With cycling and staycations popular, a weekend of sunny outdoor cycling and family fun during the region's largest cycling festival and expo is just around the corner in early June. The 22 nd Annual Subaru Elephant Rock Cycling Festival offers a 7-mile family course, 34, 62, 100-mile road rides, a 25-mile off-road course and a 24-hour race. There are options for everyone at the first major cycling festival of the season at the Douglas County Fairground in Castle Rock.

Subaru Elephant Rock participants are encouraged to register early this year before the 7,000-rider limit is met. "Registrations are up 200 percent compared to this time last year," saidevent director Scot Harris, the Denver-based creator of the first Elephant Rock Century in 1987 . "We continue to see significant registration increases earlier each year," he noted. "Last year at this time we were up 55 percent from 2007. Cycling has been a bright spot in our economy and continues to grow in many areas, especially as a staycation option for active singles and families."

New course information and safety reminders. "We were honored by the overwhelming response to our 2008-post event online survey and have made a number of course updates. Our event has had an excellent safety record over the years and with our dedicated volunteer corps, we're off to another great year. There are updates to course lengths, positions of aid stations, and we have capped our census of riders in the different course options," explained Harris. "For those who want to challenge themselves with different distances, we also recommend riding a second loop of a shorter course, such as the 32-mile distance. Keep in mind that there are time limits with aid station support," he added.

For the 2009 ride, the course caps will be as follows:

· 62 & 100 mile road course ---- 4,500 riders (main course)

· 34 mile road course ------------ 1,500 riders (main course)

· 25 mile fat-tire course ---------- 1,500 riders (off-road location)

· 7 mile family course --------- 500 riders (near the Douglas County Fairgrounds)

The mail-in registration deadline is May 20; avoid late registration fees by signing up before June 3. The late deadline for registration is June 6 (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 for the Elephant Rock website. (Ride events and pricing are listed at the end of this announcement.)

The Subaru Elephant Rock Cycling Festival originally 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, June 5, 6:30 p.m. and Elephant Rock Cycling Festival at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, the event's basecamp, on June 7 this year. In addition to six riding event options starting 5:30 a.m. Sunday, June 1, there is a one-day cycling exhibition the Douglas County Fairgrounds. Participants are able to camp there Saturday, June 6 or stay at nearby accommodations in Castle Rock.

"There are more than 1.5 million active bicyclists in Colorado (plus more than 699,000 bicycling tourists boosting our economy). There is growth in cycle sport in all age groups. Our long-distance rides are so popular now that they are often the first to fill up in registration with people participating as pledge challenge riders for non-profit groups or simply challenging themselves to better health and fitness. We are also fortunate to have widespread public support for new bike safety initiatives (such as the newly passed Colorado Bike Safety Bill) and bike-friendly communities," Harris said.

This year's courses and support include:

· Century- 100-Mile Road Course $55 for adults, $25 for children 14 to 18 AGE MINIMUM The Century course travels the same roads as the 62-mile course with the addition of a 38-mile loop through the Black Forest. Known for its beauty and continuous rolling hills, this section offers a challenge for the strongest of cyclists.

· Metric Century- 62-Mile Road Course $55 for adults, $25 for children 14 to 18 AGE MINIMUM. This course traverses the high plains between Denver and Colorado Springs. On a clear day, cyclists will enjoy views of the Front Range from Pikes Peak to Longs Peak.

· One-Third Century- 34-Mile Road Course $40 for adults, $25 for children 14 and under. This abbreviated course tours through famous Front Range horse country. The terrain includes gentle rolling hills. For those who are challenging themselves to longer distance rides, this course is good for a second lap if riders are feeling strong on the festival day. IMPORTANT: Aid station support will be time-limited; check on final times.

· Fat Tire (Mountain Bike) 25-Mile Canyon Course $40 for adults, $25 for children 14 and under. Back by popular demand, the 25-mile course will return to canyon lands east of Castle Rock. This course uses about 60 percent unpaved roads.

· Fourth Annual GoFast 24 Hours of ERock presented by Optic Nerve. The Go Fast! 24 Hours of ERock is Colorado's only Front Range 24-hour mountain bike solo and team relay race. Offering recreational and competitive cyclists the opportunity to experience the thrill of competing in a challenging endurance race on a less technical off-road course. It all takes place at Douglas County's beautiful Greenland Open Space, just down the road from the Palmer Divide (14 miles south of Castle Rock on I-25-exit 167). Rated easy to moderate; 500 feet of elevation gain on upper loop. It is approximately 8.25-mile loop with stunning views of Pikes Peak and the Rampart Range. Beginning elevation is 6,908 feet with a high point of 7,450 feet. The surface has crusher fines and natural surface; it is a wide trail that is neither single track nor double track but includes some fire road.

· Seven-Mile Family Course $40 for adults, $25 for children 14 and under. The 2009 Subaru Elephant Rock Family Course is perfect for beginners and families with beginner cycling experience. The family course includes couple of rolling hills, with a couple of extended climbs. It features interesting terrain and awesome vistas of the Rockies.

· Rest - Aid - Fun Stations. Fresh fruit, water and energy-replacing snacks will be available at each the rest stops positioned every 8 to 15 miles throughout each of the courses.

· Sag Wagons. Sag wagons will rove each of the courses with water and road assistance to help riders experiencing mechanical trouble or those who become too fatigued to finish. Please be prepared to handle your own flats and minor repairs. The Colorado State Patrol, The Douglas County Sheriff's Department, the El Paso County Sheriff's Department, and the Castle Rock Police Department will be on hand to help riders with a safe and enjoyable experience.

For more information about the Subaru Elephant Rock Ride, visit www.elephantrockride.com or call Rocky Mountain Events offices at 303.282.9020. The 2009 Subaru Elephant Rock Ride is also sponsored by BikeSource, Giant, REI, CLIF, JDS Sport Coaching, Fuze Healthy Infusions, Hammer Nutrition Products, Steamworks Brewing Company, KBCO 97.3FM, Rocky Mountain Sports Magazine, CU Sports Medicine, Rack Attack, ColoBikeLaw.com, SkirtSports, Save Our Soles, Rudy Project, Ergon Bike Ergonomics, ShaverSport and Bicycle Colorado. The GoFast 24 Hours of ERock Mountain Bike Race presented by Optic Nerve on June 5 is also sponsored by Bike Source, REI, Wahoo's Fish Taco, NiteRider, SteamWorks, PrincetonTech, Van Dessel, FRS Nutrition, Save Our Soles (SOS), ShaverSport, Douglas County, Colo., Rocky Mountain Sports Magazine, Channel 93.3FM, and KBCO 97.3FM.

Non-profit beneficiaries who received more than $70,000 from the 2008 event are Team Rise and Team CNI (the Colorado Neurological Institute Center for Brain & Spinal Tumors ); 26 Douglas County non-profits received $28,000. In 2009, Team Transplant from the local chapter of the American Transplant Foundation becomes the third pledge team to join ERock's fundraising efforts . ERock is grateful to the 27 local Douglas County non-profits who will again lend their assistance as event volunteers at aid stations and the base operations. For more information on the beneficiaries of the 2009 Subaru Elephant Rock Cycling Festival, visit www.elephantrockride.com/bene.html.