BARRE – For the seventh year, Vermont cyclists will have a chance to challenge themselves, raise money for a worthy cause and drink free beer. The Harpoon Point to Point, a bike ride to benefit the Vermont Foodbank, gets under way Saturday.

Last year 180 cyclists took part, and between pledges and a concert, nearly $35,000 was raised.

"Over the last six years, the Harpoon Point to Point has become the largest one-day fundraiser for the Vermont Foodbank, thanks to the dedicated staffs of Harpoon Brewery, The Point Radio Network and the hundreds of riders who pedal to end hunger year after year," said Doug O'Brien, the Foodbank's chief executive officer.

The Point helps with fund raising, holding an on-air marathon broadcast and taking requests in exchange for pledges to the Vermont Foodbank. In past years the event has also included a concert, but the ride has become so successful that this year the concert has been eliminated.

The 110-mile Point to Point begins in Williston and ends at the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor. Participants can choose to take part in that ride or in one of two others, a 50-mile ride from South Royalton to Windsor or a 25-mile ride that starts and ends at the Windsor brewery. A backpack filled with enough food for a family of four for a single day will travel among riders.

"It's really unfortunate that (the Foodbank's) services are so needed, but they do serve as much as 10 percent of the population in any given year, and that could go up this year because of the 'heat and eat' quandary getting tougher with fuel prices," Zeb Norris, program director at The Point, observed.

Harpoon's chief executive officer and co-founder, Rich Doyle, will be riding the full 110 miles. Norris will ride 25 miles.

"It's a great way to encourage other people to ride," said Norris, who coordinates participation in the event. "I rode in it last year. We've been involved in it for seven years. The Point is always interested in ways to benefit the community – we're one of those small companies that still does a lot of community service, so we just snapped at the opportunity."

The first person to ride for the radio station was Norris' former morning show partner, who had never been on a bike. He rode 25 miles. Norris noted even though this is the only time of the year he himself rides a bike, he can pedal 25 miles.

Harpoon sponsors a lot of cycling events and fundraisers, said Jessie Cox, the event's director. After Harpoon bought the Catamount Brewery in 2000, they wanted to give back to the community in Vermont, she said. The company gives to the foodbank in Boston, so when they were thinking of beneficiaries in Vermont, "the Foodbank came up, and they were … enthusiastic about working with us."

Cox noted that Harpoon sponsors the largest athletic fundraising event in the country, the Penn-Mass Challenge, a two-day, 192-mile cycling event that benefits the Jimmy Fund in Massachusetts. The event, which took place this weekend, had more than 5,000 riders.

"People love that sense of accomplishment, both in fundraising and in athletics," Cox declared.

Cox noted that the maximum that participants need to raise for the Point to Point is $150, which she called "reachable, even in hard times." She observed that since children no longer have access to the school meals program in the summer, more demands are made on food shelves.

"We're really trying to encourage corporate teams," Cox said. Forming a corporate team requires two or more people riding on behalf of an organization. Teams' fundraising maximums are discounted and there are plaques for the team that has the most riders, raises the most money and has most creative team uniform.

Last year Johnson State College swept the first two categories and the New England Culinary Institute won the best team uniform challenge.

Oh, yes, the free food and beer.

The Vermont Foodbank will provide a free pasta dinner with a fresh Harpoon beer for participants today from 5-7:30 p.m. at the Foodbank in Barre. Riders can also register then.

At the ride's finish on Saturday, there will be a party at the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor. The party is a family event, and children are welcome. Riders will receive dinner and two tickers for Harpoon beer or soda. Meal tickets and beer or soda tickets will be available for purchase by non-riders.

All profits from the sale of beer and soda will go to the Vermont Foodbank.