By John Bassett
I usually don’t blog about a trip that has not been announced to the membership in general, but I want to make a small exception this time out. Last weekend’s Horsey Hundred in Georgetown, Kentucky (the Horsey) was attended by no less than 21 BBC members, so it almost counts as an official club ride. This was the 36th running of this classic event put on by the Bluegrass Cycling Club (BCC), but was my first time to attend. Having heard stories of beautiful country scenery, well-kept horse farms, and quaint towns and mills, I just had to give this one a try. Besides, this annual event is only an easy 3 ½ hour drive from Bloomington.
Susan and I headed down Friday morning, her intent being to soak up some scenery while I tried my first venture into Kentucky cycling. We rendezvoused with Glenn and Tammy and Dan and Cindy in Georgetown for a casual Mexican dinner and to plot out our adventures. We arranged to meet Jen, Andy, and Martha for the 8:00 AM mass start Saturday morning. This is horse country, so the ride start is announced by a traditional “Call to the Post” bugle call performed by the real guy from the nearby Keeneland racetrack.
Think of the Horsey as a Springtime Hilly Hundred with multiple-distance Saturday and Sunday options. This year’s event drew about 2,000 riders. It is smaller than the Hilly, but has its own unique flavor and character. All routes start in Georgetown, just north of Lexington, at the Georgetown College recreational center, which serves as the center for event activities. The long route for Saturday is the traditional “Horsey 100” which this year was mapped out at 104 miles. A large number of the Bloomington contingent did this. I tagged along for the day with Glenn, Tammy, and another Glenn from the Bluegrass Cycling Club who shared his knowledge of the routes and history of the area.
From Georgetown, the 100 mile route dipped south of I-64 and went through the historic town of Midway. We then did a big north loop and plunged down into the Kentucky River valley north of Frankfort. Riding past several bourbon whiskey warehouses, we followed a community bike path south for a lap around the historic Kentucky State Capital.
I was told the Bluegrass Cycling Club (BCC), wanted to make a hillier route this year. They succeeded. As shown on the profile, there was a lot of climbing to do from about mile 30 to mile 70. The Kentucky River and tributaries are entrenched about 400 feet below the rolling Bluegrass uplands in this area, and you spend a lot of time south of Frankfort climbing in and out of the valley. Leaving the valley about Mile 70 the route loops through Keeneland back to Georgetown.
Total climb for the Saturday ride was listed as 7,800 feet, which was within 100 feet of what our GPS units recorded. The big hills in and out of the river valley were on modest highway grades and were therefore not overly difficult. What makes this 100 miler challenging, and what makes cycling in Bluegrass challenging in general, are the seemingly endless upland rollers. There is no level ground. The small hills act in combination to wear you down on a long ride.
The BCC has a great answer to this problem – lots of rest stops. No, I never did find any Hilly Hundred fried chicken, but these guys do a great job with the food - peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, oranges, potato chips, some great oatmeal ginger cookies, and oh yes, the ubiquitous dill pickles. You really need to try pickles while riding, but I would not recommend doing over a dozen at one time. It took a few miles to recover from that.
I don’t want to get hung up on food here, but another nifty thing about this event is that you can quite literally end your ride and get off your bike within 30 feet of the post-ride chow line. This little bennie is included in your registrations and features tasty sandwiches of many types, salads, and chips. You don’t even have to take your shoes off as the whole event is outdoors! Here is some of the Bloomington contingent before diving into a post ride feeding frenzy.
On Sunday, the rides are a little shorted, but I would not say easier. All of the rides went east of Georgetown to the Paris area. Many of the Bloomington contingent opted for the longest 75-mile route. This is roller city; the farther east you go – the bigger the rollers. I was glad to get that ride turned around and headed back west.
Overall, this was a very nice weekend. Thanks to the BCC for putting on this great event. The routes, maps, road marking / signage, scenery, and food were all excellent. I’ll plan on doing this one again. Mark your calendar for the Horsey Hundred next year.
