The Rotary Club of Madison County has announced the cancellation of its annual Hot Doggett cycling event for 2020. The tour, which provides riders with their choice of a 100-mile, 100-kilometer, or 50-kilometer ride, has been held for the last fourteen years, has drawn hundreds of cyclists each year from across the country, and has raised about a quarter of a million dollars. Proceeds have supported a number of youth-based programs in our community as well as scholarships for Madison County students.

“With a cycling event of this size, we spend a lot of time trying to ensure safety on the roads. We do not want to be reckless with people’s health by inviting folks from other states to come into our community when we don’t know where this virus will be in July,” said Connie Molland, President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Madison County and past chair of the event. “The Hot Doggett makes up well over half of the Club’s annual budget which will make planning much harder for the upcoming fiscal year which begins July 1.” Reich Gardner, Chair of the Hot Doggett 100 added, “this decision was not an easy one to make. But when we looked at the safety of our participants, our volunteers, our host venue, and our community, we realized that we needed to postpone to next year,”. The fifteenth annual Hot Doggett will take place on Saturday, July 10, 2021.

Pre-registered riders were offered the option of donating their registration fee to the club, applying the fee towards next year’s event, or receiving a refund.