WORCESTER, Mass. – The 19^th annual George Street Bike Challenge is set for Sunday in Worcester.

The contest is open to riders 12-years-old and up. It consists of riders taking on the 500 foot-long course up the George Street hill, which has an average grade of 18%.

Proceeds from the challenge benefit the Major Taylor Association. Association president Lynne Tolman said the history for the event runs deep.

“This is unique to Worcester, it’s definitely an ‘only in Worcester’ kind of thing,” Tolman said. “The reason we do the race on George Street is that Major Taylor himself, the 1899 world champion cyclist known as the ‘Worcester Whirlwind,’ trained here.”

On-site registration opens Sunday at 8:30 a.m., with the race set to start at 10 a.m.