The word “workout” rarely enters my vocabulary. I occasionally will take a stab at doing it but it never sticks. This is not because I’m lazy or unmotivated. Strictly speaking, I find no joy in it. It’s not terribly fun, it takes far too long to appreciate any sort of results, and basically, I feel like I’d have to sacrifice far too many things in my life to make it effective.
Busch Light in hand, I pose for photo during pedal pubbing in Sioux Falls, N.D. on Aug. 1.
As it turns out, there may be one form of exercise that I can get behind: “sip’ n’ cycling” or “pedal pubbing.” I’ve known about this fad for several years but have always thought that it looked like an awful lot of work to enjoy a beer. I also have always found it extremely annoying to have a bunch of loud, sweaty, cyclists come barreling into the bar for a drink while “woo” ing at the top of their lungs. Stop having soooooo much fun, I’m trying to drink over here.
A pedal pub is essentially several stationary bicycles working together to propel a trolly toward your destination. They are completely open-air and are equipped with a bar rail that you sit at while peddling. Our pub did not come with any beverages so we loaded up coolers with about 100 Busch Lights and hit the road.
We were celebrating a friend’s birthday and she opted for a 90s theme party. We all dressed the part and blasted our 90’s playlist as we cruised down the road. Just like any other pub crawl, there were several stops along our two-hour voyage. Each stop consisted of having a shot and a beer before loading back up and hitting the pedals. You are allowed to drink while en route to each bar, so our beer supply dwindled quickly between our 16 person workout party.
As unexpectedly fun as it was, I do have a few takeaways for anyone ambitious enough to work out for two hours of day drinking.
Tips for Pedal Pubbing
1. Costumes Are Not Functional Workout Clothes
I wore a very basic outfit of handmade, way too short, jean shorts and a cheesy 90s graphic tee. Denim doesn’t breathe and chafing is a very real thing. It was about 90 degrees out, which is not optimal weather conditions. The girls had it nailed though. Most of them wore overalls and crop tops underneath and seemed to be pretty comfortable. A far cry from my skin-tight ensemble.
2. Don’t Forget Water
While alcohol was readily available, we may have overlooked the need for hydration. We were working out too, after all.
3. Bring Cash
With frequent and short stops at each bar, it became really tedious to chase down the server to close our tabs at each place. You’re also going to want to tip your “pilot”, as they like to be called. I prefer to call them your chaperone. I don’t envy the herding of cats that our pilot had to do at each stop.
4. Know Your Route
I learned this lesson the hard way. If you have a large group there will be people who will not have to pedal. Our route had an enormous hill on the first leg of the trip. Yours truly was positioned on the anchor pedals at the back of the pack. I was pretty well drenched in sweat by our first stop. There is a bit of a trick here. If you sit over the wheel wells, most people will think you’re part of the pedaling brigade but in actuality, there are no pedals on the wheel well.
5. Order Ahead
My friends and I pose for a picture after our pedal pubbing in Sioux Falls, N.D. on Aug. 1.
One of our friends is a genius. She called the bars ahead of our arrival and had the bartenders premake 90’s themed shots. This was such a clutch veteran move. We walked into each bar and our drinks were ready. No waiting in line. Out of everything I took away from my first voyage this was the one thing I will do every single time.
After biting the bullet and agreeing to try one of these pedaling pub crawls, I have to admit that they are incredibly fun and I would gladly do it again. If you’re like me and have always found them to be annoying drunken traffic obstructions, I assure you I still feel that way. However, if my party is the one in front of you in traffic, give us a honk so we have a reason to finish our beers!
The timing of our crawl was perfect as we finished just in time to watch the final round of the Olympic golf match. Though I would have loved to see Rory McIlroy grab the gold, I have to give love to Xander Schauffele for bringing it home to the USA!
Moving on to the WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational this week at TPC Southwind in Memphis Tennessee. By the way, if you fancy a pedal pub, they are all over Nashville Tennessee, if you find yourself in that neck of the woods.
World Golf Championship-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
TPC Southwind is par 70, playing at 7,233 yards. The course is tight and firm with a lot of bunkers with water hazards on more than half of the holes. Greens are Bermuda and fairways are Zoysia. The weather is projecting as very warm and dry. This most likely will add to the speed and firmness of the course. I think accuracy is a must here. This is another no-cut event so you’re going to need golfers who can score.
Some Metrics I’m Looking at This Week
- Shots gained approach
- Good drives gained
- Bogey avoidance
- DraftKings (DK) points
- Shots gained putting
- Shots gained around the green
WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational Picks
Rory McIlroy ($10,000)
I loved Rory McIlroy last week and I love him this week, as well. McIlroy is finding that fire. He narrowly missed a bronze medal last week. His around-the-green game is trending up and his driver looks to be coming back into form. He’s No. 2 in the field for shots gained tee to green and No. 2 for shots gained around the green. Those are the two stats I weighed heaviest this week. McIlroy always scores DraftKings (DK) points, so I love him to perform in a no-cut event.
Cameron Smith ($8,200)
Cameron Smith is another player we were high on last week. I love the approach game, he’s No. 9 overall in the model, and I love where he’s been trending. I’m not going to hop off the mullet train just yet.
Sergio Garcia ($7,300)
Sergio Garcia is a golfer I don’t play often. His putting terrifies me, as does his overall attitude. However, he’s trending; No.1 on the tee to green, No. 4 in around the green, and No. 3 in approach. He’s also hitting a ton of fairways and scoring well in DK. I just can’t ignore him this week and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the top 10. If he puts it all together and keeps himself in check, he might just well get the win.
Other Golfers I Like this Week
Collin Morikawa ($11,000)
Brooks Koepka ($10,600)
Shane Lowry ($8,600)
Harris English ($7,600)
Kevin Kisner ($6,800)
Dart Throws
Kevin Na ($6,500)
Phil Mickelson ($6,600)
“Last Call” Dart Throw of the Week
K.H. Lee ($6,400)
Thanks for reading, and good luck this week!
I use Fantasynational.com for analytics and statistical modeling. If you’re looking for an edge check them out!
Conor Coughlin @Cough_DFS