Sept 4: No Labor on Labor Day

Ten Drafters set forth on the Ride of Ages, with the skies looking ominous and a few raindrops biding their warning as we headed towards Dane.  Mother Nature must have taken our GPS coordinates and planned her precipitation route to precede our arrival at every turn.  We didn't get wet, but we were literally drafting the rain, finding each road ahead more saturated than the last.  The capstone event was climbing Pheasant Branch and seeing the setting sun in all of its pink, orange, and yellow glory.  We had a few new Drafters this week, including a deer and 3 confused cranes, who joined us briefly.CM Wille brought her famous Monster Cookies to celebrate the birthdays of Loose Screw, Billy Boy McC and Tobacco City Boy.  In fact, she brought enough for all of us to enjoy two, and still left have overs!  I was careful to consume only the low calorie monster cookies. We also celebrated the return of her fiancee, E-Money.  Eamon will be Drafting for the next 5 weeks while he applies for residency positions.  He commented that paying for medical school and residency interviews is a bit like playing with Monopoly money- you just keep spending and hope you draw a Chance card with a big payout.CM is responsible for the video below, which was intended to be a delayed selfie.  The slow motion gait analysis at the end is worth the watch.[wpvideo rU4mlbFi]Congrats to LuciO on her podium finish in CO.  Check out the Drafter socks.Key announcements:

• No ride on Labor Day.  I will post the ride for Sept 11 next week.  We will need to keep the miles under 30 due to lack of daylight.
• Yoga for the Cyclist with 2x Olympic medalist Karen Kraft Rigsby starts Mon Sept 11, 6AM.  Email her for details and to sign up: karenkraftrigsby@gmail.com
• Spin begins the end of October.  Email me to confirm your spot.
• Look for your Drafter jersey order to be sent on Sept 6.  I will email you with FedEx shipping numbers.

Draft Responsibly,BrickO 

August 28: Ride of Ages

Historically, the Draft is the highlight of my Monday routine.  I dare say, however, that I missed the No Brains All Brawn ride in lieu of an opportunity to experience the Solar Eclipse in OR. A complete sensory and spiritual experience, indescribable with words, at least with my literary limitations.  Z and I thought we might have a shot at winning the Outrageous Drafter photo competition, ousting Arms and Legs from their African Safari post, but taking a photograph of the eclipse with us in Drafter gear while holding a lead shield proved too great of a task for an amateur selfie-photographer.  And during totality, well, it was just plain dark.  These will have to suffice- neither Drafter gear nor the Eclipse are visible, so I will acquiesce that my photo submission ranking remains at ground zero.

How's that for stream of consciousness during recon?  I bet you're relieved it was only a 30mile route.  Can you imagine what goes on in my head during a century?  Scary.  The Eclipse has me a bit reflective and way sentimental.  Life is good, even when it sucks.  I'm grateful for being born in a barn, for my family, for the mentors and opportunities I've had, and honestly, for the Draft.  You guys are the Rock of Ages.Let's ride.  The Ride of Ages is 30 from our house, so add a few extra from Free House.  The short pour could be a shortcut by turning left onto Fellows road (see yellow dotted line on map), or if you wanted to ride clock wise, you could do the Hyer Loop.  The shot could take the Hyer Loop with the bike path home.Garmin Link Rock of Ages PDF download map Rock of Ages 35Draft responsibly,BrickO