Font ResizeCHESTERFIELD, N.H. -- Beer may be the ultimate goal for cyclists in today’s Harpoon Brewery to Brewery Ride, but they’ll definitely need some water along the journey.
And Chesterfield is willing to help.
Members of its Board of Selectmen voted unanimously on Saturday, April 28, to allow Harpoon Brewery to designate the town as a water spot for the event, a 148-mile trek from the company’s Boston location to the one in Windsor, Vt.
Liz Melby, Harpoon’s director of communications, said Chesterfield was chosen as a potential water spot because of the town’s support for the ride. She said she believes it has hosted a water spot in previous years.
She said the spot provides a much-needed rest for the cyclists and offers them refreshments such as water, Gatorade and bananas under pop-up tents. Portable toilets will also be available. Melby said the Chesterfield stop -- one of three along the ride’s route -- will come at the perfect time for participants, as it is 97.5 miles from the start. It will be the cyclists’ first rest in 50 miles.
Chesterfield Police Chief Lester Fairbanks said Harpoon has for the past five or six years paid the town for police detail to assist cyclists safely cross Route 9. He said three officers will work on Saturday.
He said the Laconia Motorcycle Week and Fathers’ Days weekend will add plenty of traffic.
Melby said volunteers from different
Brewery Representative Scott Pearce said $126,000 was raised for charity as a result of 2011’s event and that the figure will be higher this year. The ride is a not-for-profit event and benefits two specific charities -- Team Psycho’s Elite Development program and the Kenary Brain Tumor Research Fund. Some of the nearly 1,000 cyclists taking part in the event are also riding for different charitable causes.
Admission for this year’s ride has already closed.
According to Harpoon, the event is not for the weak or casual rider, but for mentally and physically tough cyclists that happen to enjoy beer.
A small group of elite riders making up "Team Psycho" made the inaugural ride 11 years ago after Harpoon purchased its second brewery in Windsor. The only support for the participants at that time was a SAG wagon with water, tires, tubes and some tools. The field of cyclists has grown since then and the course has been lengthened.
Ride check-in opens in Boston at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday. Different pelotons, or packs of riders, will depart at different times in the morning. Riders that can keep a pace of 16 to 22 mph are broken down into seven pelotons of 25.
All participants are expected to arrive in Windsor between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m.
Melby said there will be six Harpoon beers on tap, including Rich & Dan’s Rye IPA. She said riders will be given free beer, within reason, and that though the event is not open to the public, friends and family members can attend if they pay admission.
Buses will bring riders back to Boston between 5 and 7:30 p.m., and all will arrive no later than 10 p.m.
Domenic Poli can be reached at dpoli@reformer.com, or 802-254-2311, ext. 277.
