Bike Club
We have a fledgling bike club in Henry County that welcomes riders of all abilities. We meet every Thursday night at 6PM near the Baker Park Aquatic Center in New Castle (see map). As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder we will probably have to suspend our Thursday night ride and move the weekend. For current status, please email spykest@gmail.com or call 765.345.7951
Suggested Road Courses
Each year we have a bicycling event, operating out of Westwood Park, with rides of 6, 30, and 62 miles (100 km). This event was formerly known as the Stride & Ride. In 2009 we changed the name to "Raintree Ride" emphasising that proceeds would go toward the development of Raintree Trails, a recreational linear system of trails and greenways in Henry County. We also marked out new, carefully measured routes, trying to utilize some of the smoother* and more scenic roads in Henry County. We offer the routes here as suggestions.
*Note we said "smoother," not "smooth." Portions of these routes are quite rough and extreme care is required.
Brief Course Descriptions:
- 6 mile: view map Print Directions PDF 36kB
- Exit Westwood Park. Make a loop around Mt. Lawn Speedway and return to park.
- 30 mile: view map Print Directions PDF 52kB
- Exit Westwood Park. Pass Mt. Lawn Speedway. Continue south to Knightstown past Hoosier Gym. On to Dunreith, through Spiceland past Hoover Hall, and back to the park.
- 100 kilometer (62.2 mile): view map Print Directions PDF 56kB
- (New 2010) Riders start with the 6 and 30 mile routes making a loop around Mt. Lawn Speedway, but then return to 100S continuing west to Grant City Rd and working their way south and west to US 40, then east to Knightstown and Hoosier Gym. They then continue east on US 40 through Dunreith, Lewisville, and Straughn, then north through New Lisbon, east to Spiceland and Hoover Hall, then back to the park.
- 2009 100 kilometer Route(62.2 mile): view map Print Directions PDF 56kB
- First 22 miles follow the 30-mile route (see above). From Dunreith the route continues east on US 40 through Lewisville and Straughn, then north through New Lisbon and Millville to Wilbur Wright Birthplace. To get a full 100 kilometers you'll need to go about a mile beyond the museum, turn around and retrace your route south, then west and back to the park.
MTB Courses
Westwood Park has one of the most scenic and most challenging MTB trails in the state. It is 10 miles long, has plenty of hills, and travel is in one direction only. Definitely not for the faint of heart!