Aug 5: Lodi Canning
Congratulations to the 13 Drafters who let it Rip at the Lake Ripley Ride on Saturday. Here are some action and finisher photos. A big thanks to Footer for providing her cottage and boat for after ride refreshments and entertainment. Somebody (BrickO) had an altercation with fettuccini alfredo on Friday night and was still fighting the fight during the ride. Internal combustion may be a powerful force, but not one recommended for a 100k, regardless of how flat the course and beautiful the weather. Urgh. I was sorry to have missed the after-ride party.
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Sandlot and Booker J -
Billy Bob -
Duracell and Speedy -
Duchess and Sandlot -
KickA$$K and Skipper -
Footer and KickA$$K
Drone Master was delayed in his finish and had to be photo shopped into the picture (can you even tell?). He had been detained by two different packs of riders who wanted to take a photo of his Drafter kit. His modeling career really took off on Saturday. Dress responsibly.
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Drone Master, Billy Boy, Speedy, Pit Stop, Sandlot, Duchess, Duracell and honorary Drafter, Nancy -
Z Rex and BrickO
The good weather continued for Monday's Rock of Ages ride. We had a RECORD HIGH 23 DRAFTERS in attendance, including 2 Newbies and guest appearance by our Italian friend, KickA$$K. This tour stage started out a little rocky, as one of our Newbies forgot his shoes and then, while making a gallant effort in sandals, sustained a flat tire. Never before has a Newbie been inaugurated, joined the Equipment Failure (Fail to remember Equipment) club AND the initiated into the Flat Tire Club all on the same night. Welcome to the Draft, Sandals. We hope things improve after basic training.
Skipper
Octane, feeling all of his seniority on his second Drafter ride, followed the Drafter code and stopped to assist Sandals with his flat (nothing to do about the footwear). "He had radio contact with his wife. There was nothing else I could do but ride on." The committee will have to review Octane's behavior. This is the second questionable Flat Tire Code of Ethics violation in as many rides (see Speedy's infraction in last week's police report).
Coach Arms had lots on her mind- so much, in fact, that she joined the ever growing Equipment Failure club that Pipes started two weeks ago in the famous Unicycle incident. Shoeless but determined, she drove home to fetch her size 11s and returned to the Draft, riding backwards until she encountered Speedy and Duracell. Happy Birthday to Coach Arms this week. Isn't getting old grand?
The lead group set a blistering pace, with Bond Bernal in the Yellow, Cannibal sporting green and KickA$$K in the polka dot jersey (and not cause she's cute in polka dots, but because this woman can CLIMB). There were some heated words exchanged during the stage. KickA$$K was sucking wind up a climb, and Cannibal lashed out, "I knew it wasn't Tick Tock behind me. He doesn't breathe that hard on a climb." Bond was playing mind games with KickA$$K as well, noting, "I was climbing the Dolomites with my Dad. He fell behind. He didn't ask me to wait." Nothing shakes the polka dot. Good try, fellas.
The Chase 1 group, consisting of Tick Tock, Booker J, Skipper and BrickO was a solid 2' behind (probably more, gauging by the beer in hand when we returned to the Free House). I watched the Tour de France closely this year and learned some valuable strategies: 1) Don't try to out climb the climbers. Tick Tock and Booker J climb (way) better than Skipper and me. So I graciously watched them climb away; 2) Don't try to outsprint the sprinters. Skipper is a mad sprint on the flats. So I obliged him, and Drafted as close as possible, doing as little work as possible, until we caught back up with the climbers. During this sequence of repeated events, I did feel a bit badly about my unDraftsmanlike conduct and inability to contribute. I also appreciated, after watching the tour and learning these lessons, how effective the strategy is!
I was dropped so badly on the climb up Bitney, I went so far as to swear off a post-ride beer. One small step towards improving my power to ass ratio. By the time Skipper caught us back up to Tick Tock and Booker J, I modified my vow to drinking beer less dark in color and high in calories. Once back at the Free House, I totally forgot how much I hate being dropped on a climb and ordered a Cashmere Hammer, the darkest beer on the menu. This is, after all, the Draft and not the Tour de France.
B2 Bomber took some heat for riding in the Peloton. KickA$$K traveled all the way from Italy to challenge Bomber for the podium, but he never made his move. Speedy was pleasantly shocked to be passing Bomber, and made no bones about showing it with a fist bump to the sky (she is already on probation, so this recent action will be closely reviewed by the committee). Little did they know that B2 Bomber was demonstrating character becoming of a Drafter in riding with our other Newbie. To date, there has never been a Drafter able to tame the Beast that is Bomber's competitive spirit. As such, our Newbie will have the Drafter handle, Belle. Get it? Beauty and the Beast.
Back at the Free House, all heat dissipated as the cold beer flowed.
Drafter Illustrated is auditioning for the "TRICEPS SURAE" edition. Triceps surae is not a dinosaur related to the triceratops, but rather a fancy name for your calf muscles (medial and lateral gastrocnemius and soleus). Thus far, we have 3 entrants but only 2 signed waivers allowing for their calves to be photographed. BrickO is waiting for her images to be released by the team physician, Dr. Wampus. She has a unique condition resulting in a kankle like appearance due to an accessory soleus. Since she is technically a quadriceps surae, the committee must vote on her eligibility. To note: there is no aesthetically pleasing attributes to this condition, and certainly no athletic benefit in either jumping, running or climbing has been observed.
We also have one addition to the photo competition. The prizes this year will be stellar, so keep these Drafter photos coming.
Next week we will retry the Lodi Canning Ride. I hope to do recon before Monday's ride to confirm that County Line Rd is no longer under construction. I'm a bit nervous about the 41 mile distance, given the rash of flat tire incidents we have been experiencing lately. There are short cuts, and I encourage you to take them if you sense a flat or nightfall coming on.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO