HANCOCK COUNTY — The sun was smiling down on the 20 or so riders who gathered outside the Hancock County courthouse annex for a group bike ride Wednesday evening.

Most were in training for the 6th annual Hancock Flat 50, which takes place Aug. 27, beginning and ending in downtown Greenfield.

The cross-county cycling event features 50-mile and 25-mile routes, both of which are open to cyclists of all skill levels.

“I think it’s a wonderful event. It’s a great way to see the county,” said Greenfield’s Dean Dixon, a Flat 50 steering team member and avid cyclist who helps organize the group training rides.

Race spokesperson Teri Gottschalk said registration for this year’s race is moving along at a record pace.

“We’re about 100 people over where we were at this point last year, and I’m getting anywhere from 8 to 15 registrations every day,” said Gottschalk, an education navigator for Healthy 365, the nonprofit which founded the Flat 50.

“Due to some internal reorganization … this event is now actually under the newly created Hancock Wellbeing umbrella,” said Gottschalk. “It is still very much a collaboration between Healthy 365 and the Hancock Wellbeing teams.”

The Flat 50 has nearly quadrupled in size since it was first held in 2016, when approximately 150 riders participated.

After being canceled in 2020 due to COVID, last year’s event drew 540 riders from all over the country, including 10 states and 50 different counties within Indiana. “We also had one rider from outside the U.S. who just happened to be in town,” said Gottschalk, who anticipates having 550 to 600 registrants this year.

A block of local hotel rooms reserved for Flat 50 participants has already been reserved, she said.

Through information in each race packet, race organizers encourage participants to check out local shops, restaurants, parks and other amenities during their time in Hancock County.

Since 2016, $41,000 in race proceeds have been donated to the Hancock County Trails Master Plan.

“This year, a portion of the proceeds will also go toward helping to fund the creation of a dedicated website for Hancock County Trails as well as to the Trails Master Plan for additional bike signage on the trails,” said Gottschalk.

A number of new features have been added to this year’s event, she said, including a new SAG stop, evening packet pickup hours, a one-mile fun ride for families, and a new Friday night community event — a kickoff to the popular post-race party on Saturday.

Gottschalk said the new Flat 50 Friday events @ the Bear and the after party are open to the community.

Friday night’s event will feature live music, a cornhole tournament, the Wild Boar food truck and cupcakes and a beer garden hosted by Wooden Bear Brewing Co., which will be launching a new beer that night.

Another downtown Greenfield business, Organic Robot, will be doing onsite screenprinting of Flat 50 merchandise available for purchase.

Saturday’s post-race event — held in the Living Alley and along North Street, just west of Ind. 9 — features food trucks from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as well as live music by Stella Luna and the Satellites in the Living Alley from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A Penny Lane photo booth, which churns out free photo strips, will be on hand both nights.

Race organizers hope to draw more families this year with a new mile-long option that takes riders on a loop that starts and ends at the intersection of Pennsylvania and North streets, encompassing Noble Street and the Pennsy Trail.

“We thought the one-mile ride would be a great opportunity to make it affordable for families to participate,” said Gottschalk, who said the cost for the one-mile ride is $10 per person or a maximum of $25 per family.

“It’s an easy route that might be nice for families who don’t feel comfortable riding the full Flat 50 with kids,” said Gottschalk, although she recalled one grandfather who towed his two grandchildren in a pull-behind cart the entire 50 miles last year.

Dixon said bicycling is a sport anyone can enjoy.

“I’ve seen videos of people with one arm and one leg riding a bike,” said Dixon, who has been an avid cyclist the past 10 years.

He’s made a number of new friends by participating in Flat 50 training rides, which he said are open to anyone, even those not registered for the race.

“If you want to come out and just stroll around the country and look at the animals and the trees, there’s people that will ride with you,” he said.

“For a lot of us it’s about getting outside and expending some energy. It’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors and see places,” said Dixon, 50, who led a group of riders Wednesday evening.

Dixon has participated in every Flat 50 since 2017. He got started long-distance biking 10 years ago, when he did a long-distance biking event in Shelbyville.

“Someone invited me so I did it so I did, and I was on an old Walmart bike and I loved it,” he said. “I’ve since graduated (up in bikes), and I’m on my fourth bike since then.”

Dixon encourages anyone who wants to tag along on a group ride to reach out through the Hancock Flat 50 Facebook page or to look for the Greenfield Cycling Club through the Strava app, a mobile app designed to connect cyclists and track rides.

Those who wish to participate in this year’s Flat 50 should register online at HancockFlat50.com.