop took the cycling leg on her relay team, and earned the respect of The Voice for Ironman. Granny took no prisoners, placing top 10 in her age group without the help of aerobars. Arguably the most successful triathlete of the weekend was Squeak. The full Ironman took place on Sunday, during a steady rain that lasted the entire day. Reports of it being among the top 4 worst IM conditions in the history of triathlon ran rampant. Squeak wisely decided that would be the only thing running. With nothing left to prove other, she chose to draft responsibly.
Further north, Special K laid down the gavel on Ride the Ridges.
The Drafters have been making an impression off road as well. WARNING: the following video is not intended for young audiences. The mullet and porn stache have not hurt Vintage's rating on the charts as this video has gone viral.
Vintage isn't the only playing dirty. Momma and Poppa Monster welcomed the crew to the Dirty Drafter Den in northern WISCO for the Chequamegon MTB Festival
The deluge hit towards the end of the Short and Fat/Smart route, making sure every Dirty Drafter earned their title. One might think the rain ruined the ride. On the contrary. The mud made it all the more fun. Momma Monster, who just recently bought a mountain bike, said it best, "This ride was worth the cost of my MTB." A shout out to Skipper who is largely to blame for our dirty addiction.
The Chequamegon 40 Drafters got a full blast of Mother Nature. Bomber had a plane to catch, so the sluggish mud left him in a time crunch. Poppa Monster came to the rescue, cleaning Bomber's bike while he showered up and made the mad dash to the airport. Can you imagine a flight to Spain looking like this?
Sir BrickO-lot. Little in the middle but she's got big back.
With every season, turn, turn, turn. As Monday night road rides come to an end, we will continue with the Dirty Draft. And beyond that into winter, the Drift Draft. Be sure to join the Dirty Draft GroupMe if you are interested in details.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO