It’s that time a year again for the Annual Pedal Pale Ale Ride.  A Pittsburgh tradition now in it’s 5th year!

-EDIT: ONLINE REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR THIS.  JUST SHOW UP TO THE BREWERY AT THE DESIGNATED TIME

Every year in May, cyclists gather at the East End Brewing Company in Homewood for one of the funnest and most unique cycling events around. To celebrate the yearly birth of The Pedal Pale Ale, EEBC’s summer brew, the first batch gets delivered by bike.  However, there is a catch.  No one but the keg pullers know where the ride’s going, so riders must stay behind the keg in order to arrive at the super-secret tap spot to drink their beer, the first one for free.  And every year the amount of people that shows up doubles, leaving us in 2009 to lead over 500 riders, pied piper style, to the end.

500 people is a bit overwhelming to deal with, so we decided to change things up a bit this year.  Namely, we’re asking you to make it easier on us by pre-registering for the ride.  We’re also trying to help out two great non-profits in the process, so there is a suggested donation of $10.  Even if you don’t want to donate, please pre-register anyway so that we can make this go as smoothly as possible. If you don’t pre-register, you can still go on the ride by showing up and standing in a huge line at the registration booth.  Just be prepared for a stern finger shaking from the Snake Guy.  The two non-profits that will receive the proceeds of the ride are BikePGH and IN-STRIDE Therapeutic Riding.  If you’re reading this, you probably know what we at BikePGH do.  IN-STRIDE is a local organization that uses horses to help kids and adults with severe challenges to heal, and grow in amazing ways.

ALSO NEW THIS YEAR: We’ve got some special stuff planned, including…

• On-line registration/contribution, so no more huge line on ride day!
• Everyone registering EARLY gets a chance to win the very first East End Brewing/Big Hop Cycle Jersey!
• Everyone registering EARLY gets a chance to win a Pittsburgh Cycling Jersey, cap, and socks!
• Want to pull a keg?  We’re auctioning off 3 keg pulling slots to the highest bidders! Auction goes live about 2 weeks before Ride Day, so watch this spot and your email for updates when the auction starts.  All proceeds go to our charities, of course.

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?
If the idea of following a few people pulling kegs of beer around town on bicycles sounds like the kind of thing that interests you, I have to say that you’re our kind of people!

To ride along, here’s what you need to do:

1. Get yourself pre-registered HERE.
2. Show up at the brewery between 6 and 7pm with your bike, sign in, and collect your “beer token”.
3. Follow the bouncing kegs to their mystery destination.
4. Enjoy a fresh glass of PEDAL PALE ALE with a few hundred GOOD FRIENDS.

Event Details:

• Friday, May 14
• 6pm sign-in, 7pm departure
• Meet at East End Brewing Company, 6923 Susquehanna St [map]
• Pace: Gentle.  Remember, there’s kegs being pulled.

Be sure to check out the East End Brewing Company’s post about the ride as well.  It’s where we stole much of the content anyway, but you’ll have to go to their site to see the previous year’s stats.

---

Not a member of BikePGH? Join today! We need you to add your voice! Bike Pittsburgh works to protect cyclist’s rights and promote the vision of making Pittsburgh a safer and more enjoyable place to live and to ride. For more info, check out: www.bike-pgh.org/membership