About those Mad Dogs

• We are a loosely organized group of riders with a common interest in endurance cycling.
• We are members of the Louisville Bicycle Club in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
• We participate in 100+ mile bicycle rides year around.
• We get along well with others, make friends easy and don't bite.
• We always welcome and encourage new riders who join us.

Short history of the Mad Dogs

The First (Big) Mad Dog ride
The first, and last, "Big Dog" ride was on Saturday, January 13, 2001. The schedule read:
8:00 am, 100 mi. #3, Eddie's Big Dog January Century, Boston Store, Boston KY. Enjoy an unexpected break from the winter blahs with a leisurely century over a portion of the famous WACKY route. No drop policy will be strictly enforced on this ride. RC: Eddie Doerr and Michael Pitt.

2nd Mad Dog ride
The first time a Mad Dog ride was mentioned on the KyCyclist was Wednesday, Jan 31, 2001 when the following ride was announced.
Sunday, February 11, 2001 8:00 am, 100 miles # 3. Eddie's Mad Dog February Century #2. Boston Store, Boston, KY. Join us for a leisurely century over one of our favorite routes - part of the famous WACKY tour route from Boston to Munfordville and back. This is the second in Eddie Doerr's 2001 Mad Dog Century series. We'll ride in any temperature. Only ice or snow will cancel the ride. No drop policy. RC: Eddie Doerr and Michael Pitt.

Mad Dog McDoerr Century #3
Saturday, March 17, St. Patrick's Day, 2001, was the first time riders were lured with a reward of free chocolate. The schedule read:
8:30 am, 30/60/100 mi. #3. E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park. RCs: Eddie Doerr and Mike Pitt. These ride captains have a no-drop policy on the century, and free chocolate will be dispensed!

Mad Dog Century #4
Sunday, April 8, 2001, 9:00 am, 30/60/100 mi. #3/4. Iroquois Park. - dogs chasing Rooster Run. RC: Mike Pitt.

The Mad Dog concept didn't immediately catch on, there were a couple of other centuries that April, and throughout the year, that were not labeled Mad Dog centuries.

5th Mad Dog ride
Saturday, May 19, 2001, 7:30 am, 105 mi. #3. Mad Dog Mammoth Cave Overnight Century. Floyd’s Fork Park (park behind Hatmakers Convenience Store on KY 155 and Pope Lick Road.) New route, lunch at Stewart's in Hodgenville. No drop policy enforced. RC: Michael Pitt.

6th Mad Dog ride
Saturday, June 9, 2001, 8:30 am, 27/63/100 mi. #3. Green River Century. Gosser Fine Arts Center, Campbellsville University. Special Campbellsville edition of the Mad Dog Century series. New route on picturesque country roads in and around Green River Reservoir (laid out by Jim Moore in Campbellsville). RC: Michael Pitt.

The past is history
By late 2001 most of those participating had chosen, or had been given, monikers such as Waldo, Pan the Goat, Lemon Boy, UltraMadDog, Mrs. Mad Dog, Choo Choo, Curly, Grizzly, Daisy, Horse, Mule, Rossini, Gnarly Bones, Stealth, Gizmo, Art Dog, etc. etc. etc. The Mad Dog theme had finally stuck and the centuries continued throughout the next two years.

Dawn of a new era
On December 20, 2003 the rules for 2004 Tour de Mad Dog Challenge had been written and were presented by the LBC VP Touring, Tim Chilton. A 6-mile Prologue on Sunday, March 7th, 2004 kicked it all off, followed up on Saturday, March 27th with the first of the 20 stage centuries.
     The 2004 Mad Dog challenge was an overwhelmingly successful, with 59 people participating in the centuries. Medals were awarded to each of the first place finishers after each stage.
     The course that started off The Tour, the "Dishonest Abe Mad Dog Century", was also the final course for Stage 20 on Sunday, October 31st.
     22 people successfully completed The 2004Tour de Mad Dog Challenge. The TDMD launched a new era for the Mad Dogs, measuring both sportsmanship and a bit of luck.

Louisville Bicycle Club

One of the oldest bicycling clubs in the United States has roots that date to the late 1890s. The Louisville Bicycle Club, known from the 1957 until 1996 as "The Louisville Wheelmen", has been one of the most active and progressive clubs in the midwest. The Mad Dogs are members of the LBC and abide by the rules of the organization.

Mad Dog merchandise

To keep you in the chase, we are pleased to offer a few items that will surely satisfy your Mad Dog itch. Each item is hand-crafted & fully guaranteed. Purchase genuine Mad Dog merchandise quickly and securely online.

The Original Mad Dog Jersey

We've re-released the original artwork that was created for the first Mad Dog Jersey in 2002.

You can download the artwork, add your Mad Dog moniker at the bottom, and order your very own Mad Dog Jersey from Voler.

Legal permission is granted to everyone to use this artwork as long as the artwork and copyright credit remains unaltered and intact, with the exception of the "Your Mad Dog Name Here" at the bottom, which you have permission to alter - absolutely FREE.

The artwork (42 MB) is formatted for Voler 'semi-custom' jerseys (10 x 16" @ 150 dpi). Their semi-custom jersey prices range from $40 - $70, plus tax and shipping. Clilck on 'Start Designing Online'.

For those of you who find this all too complicated, I'm willing to do the work for you for a small fee if you contact me.

Rules

An early version of the TDMD Rules in PDF is here.

Contact

E-mail the night watchman for this site   jp@jpaul.us