Challenge of the Centuries

Challenge of the Centuries Bike Ride Postponed Until September 5, 2020

The Hartwell Kiwanis Club sincerely regrets that we must postpone our 30th Annual Challenge of the Centuries Bike Ride until September 5, 2020. The complications of the COVID-19 situation makes the next few months very unpredictable and we believe the prudent approach is to postpone. 

The Hartwell Kiwanis Club is a volunteer organization with the emphasis on helping children in our community. We support the local YMCA, providing scholarship money for children who cannot afford the fees. We co-sponsor the Dolly Parton Imagination Library providing a book a month to over 1500 local children age birth to 5. We support our local Boy Scout troop and they work with us on the SAG stops providing food, beverage and manpower for our rides. We participate in the Reading is Fundamental program in our local elementary schools and we provide scholarships to our graduating seniors to various colleges and technical colleges. 

We are very active in all aspects of the Hart County Charter System . This event is critical to the success of our club and is our major fundraiser.

If you have already registered your options are:

1. Simply apply your registration to the new date September 5, 2020. 
2. You may request that your registration be applied to next year's on May 29, 2021.
3. You may request a refund or donate your registration fee to the event.

As in the past, the YMCA will be available for overnight stay in the gym or camping on the grounds on Friday September 4th. A new feature, an after ride celebration will be held at the Southern Hart Brewing Company located on the square in Hartwell. Food, water and soft drinks will be provided free of charge. Beer and wine will be available for and additional charge. 

We appreciate your understanding.  Stay safe!

The 30th Annual Challenge of the Centuries Bike Ride will be held on May 23, 2020 in Hartwell, GA. The ride is always held on the weekend before Memorial Day.
For the first time ever we are doing just the Saturday ride, a preference indicated by our participants. A number of exciting enhancements have been added to make the event a lot of fun.
The rides are: Smith-McGee Sojourn-37miles, Ruckersville Ramble-100 Kilometers, and the Calhoun Falls Century-100 miles. The rides will start and finish in historic downtown Hartwell on Depot Street. After the rides there will be a celebration in the Southern Hart Brewery event room on the square. The ride fee includes food and soft drinks at the celebration. Beer and wine are extra.
All three rides will go over the beautiful Hartwell Dam. It provides a spectacular view and has been a favorite of our riders all these years.
As usual the Bell Family YMCA (281 Opal Ext, Hartwell, GA 30643) will be available from Friday May 22 at 5:00PM until Saturday May 23 at 6:00PM for overnight camping on the soccer field as well as in the gym. Showers and restroom facilities are available there as usual. There will be two pickle ball courts available in the gym.
The ride staging area and on-site registration will be at a new location. The location is in the parking lot behind  the First United Methodist Church (200 E. Howell Street, Hartwell, GA 30643). The parking lot is approximately 300 yards from the start and finish lines on Depot Street.
The Bell Family YMCA is located .7 miles south of the Methodist Church staging area.
The ride fee is $40 until December 1 when it will increase to $45. There will be incremental increases after that. Only those who pre-register before May 2 will be guaranteed a ride tee shirt. The fee also includes food and soft drinks at the post-ride celebration. Those who have family and friends who are not riding but want to attend the celebration may purchase an identifying wristband for $10 which will entitle them to food and soft drinks.
 The Challenge of the Centuries ride has been the major fund raiser for the Hartwell Kiwanis Club for 30 years. Hartwell Kiwanis’s major emphasis is assisting the youth of our Community.