INTERVIEW: Triathlete Sarah Piampiano On The Inaugural Ride And Wine Bridgehampton

UPDATE: This event has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 13.

Triathlete and i-tri board member Sarah Piampiano is bringing her successful Ride and Wine fundraiser to the East Coast with the inaugural Ride and Wine Bridgehampton on Saturday, August 25.

We caught up with Piampiano to learn more:

Tell me a bit about the Ride and Wine’s concept.

SP: I started working with i-tri back in 2011 when I lived New York City. I ended up moving to California in 2012. I train and race fulltime as a professional triathlete since I moved out there to have my training base be out there and I still really wanted to be involved with i-tri and ended up joining their board. I wanted to do something a little bit more than just be on the board so I came up with this idea of doing a fundraiser for i-tri. I just find with a lot of charity events people are being asked to donate and part of the whole idea of i-tri is to encourage young girls to get out and do something active and be healthier and promote self-confidence and empowerment through activity. So I came up with the idea – being in San Francisco with Napa and Sonoma nearby – to do a ride followed by a lunch and wine tasting. So something that could raise money for the program and also where people were really able to get out and do something healthy for themselves and actively participate in a charity event. We did the first one in 2016, which was fun and really successful and we had a great time. It was a great first time event, really getting our feet wet. We only had about 35 people the first year and last year in San Francisco because of the restaurant that we’re partnered with we have a maximum capacity of 65 and so we sold out and we added an online auction. This year, we ended up deciding to expand it so we’re doing both the West Coast ride and East Coast ride and have the online auction again.

Will both the West Coast ride and East Coast ride support i-tri?

SP: Yes, all proceeds from the Ride and Wine go towards i-tri and then all proceeds from the online auction go towards i-tri. Bohème (on the West Coast) is donating a portion of their wine sales from the event to i-tri.

Is there a set entry fee or do riders need to raise money through sponsors?

SP: There’s just a set entry fee. We set it this year at $150. Essentially people are getting a fully supported ride – they’re getting lunch, a wine tasting, and a goodie bag.

And people will have the choice of a 25 or 60 mile ride.

SP: Part of the reason we’re doing the two ride routes is because we want to make sure it’s open to all levels of cyclists – from people who don’t ride very often and are recreational to people who are more serious about their riding.

Following the ride, there will be a lunch and wine tasting in the scenic Channing Sculpture Garden. What will that entail?

SP: For the lunch in California, we have partnered for the last three years with a restaurant called Hazel. They do kind of a whole combination of salads made from all local ingredients, brick oven pizzas, and freshly baked pastries. We have the winemaker from Bohème speak and walk through the wines – there’s four wines people will taste – and talk about all the things that go with wine tasting – the flavors, where the grapes were grown, the conditions, and things like that. On the East Coast, it’s going to be more picnic style. It’s going to be outside. There will be several wines people can taste. Then, they’ll have a tasting with Channing Daughters at the end of lunch.

How many participants do you except?

SP: This year in New York, with it being the first year, we’re hoping somewhere in the 40 to 50 person range. The New York event isn’t limited in numbers like the California one is. We’re hoping to continue to grow it.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

SP: I think it’s just a really great way to be part of a fundraiser that’s going to a program that really encourages young girls to be active and healthy. It’s in line with message of what i-tri is trying to accomplish.

The Ride and Wine Bridgehampton will begin with pre-ride coffee at 8 a.m., followed by the group-ride beginning at 8:30 a.m.

The Ride and Wine Sonoma will take place on Saturday, August 18.

i-tri’s mission is to “foster self-respect, personal empowerment, self-confidence, positive body image and healthy lifestyle choices for adolescent girl.”

UPDATE: This event has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 13.

Channing Daughters Winery is located at 1927 Scuttlehole Road in Bridgehampton. For more information, visit itrigirls.org.