By STEPHANIE BUNKER
Moapa Valley Progress
The Valley of Fire Stage Race will be held this weekend in Moapa Valley. The event is expected to bring over 500 cyclists to the community.
The weekend’s event will begin on Friday with cyclists participating in a timed trial. These trials will begin at exit 88 of Interstate 15, at Hidden Valley. The route will then continue through the Hidden Valley Ranch area near Moapa. Check in for the time trial is at 1:00 p.m. and the first rider will be off at 3:00.
On Saturday the Criterium race will be held. In this portion of the racing event, cyclists will race around a one mile course which circles the Mack Lyon Middle School in Overton. The Criterium races will begin at 10:00 a.m. and continue through various categories until around 5:15 p.m.
To add to the fun for spectators, local members of the Moapa Valley Revitalization Project (MVRP) have organized the “Fire It Up” Expo. This will be a huge community event with live music, food and vendor booths and lots of raffle prize opportunities. The public is encouraged to come out, cheer on the cyclists and enjoy the expo!
Then on Sunday the cyclists will participate in the final stage of the race: the Valley of Fire Road Race. This grueling course will begin in downtown Overton. The first riders will begin at 7:00 a.m. with other categories to follow every 15 minutes after that until about 8:30.
The race course takes the riders down the main street of Overton and continues south along northshore Road to the Valley of Fire turnoff. From there the route follows Valley of Fire Road all the way to the Paiute Plaza. Then the cyclists turn around and race all the way back by the same route.
A final award ceremony will be held on Sunday afternoon after all the results are in.
The Moapa Valley Rotary Club is helping to manage the logistics for the cyclists during the race. They will be providing a lead and a follow car for the long race on Sunday. They are also posting volunteers around the courses throughout the 3-day weekend to guide the cyclists. The Rotary Club is still seeking members of the community to volunteer to help with these items. To volunteer or get more information call Ken Robison at 702-672-5918.
Space is still available for vendors to participate in the Fire It Up Expo. Discounts are available for vendors who wish to participate this weekend, and then again in the Moapa Valley Days Street Fair to be held the following weekend on March 8. For information about being a vendor or volunteering with the logistics of the Expo event, call the Wild Horse Gallery at 702-347-7158.
