Chilly weather doesn’t stop 100-mile bike ride volunteers. Despite an unseasonably crisp and slightly damp morning, Sha’are Shalom volunteers turned out in force to serve up sandwiches, snacks, and Gatorade on October 3 during the annual Indian Head 100-mile bike ride.
As in previous years, Congregation Sha’are Shalom staffed the rest stop at scenic Riverside, Md., where Route 6 dead-ends at the Potomac River. The stop is at the 46-mile mark of the 100-mile bike route, and the rid-ers are always extremely appreciative of the congrega-tion’s hospitality. About 130 riders, expertly counted by Dave Plich, came through the Riverside Rest stop – close to a record, despite the cool weather, wind, and occasional showers. Luckily, the rain held off while the Riverside stop was operating, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There were even a few brief appearances of beautiful fall sunshine, reminiscent of some of the perfect weather that the Riverside rest stop has enjoyed in the past.
Volunteers who arrived early to open the rest stop, including Alvin and Ellen Cohen and Lee and Madelene Weinberger, had to overcome some unexpected obsta-cles, such as brisk winds and a missing box of utensils. So the resourceful members of the congregation came up with pocket knives to cut the tomatoes for the rest stop’s renowned tomato sandwiches and used a paint stirrer (clean) to spread the mayonnaise. Eventually, a larger knife was provided by ride organizers so the watermel-ons could be cut up.
The Sha’are Shalom Sunday School provided strong support for the event, and Principal Jasha Levinson led the students in a cleanup of the Potomac shoreline that netted 50 lbs of trash. The cleanup shows the students the importance of keeping trash out of the river and also helps maintain good relations with the property owners who allow the rest stop to be set up on their land.
The ride is organized by the Oxon Hill Bicycle and Trail Club, to which several members of Sha’are Shalom belong, and the club provides a nice donation each year in gratitude to the rest stop volunteers.
