Lovely Day
In the words of the late and great Bill Withers, Monday was a Lovely Day to Draft.When I wake up on a Monday, loveAnd the sunlight hurts my eyesAnd something without warning, loveBears heavy on my mindThen I Draft with youAnd the world's alright with meJust one Draft with youAnd I know it's gonna beA lovely dayA lovely dayWhen the road that lies ahead of meSeems impossible to findWhen someone else in front of meAlways seems to know the wayThen I Draft with youAnd the world's alright with meJust one Draft with youAnd I know it's gonna beA lovely dayA lovely dayAs discovered on my recon mission last week, and revealed via Drafter GroupMe (let me know if you want to be added to that list for f'd up direction and other construction updates), Pine Rd and Schuman Rd don't actually intersect. "When the road that lies ahead of me seems imposssible to find." I hear you, Bill. And I also hear Billy Boy... who wins round two of DRAFTLESS DRAFTER OF THE WEEK. Billy Boy is all too familiar with my sense of directional impairment. Drafting on the deserted island of Sanibel, he writes, " I found Pine, which is quite near Blind Pass, a name I’ve always equated with your direction handouts. Just ride blindly and figure it out! " It's gonna be a lovey day, a lovely day.
Footer, Slinger, Duchess and Sandlot set out a full 24 hours early, not trusting Mother Nature to deliver a lovely Monday.
A few trusted Mother Nature to deliver and Drafted Monday.
Yah know, we all have our strengths. And I'd be happy to post mine. It would be a short list (road bike, dark beer aficionado, MTB bike, dark beer taste tester, gravel bike, fat tire bike) - and by bike I don't mean that I am a strong bikER. I mean that I have a strong showing of bikes in my garage. It's really my weaknesses that are more plentiful and extraordinary. Here is the short list. Directional impairment is one most familiar to the Drafters, who have "benefitted" by exploring most of Dane (and unintentially) surrounding counties . Cooking. Math. Spelling. Wine appreciation. Singing. I'm just getting warmed up for my marathon of shorcomings. But back to directional impairment. There is one route that cannot have misdirection, and that is how long to Draft apart together. A Drafter, friend and Nurse Practitioner sent me this article, written by a cyclist and PhD in something that studies small things that kill us. It is worth reading. And directs me to continue to Draft apart together.
Bicycle Club of Irvine: Riding in the Time of Covid-19 articleNext week's route will be Rock of Ages. Hills are good character builders. All sorts of characters are built in a sequence of 4s and expressed up the climb on Bitney. The selfie challenge continues. The photo destination is the intersection of Y and Bitney.
PDF map to download: Rock of Ages 35Garmin link: Rock of Ages GPSThere is still beauty to appreciate in isolation. Enjoy the Full Pink Moon tonight.
Almanac link: What the phlox?Draft responsibly,BrickO
Oh My My. Oh Heck Yes. Speedy Put on Her Party Dress!
The day was absolutely spectacular for Drafting to the Riley Tavern, except for maybe a nippy homeward bound head wind. Our double entendre Drafter handle has become a bit of a misnomer, since we are neither drafting behind our bigger bodied cyclists (hey, no judgement, delicate flowers appreciate help- thanks for the socks, Sully)...
Nor are we enjoying a post-ride draft at Longtable. That doesn't preculde us from enjoying a draft at home, 6 feet from our signficiant other, however. LuLu has embodied the drafter spirit and found electrolyte balance, as displayed below.
The Drafter photos came fast and furious throughout the day. Apart, we Drafted strong together.Seems like we suffered a bout of forgetfulness:Footer forgot where the Tavern was on the route.
Belle and Bomber forgot to take a photo at Riley. So cute how they share post-ride snacks and Strava data.
Hit-The-Wall forgot the route entirely. He has a penchant, it seems, for the bike path. A+ for family time, B- for Drafter attire (allegedly there is a Drafter shirt under his jacket), and C for route.
Sandlot blended right in on the Woodland Trail at Gov Nelson, hiking in her Drafter green. She forgot the idea was to bike.
Pipes, notorious for forgetting her front wheel, also forgot her bike and joined Sandlot in exercise on foot. 
Caboose found a silver lining to virtual Drafting: he is no longer relegated to a last place finish. No chance of riding Riley Tavern route from MN, but how can you forget Drafter swag?
Following the rules of engagment and therefore eligible for the GRAND PRIZE are the following:
The clear winner(s) in round 1 are Speedy and Duracell. "Road Trip! Didn't burn too many calories but we sang a lot in the van. Too bad it was closed, kids really wanted to have a beer with us."
Here's what is on tap for Round 2 next Monday, April 6: PINE LOOP. Same rules apply: text me a photo at the intersetion of PINE RD and SCHUMAN with DRAFTER SWAG.
Pine Loop PDF map download: Pine LoopLink: Garmin Link Pine LoopDraft responsibly,BrickO