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Drivers beware -- hundreds of bicyclists are expected to take over downtown streets this weekend.
From experienced bike racers to leisure cyclists, they'll be donning helmets, kicking up their kickstands and heading to the center of the city for the annual Bike Lexington celebration.
The multi-faceted, free event is the highlight of a monthlong local celebration of National Bike Month.
This year's Bike Lexington will be different in that it will include more racing, said Kenzie Gleason, bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the urban county government.
On Saturday, the main day, there will be three new "fun races" -- Fastest Kid in Town, Funny Bike Race and Urban Cyclist Race -- which are geared to casual cyclists. Those races will be held in the Courthouse Plaza area.
Bike Lexington kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday with a time trial as the first part of a three-day stage race, which is geared to more experienced racers but open to anyone. Racers will be going 25 to 30 miles per hour up and down Avenue of Champions/Euclid Avenue, between East High Street and South Limestone.
The stage race, also new this year, is expected to draw racing teams from Kentucky and surrounding states, competing for merchandise and $6,000 in prize money. The stage race continues downtown Saturday and at Coldstream Park on Sunday.
"They're still amateur racers, but they're people who race quite frequently as a hobby. They're more of your typical Spandex-wearing type of racer," Gleason said.
"There will probably be some semi-professionals as well," said Brad Flowers, chairman of Lexington's bike task force.
The activity expected to draw the most participants is the car-free family fun ride, a 10-mile ride through the downtown area, which gets under way at 10 a.m. Saturday.
"We had 700 bicyclists last year. We expect at least 1,000 this year," Gleason said.
"It has been exciting to watch Bike Lexington grow and become a regional event," said Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry, who is expected to be riding in the family fun ride. "We're expecting over 1,500 participants this year in the Bike Lexington weekend."
Also, for the first time this year, the Blue Grass Council of the Blind will have a presence at Bike Lexington.
Morry LaTour, president of the council and a member of a local bicycle-pedestrian advisory committee, will be riding a tandem bike with Mike Galbraith, a member of the bike task force, in the family fun ride Saturday.
"Mike and I are kind of doing this as a pilot," he said, adding that they will be trying to determine what can be done at future Bike Lexington rallies to make them more accessible to visually impaired and blind people.
"I would like to see our members participate in something like this," he said. "I used to ride bikes a long time ago, and for distance, too, before I lost most of my sight. I always enjoyed it. I thought this would be good to get back into it somehow."
Bike helmets will be given out free Saturday on a first-come, first-served basis, and there will be bike giveaways and other prizes. Bicycles from Lexington's community Yellow Bikes program will be available for use at no charge.
All participants in the bicycling activities are required to wear helmets.
BIKE LEXINGTON
Friday
7 p.m.: Prologue (A time trial, and the first part of a three-day stage race.)
8-9:30 a.m.: Registration; bike decorating; face painting; information booths; bike checks
9 a.m.: Kids' bike safety rodeo
10 a.m.: Car-free family fun ride (10-mile bike ride)
12:30-5:30 p.m.: Fun races: Fastest Kid in Town, Funny Bike Race and Urban Cyclist Race
Stage race, Day 2
8 a.m.-3 p.m.: Stage race, Day 3
Here's how the Bike Lexington event will affect traffic:
Friday: Avenue of Champions/Euclid Avenue will be closed from South Limestone to East High Street and at all intersecting streets from 6 to 10 p.m.
Saturday: Main Street will be closed from Martin Luther King Boulevard to Limestone from noon to 6 p.m. Also closed during that time will be North Limestone from Main to Second Street; Second Street from North Limestone to Market Street; Market Street from Second Street to Short Street; Short Street from Market Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard; and all intersecting streets.
Rolling street closures:
There will be street closures in the following locations, which could cause traffic delays, from 10 to 11 a.m.: Main Street from Idle Hour Drive to Upper Street; North Limestone from Main Street to Third Street; Third Street from North Limestone to North Upper Street; Upper Street from Third Street to Scott Street; South Limestone from Scott Street to Euclid Avenue; Patterson Drive from Colfax Street to Rose Street; Rose Street from Rose Lane to Huguelet Drive; Huguelet Drive from Rose Street to Woodland Avenue; University Drive from Huguelet to Alumni Drive; Alumni Drive from University Drive to College Way; College Way from Alumni Drive to Cooper Drive; Cooper Drive from College Way to University Drive; Woodland Avenue from Huguelet Drive to Main Street; and all intersecting streets.
Sunday -- Coldstream Farm/Research Park
There will be road closures from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the following locations: Citation Boulevard from Newtown Pike to McGrathiana Parkway; McGrathiana Parkway from Citation Boulevard to McGrathiana Parkway; Bull Lea Road from Citation Boulevard to McGrathiana Parkway.
