September is Full of Cycling Events

By Barbara Day

If you are a recreational or competitive cyclist, September is definitely the month to be in the Kentuckiana area. There are three local bike tours where you are guaranteed to see the trees in spectacular full fall colors, some of the most scenic countryside that Kentuckiana has to offer and experience the rolling hills while making some great friendships as you cruise along the countryside. Two of the events, the Old Kentucky Home Tour and the Harvest Homecoming Bicycle Tour, are celebrating their 29 th anniversaries. The Bike Trek to Shakertown is a major fund raiser for the American Lung Association.

Louisville Bicycle Club's 29th Annual Old Kentucky Home Bicycle Tour

The Annual Old Kentucky Home Bicycle Tour , (aka OKHT) , is a two-day ride departing from E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville on Saturday, September 9th, with three mileage routes to historic Bardstown, Ky. 55-mile, 70-mile , and very challenging 102-mile century , which includes the legendary Pottershop Hill, and is the winner of the League of American Bicyclists Best Century 2000 award . On Su nday, September 11th, there is also a 25 or 50-mile single-day loop that goes out to the famous Cookie Stop SAG and then returns to the ride start along with the 2-day riders. All other routes overnight in Bardstown and return via a gorgeous 55-mile route on Sunday.The Old Kentucky Home Tour is a beautiful bike tour through scenic, rolling hills in rural Kentucky, fully supported with fixed and roving sags. Price of registration includes bagels and coffee Saturday morning, Saturday lunch, Sunday morning breakfast, plus ample food and drink at the many SAG stops along the way. The OKHT tour is famous for the Cookie Stop on Sunday, where sampling the homemade cookies, of all kinds, is an endurance sport in itself. ( All riders are invited and encouraged to bring cookies for the cookie stop ). Sunday's ride also features a post-ride pizza party at Sawyer Park . The fee is $50 for adults and $40 for children. The fee for the One Day Ride only is $30. For more information, visit the website at www.okht.org or info@okht.org .

Bike Trek to Shakertown

  The American Lung Association's annual Bike Trek to Shakertown, sponsored by Kindred Healthcare, is on a roll with registration already well underway for the autumn bicycle tour, which is slated for September 16-17, 2006 . Considered a premier cycling event in Kentucky , the bike trek features spectacular countryside, historic landmarks, first-class service and a choice of routes for different ability levels. Routes are planned each day to accommodate the experienced rider, as well as the “neighborhood cyclist.” To register for the trek, each rider pays a $50 registration fee and agrees to raise pledges to fight lung disease. For more information about the Bike Trek to Shakertown, including pre-trek information programs and corporate teams, call the American Lung Association at 1-800-586-4872 or visit our website at www.kylung.org.

29 th Annual Harvest Homecoming Bicycle Tour

The Annual Harvest Homecoming Bicycle Tour will be held on Sunday, September 24. This is a leisurely tour for the beginner, intermediate and experienced cyclist. The routes vary from gently rolling to hilly. The ride will begin and end at the Forest Discover Center is Starlight, Indiana . There will be a 5-mile, 25-mile ride, a 40-mile ride and a 65-mile ride. The “World Famous Chris Cakes Pancake Breakfast” starts at 8:00 a.m. Riders may begin riding after 9:30 a.m. Registration includes a T-shirt, great SAG stops. The entry fee is $25 before September 13 and then $30 for late registration. The entry fee for children under 12 is $10 before September $15 thereafter. For more information contact the Southern Indiana Wheelman at 502-296-1009 or www.siwheelmen.org .

Barbara Day, M.S., R.D., C.N., is the Publisher and Nutrition editor of KHF and a runner, cyclist and hiker.