Hurt Locker.

evil wisco. oh you nasty, grueling yet beautiful wisco. every year, she reminds us who she really is by unleashing the evil from within. the kind that is forgotten by a long winter snug inside our houses. the kind of evil that legends are made of. the kind of evil that teaches respect.

let's start from the beginning. an early 7am start, you straddle your trusty steed and pedal out for lengthy 90+ miler with some local yet notorious evil doers...and for the first few miles, you think "hell yes -- life is good! this is no problem...sure it is 40 degrees, pissing rain with 20 plus headwinds...but this is living!"

As we click along, through the first of the thawed cow deposits and then up and down, up and down, up and down through all of wisco's best rural hideaways... pop. the infamous and inevitable bonk of a lifetime that puts you where you belong. how could this possibly happen?

a) people do not and should not go out in the march rain and ride 90+ in hypothermic conditions.

b) the off season will kill you.

c) for my associates, there is no off season, and they have the kick sticks to prove it.

after 7 soggy and shivering hours in the saddle, we are taken in by our friends Kwik Trip with open arms.

as for my evil com-padres, that was fun. let's do it again (when it is a little warmer)