August 1: Ride Back To Simpler Times
A record setting evening: 40 miles covered, 20 mph averaged, 19 Drafters drafted.3 new riders were largely responsible for the blistering pace. Welcome Floridan phenom, Luci. When I think of Florida, blue hairs come to mind. The tortoise doesn't stand a chance against this Blue Hare. Welcome Badger sports nutritionist, Rachel. I'm not sure that changing my diet would decrease the gap, but I am requesting the recipe for her 3 Squares. Lastly, accomplished Birkie skier, Brandan B, serendipitously intercepted us on the route and committed to the Draft. The B2 Bomber definitely gave Blue Hare and 3 Square a target to chase down.Shakespeare once said, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet". Two roses are up for a name change. Quinoa has transformed into Chrissy Kilowatt. Her soccer legs (which scare the crap out of me) have made the transition from kicking a ball to kicking butt on the bike. Freezin' for a Reason will formally change her name in Aug when wedding bells ring, so it seems a fitting time to upgrade her Drafter handle. Several of the newbies referred to Coach Freezin' as "the one with arms". While all of the Drafters have 2 arms, only Coach has biceps , triceps and deltoids chiseled out of stone. Kilowatt and Arms are officially registered in the Draft log.I struggle with numbers. Just ask my banker. But I thought it would be fun to look back over the season and give you a numeric review. These data were not collected via survey, but are based on my personal communication and therefore are subject to misinterpretation and underestimation. I'm quite sure I missed a few things, but for sure, I am not exaggerating.There have been 15 rides from mid-March thru July, with only 1 cancellation due to 40 degree temperatures and howling wind. 42 have joined the 2016 Draft, 18 women and 24 men. Slightly over half are return Drafters from 2015. The range of riders per night has been 6-19 , 12.3 on average (the 0.3 must include Slow Cow since he usually takes a short cut and therefore doesn't count as a full rider). I don't know the average age, but the youngest are college students (early 20s) and the oldest are in their 60s, including 2 retirees (or at least semi-retired). The dominating profession is health care: 7 PTs, 5 orthopedic surgeons, 2 sports medicine physicians, 2 nurses, 1 cardiologist, 1 RD, 1 chiropractor and 1 pharmacist. We have 4 engineers, 3 attorneys, and 3 pilots (if you include a Drone pilot). Nearly a dozen Drafters are former collegiate athletes from soccer, tennis, rowing, ice hockey, cross country and basketball (including a NBA recruit) teams along with elite speed skaters and Jr Olympic X-country ski racers. We have 6 Ironman finishers (majority multiple IMs), with 3 more to be added to that list in Sept, and 6 multiple Birkie finishers (probably more than I am not aware of), including elite and 2nd wave guys. We have 3 folks who are committed commuters, choosing to pedal instead of guzzle gas. Most impressively, we have a group committed to getting better instead of staying the same, pushing their envelopes rather than sealing them.When I finish a Monday night Draft, I have a feeling of pride, happiness, fulfillment, connection and exhaustion. I want to thank all of you for sharing your energy for cycling and passion for life. In this grim state of humanity throughout the world, I am thankful for the time we spend together, pedaling, gasping for air, drinking beer and laughing (listed in chronological order, not necessarily order of importance). Thank you for taking care of each other on the road and in many cases, in life.In this spirit, I propose a ride taking us back to a simpler time. We will travel under Dane's historic viaduct, built with two distinctly different types of stone, limestone and sandstone. According to Bridgehunter.com, "It was built in 1881 by the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad and modified in 1896. The datestone on the west side reads, 1896 while the datestone on the east side reads, 1881." I'm getting a bit fluffy with this blog (blame it on the whiskey), but I do find riding under this bridge to be a magical experience as I think about the amazing people who have done so before me for the past 135 years. I hope that I can leave a mark on the world as positive and structurally sound for those who pass through after me.
Download PDF with shortcuts: Viaduct Cue SheetGarmin link to ViaductDraft responsibly,BrickO