Epic Rides Carson City Off Road starts Friday with road closures, race routes

Downtown Carson City street closures for the 2018 Epic Rides Carson City Off Road mountain bike racing circuit take affect beginning at 5 a.m. Friday, June 15 through the event's conclusion at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, June 17, according to maps provided by the Consolidated Municipality of Carson City.

North Carson Street, between Proctor and Fifth, will be closed first in preparation for race registration, which starts at noon Friday and goes until 9 p.m. that night. North Carson Street will remain closed throughout the weekend event from 5 a.m. Friday morning until 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

This year's race route through the downtown Carson City business district takes riders from the starting line at Musser and North Carson Street, next to the State Capitol complex, up West Second to Nevada streets, then West King Street up Kings Canyon Road to Longview Drive through west side neighborhoods.

Riders then turn up Ash Canyon Road to the off road trails, eventually making their way back to downtown via Ash Canyon to Ormsby Blvd and West Washington Street.

From there, riders turn onto Mountain Street down to Robinson, over to Spear via North Minnesota, then connect with Nevada back to Musser and the finish line at the North Carson Street intersection.

Motorists can expect road closures throughout the weekend in downtown Carson City, including parts of the historic west side neighborhood.

Race route closures through Carson City's historic district include Second street from North Carson to Nevada, then over to Spear Street. From Spear over to Minnesota, Minnesota to West Robinson, Robinson to Mountain, and Mountain to West Washington Street. The block on Spear Street between Minnesota and Phillips will also be closed during races.

These closures take effect from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 15 and again on Saturday, June 16 from 6:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. On Sunday the race route closures are effective from 9:45 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.

Closed from 5:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. Friday and again from 7 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Sunday will be South Curry Street between Musser and Second, Nevada between King and Musser, Telegraph between Nevada and Phillips, Phillips from Telegraph to Robinson, and Robinson between Phillips and Nevada streets.

Five bus stops along Jump Around Carson (JAC) routes 2B and 3 will be affected throughout the weekend and race times, too.

For Route 3, JAC stops along West Washington Street, between Nevada and Division streets, as well as North Curry Street between Musser and Proctor will be closed over the weekend. Their closest stops and transfers will be at Robinson and Plaza.

Two bus stops along North Division Street, one at King and another at Third Street, will be closed during the Carson City Off Road. Their closest stop and transfer will be located at Division and Seventh streets.

Epic Rides Carson City Off Road, now in its third year, opens Friday at 12 p.m. with a bike and gear expo downtown until 7 p.m. There will be a mandatory professional rider meeting at 2 p.m. in the old assembly chambers of the Nevada State Capitol building, followed by the Capital 15 Fun Ride starting along North Carson Street at 2:30 p.m. and lasting until 6 p.m. Friday evening.

The Clunker Criterium, a free event to the public that features two laps around the business district core, starts at 6 p.m. The zany event features costumed bicycles and riders.

The first professional criterium starts at 6:30 p.m. Friday with the El Yucateco Fat Tire Criteriums, three laps and 20 minutes long. The women's race runs first, followed by the men at 7:20 p.m. An awards ceremony and mandatory riders meeting concludes Friday's events.

On both Saturday and Sunday mornings, registration for the Kids Fun Ride runs from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The bike and gear expo is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and again from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

The first professional race leaves the starting line at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning with the Capital 50. Start of the Capital 35 takes place at the line at 8:15 a.m. Cut-off time for both races is 11:15 a.m. at the Spooner Lake Aid Station.

Pro racing picks up again Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. with the start of the Backcountry Race, scheduled to conclude around 2 p.m. The men leave first at 8:30 a.m., followed by women racers at 8:40 a.m.

The Kids Fun Ride begins shortly afterward at 8:45 a.m. Sunday morning.

Live music on the main stage, sponsored by Four Peaks Brewing Company, features Controlled Burn at dark on Friday night, Drinking with Clowns at 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Desert Rhythm Project at 6 p.m. Saturday evening, and March Fourth Marching Band at 8 p.m. Saturday night. The Lique performs Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. on the McFadden Stage on Bob McFadden Plaza at Third and Carson streets.

Visit Epic Rides online for more information and an events schedule on the 2018 Carson City Off Road.

Maps of street closures, race routes and JAC detours can be found on the Consolidated Municipality of Carson City web site.