SouthernIN.com - Green County

One of the best ways to enjoy Southern Indiana is from a bicycle. We’ve found some very active bike clubs, several races, and bicycle tours that bicycling enthusiasts will want to check out. Besides the rides and tours listed, state parks and recreation areas are also good places to bicycle. And if you are planning a trip to a specific area, check out our County Info page first, which provides listings of attractions as well as links to county visitors bureaus.

Bike Tours
Ride Across Indiana, July 7-8, 2000: This 162-mile ride is the only fund-raising event the Bloomington Bicycle Club sponsors. The headquarters for this year’s tour are in Terre Haute, and the tour will traverse historic Route 40, a divided four-lane road with light traffic. It will feature gentle rolling hills, and will be a brisk-paced and physically challenging ride. For information email [email protected].

Another of Indiana’s famous bike tours is the Hilly Hundred, held each October near Bloomington. This was called the “Best Overall Event” in 1999 by Bicycling Magazine and League of American Bicyclists. 5000 Bicyclists from over 40 states take part in this two-day bicycle tour, which winds through the scenic hills of Monroe and Brown Counties. The event includes food, music, and photo contests. The Hilly Hundred is sponsored by Central Indiana Bicycling Association, which can be reached at www.cibaride.org/hilly100.

Madison has four excellent biking routes featuring two road routes and two mountain bike routes. Discover Madison/Jefferson County by bicycle! Whatever you want in a ride, it's all right here. Flat farmland, challenging hills, back roads and river views. In fact Outside Magazine said they have the best bike ride in Indiana (March 1998). for more information and maps contact Madison Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 559-2956 or on the web www.visitmadison.org.

Touring Ride in Rural Indiana (TRIRI) is an annual week-long bicycle tour held each June. The specific route varies from year to year, connecting different Indiana State Parks. If you missed TRIRI, you can still get in on the September Escapade, which will be September 17-22, 2000. Contact [email protected].

Logo designed by Tessa Ward

The Hoosier Hills 2000 Tour, September 16th, 2000, invites you to join hundreds of other cyclists as they pedal the rolling hills of Indiana farmlands, Lake Monroe, and other scenic vistas of Monroe and Lawrence Counties. Hoosier Hills has four ride options, including 20K, 40K, 60K, or a 100K hilly, scenic route. www.bloomington.in.us/~bbc.

Hoosier Hills Bicycle Route is about 27 miles long and runs from Liberty Park in Batesville through Osgood and Versailles to Versailles State Park. It is important to note that this route is also used by motor vehicles, and the cyclist assumes the risk of his/her own safety. If you have further questions contact [email protected]

The Little 500 Tour, held each April, is a bike tour through the forests of Southern Indiana. This tour allows riders to watch Indiana University’s Little 500 bike race on Friday and Saturday, then ride the same roads on a 30-mile course that Little 500 racers have been training on for 50 years. www.bloomington.in.us/~bbc.

Jackson County will hold two bicycle tours this year, the Round Barn Bike Ride, from Brownstown, on July 8th, and the Ride to Recycle on Sept. 30, 2000. The Ride to Recycle goes through Jackson County's prettiest countryside, past tiny churches and round barns, and offers four routes: a 20 mile, 43 mile, 62 mile, and the important 100 mile ride for avid riders. The Ride to Recycle is sponsored by the Seymour Chamber of Commerce's Recycling Committee and this is the Ride's third year. Funds raised will support recycling in Seymour schools, apartment complexes, etc. (888) 524-1914 or e-mail [email protected].

The Columbus area will host the Hope Ride on September 16, 2000. This is an annual event where riders may select from 10, 25, 35, 50, 75 or 100 mile tours along lightly traveled country roads. A 10K Hope Walk is offered for those wishing to go at a slower pace. The entry fee is $15 or $18 after 8/31/00, which includes snack stops, lunch, maps and emergency SAG services. Registration closes September 8th. There is no day-of-ride registration. Registration is open 7:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. CST. Riders may start any time after registering at the Hauser High School, located in Hope on State Road 9. The Hope Lions Club will be dipping up free ice cream and handing out cold beverages. Hot showers will be available in the gym. Services will be discontinued at 6:00 p.m. All riders must be off of the course by this time. The first 1,000 registrants receive a ceramic Hope Ride coffee mug, and all registrants receive a frameable print of the Hope Ride art
work. Along the way, there will be musical entertainment, including a brass band, folk singers, rock-and-roll and the blues. For more information, see http:\\www.hoperide.columweb.com.

Evansville hosts the nationally recognized Great Pumpkin Metric Tour each October, as well as several other informal group rides with the Evansville Bicycle Club. The Fat Tire Ride will be an 8 mile ride leaving from Angle Mounds at 6pm on July 27th. For information email [email protected] or call 812-423-7052.

“The Backroad Bike Tour”, in Putnam County will be held Saturday, September 9, 2000. This ride traverses the scenic Putnam County roads, with three different route choices: a 16-mile paved route for new or occasional cyclists and families, a 35-mile paved route, and a 62-mile paved route for seasoned cyclists. Registration, start and finish are at Robe Ann Park, in Greencastle. Registration can be done by pre-registering by mail or on the web at a reduced rate, or register the day of ride from 7:30-9:00 am. Email [email protected] or www.batman.depauw.edu/bbt. This year Putnam County has planned an especially scenic 62 mile ride in conjunction with the Bridgeton Bike Tour. This hilly route features several covered bridges, an operating 1823 mill, quaint small towns, the beautiful DePauw University campus, and the Buzz Bomb on the courthouse square. Call (765) 653-4834.

