REGISTRATION FOR TOUR DE LOU OPENS OCT. 1

September 30, 2014 Louisville, KY.  The Kentucky Derby Festival’s cycling event – Tour de Lou – returns in 2015 with a new title sponsor.  PNC has signed on as title sponsor for the second year of the event, set for Sunday, April 26, 2015.  Registration for the PNC Tour de Lou opens online on October 1, at www.kdf.org.

“PNC’s support of the Kentucky Derby Festival Tour de Lou will showcase Louisville with a cycling event that captures an incredible adventure of our city and parks, but most precious of all, a shared human experience during the most exciting two weeks in our community,” said Charles P. Denny, PNC regional president of Greater Louisville and Tennessee. PNC is a longtime friend of the Festival and has partnered on other events including Discovery Day at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville, the Marathon/miniMarathon Team Challenge, as well as the Pegasus Parade.

“The inaugural Tour de Lou brought over 1,000 cyclists to Downtown Louisville,” said Mike Berry, KDF President and CEO.  “With PNC’s partnership, we hope to double that number in 2015.  As the bike community continues to grow, we believe this event will become one of our big attractions in the spring.”

KDF is partnering with Louisville Bicycle Club to produce the 2015 PNC Tour de Lou. The route will again be an open course, which will start and finish at Waterfront Park near Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville.  There are separate distances based on experience levels:

• 20 miles – Beginner/New to cycling (Open course, no streets closed.)
• 35 miles – Moderate/Experienced (Open course, no streets closed.)

The course includes a scenic Olmsted Park Tour showcasing Shawnee, Chickasaw, Wayside, Iroquois and Cherokee parks.  Cyclists will also travel through neighborhoods around the city from Downtown along Main Street and Waterfront Park, to Portland, Algonquin and South Louisville; as well as Old Louisville NULU, the Highlands and Butchertown.

Early registration is $35 from October 1, 2014 – December 31, 2014.  Late registration is $45 from January 1, 2015 – April 24, 2015.  A portion of the registration fee also benefits the Louisville Bicycle Club.  For more information, visit www.kdf.org or call (502) 584-FEST.

Contributing Sponsors:  Baptist Health Sports Medicine, Louisville Marriott Downtown, Scheller’s Fitness & Cycling and 102.3 The Max.  Supporting Sponsors:  Louisville Bicycle Club and Louisville Water Company.

Since 1956, the Derby Festival has worked to bring the community together in celebration. The Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single-attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.