My Plans For ToAD 2013

The Tour of America’s Dairyland is just one week away and again this year I am looking forward to it not as a racer but as a spectator. After work next Thursday I plan to be in Shorewood for the women’s (5:25 p.m.) and men’s (7 p.m.) pro races. The first four days of ToAD are part of the National Criterium Calendar and should attract most of the top domestic professionals. I will be in Grafton on Saturday the 22nd for the pro races at least and maybe for some of the amateurs. Belgianwerkx is hosting the Giro d’Grafton this year and there will be lots of familiar faces on the course, in the crowd, and among the volunteers. On Tuesday the 25th I hope to attend the Schlitz Park Criterium in Milwaukee. The pro men start at 6:30 p.m., so I can easily get there in time after work. On Saturday the 29th, the Downer Classic will be a great party, as it is every year. But this year the Downer Avenue crowd may have some real competition to the west: during the ToAD finale on Sunday the 30th I will be hanging out in Wauwatosa with friends who definitely know how to have fun.

And speaking of fun … this year one of the series jerseys is sponsored by PEZ Cycling News. I have been a fan of PEZ’s “Daily Distractions” for a long time. If you’d like to see why, then click here. Hopefully the prospect of becoming a Daily Distraction will encourage the right sort of people to attend ToAD!