Bikers compete in the 2005 Tour de Nez in northern Nevada, a race that is fast becoming a premier competition in the United States. It's also the centerpiece of some terrific parties in Reno.

courtesy of tour de nez

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RENO, Nev. — From the Tour de France to the Tour of California, bicycle races are well-known for the festive party atmosphere that springs up around the competition.

But it was the other way around for the Tour de Nez, which means "tour of the nose," a three-day celebration that has become one of the most popular cycling events in the West.

The party came first — as a way to thank customers at an eclectic coffee house called the Deux Gros Nez in an old Reno neighborhood.

"Seven years into it, we added entertainment and said, 'Let's throw a bicycle race,"' said owner Tim Healion.

The Tour de Nez, scheduled for June 22-24 and now in its 14th year, is both a street festival and a serious bike race that's spectator-friendly.

In addition to the pro cycling series in Reno and at Lake Tahoe, antique bicycles will be displayed at the Nevada Museum of Art and bands will perform at beach parties. There will be bike-decorating contests and messenger races, clinics and expos, recreational rides and races for seniors and kids. Promotions promise "mint juleps at every corner."

"This is an event for anyone who loves anything to do with bikes," Healion said.

But with a $385,000 budget and $35,000 in prize money, the Tour de Nez also attracts some of the top racers in the nation.

"It's a great, great event," said Dave Towle, a veteran cycling announcer from Boulder, Colo. "It's really unusual to start as a grass-roots event and become a major event at the highest tier on the National Racing Calendar. Normally events are based on someone finding a sponsor that is interested in having a race and then building on it.

"In this case, Tim just really wanted to have a party," he added. "And the race turned out to be one of the coolest parts of the party."

USA Cycling, the official cycling organization recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee, sanctions more than 2,000 events a year but only about 40 qualify for its National Racing Calendar.

"To be included on that calendar is a fairly prestigious thing in and of itself," USA Cycling spokesman Andy Lee said from headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo. "They represent the best of the best road events."

This year's field for the Tour de Nez includes five of the nation's top 10 racers in USA Cycling's standings — No. 2 Nathan O'Neill, No. 3 Fraser Gordon, No. 6 Chris Baldwin, No. 9 Scott Moninger and No. 10 Juan Jose Haedo.

"I think the word is out. It definitely is a race to partake in," said Moninger, a member of the 1999 U.S. World Championship Road Team whose 210 career wins are the most by any active U.S. rider.

"The course is real hard and there's some good prize money," he said.

Partly because the event is limited to U.S. cyclists, Healion believes the Tour de Nez will be "the most significant national race for domestic professionals in the U.S. this year."

The pro series begins June 22 with a five-mile time trial with a 300-foot climb at Verdi just west of Reno, followed by the Truckee Criterium — a one-hour timed race on a 0.6-mile track in the historic logging and railroad town of Truckee, Calif., near Lake Tahoe.

The next day, the 108-mile Tahoe Road Race starts in Truckee near where the infamous Donner Party met its fate near the top of the Sierra Nevada in the winter of 1846-47. Racers make three laps on a 36-mile loop that takes them to Tahoe City, Calif., and along the shores of Lake Tahoe to near the Nevada line before returning over the mountains to Truckee.

The pro competition concludes June 24 with the Mighty Tour de Nez Criterium — an 0.8-mile loop in downtown Reno with 10 turns and steep climbs. For the first time, the Tour de Nez also will host the National Hand Cycling Criterium Championships on June 24.

Highlights of the Tour de Nez are scheduled to air later this year on the Outdoor Life Network.

The event has attracted more attention as northern Nevada tourism officials emphasize the region's recreation opportunities.

The demographics of cyclists also make them an attractive market, said Abbi Holtom, an event spokesperson.

"These people are not poor. Some have $5,000 bikes," Holtom said. "They are college-educated. They like to travel. A huge percentage of them choose their vacations around their lifestyle."