According to planning materials, contests are scheduled for five days in June and seven days in July and will be hosted by a number of communities in the region, including Stanton, Lexington, Irvine, Beattyville and Mount Sterling.
Clark County will host two events, a short road race on June 20 and a time trial on July 15.
The road race is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. in Stanton. About 300 cyclists along with an entourage of support vehicles will speed through downtown Winchester en route to the finish line in Mount Sterling.
In the time trial, riders will compete individually for the best time on a 13.7-mile stretch, which starts on Main Street and follows a route down French Avenue, Elizabeth Street and Muddy Creek Road.
Cantrell said the competition will last for several hours and included about 30 teams from North and South America and Europe. During the race, Main Street will be blocked off from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and other portions of road will be blocked from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Cantrell said marshals will be stationed at each intersection and along the course to escort residents who need to leave their homes. Residents will be notified ahead of time with door hangers or by mail, he said, and organizers will shut down the race to accommodate emergency vehicles.
When Cantrell made a similar presentation to the city commission last week, he said the time trial is expected to attract between 2,000 and 3,000 people. On Wednesday, he explained that visitors are encouraged to spend time in the communities that host events, helping boost tourism revenue.
"It's going to be a pretty extensive event," he said.
If all goes well, organizers are scheduled to host a much larger two-week event in 2010 - a junior world championship. Cantrell told city commissioners last week that it would involve cyclists from 100 countries.
Fifth District Magistrate Pam Blackburn said she had meet with a number local officials such as emergency services, utilities and funeral homes about the street and road closures.
"I think everybody was very open to it," she said.
Blackburn added that most residents will jobs will leave before the closures take effect and commuters have access to several routes off Muddy Creek Road to bypass the event.
Clark County Judge-Executive Henry Branham said the race are an example of adventure tourism, which he called a good way to invite others into the community.
"I think it will be something different - something we haven't had before," he said.
Contact Mike Wynn at mwynn@winchestersun.com.
