I was surprised when I pulled into the parking lot at Captain Lawrence Brewery in Pleasantville to see over twenty others preparing for the B level 70 mile ride over rolling terrain. We all rode out in good spirits heading through Pleasantville. The first calls for safety came quickly as the group had to ride to the middle of the road on Marble Avenue at Elm Street. There are two grates with wide gaps waiting to swallow a bike wheel and cause a nasty crash. The ride was peaceful heading towards Putnam Valley through Kitchawan and over the Croton Reservoir. Then came a small climb to Yorktown on our way to Tompkins Corner. But first there was a super descent down Sacor Road and Bryant Pond Road and past an old Tompkins family cemetery.

Tompkins Corner Store was a welcome rest stop, where Fred Rabadi and Rob Penntero welcomed their guests and cooked up a bunch of egg sandwiches. Fred stocks the fridges with many liquid options for a thirsty cyclist, including 32 ounce bottles of Gatorade, and what a deal at $1.50. He tells us that he serves over 50 cyclists every weekend.

During our way North on Peekskill Hollow Road, Avram Karel overlapped a wheel with Barry and bounced off a guardrail. Ave thankfully didn’t get hurt-just a torn tight. Surprisingly this 55 year old has been riding for less then a year after battling a rare auto immune disease called vitiligo since his early forties. Her’s what Ave says about his recently found addiction. “I discovered bicycle riding in April/May 2007 and have become addicted to riding. It’s like a win-win-win situation. I love making new friends, exploring and getting exercise….something I’ve neglected for way too long.” He has recently been searching for protective clothing. The long sleeve jersey is from Canondale which has worked well against the UV rays of the sun. His tights are basic Lycra from Nashbar and his helmet drape protecting his neck and ears is from Sun Precautions  About wearing this he says, “So I look like some kind of arabian clown and other riders must be wondering how comfortable I am in the heat….. fortunately, I seem to be able to handle the heat reasonably well.”

We regrouped before rolling East onto Route 301 past the lakes into Carmel. Heading South through Purdys my calves started to twitch. Popped in a PowerGel and hit the bottles to keep up with the fluids as the heat built. Started to feel better, but about ten miles later the cramps started again. Everyone started to talk about finding a place to stop to refuel. We saw a 7-11 and pulled in. The cue sheet tells us we have about 20 miles left and I hope the Banana I ate will help prevent the cramps.

By this time the group had split up into a number of smaller groups to find their way, some needed to keep their own pace while others knew roads with less hills. My cramps started again and moved to include the hams; never good. But I was drinking and popped my second PowerGel, and kept telling myself “I’ll be fine for the last ten miles.” I jumped yet again into the draft of the tandem piloted by Bruce and stoker Anne with Rob and Hiroshi. Hiroshi is at one with his bike. He rides in total comfort without a wasted pedal stroke or movement. I was fine until the last climb on Chappaqua Road heading up to Hardscrabble Road. My left calf seized and I cried in pain as I tried to unclip so not to fall over. It relaxed with some stretching and I was back on to the top of the hill. From there I just rode with as little pressure on the pedals that I could nursing my legs back to the taste-testing at Captain Lawrence. I first drank plenty of water before my first Liquid Gold to celebrate with the others our 16 mile an hour average. Oh how sweet. Many of the riders enjoyed sandwiches ordered on the road and chatted about the ride at tables set up by friends at the brewery. Cheers and a toast went out to John Milano for a terrific ride. John has been leading rides for four years. He is planning a Beer Run #3 in the future, which will be a century ride. We will let you know when to join the fun.

Cheers to all.