Dr. Gerry Ann Houston lives in Ridgeland, but she expects to be in Greenwood on the weekend of Aug. 1.
That’s when the community will open its arms to visiting cyclists who will be in town for Bikes, Blues & Bayous on the occasion of its 19th annual group ride.
Houston is planning to be among those pedaling en masse out of downtown Greenwood and into the countryside and then wheeling back into the city.
The bike ride is familiar to Houston. “I have been to all of them,” she said. “I am one of the few that have made every ride, and I am signed up for this one.”
She remembers the first BBB in August 2008, which was organized by the Money Road Cycling Club to benefit Main Street Greenwood. One of its members, Richard Beattie, took a leading role in organizing the inaugural event and has continued in that role every year since.
“Richard does a great job getting people coming, and they still do,” she said.
“I had a bike ride that Baptist Hospital sponsored for 20 years, but it could never be what Richard’s ride was,” she explained. “He knows everything about pulling in the whole community to volunteer.”
Although her husband, former Greenwoodian Dr. Abe Malouf, doesn’t ride bicycles, both are looking forward to the weekend in Greenwood. Much that draws them to return comes from volunteers and others providing a welcoming form of hospitality.
Houston makes sure that she and her husband always have reservations for the Bikes, Blues & Bayous weekend, so she makes them at The Alluvian for two or three years in advance.
The ride started off with a little more than 200 entries from 2008-2010, and that number grew to more than 440 in 2012 followed by 700-plus in 2013. In the event’s third or fourth year, Beattie asked the Greenwood-Leflore County of Chamber of Commerce to serve as Bikes, Blues & Bayous official organizer because of its wider access to sponsors and volunteers.
In 2017, the number of participating riders peaked at 1,100. In 2025, however, 533 were registered. Beattie said this year’s event will draw about 400.
This has not curbed the community’s enthusiasm for the event — particularly because it brings in visitors. So far, the 2026 BBB has 50 sponsors who are contributing either cash or in-kind services, Beattie said.
Usually, just over 70% of the riders are 55 or older. Almost 100% of those registered for the 2026 ride are from out of town, and half of these are from out of state. This year, riders are coming from Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Tennessee as well as other parts of Mississippi.
“We always get one or two people from California,” Beattie said.
Their economic impact includes that of the companions who arrive with the riders. He’s estimating that the projected 400 riders will bring almost 300 people with them.That would mean that approximately 700 out-of-towners will be visiting Greenwood on the weekend of Aug. 1.
They will be “appreciated by the whole town,” he observed. And many of them of have experienced the hospitable atmosphere from having previously ridden in Greenwood’s event.
D.I. Smith of Ridgeland will be among those who will be enthusiastically returning. He joined the comeback crowd after his first Bikes, Blues & Bayous in 2014 and has been a regular ever since.
He was raised in Sidon and is a graduate of Leflore County High School, so the ride takes him back to a countryside that is familiar, although year’s riders will travel north on Money Road and not to Sidon or Itta Bena. “I am excited to ride through some of the modified route,” he said.
Smith is 79. “I am an avid bicyclist. I ride 100 to 200 miles a week, and I have already gone over 4,000 miles this year — by June 30.”
He said, however, that ride itself is only part of the experience in Greenwood.
“It’s not the ride. It is the hottest ride of the year for most people who do it,” Smith explained. He loves the gatherings, such as those at the rest stops where there is the chance to meet and greet volunteers.
This year, these will be in Money, at a new location north of Money called the Log Cabin and at the Methodist church in Minter City. These will have live blues music and a party-like appeal.
“Sometimes we think we have so many problems,” he observed, while saying that the rest stops are hosted by people who project a different image. “It is just the unbelievable pride in the area and the unbelievable hospitality,” he said.
And there are a variety of folks providing the hospitality. “Last year, the girls’ soccer team from Valley was at the Money rest stop,” he said.
He participates in bicycle rides in other parts of the country and still considers Greenwood’s event as among the better — or maybe the best.
“Greenwood has shown the world how to put on a world-class bike ride,” Smith said.
Newcomers of all ages are welcome. Beattie said: “This year, our oldest rider is 82, and we’ve got a 9-year-old.”
“If you are a new participant, you will be in for a pleasant surprise because we roll out the red carpet for our visitors here in Greenwood,” said Beth Stevens, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce. “Hospitality is what we are best known for, and that will be evident from the time you roll into town until the time you leave.
“If you are a returning participant, you can expect the same level of hospitality, safety and attention to detail as we have always provided, which is our top priority.”
“I cannot say enough good things about our rest stops at Money and Minter City and all of the volunteers who spend hours pouring their heart and soul into making them a memorable experience.”
When Houston talked about what draws her each year to Bikes, Blues & Bayous, she said the hospitality while en route tops her list.
When wheeling along on the long, hot ride, she can anticipate the rest stops, and she particularly enjoys the stop in Minter City. This is well known because of the people there and refreshments that are offered. These have made a big impression.
“One year, I got all the recipes, and I had a Minter City Rest Stop party at my house!” Houston said.
The new route has four rides: 66 miles, 46 miles, 20 miles and 10 miles. It will begin at 7 a.m. Aug. 1 on Main Street and end at noon on Front Street.
There will be limited access to motor vehicle traffic on Money Road from 7 a.m.-noon.
“We are so appreciative of our local law enforcement, including the Greenwood Police Department, the Leflore County Sheriff’s Department and the Mississippi Highway Patrol along with our local EMTs for being out on the course and making sure it is as safe as possible,” Stevens said.
“We want to make sure the general public is aware that this bike ride is taking place, and then we ask everyone to slow down and pay attention to cyclists on that day.”
Online registration is still taking place but will close at 10 a.m. July 31. However, in-person registration will be available during packet pickup from 3-7 p.m. July 31 at the Carl Center, 102 W. Washington St. Packet pickup only will be available at the Carl Center at 6 a.m. on the day of the ride.
For more information, on Bikes, Blues & Bayous, check social media or access https://bikesbluesbayous.raceroster.com.
Additionally, a sidewalk sale and block party downtown on July 31 is being organized. This will include food trucks and live music.
- Contact Susan Montgomery at 662-453-5312 or smontgomery@gwcommonwealth.com.
