By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
The LVCVA tourism agency typically backs major sports events like the recent NFL Draft, the 2024 Super Bowl and a Formula One race on the Strip starting in 2023. But it’s also branching out to support a bicycle event out in Summerlin and Red Rock Canyon that is being put on by one of the world’s biggest bike racing brands, the Tour de France.
In May 2023, L’Étape by Tour de France is hosting a bicycle event in Summerlin and Red Rock Canyon that offers amateur cyclists the ability to race or ride “a stage of the Tour de France in their own back yard.” It’s set for May 13-14 next year. It will be called the L’Étape Las Vegas by Tour de France.
Local supporters like the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA), Clark County and the Southern Nevada Bicycle Coalition will hold a news conference later today at 5:30PM to start promoting the event. Michael Brown of L’Étape Las Vegas by Tour de France will be there, too.
The bike races and rides are one of only two planned L’Étape by Tour de France events for the U.S. for 2023 and will launch from Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin. The $150 million baseball park does not have bicycle racks, but perhaps this bike event could spur the ballpark to install them.
The races and bike rides will be created by the Tour de France and include Tour de France jerseys and podium ceremonies just like the real high-profile bicycle race held every year in July.
The event will include 75-mile, 50-mile, and 25-mile route options, along with family and kids rides, and a fan fest at Las Vegas Ballpark patterned after the Village Départ, the gathering point for the Tour de France.
Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones, who has worked hard to improve bicycling and safety problems in the county, also plans to attend the Tour de France event presser.
The metro Las Vegas area is a mixed bag for bicycling.
It has some of the most scenic bike routes around like Red Rock Canyon, the River Mountains Loop Trail in Boulder City/Lake Mead/Henderson, Valley of Fire State Park and Mount Charleston.
It also has safety problems with people driving cars and trucks into bicyclists and pedestrians. A truck driver killed five cyclists south of Boulder City Dec. 10, 2020. LVSportsBiz.com has identified reckless motorist behavior for years as a major problem threatening the lives of bicyclists and walkers.
Las Vegas and bicycling also have an interesting relationship because the bicycle industry’s annual trade show — Interbike — used to be held here. The trade show organizer has polled Interbike participants about the idea of bringing Interbike back.
PSA