The 2022 PNC Tour de Lou, the Derby Festival’s annual cycling event, will return for its ninth year this Saturday, April 16.
The Tour de Lou will run overall from approximately 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., though start times vary and are staggered by route.
There are multiple in-person routes — 20 miles, 35 miles or a Metric Century (62.1 miles, or 100 kilometers) — plus a new closed-course Family Ride route at Waterfront Park, for which families can choose distances of 1-3 miles. (All children must have adult supervision to participate.)
All routes will have bathrooms, snacks and water available. The Family Ride will also have “some fun surprises and entertainment along the route,” according to the Tour de Lou website.
All participants must wear bike helmets.
Cyclists can also choose to ride a virtual route, which they can finish by May 16 and can bike over the course of multiple days if necessary.
Prices vary from $40-70 depending on the route, but chaperones for the Family Ride can participate for free. All prices increase by $10 after 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 15.
All in-person routes start and end next to Slugger Field, at the intersection of 399 E. Witherspoon Street and Floyd Street.
Except for the Family Ride, all in-person routes will go through Churchill Downs and Chickasaw, Iroquois and Cherokee Parks, plus other neighborhoods in and around downtown Louisville. Part of the Metric Century route will go through Southern Indiana via the Big Four Bridge and the East End Bridge.
All participants will get a swag bag, a free t-shirt and the opportunity to join the post-ride party.
For more information on Tour de Lou routes or to sign up, click this link. (You can also sign up in-person the morning of the ride, but prices will be higher.)
