ALBEMARLE — In what has become a Stanly County tradition for a decade-plus, the Tour de Elvis 5K & 25-45-62 Mile Cycle Tour is back for its 13th incarnation on September 9-10 with support from the City of Albemarle Parks and Recreation Department.
The 5K run will be held through the streets of downtown Albemarle and is set for September 9 at 7 p.m. It starts in front of the original Vac & Dash location at 231 W. Main St., and it will finish on the Roger Snyder Greenway across from Market Station on West Main St.
The downtown run will be packaged with Albemarle’s Food Truck Friday event series that combines a variety of food truck vendors with live music. Normally hosted at City Lake Park, the September 9 lineup will feature music by the eight-piece variety band The Tonez and is hosted at Market Station (501 W. Main St.).
On the following day at 8 a.m, the Tour de Elvis Cycle Tour — where participants can choose from 25, 45 & 65-mile bike routes — is slated to begin at Albemarle’s Courthouse Square at the corner of Second St. and Main St.; the 45 and 65-mile routes will include cycling to the top of Morrow Mountain.
“See Stanly County on a summer Saturday morning with a hundred of your closest friends,” the Albemarle Parks and Recreation Department announced earlier this month. “With three distance options, there’s a route for serious riders as well as those who have to shake the dust off the bike before getting on. All routes are ride-at-your-own-pace, and will explore the backroads and small towns that make Stanly County a great place to live, work, and visit.”
According to the Tour de Elvis planning guide, rest stops will be set up every 15 to 20 miles, and support and gear will be provided along the route. For safety, all riders must wear an approved helmet and must obey all traffic laws and rules of the road.
After the 5K race, the top male and female participants will each win a Tour de Elvis Tambourine and Gold Record, while the second and third place winners in each category will take home a Tour de Elvis Tambourine. There will also be awards for the following age categories: 14 & under, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60-plus.
All proceeds for the Elvis-themed run and cycle tour will be going to the Roger F. Snyder Greenway Fund; those interested can sign up for $30 (or a run/tour package for $50) at www.albemarlenc.gov/tourdeelvis.
Both events are each limited to 200 participants, and pre-registration ends on September 8 at midnight.