The 29 mile route is a beautiful out and back on The Natchez Trace Parkway. The longer routes wind through the gorgeous countryside surrounding Leiper's Fork, Tennessee and return via the Parkway for a few miles from Highway 7. Although we are not known for long climbs in Middle Tennessee, we do specialize in constantly rolling terrain - so, be prepared to work. We have many, many hills to challenge you!

Remember, this is a noncompetitive event! A Ride, not a Race…

Preregistered – received before August 31, 2008…………$30

After August 31 or day of the ride……………………………$35


Click here to register on-line.

The HOW100 start/finish will be at Hillsboro School, 5412 Pinewoood Rd., 37064, located in Leiper’s Fork.

 

From I65 in Brentwood, TN - Take the Old Hickory Blvd. West exit. Proceed about 4 miles to the intersection of Old hickory and Hillsboro Pike. Turn left onto Hillsboro Pike and go 3.2 miles. Turn right onto Old Hillsboro Road (TN-46). Continue for 11.4 miles and turn right onto Pinewood Road. The school is 1/10th of a mile further on the right.

 

From Highway 100 in West Nashville – Enter the Natchez Trace Parkway and proceed south approximately 12 miles to the Pinewood Road / Leiper’s Fork Historic District exit. Turn right at the base of the ramp and the school is ½ of a mile on the left.

All routes will start and finish at Hillsboro School. Parking will be available at the event start. There will be restroom facilities, but no showers. Once exiting the school riders will proceed onto theNatchez Trace Parkway.  All distances are out and back along the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway.  There will be water and food stations as well as restrooms along the road approximately 10-15 miles apart. All rest stops will be stocked with water, a carbohydrate replacement drink, fruit, and snack foods. All participants are highly encouraged to have a water bottle, preferably two, on their bike as it can be quite hot in early September.

 

Bike mechanics will be available at the ride beginning for last minute adjustments, but participants are responsible for arriving with a safe and maintained bicycle. There will be SAG support on the course to assist with mechanicals. The designated turnaround points for each distance will be well marked and supported with race volunteers.  Safety is of primary importance during the event.  Even though there is very little traffic on Natchez Trace Parkway cyclists should ride single file whenever possible and always stay on the right side of the road. Our event will be held rain or shine. ANSI or SNELL approved bicycle helmets will be required for all participants.

We  will be providing  great snacks at the event start and all rest stops. In addition, we will be feeding all riders a lunch upon their completion of the event.

 

Check in and ride packet pick up begins at 6:30 am on event day

Start times to be staggered in ten minute intervals by group, beginning at 8:00 am

What can we say? It is not the easiest stretch of road we could have found, but it may be the most fun...

It's beautiful, it's safe. We will have lots of fun surprises along the way and several places to take a little break if you need it. There are some slight uphill grades. Some people tell us these uphill grades are not as slight as we think they are. You will have to work and if your bike does not have some gears, you will probably regret bringing that bike. With this said, this ride is so doable. We know that you can do it and have fun with it. Just prepare a little, eat right that morning (meaning a big smart sensible breakfast), drink tons of water for days before the ride, show up with a smile on your face, and keep it fun. If it is not fun, it's time to turn back toward the start area and the great Wild Oats food.

To add some color, we can share rider quotes and pictures from the prior years'  ride below. We are pleased to say that we have not received anything but kind words about the inaugural Hope on Wheels.

• Just wanted to shoot you a quick email to say the ride was fantastic!  Y'all did a great job coordinating everything.  This was one of the most organized, well-run ride events I've participated in and I'm already looking forward to next year.

• Congratulations on a job well done! I just wanted to thank you all for such a great day!! What a fantastic turnout of riders and volunteers!!  And what a great group of women that came up with the idea and worked so hard to make it happen :)   You all should be so proud of the success of today's event! 

• Hope .. the best thing we can give someone. Today gave a lot of women hope and a lot of women drive to accomplish something they've never done before!

• Great Job!! The route was tough, but your team was perfect!!

• I also have to add that it was exciting to see 450 women out there for an all-women's event.  There are events around here that don't register 450 people total.  It made for a different atmosphere out on the course since we had the chance to finish well at the event instead of just finishing well "for a girl".  :D

• Just let me say, "Thanks". :-)  By far, this was the most fun ride I've done.  I think the worse part was the change of pavement at around mile 38.   That kind of beat me up.  (that big hill at Swan Creek coming back was character building too!)  I really enjoyed getting to ride with some new friends. We finished in 6:51 total ride time! Those girls from Knoxville blew past us.  Wonder what they did it in?  They were pretty serious.

• Great job on such outstanding organization.  You all pulled together many different people and achieved something pretty special.  Excellent work!

• It was pretty cool to have so many women riding together.  When my friend and I started down Pinewood, these two random guys rode by going the other way and one said, "Look at all the women!"  We just burst out laughing!

• A note from a volunteer: Hey gang I just wanted to take a minute and say congratulations.  The job you guys did was absolutely exceptional.  I neither saw nor heard of anything that went wrong and did not hear of a single complaint among the riders or volunteers.  You should take pride in your efforts for pulling off such an fantastic ride and for benefitting such a worthy cause.  Thank you for letting me help a little, and you can count on me for next year.

• Thank you for providing the opportunity to have such a wonderful experience yesterday.  The time and effort that went into this ride and those that assisted you made for a very successful fundraiser event.  For a first time event, you surely must feel a sense of pride. I ended up riding 45 miles with a new friend.  My plan was to ride 25, but that just wasn't enough.  With weak thighs and a body covered with that which makes us glisten, I was truly surprised to see that I was a top fundraiser.  As you know, I had an awesome daughter supporting me all the way.  Even raised money for me and pushed me to train for this ride.  She completed her first century ride and has another one ahead in October.

• Congratulations to HOW100 volunteers for an absolutely faboulously-organized ride!  It was truly amazing--everyone was so nice, helpful, and the whole event was so gentle!  You have much to be proud of!!!! It was a magical day for everyone!