Special recognition goes to three Bloomington riders: Martha, Dana, and Rachel all completed their first centuries on Saturday. There might even be others I don’t know about. Congratulations, everyone.
I usually don’t blog about a trip that has not been announced to the membership in general, but I want to make a small exception this time out. Last weekend’s Horsey Hundred in Georgetown, Kentucky (the Horsey) was attended by no less than 21 BBC members, so it almost counts as an official club ride. This was the 36th running of this classic event put on by the Bluegrass Cycling Club (BCC), but was my first time to attend. Having heard stories of beautiful country scenery, well-kept horse farms, and quaint towns and mills, I just had to give this one a try. Besides, this annual event is only an easy 3 ½ hour drive from Bloomington.
Susan and I headed down Friday morning, her intent being to soak up some scenery while I tried my first venture into Kentucky cycling. We rendezvoused with Glenn and Tammy and Dan and Cindy in Georgetown for a casual Mexican dinner and to plot out our adventures. We arranged to meet Jen, Andy, and Martha for the 8:00 AM mass start Saturday morning. This is horse country, so the ride start is announced by a traditional “Call to the Post” bugle call performed by the real guy from the nearby Keeneland racetrack.
Think of the Horsey as a Springtime Hilly Hundred with multiple-distance Saturday and Sunday options. This year’s event drew about 2,000 riders. It is smaller than the Hilly, but has its own unique flavor and character. All routes start in Georgetown, just north of Lexington, at the Georgetown College recreational center, which serves as the center for event activities. The long route for Saturday is the traditional “Horsey 100” which this year was mapped out at 104 miles. A large number of the Bloomington contingent did this. I tagged along for the day with Glenn, Tammy, and another Glenn from the Bluegrass Cycling Club who shared his knowledge of the routes and history of the area.
I was told the Bluegrass Cycling Club (BCC), wanted to make a hillier route this year. They succeeded. As shown on the profile, there was a lot of climbing to do from about mile 30 to mile 70. The Kentucky River and tributaries are entrenched about 400 feet below the rolling Bluegrass uplands in this area, and you spend a lot of time south of Frankfort climbing in and out of the valley. Leaving the valley about Mile 70 the route loops through Keeneland back to Georgetown.
Total climb for the Saturday ride was listed as 7,800 feet, which was within 100 feet of what our GPS units recorded. The big hills in and out of the river valley were on modest highway grades and were therefore not overly difficult. What makes this 100 miler challenging, and what makes cycling in Bluegrass challenging in general, are the seemingly endless upland rollers. There is no level ground. The small hills act in combination to wear you down on a long ride.
The BCC has a great answer to this problem – lots of rest stops. No, I never did find any Hilly Hundred fried chicken, but these guys do a great job with the food - peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, oranges, potato chips, some great oatmeal ginger cookies, and oh yes, the ubiquitous dill pickles. You really need to try pickles while riding, but I would not recommend doing over a dozen at one time. It took a few miles to recover from that.
I don’t want to get hung up on food here, but another nifty thing about this event is that you can quite literally end your ride and get off your bike within 30 feet of the post-ride chow line. This little bennie is included in your registrations and features tasty sandwiches of many types, salads, and chips. You don’t even have to take your shoes off as the whole event is outdoors! Here is some of the Bloomington contingent before diving into a post ride feeding frenzy.
On Sunday, the rides are a little shorted, but I would not say easier. All of the rides went east of Georgetown to the Paris area. Many of the Bloomington contingent opted for the longest 75-mile route. This is roller city; the farther east you go – the bigger the rollers. I was glad to get that ride turned around and headed back west.
Overall, this was a very nice weekend. Thanks to the BCC for putting on this great event. The routes, maps, road marking / signage, scenery, and food were all excellent. I’ll plan on doing this one again. Mark your calendar for the Horsey Hundred next year.
Special recognition goes to three Bloomington riders: Martha, Dana, and Rachel all completed their first centuries on Saturday. There might even be others I don’t know about. Congratulations, everyone.
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