March 8, 2016. Louisville, KY. – Cycling enthusiasts will be able to cover more distance in this year’s PNC Tour de Lou – the Kentucky Derby Festival’s annual cycling event. The Festival is adding a third distance to the event – a Metric Century ride – which is 100 kilometers or 62.1 miles. The open course cycling event is set for Sunday, May 1, and also includes a 20-mile ride for beginners and 35-mile ride for intermediate cyclists.
Registration for the Metric Century is $45 and opens on Friday, March 11 on KDF.org. For the first year of the Metric Century, there will only be 100 spots. Spots are also filling up fast for both the 20-mile and 35-mile rides. The event will be capped at 1,750 cyclists, all distances combined. KDF is partnering with Louisville Bicycle Club to produce the event and a portion of the registration fee also benefits the Louisville Bicycle Club.
“Tour de Lou is a cycling event that captures the 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.
The start and finish for all distances is at Waterfront Park near Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville. The course includes a scenic Olmsted Parks 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. The new Metric Century ride will take cyclists by the Farnsley-Moremen Landing and through Jefferson Memorial Forest.
“The PNC Tour de Lou continues to grow, attracting cyclists from 19 states in 2015,” said Mike Berry, KDF President & CEO. “Holding this event in a bike-friendly city like Louisville only adds to its potential to become one of our signature attractions every spring.”
Sponsor: PNC. Official Safety Sponsor: Baptist Health Plan. Contributing Sponsors: Baptist Health Sports Medicine, Louisville Marriott Downtown, and Scheller’s Fitness & Cycling. Media Sponsors: 102.3 The Max and The Courier-Journal. 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.
