Spring (Valley) Returns June 21
19 Drafters set out to conquer Back in Black. Squirrel was back for round two, and brought his wife, Granny. She isn't old, but refuses to shift into the big chain ring. Welcome!
Octane had a full tank of gas, fully recovered from his surgery and able to lift heavy trees with both hands. We are happy to have him back in the saddle.
Our Drafter family is really growing. Check out these two in the Diapers and Pull Ups Drafter team (green helmets required). And a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SMILEY RILEY, who moved up to the 3 year old age group this week.
A few years beyond 3.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY this week to Cannibal (Wednesday) and Flash (next Monday).
Looking for a challenge this week? Sign up to do the Virtual Ride for Mental Health, which includes a Hincapie jersey. If there is interest, we can organize a group ride Thur June 24.
Keep an eye out for your HINCAPIE ORDERS, which are scheduled to be sent FedEx on June 27. If you won't be home to sign for the package, please be sure to modify your delivery.
A huge thanks to all of the Drafters for the support extended during our Race Across the West. The Spoke'N Four (down to 3 for a spell) needed every good vibe sent during our 930 mile adventure from Oceanside to Durango. The highs reached 125, with lows never below 90. It was brutal, and by far the most exhilarating adventure to date. Our team included 4 racers and 6 crew. The finish would not have been possible with any other combination of people. It was magical. Many of you have generously offered to host a celebration, which is appreciated and will happen. There is rumor of cake this week. We will have another celebration when the Spoke'N Four are in full FOURCE. Skipper and Romeo are still in CO vacationing. Here are a few photos to share, but they don't do it justice.
Start in Oceanside, Tue June 15 at 12:18PM. Finish in Durango, 11:09PM. Skipper, Vilks, BrickO and Romeo. Crew: Joey, Sully, Keez, Chief, Kipp and JackO. Joey is a recent (as of Friday just before he flew to CA) ISU graduate in Dietetics, starting graduate school in Sports Nutrition. He kept us well fueled, and also served as bike mechanic and photographer (credited with most of the photos below). He had Skipper's nutrition dialed in with an unorthodox cocktail of beef jerky & peanut butter M&Ms. Vilks developed a crush on Joey early in the race and we had to keep them separated. Sully provided excellent medical care, navigation and kept every one awake at night. She was also quite proficient at assembling the pop up tent for emergency bathroom needs. My favorite quote from Sully, "Fanny pack on. Shit just got real." Keez was my rock. Finishing the race was spectacular, but pails in comparison to sharing the experience with her, and watching her take command of food prep (before and during the race), navigation and communicating with "Van 2" during bike swaps. Chief gets more credit than I can give on a blog. The estimate for her hours of prep would be conservative at 500. She slept less than anyone over 60 hours. We calculated maybe 60 min, total. When I had a mechanical and emotional break down a day before the race, Chief asked what image I used to calm my mind. I told her that I recall the memories of my Grandma Jean bringing me raspberries from the garden. Later that day, I had a pail of raspberries waiting for me. Vilk's cousin, Kipp, was a late addition. Admitting to not reading a single page of the 300 plus page manual, he stepped up and crushed it. The only thing we lost along the route was one of Kipp's shoes. RIP. JackO was our California connection. A former professional bike racer, he served as mechanic, driver and unflappable force... and also drove one of the vans back to CA from CO solo. What started as 20min transitions times for bike swaps ended with 2min Formula 1 pit stops. What a team.
A huge shout out to many others who supported us along the way: Trek, Hincapie Sportswear, SweatVac, Rocky's Custom Bikes and Colin at Cronometro who took my frantic call about my brakes not working.
Speaking of Formula 1 racing.... this former F1 engineer and Drafter from afar finished her first Ironman and Ride Across the Rockies, also in soaring temperatures. Congrats Formula 1! She will be at the Hincapie Gran Fondo in Greenville in October. There is a FREE ENTRY to the Drafter who donates the greatest $ to JRDF at the Lake Ripley Ride July 31 or raises the most money for Boys and Girls Club Ride July 17. Be sure to sign up on BrickO's Drafters team to qualify.
It looks like spring is back with temperatures below 90. Seems like a good time to ride "Spring Valley".
Short pour option: turn left on Pine from Spring Valley, left on KP and proceed along full strength route.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO