Shake The Lakes- Crystal and Fish
What's a few feet? My elevation estimation for the Spring Valley ride was off by a few hundred feet. Does anyone with a math brain bigger than mine (that excludes no one) understand how my Garmin innocently reported 1700ft on my recon mission, when Tick Tock had us at 1900 before we even hit Table Bluff, and the final feet of elevation according to Z Rex's Garmin was 2487? Baffling. And it really felt like 3000 given the punishing pace set by da' boys.
Drone Master got a head start on the ride. We caught him snaking his way up Enchanted Valley (was a misnomer- better described as "Disenchanted Valley). I heard him cry out, "Somebody sing me a song", and Captain Joe made a gallant effort to do just that. Unfortunately, his new Drafter Kit restricted his lung capacity. Apparently, when checking the box to specify style, he marked "Podium Girl" instead of the "Podium" fit. Personally, I am thinking of revamping the jersey fit options altogether. Instead of club versus race fit (relaxed versus suffocating), I think small-medium-large should be offered according to quadrant. For example, I would like a small jersey in my northern hemisphere where boobs allegedly reside, a medium around my arms to account for the deltoids and biceps I keep hoping will grow, and then a large around my waist where skin stretched from 2 babies hangs loosely. Doesn't seem like too much to ask, does it?We could call this the "Restorative Jersey Line", a phrase coined by Sully and Ice Queen when discussing the fine line between coloring and highlighting hair. Speaking of restorative measures- I was at the cabin last weekend working hard to even out my biker tan lines. Not that I am ashamed or embarrassed by them. In fact, they are sort of a badge of honor. But, I would like the Vitamin D enhancement to extend further north than my distal quadriceps. I'm happy to report that 3 days in the lake did just that- restored my legs to one shade of brown. However, an unanticipated and unfortunate consequence of said sunning in the lake is that I now have stripes on my face! While drinking, talking, laughing, squinting, etc the sun failed to reach the creases, wrinkles and other fine lines that have found a home on my face. Restoration is a work in progress, I guess.That was definitely a tangent. Back to the Draft report. There was some confusion about the Northern Twist on the Spring Valley route. Tick Tock instructed the crew, "When in doubt, turn the direction of the steepest hill. That's probably the right way." Good advice, which Slow Cow failed to heed. Last to roll into the corral, he blamed his wrong turn on the "blinding angle of the sun", and respectfully submits his request for me to better plan the routes according to the earth's position. Capitalizing on his legal training, he also petitioned for a Drafter Handle change from Slow Cow to Wandering Cow. WC. Doesn't that stand for something else? Drone Master would have been the last to the table, but somehow he managed to trade his road bike in for a scooter.
Drone Master wasn't the only one worried about being late for dinner. Ice Queen called in her order somewhere along Schneider Road. We all enjoyed watching her eat while we patiently awaited our vittles. She might be the smallest of the Drafters, but this girl can hold her own with a knife and fork, or ice cream cone.
Due to popular demand, THE HINCAPIE STORE HAS BEEN RE-OPENED FOR 2018 DRAFTER JERSEYS, SHORTS, BIBS, VESTS, JACKETS and POLO SHIRTS.
- Follow the link provided here: https://order.hincapiecustom.com/Brickos2018reorder
- If this is your first time ordering with Hincapie Sportswear, click on “Create Your Account Now.”
- If you have ordered with us before, click the “Log On” icon in the top right corner of your screen.
- Shop and add any items to your cart that you would like to order.
- Once you have selected everything you would like to order, click on your cart then click “Continue.”
- Double check to make sure that your billing address and shipping address is correct. Please note that Hincapie CANNOT ship to a PO Box and a signature WILL be required upon delivery.
- Click “Continue” to proceed through the checkout process.
Draft responsibly,BrickO
Spring up Spring Valley
Last week was a brutal ride- over 2000 feet of climb mostly occurring during 10 of the 40 miles. Sharing is the cornerstone of our Drafter community, and I wanted to share Moen Valley and Blue Mounds Trail, two lovely hills on the Horribly Hilly Hundreds route with our newbies, Josh and Peter. Somebody did their homework- Josh showed up for the "Book Club Ride" with his satchel! He actually read the blog in advance ("novel" concept- please notice the pun, cause I'm rarely clever and need you to notice the rare times when I am. It's a self esteem thing. Please notice. Thanks for your time), and came prepared with books to exchange in the community library box on Blue Mounds Trail. When I asked Booker J how he heard about the Drafters, he quietly admitted to knowing B2 Bomber. With that, he was instantly promoted to the front of the line to share pulling detail alongside Tick Tock. I did store his satchel in my jeep, but next week, I am going to insist that he ride with his books to slow him down a bit. Don't ride and read.
Peter was apparently interested in catching up on reading, since he chased Booker J up Blue Mounds Trail to the book depository. He's credited with testing every rumble strip on Hwy 78. It's good to shake things up a bit. Welcome to the Draft, Rumble Strip.Whamo and Sandlot thought they could avoid the hills by riding the route in reverse. What goes up must come down, of course, so I wasn't sure of their strategy until we saw them come down Blue Mounds Trail as we were climbing. They got to the book depository first! Poor Booker J didn't missed out on this week's top seller.
Team DeKeyser made their inaugural appearance for the Book Club. D2 Duracell decided this doozy made for an excellent first ride of the season. He should be recovered sometime in August. His bride, Ice Queen, had got her bike out two days before during Girls Weekend up north, and was clearly in peak condition for the Book Club. Ya' gotta love athletes who just do it.
The kits arrived and looked pretty sharp. With that, a few folks have inquired about placing another order. No problem. As soon as I have at least 5 people interested (I have 3 so far), I will open up the Hincapie store. Let me know if you want in. This year we have golf shirts, just for Sully, since she is spending half of her retired life swinging at those white eggs in Arizona. I do have a guns (sleeveless) women's large jersey that I am willing to sell at a discount if anyone is interested. I guess I overestimated my bust a bit.
Ice Queen and D2 Duracell shared a 10% stout over dinner. After a few sips, the dynamic duo came up with some creative math to justify their beer selection. "So, if we split this beer, it's just 5% alcohol, right?" That calculation is exactly right, according to BrickO math rules, which is why you can have two!Since all 18 Drafters lived to complain about the hillacious ride, we will serve up more of the same medicine next week as we venture out to the Spring Valley Loop with a Northern Twist. The Short Pour (which unfortunately hasn't really been tapped this summer) can hang a left on Pine.
Garmin Link to Spring Valley with a TwistPDF of map to download: Spring Valley with Northern Twist Cue SheetDraft responsibly,BrickO