Carson City Off-Road up for industry award

Carson City’s new mountain bike race is up for an industry award in its inaugural year.

Carson City Off-Road is one of three finalists for the Interbike Domestic Mountain Bike Race of the Year.

The awards, which include 29 other categories, will be announced Sept. 22 in Las Vegas as part of the Interbike International Bicycle Exposition.

“This nomination is a reflection the hard work Carson City staff and volunteers put into preparing our community to host the Inaugural Epic Rides ‘Carson City Off-Road.’ It showcases the thousands of hours dedicated to building the world-class trail system that connects Carson City to the Tahoe Basin, and also validates the recent efforts to rebrand this community as an outdoor recreation destination,” said Joel Dunn, executive director, Carson City Visitors Bureau. “Carson City’s friendly community and world-class trails made quite the impression on event participants including amateurs, pro riders and kids. It is an honor we do not take lightly in being nominated as one of best mountain bike races in the country.”

Carson City Off-Road offered 15, 35 and 50 mile courses over area trails, including the Kings to Ash Canyon trail.

Six hundred bikers, including 85 professionals, took part and 2,000 people attended, according to Dunn.

The event, which took place June 17-19, also included an expo and live music.

The race is the third in a series put on by Epic Rides. The other two events are the Whiskey Off-Road in Prescott, Ariz., in April and the Grand Junction Off-Road in Colorado in May.

According to the Interbike web site, the award “recognizes mountain bike races across the country that take racing in the dirt to a new level.”

Nominees are considered for domestic events that took place between Aug. 1, 2015, and July 31, 2016.

Nominees and winners are selected by editors from VeloNews, an industry publication.

The other race award finalists are Boston Rebellion and Mammoth Kamikaze Bike Games in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.