Bloomington Bike Tours: "The Riders Way: A Guide to Cycling In and Around Bloomington" is a great resource for bicyclists, with maps and descriptions of approximately 15 routes, broken down by distances, which range from 10 to 90 miles. This pocket guide is available from the the Convention & Visitors Bureau at [email protected] or 1800-800-0037. The guide also offers other internet resources as well as information on bicycling and local bike shops.

You can plan now for the 2001 TRIRI (Touring Ride In Rural Indiana) bike tour, to be held June 24-30, 2001. TRIRI will be touring southwest Indiana. The 2001 tour will begin and end in the Huntingburg/Jasper area and travel to Spring Mill State Park, Patoka Lake, Lincoln State Park (two nights) and Harmonie State Park (two nights). This area is rich in historic and scenic sites/sights. The TRIRI web site, www.bloomington.in.us/~bbc/triri, will beupdated soon and will have the application information and form by December 1st.

Bicycle Races
Little 500: Indiana University’s Little 500, in Bloomington, is one of the most celebrated bike races in the United States. The race celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Started by Indiana University students in 1950, the Little 500 is modeled after the Indianapolis 500. It all started with six guys racing around the dormitory with the idea of circling it 500 times. As the race continued, crowds gathered and cheered the racers on. In 1979 the Little 500 reached international attention when the movie Breaking Away featured the race. In 1988 a women’s race was added, which created even more support for the Little 500. Attendance peaked in 1989, with 31,000 spectators. Today the Little 500 can be seen by millions as it is now broadcast on ESPN and MTV. Free Wheels: The Fifty Year History of the Little 500, a two-hour feature film celebrating the “World’s Greatest College Weekend” was released this year. For more info contact www.little500net.

Solar Race: Bloomington High School South even has a Solar Racing Team, and in 1999 the girls swept the World Championship and were also National Champions.

Decatur County: August 20th is race day in Decatur County. The first race of the day is a 3-mile Citizens Race, open to any riders. It will start and finish at Decatur High School. The second race is a Masters Race, open to licensed riders and sanctioned by USCS & ABR. This starts at 9am. Masters must be 35 years old or over. Contact race director Mike Moles, at 317-272-1718 for more information.

The Linton Off-Road Conservation Organization sponsors races throughout the summer months, with upcoming races on August 6th and October 1st. There are several skill levels. For information call 812-471-9829 or on race weekends, 812-480-1949.

More Places to Ride
Rush County is home to five covered bridges which have all been restored and are all usable on county roads. They would make a great bike tour! Riders can do either one long ride with all five, or a shorter trip with the 3 on the west side of the county. One even has a picnic area by it to stop for lunch. Two of the bridges are in southern part of the county where many Amish live. Contact the Rush County Visitors Bureau at 765-932-2880.

The Columbus Area will sponsor a bike ride called the Hope Ride on September 16, 2000. This is an annual event where riders may select from 10, 25, 35, 50, 75 or 100 mile tours along lightly traveled country roads. A 10K Hope Walk is offered for those wishing to go at a slower pace. The entry fee is $15 or $18 after 8/31/00 which includes snack stops, lunch, maps and emergency SAG services. Registration closes September 8th. There is no day-of-ride registration. Registration is open 7:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. CST. Riders may start any time after registering at the Hauser High School, located in Hope on State Road 9. The Hope Lions Club will be dipping up free ice cream and handing out cold beverages. Hot showers will be available in the gym. Services will be discontinued at 6:00 p.m. All riders must be off of the course by this time. The first 1,000 registrants receive a ceramic Hope Ride coffee mug and all registrants receive a frameable print of the Hope Ride art work. Along the way, there will be musical entertainment, including brass band, folksingers, rock-and-roll and the blues. For more information, see http: http://www.hoperide.columweb.com.

Bloomington and Monroe County, www.bloomington.in.us/~bbc. The Bloomington Bicycle Club is a great source of information on cycling in Monroe County. They offer several rides each week, and can provide detailed maps of 20 different local routes. Other contacts in the area are Gilles Cycling @ 812-336-0241, Cade's Bike Barn @ 812-339-6782, Bicycle Garage, Inc. @ 812-339-3457 and Bikesmiths @ 812-339-9970

Wapehani Mountain Bike Park is a 34-acre wooded park right in the heart of Bloomington, off of Weimer Road between west Second Street and Tapp Road.

Clark & Floyd Counties: The Charlestown State Park and the Clark State Forest are both favorite places to ride in the “Sunny Side of Louisville” in the far southern part of Indiana. While neither have formal bicycling trails, cyclists enjoy the roadways, especially on week days when traffic is lightest. Charlestown State Park phone number is 812-256-5600, and the Clark State Forest number is 812-294-4306. Also www.2wheelsports.com sponsors biking events in the New Albany area.

Decatur County: There is a leisure bike trail through the southern portion of Decatur County. The signs are currently undergoing repair, and they are expecting to have the trail and signage redeveloped by the end of 2000. Contact [email protected].

Spencer County has a new facility this year called Motorhead Park, Inc. which features a BMX track, motocross, flat track racing, go-cart racing and camping. Located on County Road 600E, just 1 mile north off Highway 70 in Newtonville, Indiana. In 1997, Chris and Cathy Still bought 103 acres of land in rural Newtonville with great expectations of someday turning it into Motorhead Park where families could gather and enjoy racing and camping. They are planning an open house on July 23rd, from 12-6pm. Call 812-362-8508. This track is sanctioned by National Bicycle League and will be eligible to host state and national events next year. [email protected].

The Linton Conservation Club in Greene County has mountain bike trails for both beginners and experts. 812-847-2103.

The Evansville Bicycle Club hosts several informal group rides throughout the year. The Fat Tire Ride will be an 8 mile ride leaving from Angle Mounds at 6pm on July 27th. For information email [email protected] or call 812-423-7052.