Aug 12: Barlow and the Beast
Mother Nature made good on her promise to hold off on the thunder, lightening and downpour until all 19 Drafters were safely back. Thank you, M N.
Pipes upgraded her Flat Tire club membership from Bronze to Silver (sort of like her Olympic medals). There's no better place to flat than the parking lot, where Drafters have no choice but to comply with the code and lend a helping hand.
The only thing requiring more air than Pipes' flat tire was blowing out the candles on Billy Bob and Loose Screw's birthday cakes. That's a big number.
The Lodi Canning Co. route was epic, without any closed roads or pea gravel to interfere with our adventure. Duchess took a long strong 2 mile pull out of town. Technically, riders must be Drafting to qualify as a pull. I'm not sure if the slip stream extends back 1/4 mile. When he isn't bonking, Duchess has the juice! We caught up with Drone Master just south of Dane. This week our Domestique was equipped with video equipment and conducted live interviews on the road. Rumor has it that Bob Roll and Phil Liggett are interviewing him for Steve Porino's job at the Tour de France in 2020. Outside of Dane, despite my clear directions to take a right on Johnson (to be clear on the clarity, it took 3 renditions of the map, but I got there eventually), birthday Billy Boy decided to take his Johnson left.
The darkening sky and threat of rain had the lead group discussing the practicality of taking the bike path home. Tick Tock is always an advocate for the bike path, and in his absence, we were inclined to shave off a few miles and feet of elevation to honor his spirit, which is vacationing in Glacier. Willing to lead but not take charge of the decision to take the short cut made for a ridiculous sight as Bond and Vintage were held motionless in track stands at the top of Lodi-Springfield and Woodland. BrickO was riding in circles around Thing 1 as a track stand was not a viable option. This maneuver was attempted days earlier, only to have left foot come in contact with front tire, which ended badly. Z Rex saw her distress and came to the rescue, following the Drafter code by always choosing the longer and uphill route. And so we rode up Woodland, waving goodbye to the bike path and quicker route to beer.
The looming storm was not the only dark excitement. Booker J came within inches of becoming Body Bag J. As we rode past Kromrey Middle School towards the Middleton Police Station, 3 oncoming vehicles approached, traveling the appropriate speed limit. The middle vehicle decided that 25mph and double yellow lines were a mere suggestion, and darted out into our lane to pass the vehicle ahead. Booker J's cat like reflexes saved him. This is a reminder to all who take to the road on two wheels to stay alert at all times. We do an excellent job of being visible with lights and green Drafter gear, calling out "car back" and "car up", pointing out pot holes and riding with respect for the rules of the road. Not everything is in our control, but be sure to control what you can to Draft responsibly and minimize risk of injury .
Next week we will grant KickA$$K her wish for hills by introducing a new route, Beast of Barlow. This is a 32 mile killer route, with a short cut home on Garfoot that will not allow you to escape the beast.
Garmin Link: NOTE that I missed the hard left on Braun from Garfoot. This is perfect if you are taking the shortcut- just follow my lead. https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/26543354
A few other cautionary notes: 1) Barlow has some dirt that has been swept, but it is easy to lose traction when standing (which you will most likely need to do when the grade hits close to 20%); 2) there is GRAVEL on a section of Garfoot headed home due to road work as well as on 3) Union Valley. As always, ride in control.
PDF map to download:
Last note of warning: while congregated to help Pipes change her flat tire in the parking lot, we were reprimanded by an employee leaving the BMO building for impeding her departure. She was exceedingly grumpy, but we were guilty as charged. Let's be mindful of not parking in the reserved spots, even though it is after 5PM (I had to throw in a little snark), and giving drivers a wide berth to get out of the parking lot.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO