2008 Subaru Elephant Rocky Cycling Festival

Rider Profiles
Who is riding this year? Share your years of cycling fun with us…submit your picture and profile here! Participants can win gear …submit your picture and profile here!
Alison Torvik Lincolnshire, IL Don’t try to pigeonhole this Denverite! A newbie to this year’s Subaru Elephant Rock, biking hobbyist Alison Torvik will be riding her “sweet Specialized Ruby Comp.” This is bike number 5 for her. Cycling icon? Who needs um! Pre-ride she reaches for Kashi 7 Grain Pilaf with dried cherries. Best ride of her life? Her first (only, so far) century. America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride in Lake Tahoe with Team in Training. Words of wisdom? It's all about not quitting. Stop or coast, but get out and have fun!
Pat Smith Email: pat@ontargetpr.net Age: 45 Hometown: Zion Illinois and Denver Address: 2551 Cherry Street City: Denver State: CO Zip: 80207 Profile: I got my first road bike on my honeymoon and finally replaced it 20 years later - that Biopace crank was state of the art; now my knees are happy with a triple! The kid-sized fat tire bike I learned on was twice my weight; after begging for a three- speed my Dad bought me a Columbia and my German grandfather added a St. Christopher bell to the handlebar. My first 50-miler was up and over McClure Pass to the north rim of the Black Canyon during cherry- picking season near Paonia. I have a fun bike collection ranging from Frank the Tank (he comes out for the Moonlight Classic on Team Stego-Sore-A**) to sleek Opal the Orbea. Buy the best seat and bike shorts you can afford and be sure the bike fits you. New or used, get the right one for you! The better you feel, the more you'll ride...and that's a happy place to be, especially in Colorado.
Jil Inghram Highlands Ranch Baby boomer from Highlands Ranch Jil has ridden the Elephant Rock at least 5 times! For Jil biking is a lifestyle. This year look for her with husband Ken on a Co-Motion tandem bike. This is one of many bikes she’s owned in her lifetime. If she could meet any cycling icon it would be Lance Armstrong because “He's such an inspiration and incredible athlete.” Carb it up baby! Pasta, salad and bread the night before the big ride and pancakes with strawberries the day of. Best ride of my life? Probably last year's ERock. Rode the Century for the first time and it felt great! Dream biking vacation- sprechen Sie Deutsch? Germany - along the Rhine, Mosel and Nahe Rivers from Frankfurt to Trier and back. Words of wisdom? Never underestimate your little brother! After I was treated for a brain tumor by the CNI team and seeing the wonderful organization they are, Scot allocated 100 rider vouchers to help CNI in their fundraising efforts. Please check out the CNI link and consider riding for the CNI team. Scot, I think you are awesome!
Greg Dobbs Every time I’ve ridden the Elephant Rock, it’s made enduring memories. But none is more memorable than my Elephant Rock ride in 2001. Why? Because I had a heart attack! On previous rides I thought the burning sensation in my chest was heartburn or acid reflux… So I kept riding. Riding with a friend in the Elephant Rock, I had a similar sensation but stronger. So not long before the first official rest stop, I stopped. I told my friend what I was feeling, but being as ignorant as I am, he didn’t recognize the signs of a heart attack any more than I did. After resting 10 or 15 minutes, we resumed…. and finished the ride. At home that night I told my wife (who was smarter than my friend and I were), and made it to the doctor on time…for a fourth attack right there in his examining room. I barely had time to clutch my chest before he had me in an ambulance and sooner after in surgery. My cardiologist said my heart muscle was strong because of the time I spend on bikes…strong enough to withstand the blood stoppages that blocked arteries were causing. The blockages are a hereditary propensity to develop plaque; both my father and his father had bad hearts. What kept me going was biking. That’s why I ride my bike more than ever--including a couple of ERock rides since my open heart surgery in 2001. I don’t worry that it’s going to stress the heart; I’m confident that it’s going to keep it strong! I’m 61 and ride at the front of a pack these days to keep my legs and lungs strong for rides in Colorado like the Elephant Rock!
Luanne and Marc Williams Hometown: Arvada Marc & I bought our first Univega tandem 12 years ago- and rode elephant rock for the first time three years ago to raise funds for Colorado Neurological Institute. The first year we rode the 65 and then changed to a Cannondale tandem to tackle the 100 mile course (no small feat on a tandem!) Our favorite memory has to be reaching the crest of the last hill on the century ride, a great feeling of accomplishment. On behalf of the CNI patients: I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the riders and donors who support Team CNI as we raise funds to support the CNI Center for Brain and Spinal Tumors. AND a special thank you to Scott and Jil for making this event possible.
Bob Shaver ShaverSport The Subaru Elephant Rock is my favorite Front Range event and certainly is one of my all time favorite rides. My first Elephant Rock was back in 1990 and have only missed a couple since then. My all time favorite memory of the Elephant Rock was last year, when I had the chance to ride with Gov. Bill Ritter…SO Cool!! Word of advise for those new to the Rock. Eat some good carbs the night before and don’t fill up too much in the morning. My favorite ride meal is the night before is a plate of pasta and red wine, and in the morning is oatmeal, a croissant, and a cup of coffee. Hope to see you out there!
Rebecca Heaton Hometown: Hanover, NH My first road bike was a 10-speed Fuji that my mom bought me in 10th grade after I begged and begged and begged. I would go on rides around NH always planning around a stop at the local ice cream spot: I LOVED those vanilla/chocolate swirl cones. My first century ride was Elephant Rock three years ago, and I've been hooked since on long-distance road rides and tours. I love Elephant Rock because it's a celebration of cycling!
Scott Olmsted Event Manager Twenty-One years now, I have been riding bikes! I can remember my first bike, a red Huffy! At the age of 6, I was free. Free to roam the neighborhood, free to ride to school, most importantly, free to just ride and explore. I can’t believe that Twenty-One years has gone by! It almost feels that I have been graduated into maturity of Bicycling riding. I love every aspect of riding bikes – Its fun, challenging, and an all-around good work out! I am a Colorado native, born and raised just south of Denver. This will be my 8th year working the Subaru Elephant Rock and I just love seeing all the participants coming out and riding together as one! Hopefully someday I can join you all!