The Drop Bag is stocked with Active Pursuit reading to enjoy at the finish line of your day, or a coffee break serving as the equivalent of an endurance event aid station. The name refers to the drop bags that competitors use to get their post-race necessities from the start line to the finish line of point-to-point races. Look for it as a mid-week feature on The Active Pursuit.

The long and short of triathlons: Chris McCormack, one of the country’s most successful triathletes, compares racing the Ironman with competing in shorter-distance events. “Trying to decide which style is toughest is like comparing a mile race to a marathon. Both events are challenging in their own ways, and the best in both styles are exceptional athletes. I can honestly say that short-course racing has challenged me athletically as much as any Ironman ever has. It is tough, tough racing and just as difficult to prepare for. Trying to maximize your speed is a hard, arduous process.”

We bike, we buy: Writing for TheAtlanticcities.com, Emily Barger pierces the myth that bicyclists are cheap and a consumer group not worth the investment by businesses or municipalities. Citing the findings of a study by Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium, Barger writes: “But for all of the other business types examined, bikers actually out-consumed drivers over the course of a month. True, they often spent less per visit. But cyclists and pedestrians in particular made more frequent trips (by their own estimation) to these restaurants, bars and convenience stores, and those receipts added up.”

Bike local. Buy local: Dave Schlabowske, communications director for the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, guides cyclists in Milwaukee to buy local when fulfilling their gear needs. Opportunities abound: “When it comes to bicycling, Wisconsin residents have a huge advantage in the buying local because our state is really the national epicenter of the bicycle industry.  The problem is most people only know about Trek, but there are many others like Answer, COG Magazine, Hayes, Manitou, Saris, Fyxation, Milwaukee Bicycle Company, Cognition, and many others.”

Legislators shoot and miss: Outdoor writer Patrick Durkin has done exemplar work covering the debate over an initiative to expand hunting in Wisconsin State Parks. The Natural Resources Board significantly scaled back the policy yesterday, days after Durkin explained how the lawmakers pulling the trigger missed their mark. “Unfortunately, folks quit listening when feeling wronged. Lawmakers made many traditional park users and park “friends” groups feel disregarded, disrespected and disowned.”

Crashing in love: Check out this video to see a partnership built to withstand the occasional fall over-the-bars.