Highline Lake State Park gears up for the Annual '18 Hours of Fruita' mountain bike endurance race

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rachael Gonzales
Northwest Region Public Information Officer
970-773-8587 / [email protected]

An oasis in the desert, Highline Lake is the recreation epicenter for the Grand Valley with two lakes, lush grass, trails and trees.

FRUITA, Colo. - The annual spectacle of lights and speeding mountain bikes cranks-up this weekend as the 18 Hours of Fruita mountain bike race unfolds. Racers will gather at the starting line, Friday, May 6. The race begins early Saturday at midnight, May 7, ending a grueling 18-hours later.

Mountain bikers and hundreds of fans from across the country will participate and be a part of the experience, whether they are racing, watching the race or cheering on their friends in the mountain biking scene.

"As cool as it sounds, it's even cooler to see it for yourself," said Highline Lake State Park Manager Alan Martinez. "If you're into mountain bikes, racing, the outdoors and hanging with people that enjoy that too, you need to be here."

Martinez reminds all visitors to be aware of a few changes if you plan on visiting the park that weekend, whether to enjoy the park, watch the race, or both.

To accommodate racers and spectators, the park's east side will close at 6 p.m., May 5 until 8 a.m., May 8.

Race spectators may enter the park through either the east or west entrances.

Park visitors planning to just fish, picnic or launch their boat must enter the park at the west entrance during the race.

Everyone is reminded to watch for racers crossing paved park roads at several locations throughout the park.

A $4 individual pass, a ten-dollar daily parks vehicle pass or $80 annual pass is required to enter the park.

For more information about Highline Lake State Park, visit the CPW website.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.