August 7: Spring Valley with a Northern Twist

Take me to church.  The 17% climb to Vermont Church was breathtaking, literally.   Equally breathtaking FOSHO was the most beautiful descent in Dane County (in my humble opinion) on Forshaug Road.  It could easily be mistaken for somewhere in the south of France (minus the vineyards- but I'm a beer girl anyway).  I regret not snapping a photo of 11 Drafters at this scenic location but it was too painful to stop ascending, and too beautiful to stop descending.  I was hypoxic, gasping at any available molecule of oxygen on the ascent.  The few extra ATPs required to fetch the iPhone from my jersey pocket would have resulted in rigor.  I'm filing a formal complaint against all things Strava and this time B2 Bomber isn't the guilty party.  Vilks showed up with a 70s mustache and as much horsepower to crush several Strava segment leader boards.   Side note: I apparently have a Strava account, but please don't friend me or follow me, message me, or whatever the heck people do on Strava since I have accumulated zero miles- dang technology eludes me.I wouldn't be surprised if we all come with 70s mustaches next week in a quest for more horsepower.  There seems to be a correlation.

Speaking of altitude, the Drafter photo competition climbed to another level. CM Wille got inked!  WKOW Channel 27's Tobacco City Cousin lost the story of local glory to the Washburn County Register.  Sales at SweatVac have reached as all time high as cyclists and triathletes alike are seeking to duplicate Cookie Monster's fashionable Drafter head band, which contributed greatly to her success (as did Coach Cindi Bannink). It is essential to keep sweat out of your eyes.  Read on further to learn what can happen to those who don't heed the head band recommendation.Loose Screw suffered more cerebral damage during the last yoga session in July.  During a challenging triangle pose, Loose Screw experienced an unscripted free fall maneuver, reportedly due to a stray sweat bead that temporarily blurred his vision. Loose Screw denied that the crash was related to balance or flexibility impairments.  Helmets and headbands will be required in forthcoming yoga sessions.  Perhaps his free fall pose was part of his preparation for the upcoming Leadville 100 event. Good luck and Nama stay alive.On that note: Yoga II will be coming soon to a VFW near you after Labor Day, not in Aug as previously, prematurely and erroneously announced by me.  Sorry.  My bad.Warning: Read the label. Confusion.  It is inevitable, but I would like to point out that some confusion is easily avoidable.  Without sharing the details, I will simply put on display two essential cycling accessories and let you draw your own conclusions as to my displeasure with packaging. This week, we are headed to Spring Valley (I'm trying to lure B2 Bomber into a Strava challenge up Enchanted Valley with One Hip Wonder and Vilks).  There is a little northern twist from our usual route, roughly 36 miles.  There is a splendid Short Pour route that cuts off on Pine, which is roughly 27 miles.Download PDF map here:  Spring Valley with a Northern TwistGarmin link to Short Pour cut off on PineDraft responsibly,BrickO 

July 31: Vermont Church

Sweet Sixteen.  That's how many Drafters drafted on an epic Monday night, void of rain, humidity and bugs (well, 2 outta 3 ain't bad).  Team DeKeyser reenlisted in the Draft.  The Ivy League Ice Queen and hubby, D2, were jamming as Newbie Back Beat Bob played some tunes for all Drafters to enjoy.  That's a first for this group.Did you know there's a song by Hilary Duff titled Sweet 16?  The lyrics need no modification.Today I'm gonna ride awayAnd feel the sun throughout my hairFinally free to be who I want to beWho that is I don't really care'Cause I've got friends who love meBlue skies are above meMy blonde hair is everywhereRound Two of Yoga is tentatively scheduled to start Monday Aug 14.  I need your help completing the following survey in order to gauge interest for this and an additional class. Namaste.Yoga Survey LinkDEADLINE for jersey orders is today, Wednesday July 26.  If you have questions about sizes, length of shorts, etc, you can email Meredith or shoot me an email.We will wrap up July with one more 40mile ride.  Day light hours will be shorter in August, and our mileage will have to follow suit.  The Vermont Church 40 miler is a segment from the Horribly Hilly Hundreds.  The Short Pour is 30 miles (yellow line).Vermont Church Garmin LinkNote: Garmin link is slightly different than map-  JJ extended to J instead of left on Forshaug to J adds an extra 2 miles.Draft responsibly,BrickO