Shoals 3 State Century

Distances: 21, 38, 75, 107 milesDifficulty: Moderate terrain with rolling short steep hills or moderate, sustained climbs

The Shoals 3 State Ride is a premier cycling event held in "The Shoals" . It is the same as the Handy 100 bike ride of years past, but in a later and notably cooler month. The ride begins and ends at scenic McFarland Park on the banks of the Tennessee River near downtown Florence, Alabama.  Distance options of  21, 38, 75, 107 miles are available to suit riders of all ability levels.  The route will take riders out through Lauderdale County, across the Tennessee River on the Natchez Trace Bridge then south to the Mississippi Stateline, then turning north to the Tennessee Stateline before returning to Florence. 

The Ride starts at 7:15am from McFarland for the long distance riders with a police escorted mass start down Savannah Highway. Please be ready to leave at this time if you are doing the traditional route.  Packet Pickup will be available Friday at The Spinning Spoke Cycle Hub in downtown Florence.  You may also pickup your packet on the day of the event during registration hours starting at 6AM.

The 75 and 107 mile routes include a significant amount of mileage on the beautiful Natchez Trace Parkway, which is a Federal Park with 50 mph speed limit and no commercial vehicles.  The roads are in excellent condition but do not have a wide shoulder.  Traffic is light.  No dogs to chase; you may see various wildlife including turkeys, foxes, deer, turtles and a wide variety of birds.    

An excellent post ride meal will be provided by a local food vendor.

Proceeds of this event will help the Shoals MTB Chapter continue to help the cycling community grow!

Come join us! 

Ride Fast.....Ride Slow.....Just Ride!