DKMcK 

I'm planning a bike tour in the Kentucky Bluegrass area starting in Lexington, looping through Louisville and back to Lexington. There will be several of us on tandems. I have my routes planned on Ride with GPS. Anyone of this forum from that area that is familiar with the roads be willing to look at our plans to keep us on cycling friendly roads? I have used resources from Louisville Bicycle Tours and the Horsey Hundred bike rides to come up with this.

My routes: https://ridewithgps.com/events/74734...y-bourbon-tour

trailmix

I live in Lexington and would like to help. When are you planning this tour?

DKMcK 

We're going the first week of September. Drive to Lexington Saturday 8/31, start cycling 9/1. My routes link is in the above post. We're doing it counter clockwise. We'll spend two nights in Louisville and Bardstown. We'll take turns driving a sag for our luggage. Any help on the routes will be appreciated. I would like to keep us on "cycling friendly" roads as much as possible.

trailmix

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29462448


Here is a link to a route with a few minor changes. Generally your route is pretty good but I would switch things up a little.

First off, I routed you away from Man O War Blvd which is a terrible road for cyclists-4 lanes of high speed traffic with no shoulder just isn't my thing. The detour adds a few miles but in my opinion it is worth it to avoid MOW and the scenery is much better.

The second little tweak comes around mile 15. I would take a right on Payne's Depot Rd instead of continuing on to Hwy 62. I don't particularly like Hwy 62, in fact, every part of 62 that I have ever ridden has been unpleasant and there is a nice little mill around 17.5 mile that might be a good spot for a group photo if you are into that type of thing.

Keep an eye out on the left around mile 35 for the Old Taylor abandoned distillery-another good spot for photos.

After passing Old Crow at mile 36 watch out for big trucks. There is a quarry up ahead and sometimes the truckers are a bit nuts.

Around mile 39.5 or so is the KY Vietnam Veterans Memorial which is a giant sundial that points to the name of the person who died on that particular day.

Hwy 676 sucks but it does have a wide shoulder and is really the most direct route to your hotel.

Hope this helps, I will look at your other legs soon. If you have any questions about the route, just ask and I will try my best to answer them.

DKMcK 

Thanks Trailmix, this is exactly what I was hoping for!!!

trailmix

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29475267

Ok, on to the next leg. I started off by routing you away from Hwy 127-it starts off ok but less than a mile in, the shoulder disappears and it is four lanes of very high speed traffic. Instead, my route has you going back down the hill you rode up the day before and through residential neighborhoods. I also added a loop around the State Capitol building as an optional photo op.

My route differs from yours pretty significantly between Frankfort and Shelbyville. I generally prefer roads that are off the beaten path as opposed to more commonly traveled ones. Your route is not particularly bad but this is the route that I take when I make this trip. There is a large truck stop @Mile 19 if anybody needs a stop before Shelbyville.

Shelbyville to Louisville is a tough nut to crack and you have done quite well. My only suggestion is to get off of Hwy 42 as soon as possible in Prospect but I couldn't really find a better route in Louisville's eastern sprawl. River Road is nice but just be alert for traffic because the road is narrow and fairly heavily traveled.

Once you get into Louisville, I recommend a trip across the Big Four Bridge. It is a former train bridge converted into a pedestrian bridge that takes you into Indiana.