The 32nd edition of the Roc d’Azur off-road and mountain bike festival got going on 7 October under the sunny skies of Fréjus in south-eastern France. More than 1,400 schoolchildren kicked off five days of sport and fun —five days that have once again attracted over 20,000 fans.
This week, Wednesday afternoon’s Générations Roc saw 1,250 primary and secondary school students from the Académie de Nice, 150 representatives of associations in Fréjus and Roquebrune-sur-Argens, and 100 disabled people leave the first tracks on the paths of the François-Léotard Nature Base in Fréjus.
Produced by A.S.O, the numbers for the iconic trail and MBK events on 7-11 October are impressive:
- More 20,000 participants, more than 100,000 visitors
- Nearly 300 exhibitors and 200 bikes to test at the Exhibition
- 10 tons of food supplies
- 50 countries represented
The Roc d’Azur took things up a notch on Thursday, when the expo opened at 10:00 CET (09:00 for the rest of the week), with 300 exhibitors displaying their wares over 28,000 m2, and the Roc Test Camp getting under way, where visitors get to try out the latest products to hit the market.
Visitors will also enjoy the wide range of activities on the main Roc d’Azur programme. The EnduRoc, a popular event for several years, will see sparks fly in its five timed specials. The Tri Roc, the off-road version of triathlon, which made its Roc debut in 2012, will challenge triathletes to 1.5K of swimming in the Mediterranean, 24K of MTB in Les Maures massif and 11K of trail running.
The programme will be packed with events up to Sunday. Two of the traditional highlights come on Friday, with the Canyon Roc Marathon (82K) for the toughest riders and the Roc Ruelles through the historical heart of Fréjus.
After Saturday, when the focus will be on leisure rides, such as the Alltricks.com Rando Roc Noire (50K); and Sunday’s Roc d’Azur (56K) will see 5,200 riders go head-to-head in the traditional but always awaited finale of the 32nd edition of the Roc. As the organising team points out, ‘the Roc continues to grow and evolve.’
www.rocazur.com
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