Motorcycle Cannonball coming through Cape Girardeau

The Motorcycle Cannonball will return to downtown Cape Girardeau next week.

The Motorcycle Cannonball is a cross-country challenge for riders with motorcycles that were manufactured in 1933 or earlier, and "is the most difficult antique endurance run in the world," according to the event's website. Riders will start Thursday, Sept. 7, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and end Sunday, Sept. 24, in Oceanside, California.

The public is invited to meet the riders and view the motorcycles from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, at the John Boardman Pavilion on South Main Street. This will be the fifth stage stop of the 16 stops along the Motorcycle Cannonball.

This year's event will see close to 100 riders traversing the back roads of the United States, covering 3,800 miles over 17 days. Riders will navigate the Motorcycle Cannonball course with the assistance of paper maps (no GPS routing allowed), according to a news release.

Find more information at www.motorcyclecannonball.com, on Facebook @motorcyclecannonball, on Instagram @mc_cannonball and YouTube @motorcyclecannonball.