LEWISTON — The 2018 Dempsey Challenge on Sept. 29 and 30 will feature new bicycle race courses in celebration of its 10th anniversary.

All five rides start Sunday at Simard-Payne Memorial Park, the headquarters of the Dempsey Challenge. The “signature” 10-mile course sticks mostly to downtown Lewiston and Auburn. The new 25-mile route goes to Riverside Drive and turns onto Pownal Road back to the park.

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The 50-mile course goes to Lisbon, down to Freeport and back to Lewiston.

The new 65-mile Metric Century ride, which is replacing the 70-mile ride, goes toward Brunswick, to Freeport and along the coast for about 10 miles.

The 100-mile course offers a coastal trek all the way to Bailey’s Island via Harpswell Islands Road and back to Lewiston through Freeport and Auburn.

Danielle Campbell, Dempsey Center marketing manager, said: “We wanted to do something new and give our participants a different taste of Maine in the fall. The longer routes go down to the coast so participants can enjoy different scenery and a wider variety of Maine’s beauty.”

Campbell said they also wanted to be sure to offer coastal riding on the main routes because the two-day ride was eliminated.

To register for either the run/walk, ride, or run/walk and ride, visit www.dempseychallenge.org 

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