Brewvet #3: Schooner Exact West Point Pale at the Flying Wheels Finish Line

Saturday 06/08/2013 was Cascade Bicycle Club's annual Flying Wheels Summer Century. This is one of my favorite organized century rides. The route is scenic, hilly (but not excessively), and covers a lot of my familiar training routes. It's almost like an extended ride in my own neighborhood, but with a support team.

There's always a party atmosphere at the finish line, with booths selling food & cycling stuff, and, most importantly, a beer garden.

In past years, beer at the finish line was provided by Mack and Jack's Brewing Company (makers of excellent beer, and a future Brewvet destination) but this year had Schooner Exact on tap. I don't recall ever drinking any beer from Schooner Exact, so this qualifies for the "go exploring" Brewvet category.

Also, since an almost-100 mile Brewvet just didn't seem like enough, I rode from home to the ride and back, adding another 20 miles or so to the grand total. Long rides, perfect weather (overcast in the morning, broken clouds in the afternoon, moderate temperatures), and beer at the finish line -- sign me up!

Flying Wheels Summer Century starting line

A common theme for the day

Finished... except for the ride home

Schooner Exact West Point Pale, on a truck

At the finish line, before heading home

I was very happy with my performance during the ride. I've been working on increasing my speed, and the effort (finally!) seems to be paying off. By the time I reached the finish line, I was in need of a cold beer.

The Schooner Exact West Point Pale was a good cool-down beer. Rather hoppy, with a nice bit of citrus, it was very refreshing. Unfortunately, I could only finish about 1/2 of my cup. This often happens to me -- after a long ride, perhaps due to a little dehydration, beer just doesn't sit well on my stomach. It's a shame to waste good beer (and it was very good beer), but after 6 or 7 hours of "bike food", my stomach needed a rest.

Statistics:

Brewvet #3 -- "Exploring" with Schooner Exact Pale Ale, 118.8 miles


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