Take Me To Church
Ciao! The Drafters were well represented in the Giro d' Italia. Ok, maybe not, but 4 of the initial 13 members drafted responsibly in the hills of Tuscany. Grazie to the Italian Job (aka Colin O'Brien) at CycleSport Travel for setting up an incredible 9 day tour.
A huge thanks to Captain Joe and Tennille for hosting last week. Temperatures were as cool as the 9 Drafters who showed up to draft the Spring Valley loop. Booker J's cool factor was elevated when he joined both the A and B teams. Slow Cow's cool factor feel a few degrees as he was sighted on the route, but without draft protection. Slow Cow showed up at Free House the previous Monday, the drafter starting line in 2019, so he is definitely trending in the right direction.
Cool riders were welcomed back to a warm meal (thanks to Tennille) and a hot fire.
We will roll into June with one of our favorite rides, Take Me to Church. For those not wanting a full confession, you can skip Church and ride the Brains and Brawn route (staying with the group on Union Valley, turning left on Braun, retracing the route back after turning right on KP).
Ride with GPS link: Take Me To Church
Sending extra watt wishes to Belle and Cujo who are signed up for Unbound this coming weekend. Go get em', Ladies!
Interested in some rides with a little less oomph? Check out these excellent rides benefitting the Boys & Girls Club and JDRF, and sign up to ride with BrickO's Drafters.
CHAMOIS SHARE: have an interesting chamois story? Send it in! There will be a prize at the end of the year for the best chamois story. What constitutes the best? There are no rules, or even guidelines. There may be an opportunity to vote, but certainly no democratic process.
This one submitted by the Italian Job: In the old days, chamois were made from leather. If that wasn't bad enough, this one guy on the US cycling team would flip the shorts inside out to ride. No shi*t.
*The Italian Job is a former US hour record-holder and was around when chamois were leather and tires were solid rubber, and square.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO
Spring (finally) Valley
The Drafter scribe is currently unavailable, purportedly packing feverishly for an early departure to Italy. Underscore feverishly, as two negative home Covid tests and a negative PCR test have not explained the 8 days of symptoms. While green is her favorite color, this is taking things a bit too far. Apparently, only Supreme Court Justices are able to call in antibiotic favors, which is why the Drafter scribe made off with Special K's water bottles in hopes of sipping some medicine. The scribe also made off with three of Octane''s espresso porters and two coconut chocolate gluten free brownies, so the healing is bound to begin. So, this post will be brief and to the point. And most likely include an abundance of typos. Please be kind.
25 Drafters, including two newbies, faced the Formidable Festge, many donning their fabulous new Hincapie kits celebrating our 10 YEAR DRAFTING RESPONSIBLY ANNIVERSARY! The group was a bit discombobulated from the start, with four Drafters going rouge at 4:30PM. Nothing like a little head start to make more time for drinking beer. Pipes was struggling with her Garmin. Apparently, the course she loaded last week recommended making a U-turn throughout the entire route. Special K ate all her snacks while waiting for Pipes to upload the route. Draft responsibly. While these four were early, Slow Cow was late to the Draft. Like 3 years late. Somehow he didn't get the memo that we moved the start from the Free House to our house in 2019. No matter. He needed to recover after conquering Italy Divide.
In addition to the Rogue Group, there was a short pour for two!
The 5:15 group had the usual suspects, and some new suspects. Tick Tock brought his significant other. Riding out of town, BrickO commented on how svelte he looked (this is sensitive territory as Tick Tock is more than just eye candy), and he responded that his girlfriend had him on a strict workout routine. "I may look like a Cadillac, but I drive like a Model T". Welcome to the Draft, Sargent. It appears you have Tick Tock at full salute. Our second newbie found out about the draft several years ago when she and BrickO were both at Middleton High School dropping off forgotten items for their respective children, while wearing cycling jerseys. It took her awhile to enlist, and we are happy to have her. Welcome Nemo (her Trek has shark teeth on the top tube, but she is a softer soul than Jaws, and finally found her way- or maybe it was Dory who got lost in Finding Nemo? Anyway).
Pitstop showed up early for the B Team, eager to reclaim her Strava segment from the driveway to the bathroom. It looks like she has more competition from Special K in the field segment.
The B Team picked up Duracell near Blackhawk, where there was also a Super Q sighting on KP, riding her mountain bike. Vintage was curiously lurking at Blackhawk, an odd spot to wait for the A team to arrive. His porn stache is hard to miss. There was dissension in the ranks at Cleveland and Deer Run, hills known to bring Drafters to tears. When in doubt, CLIMB. That's the Drafter motto, and apparently only BrickO was in doubt. Oddly, after the Deer Run descent and before the Cleveland Climb, BrickO and Cujo traded frothy smiles. A solo B+ drafter, perhaps?
The A Team was in full assault mode. Granny, still riding her 40 pound Bianchi, after failing to have it stolen earlier in the day when she left it unlocked at Lakeview Park, and carrying Squirrel's water bottles, claimed the QOM crown on Deer Run. Blurple was quick to ease BrickO's pain of losing the coveted crown by pointing out that 1) Granny is much younger than 73, and 2) it wasn't even close, so there's no point in trying to reclaim the crown. And so it goes.
Octane played a pivotal role in preparing Granny to claim the QOM, carefully protecting her from the headwind with his massive calves. "Ya know, it would be so much better if these massive muscles could be used for cycling." He also leveraged his position in the draft with the promise of brownies. Like his calves, not to be underrated.
Octane was the only one who delivered. As he ran low on fuel during the climb up Deer Run, Vintage encouraged him to "just keep climbing. I've got Swedish Fish to get you through the bonk." Only he didn't. The only thing Vintage delivered on was his stache. Skipper, his beard freshly shaven 8 hours before the draft, left a little something behind.
The mustache mystery is a fun one to solve. Here's another: there is a new Drafter coming in November 2022. A dozen of Octane's brownies for the Drafter who can guess the lucky couple!
Next week's route will take the Drafters through scenic Enchanted and Spring Valleys. NOTICE (Slow Cow): the route will start near Lakeview Park (see GroupMe for the address). Thanks to LuLu and Columbus for hosting. NOTE (Slow Cow): the map and GPS note Glacier Ridge Road, so start your Garmin but realize it won't find the course until you are on Airport Rd. NOTICE (Slow Cow): There is NO DRAFT ON MEMORIAL DAY.
RidewithGPS link Spring Valley
For those seeking a short pour, please find solace in the Pine Loop. Turn left on Pine off of Spring Valley, and then left on KP. From there, follow the cue sheet above to return safely to Middleton.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO