E-Rock’s course will be safer than ever this year.
Safety has always been a priority for the Subaru Elephant Rock
Cycling Festival June 4-6 in parts of Douglas and northern El Paso
counties. The unofficial start to the cycling season, this year’s
E-Rock courses are without a single stretch of road construction
like it’s been forced to contend with for several past events.
The festival kicks off the night of June 4 with the Go Fast!
24-Hours of E-Rock races at Greenland Open Space in unincorporated
Douglas County, south of Castle Rock. With 100 more riders already
registered for the event, which starts 6:30 p.m. that Friday and
ends June 5 at the same time, than last year.
Festival rides are broken down into five courses; a 100- and
62-mile course which starts at 8 a.m. June 6 from the Douglas
County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock. The 34-, 25-, and 7-mile courses
start at 9:30 a.m. the same day. The 25-mile course is mapped out
for off-road, fat-tire riders, while the 7-mile map is intended for
families with small children.
This year, there is a strong push from event organizers to make
sure participants register online, as E-Rock attempts to become
more environmentally conscious this season. With this in mind, the
event has partnered up with ZeroHero, one of the premier “green”
event management companies in the country.
Riders can expect a change in some systems, including the
bib-number system, where E-Rock organizers examined where the most
paper waste was accumulating in recent years and minimize it. The
idea is to reduce the size of the footprint the festival leaves on
the environment.
With the change, the former bib-number system has been replaced
by a system of wrist bands, bike decals or helmet decals. ZeroHero
handles the waste composting for the event, its vendors and the
Party at the Rock, also June 5 at the fairgrounds.
Rest and aide stations and sag wagons will be available, along
with law enforcement personnel from Colorado State Patrol, Douglas
County Sheriff’s Office and Castle Rock Police Department and a sea
of volunteers, to ensure the safety and support of each course and
its riders.
Camping is available for both tent and RV at the Douglas County
Fairgrounds for the Saturday night prior to the festival. A fee is
involved.
For more information and registration, visit the Elephant Rock
Cycling Festival’s Web site at www.elephantrockride.com. A
link for more information on the 24-Hours of E-Rock adventure race
is available at the bottom of the festival’s homepage.
