2018 will be the 6th year for the Kentucky Century Challenge and the 2nd year for the Kentucky Cycling Challenge. We welcome Ale-8-One as our presenting sponsor, Capitol Bicycle Company from London Kentucky as our new Platinum Sponsor, and the Mason County/Maysville Convention & Visitor’s Bureau and the Mason County Fiscal Court as new Silver Sponsors. In addition, we’re pleased to welcome back our continuing sponsors: Morehead Tourism, the Owensboro/Daviess County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, Georgetown/Scott County Tourism, London Downtown, and the Cumberland Valley Cycling Club.

We are also thrilled to announce the Ale-8-One Cycling Ambassador Program for 2018 - 20 lucky cyclists will be selected to serve as our 2018 Ale-8-One Cycling Ambassadors!!! Scroll to the bottom of the page to learn more about it, and to submit your application if you love Ale-8 and want to be an Ambassador. Note that the registration deadline for this program is February 10th so if you’re interested, get your submission in before the deadline!!

Registration for both the Challenges and the Ale-8-One Ambassador Program is free, but to be a part of our Challenges for 2018 you MUST register in advance on-line. See below for more details and for the link to register.

NOTE: You must still register and pay for each of the participating rides separately.

All participating rides are fundraisers for the sponsoring organizations. Each event features multiple route distances, making the events suitable for a wide variety of riders.

The Redbud Ride – Presented by London Downtown, London, KY – April 20-22, 2018. The first event of the 2018 Kentucky Century Challenge is the Redbud Ride. The Redbud Ride starts in beautiful downtown London, KY and stretches throughout the surrounding areas. The Redbud Ride attracts about 1,400 cyclists from across the country. The routes for the Redbud Ride pass through some of the most beautiful scenery in Kentucky. The routes are filled with blooming redbud and dogwood trees! This ride is a must-do for cycling enthusiasts. Our rest-stops are always a party, thanks to our wonderful volunteers & host locations! The Redbud Ride offers four route options ranging from almost flat 23 miles to the challenging 100-mile route. Our 100-mile route was chosen by Active.com as “The Best Century Ride in America.” Riders receive a complementary pancake breakfast, live music after the ride, pre-ride and post-ride parties and a post-ride meal.

Those that register before March 1 will also receive the always special Redbud Ride t-shirt - Register Here!.

The Horsey Hundred – Presented by the Bluegrass Cycling Club and hosted by Georgetown College, Georgetown, KY – May 26-28, 2018. The second “leg” of the 2018 Kentucky Century Challenge and Kentucky Cycling Challenge is the Horsey Hundred. The event features a large vendor expo, live music and local food trucks on Friday evening. The rides on Saturday and Sunday feature multiple marked routes ranging in distance from 26 miles to the signature 100-mile century on Saturday. Both days, riders will be provided with maps, SAG support and lunch after the ride - Register Here!

Bike Morehead - Presented by Switchback Cycling and Morehead Tourism, Morehead KY, June 16, 2018. Bike Morehead is set in the heart of Eastern Kentucky. The century ride will challenge even the most experienced cyclists as the route twists and turns through the scenic hills and ridges. As you pass by Cave Run Lake the sites will remind everyone what road biking is all about. A full variety of routes will be available for all levels of riders. Friendly volunteers and great sag stops with keep you motivated and energized along the way. Register Here!

The Bourbon & Bluegrass Ride - The Bourbon & Bluegrass Century – Presented by Bicycle Owensboro, Owensboro, KY - August 4, 2018. Celebrating their third year, the ride benefits Dream Riders of Kentucky, Inc. (http://dreamridersofky.org), a non-profit organization founded in 2003 that offers equine assisted activities and therapies to individuals of all ages who have special needs. Along with the full and metric centuries, there is also available a 33-mile ride. Our rides offer a few rolling hills and many miles of flat, rural roads through scenic western Kentucky including spectacular views of the Ohio and Green Rivers. On Friday evening, join us for a mixer/packet pickup as well as distillery tours and bourbon tastings, if you wish, at O. Z. Tyler Distillery where the ride will begin and end on Saturday. O. Z. Tyler (https://oztylerdistillery.com/) is continuing the tradition of distilling in Owensboro that began in 1885 and are proud members of the Kentucky Distiller’s Association and a Heritage member of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. After the mixer, Owensboro has lots of entertainment on the waterfront which include Friday After 5 (a free, fun, family-friendly concert and street fair festival). Register Here!

Limestone Cycling Tour - Presented by Limestone Cycling League, Maysville, KY – September 15, 2018. The Limestone Cycling Tour is a new addition to the Kentucky Century Challenge for 2018 and will be the final ride in the lineup. Although a new partner to the Kentucky Century Challenge, this will mark their 10th year for the annual charity ride. Cyclists will enjoy the beautiful rolling hills surrounding Maysville and Mason County on their curvy little traveled back roads. Four routes are offered including a challenging century, metric century and 40 and 22-mile loops. Routes are fully supported with surprise themes at the SAG stops staffed by community volunteers. After a fun and challenging day on the road, cyclists can expect to listen to some local music talent or take advantage of special offers at a few local eateries. It is some of the best cycling in Northern Kentucky not to be missed! Register Here!

The first team of Ale-8-One cycling Ambassadors has been selected and they will soon be hitting the roads in their Ale 8 One cycling jerseys, so be sure to look for them and maybe even share an Ale 8 with them!

Thanks to everyone who applied for the program. There were a lot of you, and the applications were incredibly creative, making it very difficult for our friends at Ale 8 to make the final selections. We hope that this is the first year of many that Ale 8 Cycling Ambassadors will be out there on the road!

Here’s a list of the team, including where they are from:

Jamie Bagley	Lexington	KY
Julie Bowers-Pryor	Lexington	KY
Joseph Braun	Cold Spring	KY
April Clark	Lancaster	KY
Joey Daniel	Liberty	KY
Kris Davis	Irvine	KY
Chad Dudley	Elizabethtown	KY
Jennifer Fights	Lexington	KY
Howard Florence	Lexington	KY
John Franklin	Science Hill	KY
Mary Ann Getty	Lexington	KY
Bill Hobstetter	Cincinnati	OH
Seth King	Bowling Green	KY
Omar Meer	Somerset	KY
John Otte	Winchester	KY
Kevin Pearl	Frankfort	KY
Kathy Rogers	Burlington	KY
Roger Sands	Morehead	KY
Ryan Smith	Maysville	KY
Gayle Tomkinson	Lexington	KY
Patrick Wesolosky	Lexington	KY