LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Tour de Lou is fewer than 50 days away. On Sunday, Feb. 25, the Kentucky Derby Festival, in partnership with PNC, held its first free training program of the season.

Scott Harrington has around 4,000 miles of biking under his belt and said the Tour de Lou is his favorite ride.

"This is actually my favorite bike ride because where else can you ride on a bicycle in the middle of Churchill Downs? I'm really looking forward to it this year," he said.

Harrington is a prostate cancer survivor, and he started biking to raise money for people who have and are battling the disease.

"My passion for advocacy, for raising awareness for prostate cancer, came through [cycling]," he said. "I'm just really hooked now with it." 

The weekly trainings help get the cyclists and their bikes in good shape. 

"What you want to do is you want to get out and make sure you got your bike ready and the 'ABCs': your air brakes and tire pressure and your crank, make sure that all your gear is up and running," Harrington said. 

Every Sunday, there will be trainings with the distance increasing as the six-week program progresses. The trainings will also come with some safety tips. 

"We'll go over general road safety tips and proper routing with cars because we're out there riding with cars, and there are certain precautions you need to take and things that we need to do to make sure that we remain safe," said Andy Murphy, chair of the Derby Festival Committee PNC Tour de Lou. 

The trainings are free, and cyclists of all skills are invited to learn more.

"It's a great event for the community, for all riders, regardless of your level," Harrington said. "I encourage everyone to get out and participate in the train ride so you can build up to the distance that you want to do for Tour de Lou."

The Tour de Lou will be held April 14, and it’s the 11th year for the event. This year's route features 20-mile, 35-mile and 62-mile courses that all start and end at NuLu Marketplace on Main Street.