Easy Street
18 wheelers set out for Riley Tavern on what could only be described as the best draft of the year. Certainly, the weather was favorable, with smells of fall in the air, but that was not the defining "best" feature of Monday night's draft. There was no division between A and B teams (although an allowance was made for a duo F-Team), no separate taps for the long and short pours. The Drafters rode as one. And it was a blast.
Awww. Aren't these Colnago Twins cute?
Pepe and Velo came in hot, and Nemo joined the Draft further west. Wondering how this group managed to stay together? A myriad of factors, including 1) Granny riding a semi-functional bike the same vintage as her Drafter handle; 2) Pepe turning up the heat, pulling the peloton like he was born to do;
3) a 10 min breather mid-route compliments of Velo renewing his Flat Tire Club membership. Slim handled the mechanical in record time (Machinery Row is lucky to have him) while the entire peloton honored the Drafter code, pulling off the road for a team bonding session; 4) the promise of a fresh batch of scotcheroos baked by Midas. Motivation never tasted so good.
Some highlights to celebrate over the recent weeks:
Ironman WISCO. Congrats to Squeak and Tree of Rown for crushing it, and to Coaches Slim and Midas who put many athletes on the podium.
Z Wrecks and BrickO played dirty in the Dirt Diggler Gravel Grinder in NC.
Duracell and Speedy are drafting responsibly in Italy! Check your mailbox for cases of wine from Tuscany.
The Northern Cohort Dirty Drafters rocked the Chequamegon MTB Festival, which was reportedly a much cleaner race than last year. Momma Monster is still finding traces of mud in various places.
Outside Magazine reported Madison as one of the top 15 happiest places to live in the US. The Drafter's very own Slim was interviewed! "We keep it weird..."
Z Wrecks braved drafting in NYC and lived to talk about it.
Perhaps the greatest feat was Keez gaining 90 degrees of knee flexion! Thanks to ALL THE DRAFTERS for the overwhelming support following her accident (texts, visits, home made granola, lasagna, pasta, endless treats including Crumble Cookies, fruit, flowers, plants, and concealer for bruises). A special shout out to Drs Wampus and Squeak for their ortho love.
Monday night rides will continue to get shorter and shorter in order to guarantee drafting safely with enough daylight. ALL GROUPS will depart at 5PM for Easy Street.
RidewithGPS link Drafters | Easy Street
RIDES AHEAD:
Dirty Draft with Midas at Quarry Ridge, every Friday at noon.
Bomber and Belle's Engagement Ride Saturday Sept 23. A 46 mile scavenger hunt starting at 8AM from Grace Coffee in Middleton! Beers to follow in New Glarus around 5PM.
Mark your calendars for the END OF THE YEAR DRAFTER RIDE, Sunday Oct 15th at 10AM.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO
Backdoor Riley Tavern
The near super blue moon brought out the magic as 22 Drafters, including 2.5 newbies, made their way through the historic viaduct. The real magic started before the moon rise, with both teams leaving promptly at 5 and 5:15PM without any mechanicals. Granny did flat over the weekend. Waiting impatiently for her tubeless tire to reseal, she finally realized (after two seasons with her new bike) that she actually is running tubes.
A newbie found the Drafters with a little bike shop sleuthing (or stalking?). Following the trail of Drafter breadcrumbs, she put together the clues at Wheel and Sprocket and Trek West, about the secret location of the green team. Elementary, my dear Watson!
The B Team had a magical send off by Gopher, Badger and their beautiful lil' Drafter who were out for a stroll. Cottontail joined his first outdoor Draft (hence newbie 0.5), but is no stranger to the indoor cycling torture this group succumbs to when the snow flies. There was no missing the other newbie in his high vis fluorescent yellow kit and bike. He definitely embodied the "draft responsibly" mantra from a clothing perspective. The Colorado native was also part of the Dirty Draft Tour of Blue Mound with Skipper and Octane on Saturday.
While BrickO and Z Wrecks clambered over the rocks and roots, the very accomplished (understatement) newbie was very gentle and tolerant. Fully capable of rolling over huge rocks and transcending steep slopes, Griz used his strength and power to make us feel part of his mountain community. Welcome high vis Griz.
Cottontail hippity hoppitied like a jackrabbit, with Squirrel and Granny in hot pursuit. The A Team drafted as best they could behind the energized bunny. Duracell was the only hope, but he had ridden earlier in the day, a final ride on his ol' Trek. New bike day is coming for Duracell. And when that happens, we will use all his copper top power to take down the energizer bunny.
Drained from Cottontail's lead out, Team Spoke'N Four (BrickO, Slim, Skipper, Vilks) stopped at the Ranch Saloon in Dane for refreshments. Rimshot became an honorary member of Spoke'N Four when he spoke up and ordered a shot of Jameson.
You could have heard a pin drop when the 5 Drafters walked into the Ranch Saloon. For a hot minute, it felt like a brawl between spandex and Levis could break out. But Vilks broke the tension when he held up his credit card and declared, "A round of beers for the bar, and shots of Jameson for the bikers." Vilks was quick to spot the one non-beer drinking patron at the bar and amended his offer. "And one fancy drink.". The not-so-small man drinking the Seven and Seven cocktail misheard Vilks as saying "And one pansy drink." Again... silence. The misunderstanding was explained, and from then on, team spandex and team Levis were one.
Seven and Seven relaxed a bit and asked where we came from and where we were headed. The answer prompted a karyoke version of Jerry Reed's theme song for Smokey and the Bandit.
East bound and down, loaded up and draftin'
Oh, we gonna do what they say can't be done
We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there
Back on the road, the Spoke'N 5 took their sweet time riding through Viaduct, twice. It IS a historic landmark, and this draft was history in the making. Two rounds through Viaduct was setting the tone.
Two rounds through Viaduct just begged for two rounds at the Ranch Saloon.
This time, no pin could be heard. Walking into the Ranch Saloon was like walking into Cheers, where everybody knows your name. This time, Vilks didn't need to pull out his credit card. Delores paid it forward- no longer able to enjoy biking, she bought a round of Hamms and shots of Jamo. There might be an addendum to this blog, written by the Spoke'N Five about their adventures.
All's well that ends upright.
Safely back at the the other ranch Z Wrecks had a fire blazing and Drafters enjoying non-pansy cocktails.
A few notable Drafters were absent, still on holiday from their amazing athletic feats.
Congrats to Squeak on her 70.3 World Championship finish in Lahti, Finland. And to Footer for her silver medal in barefoot tricks, wakes and all around at US National Barefoot Championships in Helena, MT.
And not too tired to Draft responsibly Monday on the Route of the Hiawatha Trail.
In the spirit of the previous draft, we will be drafting 30 miles to Riley Tavern via the backdoor on Monday, Sept 11. Departure times 5 and 5:15PM. NO RIDE ON LABOR DAY.
RidewithGPS Drafters | Backdoor Riley
For those seeking a short pour at Riley Tavern, here is a 25mile beer run:
RidewithGPS Drafters | Short Pour Backdoor Riley
REMEMBER TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE END OF THE YEAR DRAFTER RIDE ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 15. Awards for the Tour de Dane Femmes will be given, but little else. The budget was happily depleted on the Funtathalon.
Draft responsibly,
BrickO