Stage 2 Drafter Tour de Dane Femmes
Stage 1 of the Tour de Danes was a tribute to teamwork. Belle organized the joint effort of two Middleton teams, the Drafters and Stonefield Wheelmen, who worked together on Sunday to dominate the stage. Thank you to the N + 1 cafe for hosting!
Stage 2 of the Drafter Tour de Femmes was action packed, minus any wheel touches or crashes. 29 cyclists, including 3 new riders on the tour, lined up for what might have been the most glorious day in Tour de Dane history. Low heat and humidity, a gentle breeze blowing and protective cloud cover provided perfect conditions as the Drafters pedaled over some of the most gorgeous rolling terrain in Dane County.
The winners were decided before the stage began. Three generations of the Monster Family swept the podium.
A chase group of 13 Drafters, including first time tour riders, Sherpa and Pepe, set out to catch the breakaway group, a 15 min gap created by Duracell, Dan-yelly and Ditch.
Sherpa carried the Drafters up every hill, earning the polka dot jersey. Pepe carried the group past an inordinate number of odiferous road kill obstacles, weaving through the carnage as he bravely inhaled to minimize the collateral olfactory damage to his teammates. Nitro, usually in charge of noxious gas, was relegated to Lantern Rouge after accumulating 90 miles in the past 2 days. Her warm up for the tour may be considered excessive by some. Squeak gave it all she had, but her legs had just come off of turning 40 and finishing a 70.3 in Finland earlier this month. Cujo sprinted down the flat stretch of road along Crystal Lake, catching the dynamic duo and earning the green jersey. This was a huge sacrifice for her team, as she is cutting the tour short to race the Washington Island Ultra this coming Friday.
Keez made her 2022 Tour debut after switching teams from Iowa State to University of Wisco. The Drafters are happy to have her back home.
Huge thanks to Online Cycling Gear for donating the green and polka dot jersey to the winners of the Tour de Dane Femmes. The yellow jersey won't be yellow at all, but rather a Hincapie Drafter jersey.
If you would like a jersey but don't think you will be top on the podium, the Hincapie Store Link is open through the tour, closing Sunday July 31 at midnight. All non-custom Hincapie gear is 20% off with code SBRICKSON.
The Tour de Dane Femmes also awards a silver jersey. Similar to the white jersey which recognizes the top young rider, the silver jersey awards the strongest rider with the most years. Pending birth certificate verification and testing for PES (performance enhancing sunscreen), which apparently leaves skin flawless for decades. Congratulations, Nemo! You've inspired every single woman in the peloton put on sun screen and pedal harder.
A dozen members of the peloton had a 30 minute gap to the chase group. Sarge led the troops out Pheasant Branch, until UPH (unidentified pot hole) caused a rapid ejection of her fuel tank. Forging ahead, Sarge completed the stage without water, retrieving her water bottle on the last few meters of the Avenue des Champs-Pheasant Branch. Slim, making his 2022 Tour de Dane debut, moved up the ranks and assumed command alongside Vintage. Not having pedaled all summer beyond a 3 mile commute to work, Slim had fresh legs. The same could not be said for Vintage, who seem unscathed by his 50 mile gravel bike pre-stage warm up.
The breakaway, chase group and peloton all finished with a beer and a smile.
The next televised stage will be Wednesday, July 27th at 5PM from Wheel and Sprocket for the Women on Wheels event. And don't miss the Lake Ripley Ride on Saturday, July 30th.
OFFICIAL RULES OF ENGAGEMENT AMENDMENT: The sprint for the green jersey and climb for the polka dot jersey will not be televised, as Tour de Femmes riders can complete those two stages anytime before Sunday July 31st. Individual stages and total miles for the yellow jersey must be submitted in one document by Sunday July 31st at midnight. The Tour de Dane Femmes committee convened earlier this week to modify the original stipulations set forth for earning the yellow jersey: a Femme Drafter is not restricted to completing the original 3 stages (Monday Draft, Wednesday W&S and Sat Lake Ripley Ride) in order to be in considered for the yellow jersey. Riders may substitute the N+1 Stage, or the Trek 100 on Saturday. Non femme riders are not eligible for the podium prizes, but their support of the Tour de Dane Femmes will not go unrecognized.
The post-tour ride on Monday August 1 will take us through the scenic 36 mile Spring Valley loop. A short pour 27 miler option is to cut off onto Pine Road (just before marker 15 on the map below) from Spring Valley, joining back onto KP (left turn).
RidewithGPS link Spring Valley
PDF cue sheet Spring Valley Loop
PDF cue sheet Pine Loop Short Pour
Draft responsibly,
BrickO