Rockin' to Roxbury (or Indian Lake Short Pour)
23andMe. A great turn out for the warmest draft of 2023. Our Drafter family tree extended a branch to welcome a newbie flying through by way of Colorado. Last week we learned about "Baltimore Oreos". Looks like the Drafters just landed one of these rare birds.
Rare birds are not uncommon in the Draft. Cookie Monster honed in her skills riding with the D for Daycare Pickup Team last week before joined the D for Determined Drafter Team... on her way home from her first day at the UW Center for Innovation in Engineering Education. Their mission is to positively impact the world. Pretty sure they picked the right Drafter for the job.
The D Team set off promptly at 5PM. Even the Swiss would have been impressed. From there the timing went downhill while the riding went very much uphill.
Duracell checked his watch to be sure the B Team was on time. What could go wrong with a copper top battery?
The standard 5:15PM B Team departure was subdivided into B+ and B- Team departures. While some B Team members were still rolling in, 5 members rolled out ahead of schedule.
The B+ Team enjoyed baby Drafter smiles as Gopher made his New Daddy Debut. She looks right at home providing Draft protection for LuLu.
The B+ Team in hot (86 degrees) pursuit.
The B+ Team had an official lantern rouge, or perhaps a lantern orange. Our Newbie traveled all the way from Colorado to draft responsibly. At first glance, the Drafters were giddy to welcome Steve Martin. Certainly more fit than the famous comedian, our lantern orange was just as witty. He held his own with Vilker's backyard banter. Purely academic discussions ensued about the relative size of various monuments, tequila squeezers, holy subsidiaries of the Drafters, the proper spelling of bequeath, cocof'inuts, and an ornithology lesson in Cardinal Red and Baltimore Oreos. The conversation outlasted the case of beer he brought. A testament to his endurance. He is a rare bird, and we are lucky to welcome BoreO to the Draft.
The A Team was small but mighty. Cannibal, Keez and Booker J caught the B+ Team on Spring Valley Rd. BrickO gained some satisfaction in learning that Keez was nauseous, hoping it was the result of her effort to catch the B+ team and not due to the 13 hours of travel she endured the day before. Slim got a late start due to a mechanical. The former semi-professional road racer longed for his pit crew, as he lost time swapping out his road bike for a gravel bike. Without a Domestique, Slim road the route backwards until he came across the A Team and then laid down hammer, furthered their suffering. All in the spirit of the Draft.
While there were multiple multiple start times, all Drafters finished united hot and thirsty and cooled off with a post-draft draft.
Congrats to the finishers of the 20th annual Horribly Hilly Hundreds! Ninja, GFK, Pepe, Shaq, Velo, Z Wrecks and BrickO enjoyed what was likely the finest weather in as many years.
The Summer Solstice this week will provide ample daylight for a longer ride on Monday, June 26. Rockin' to Roxbury is a 42 mile trek through some of our favorite roads, including Dunlap Hollow.
RidewithGPS link to Drafters | Rockin' to Roxbury
The short pour 30 mile option heads out of town along the same route, but turns a bit earlier to enjoy Indian Lake. PLEASE ride single file on HWY 19. There isn't another way to circumnavigate Indian Lake, unfortunately.
RidewithGPS Drafters | Indian Lake Short Pour
THERE WILL BE NO DRAFT ON MONDAY JULY 3. Enjoy the holiday!
There have been a few requests for Drafter kits. There will likely be a new design next season, but the 10th anniversary kits from 2022 are available. Here is the link to the Hincapie Team Store. THE STORE CLOSES ON TUESDAY JUNE 27 AT MIDNIGHT. Place your order directly and the items will be shipped internationally from Columbia via FedEx, requiring a signature (you can sign indirectly in most instances). There are no returns or exchanges, so be sure to order the right item. Jersey styles for road are Velocity "race cut" and Axis "club cut", along with a MTB/gravel style jersey. Bibs and shorts come in two lengths- most order the long, but you do you. It is recommended that you try on a kit for size from a Drafter with similar morphologic properties.
DIRTY DRAFT: the fun has begun! Tuesdays at 5PM, starting tonight at Blackhawk. Trails may vary each week (or not), so be sure to join the Dirty Draft GroupMe for updates.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO