Subaru Elephant Rock Cycling Festival now 21 years old

Thousands Are “Legal to Ride” at the start of the 2008 Cycling Season in Colorado

May 30 to June 1 in Castle Rock

REGISTRATION is now more than half full; May 14 is mail-in deadline; May
28 is regular deadline

Where can you find an 8-mile family course, 32, 50, 65, 100-mile road rides, a 25-mile off-road course and a 24-hour ride during a weekend? The annual pilgrimage to Castle Rock, Colo.,marks the first major cycling festival of the season for participants from
near and far.

Subaru Elephant Rock participants are encouraged to register early this year before the 7,000-rider limit is met. “Registrations are up 55 percent over this time last year,” said event director Scot Harris, the Denver-based creator of the first Elephant Rock Century in 1987.

The mail-in registration deadline is May 14; avoid late registration fees by signing up before May 28. The late deadline for registration is May 31 (there is an extra fee for late registrations) onsite at 6 p.m. before the event; there is a list of retailers who will accept late registration
before noon that day. The event’s website, www.elephantrockride.com includes registration information, retail locations for registration and event info packet pickup, training advice and schedules, and the opportunity to win cycling gear by submitting a profile about your cycling
history. (Ride events and pricing are listed at the end of this announcement.)

The event began as a one-day long-distance road ride and has expanded into a full weekend of events, beginning with the GoFast 24 Hours of ERock mountain biking race starting Friday, May 30 6:30 p.m. and the on June 1 this year. In addition to six riding event options starting 5:30 a.m.

Sunday, June 1, there is a party cycling exhibition the Douglas County Fairgrounds, the event’s basecamp. Participants are able to camp there Saturday, May 31 or stay at nearby accommodations in Castle Rock.

“We’re happy to say that we’re not only “of legal age,” but celebrating a new season of road riding after Governor Ritter signed the Share the Road license plate bill (Senate Bill 67- Brophy, Carroll) into law June 3 at last year’s event,” said Harris.

When the bill was signed into law, it created a Share the Road license plate (3,000 were initially approved for circulation) that generated funds to promote bicycle safety on Colorado’s roads. In addition, this law enabled cycling events like the Subaru Elephant Rock Cycling Festival to continue with a large census of riders – and maintain the 7,000-rider count.

“With 1.5 million active bicyclists in Colorado (plus more than 699,000 bicycling tourists boosting our economy), we are not only contributing to our outdoor recreation economy, but inspiring a strong cycling culture that ranges from a sunny afternoon on the trail to serious competitions,” explained Harris. “Hundreds of thousands of Colorado cyclists are advocates for trail development, bike routes, bike commuting resources, healthy recreation with their family and friends, and supporting the excitement behind world events like the Tour de France and the local teams like Chipotle/Slipstream who are training for those events.”

For more information about the Subaru Elephant Rock Ride, visit
www.elephantrockride.com