In preparation for TA's Century tomorrow and because we had such a grand time last, we are inaugurating a biannual Elmsford Beer Run.

WEATHER UPDATE A 40% chance by 4PM, and we should be in Tarrytown and in the station by then on the return trip. But once in GCT, it may be raining -- but predictions are not until 7 PM. We'll update again later tonight.

Required:  21-gears (or better), 28, 32 tires are recommended. There are three technical climbs in increments of severity: Inwood, the least challenging (but still a challenge by any measure), Riverdale, and Yonkers. Once we plateau in Yonkers, that's it for the climbs, until the approach to the brewery in Elmsford. The first leg of the ride we parallel MetroNorth with bailouts at: Wave Hill (a good enough reason as any not to continue on), Riverdale, and Yonkers (before the big climb). The leader, by the way, has promised a round for those riders who complete all three climbs. He, of course, will walk a portion of them. Email him with your questions or concerns.

The Brews: Captain Lawrence Brewery gives you these cute little sample glasses, imprinted with their logo, to take home, and offers several brews that can be sampled as a flight (Freschester Pale Ale, Liquid Gold, Kolsch,Melchoir, and Point Proven, a Zwickelbier with imported pilsner malt from Holland, brewed with Polish Lublin and German Magnum hops) as well as cooking up, on an outdoor grill, a mean vegan hot dog. And, we may just get there in time for the 2PM tour! But, in preparation for this task and the Bike New York tour tomorrow, we'll work up a short appetite by doing some serious short climbs through Riverdale and Yonkers. From there we connect with the South County Trail to Elmsford, in all a sweet, short 19 miles! And after our visit with the captain (that would be Scott Vacarro, who began his career as an under-aged bootlegger while at Villanova brewing up his first batch of beer on the LaCross team's dorm stove), it's all just a few more miles via the nearby North County Trail and then downhill all the way to Tarrytown where we'll lunch again, seriously (or not), at Sweet Grass before catching the train back to the city. Ya'll know to bring your Metro pass and money, and the good bike and drinking sense, and not the hybrid with worn knobby-tires, yes?

The route: Map, cuesheet, elevation can be found here.

And ,we'll be riding the new Dyckman Extension (now if they can only extend the greenway to the Henry Hudson Parkway Bridge).