Influence pedalers

Bespoke Brewing and Barebones Bicycle & Fitness are banding together for the inaugural Bespoke Benefit Ride.

The event for bicyclists will be held Saturday, June 7, and will commence and conclude at Bespoke Brewing, 226 Gap Road, Strasburg.

Anyone interested in participating can register at http://www.bespokebrewingco.com/events right up until check-in begins at 9 a.m. Speckled Hen will provide coffee and pastries for riders during registration.

There will be two rides, which will be held rain or shine, and both will begin at 10 a.m. A 3.5-mile supported ride through town will be led by the Strasburg Borough police and is suited for casual riders and families. There will also be a self-supported 30-mile ride for intermediate to advanced bicyclists that will wind through Strasburg Township and will include changes in elevation.

The fee will include a noon get-together at Bespoke, which will feature live music, a smoked barbecue meal for adults, and a kids' meal option.

The proceeds will go to The Factory Ministries, a nonprofit in Paradise that has a food pantry and serves as a hub to connect people to resources.

"They have a lot of programs for people in our area," said Ryan Dagen, one of the ride's organizers. "They're making a bigger and bigger impact in the community, and I really believe in what they're doing."

Ryan and his wife, Janae, own Speckled Hen, and the Dagens and Jon Sager own Bespoke Brewing. Tim and Kristie Nies own Barebones Bicycle & Fitness, which is also located in Strasburg.

Ryan, a graduate of Lampeter-Strasburg High School, will take part in the 3.5-mile ride along with his parents, Janae, and his and Janae's three children. "One of the things we wanted to make sure of when doing the bicycle ride is there was an option for a more casual ride to do with your family," said Ryan.

Ryan has been an avid bicyclist since he can remember. In 2007, he embarked on a cross-country trip starting in Ocean City, Md., and made it over 2,000 miles to western Colorado before being seriously injured in an accident.

In addition to Speckled Hen, Bespoke Brewing, and Barebones Bicycle & Fitness, the benefit bike ride is sponsored by Red Truck Heating & Cooling, Pellman Foods, Conestoga Country Kitchens, Metzler Home Builders, DavCo Advertising, and The Carriage House.

Ryan is hoping the Bespoke Benefit Ride will become an annual event. "Obviously, our businesses benefit from out-of-town guests," he said. "But it's really the local community that keeps us in business. So any time we can use our businesses as a platform to give back to the community that gives so much to us, we relish in those opportunities to do so."

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