It’s Almost Tour de Nez Time
I had almost forgotten about the Tour de Nez this year until I noticed the article (that reads like a press release) in the RGJ. The big news this year of course is that the race has moved its headquarters up to Northstar and the Reno criterium will now be held at the Grand Sierra Resort instead of downtown. I can’t speak for everyone, but for me the change of venue is a real downer.
The great thing about the race in previous years was the romance of a great, challenging course right in the middle of downtown. The tight turns around the movie theater, the charge up the hill, the quick downhill chicanes that, if you weren’t careful, would launch you right into the opposite wall, and the start/finish line over the river added up to an exciting race from any viewpoint. The kids race, clunker race, and the expo on the river all had a cumulative effect that spawned a party atmosphere and set a great tone for the race itself. Every year, the racers would comment on how much fun the Tour de Nez was because of the location and the atmosphere.
Now, the race will be held in a giant parking lot at a casino. No river, no buildings with any character, no expo, no shade…just acres and acres of asphalt covered with cars.
I attended GSR crit, the Truckee crit, and the Saturday night race in Northstar. I had a fun time at all three races but nothing compares to the downtown Reno race.
The cons:
GSR – The course was too easy and it was in a parking lot.
Truckee – Couldn’t drink beer on the street; you had to be in the beer garden. They could have wired some speakers in the beer garden to hear what was going on in the race.
Northstar – The start/finish was in a horrible spot. The course winded through the Northstar Village (where the start/finish should have been located) but the finish line was up a hill–at least a 10 minute walk from the majority of the spectators.
The Tour de Nez is an awesome event, but I hope Tim can bring it back to downtown Reno. I understand money was his motivation to move the race. Hopefully he can partner with the city to bring it back to downtown in 2009..
Heya.I discovered your blog from Google and enjoyed reading it. Have you been writing this blog for a while?Just the other day I recently developed a blog on my own and its been a really fun process. I’ve met some great people since then but it can be a real chore at times! Oh well, many thanks for your blog post!