Elmore Community Trust Gravel Grinder

Welcome to the 4th Annual Elmore Community Trust Gravel Grinder. If ya know… ya know, but if not, here is some information for you. The Elmore Community Trust (ECT) is a non-profit organization that was founded to care for places that make Elmore special, and to support businesses, organizations and people that contribute positively to our vibrant rural community. Our first project was the purchase and historic preservation of the iconic “Elmore Store”. The purchase of the store has happened, and we are now on to the preservation part. All proceeds or donations from this event go directly towards those preservation efforts. To learn more about the Elmore Store Project, go to our website at www.elmorecommunitytrust.org.

Now for the ride. As in years past, this ride is not for the faint of heart, nor is it a race! The purpose of the ride is to bring folks together to enjoy community and our surroundings, challenge yourselves physically, meet new friends and help support our goal of preserving the Elmore Store. The event takes place on Saturday August31st. Day of check in will open at 8:00 and the ride will start at 10:00am. This will take place in the church parking lot at 1081 VT Route 12, and the ride will start and end there. This is an 18+ ride, and You must be pre-registered and check in at registration before and after the ride! This is where you get all the important things like food and drink tickets, t-shirts, and maybe some swag. This is also our only way of knowing who is in attendance, and who has made it back safely. Food, drink, and music galore are planned for your return. This ride is tough. There are no short routes or bailout points, and we LOVE some really challenging “gravel roads”, so consider yourselves warned. This year's ride will be about 46miles and 4,600 in elevation. As in year's past, we love some good gnarly class 4! We highly recommend some 40mm tires or wider and some good “all terrain” tread. There will be two aid stations along the route that will have water and snacks to refuel. We will try to have more than enough of both for everyone, but we ask that you come prepared to ride as if it were a self-supported ride. We will also try to have a few bare essentials for bike repair on hand at said aid stations. The course will be marked by white signs with big blue arrows on them, and we will have a ride with gps link available for you also. I recommend that you get familiar with the route before you ride it and download the gps file before you get to Elmore. This ride (NOT RACE) is held on open public roads, and therefore everyone is expected to be alert, ride with respect, and follow all the rules of the road. Please ride single file, there will be plenty of time to congregate at aid stations and back at the lake. We suggest that you use a flashing bike taillight if possible. Bottom line is that we want you all to be safe, have fun, and challenge yourselves. 

After the ride. Once you have completed the ride, you MUST check back in at the registration table. Here you will receive all of your post ride essentials like your meal, drink ticket and t-shirt. We have some delicious food and cold beverages waiting for you at the end! In order to cut down waste, we ask that people bring their own utensils and plates/bowls to eat with. In the event that you forget yours, we will have some compostable ones on hand. Drink tickets can be used at the beverage tent behind the store. If you are looking for more food or drink, The Elmore Store will have plenty of both on hand. There will be a community talent show starting at 1:00, followed by music and then fireworks at dusk. All of this can be enjoyed from the back lawn of The Elmore Store or floating in the lake. Bring your family and friends and make a day of it!