Formidable Festge
The Farmer's Almanac long term forecast for Mondays is a four letter word. Too short for Wordle, and easy to guess if you ventured outside: W I N D. With that, please enjoy/tolerate lyrics from one of the top 15 songs about windy days by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band:
It seems like Monday
Drafters ready to go
Zephyr was lovely he was the king of all pulls
Grinding up Viaduct with the BMC rolling slow, and
And the miles that we shared
The segments that we claimed
Caught like a wildfire out of control
'Til there was nothing left to burn and nothing left to prove
And I remember what he said to me
How he swore that it never would end
I remember how he rode by me oh-so-tight
Wish I didn't cramp now cause I didn't drink then
Against the wind
We were bikin' against the wind
We were old and strong, we were bikin' against the wind
21 Drafters blew in, including one Newbie, Zephyr. Drafting behind this mountain of a man made the 40mph head wind home feel like a gentle breeze. 23 if you count Badger and Columbus, who drafted their own route for ice cream. The Drafter Executive Committee will convene later this month to determine if their dairy land dare qualifies as official Drafter miles. The language in the policy for attendance needs to be reviewed in order to avoid controversy over the coveted end of the year awards for 10+ rides and highest attendance.
The B Team started out as a full dozen, but Gopher and Thing 1 decided running against the wind with a flat tire and loose rotor, respectively, was a losing game and employed Plan B. Turning around before Dane, the duo swapped road for mountain bikes and played dirty.
It was new bike day for Squirrel. And with electronic shifting comes great responsibility, like charging your battery before drafting. A time penalty was served for tardiness as Squirrel was delayed to juice up. Eager to claim Strava segments on the first half of the ride with the wind at his back, Squirrel meekly asked his wife, Granny, to carry his water bottle. Since Granny is already burdened with a 40 pound steel Bianchi, what's the difference of a few more ounces? What does the Squirrel say? According to northamericannature.com, screeches, rattles, barks and snorts. Kuk, muk-muk and quaa sounds are used to show an interest in mating. He went with, "I'm the luckiest guy, ever." Muk-muk.
The B team was boss, with Wampus leading the Peloton, literally and figuratively. Wampus has more miles on her Peloton bike than on Bubbles, her well weathered Trek (not weathered enough as you can still make out the white bubbles on her hot pink frame).
The B Team took the "divide and conquer" approach to the wind. With the peloton gap growing, Special K, Footer and Pipes formed the Lantern Rouge. An interesting formation, they opted to ride 3 wide. Perhaps they all wanted to feel the wind through their hair? Special K is presenting a bill to Drafter Congress, making Monday night rides illegal with winds over 15mph. "I was giving it all I had and still couldn't hit double digits" was the complaint filed in the higher courts by Justice Special K. Drafting officials clarified the laws on drafting responsibly: drafting implies riding in single file, not in a horizontal straight line. Special K will be subjected to remedial training before the next draft. Footer was so disheartened by the wind that she opted out of the post-draft draft.
Knievel has been racking up mega miles, a perk of recent retirement. It is amazing how many miles you can fit into those 40+ hours! It is also amazing at how many bandaids are required to keep this guy in one piece. Knievel is interviewing stunt doubles for the next Draft.
The A team was hunting Strava Segments. Granny was excited to have earned a crown.... which lasted 10 seconds, before Cujo uploaded her Garmin data to Strava. Cujo also captured the Strava segment from the garage to the bathroom, a crown formerly held by Pitstop.
Next week we will face the Formidable Festge, a 33 mile adventure with a few climbs to keep those Strava QOM/KOM hunters in the game. Once could easily skip skip the lollypop on Cleveland and Deer Run to lessen the elevation and miles (stay on Timber to Old Sauk Pass).
RidewithGPS link to Formidable Festge
Keep you eyes open for tracking information on the 10th Year Anniversary Kits from Hincapie Sportswear. A gentle reminder that these packages need to be signed for. You can create a FedEx account and approve an indirect signature if you won't be home at the time of delivery.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO