Let’s Cycle This Event Again: After Windy Conditions Grounded Tour De France-Themed Bicycle Event In Vegas In 2024, L’Etape Set To Go May 4
ADVERTISEMENT
Shop at Jay’s Market at 190 East Flamingo Road at the Koval Lane intersection east of the Strip.
ADVERTISEMENT
Official presenting sponsor of this story is Las Vegas Cyclery
By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — The LVCVA public tourism agency is known for spending tens of millions of dollars on bringing Super Bowl 58 and the controversial Formula One car race to Las Vegas, while Las Vegas Events puts on the National Finals Rodeo to make Las Vegas a horse town every December.
But in less than three months the LVCVA and Las Vegas Events are teaming up to promote a side of Las Vegas you don’t see much in the tourism agency’s glitzy, Strip-focused ad campaigns –the scenic natural beauty of Las Vegas.
The Red Rock Scenic Drive will be the star of the show May 4 when the LVCVA and Las Vegas Events stage the L’Etape Las Vegas by Tour de France, a closed bicycle race course event that starts and ends at Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin and includes the popular 13-mile Red Rock Loop that draws millions of visitors to the federally-managed Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. (Fun fact: LVCVA even has a connection to Las Vegas Ballpark by paying a record $80 million for the minor league stadium’s naming rights.)
The L’Etape bike event is a Tour de France-branded experience designed to give road cyclists a taste of the famed bicycle race, one of the biggest sports events on the planet.
It’s a closed Las Vegas bicycle course, which is a nice safety touch given the incompetent and reckless driving of many local residents on our streets here in metro Vegas.
LVSportsBiz.com is a frequent visitor to the Red Rock Loop and can verify that it’s a wonderful and scenic bicycling experience.
Sadly for L’Etape cyclists who signed up for the 2024 Las Vegas event, the ride event was scrubbed because of windy conditions last May. There were no refunds in 2024 as signed-up participants received an automatic registration to the 2025 event.
Organizers are offering four ride options in 2025: a 75-miler with the route based on a similar format to a genuine Tour de France stage; 45-mile and the 25-mile rides that offer the Tour de France feel without the long distance; and the first-time 14-mile Family Ride. Here are the entry prices:
The LVCVA was looking into trying to get the Interbike bicycle trade show to return to Las Vegas for the week leading up to the L’Etape Las Vegas event to drive more bicyclists to the L’Etape event. LVCVA staffers talked to bicycle industry leaders about the Interbike return idea, but we have not heard whether it’s going to happen or not.
The L’Etape event will have a vendor village at the baseball stadium where the event will start and end in Downtown Summerlin.
PROMO
