This is our most diverse ride.  Portions of the ride pass through villages, scattered residential areas, valleys and remote farmland.  Our favorite part of the ride is a meandering stretch of roadway through a picturesque valley.  A good place for deer and turkey sightings!  It is also our most versatile ride, allowing us to tailor combinations of distance and difficulty.  The course may be as much as 40+ miles or as little as 17 miles.  Shorter distance DOES NOT EQUAL an easier ride.  The hills remain!  Climbing 2090 feet and experiencing 4176 feet in elevation change awaits the rider.  

There is no candy coating this ride.  Local cyclists consider it to be a training ride.  The last time Mike rode this course, he swore that vultures were circling overhead.  There is  2595 feet of climbing and 5189 feet of elevation change in 45 miles.  In addition to the numerous, shorter, difficult climbs, there are two longer descents which, of course, are followed by two very long, steep climbs.  You will appreciate having that third chain ring.  The mid-point of the ride is at the Woodlawn Store.  This is a perfect place to stop and have one of their country ham sandwiches.  At this point you may be a bit fatigued.  The good news is we avoid the bigger hills on the ride back.  That’s not to say you are done with the hills, they just aren’t quite as intimidating. Loop ” is a slightly more demanding ride than the “Out and Back” with a total climb of 1082 feet, and an elevation change of 2165 feet.  In the first half of the 22 mile ride you will encounter numerous shorter climbs.  Momentum is on your side.  This portion of the road is lightly traveled, giving you time to enjoy the working farms, sheep, cattle, horses and other wildlife.  The second half of the ride contains slightly rolling terrain, a couple of long gradual descents and three somewhat difficult climbs that remind you that YOU ARE INDEED BIKING THE HILLS OF KENTUCKY.