Traffic alert: Colorado Classic and Velorama closes parts of RiNo and downtown

Time to start avoiding driving near RiNo for the rest of the weekend.

A brand new bike race, the Colorado Classic, and its sister event, Velorama, will close a mile-long loop along Walnut and Larimer starting Friday afternoon and lasting until Sunday. Specifically, this loop:

But wait, there’s more road closures for the Colorado Classic on Saturday and Sunday. First up, the Saturday route closures for the Colorado Classic bike race. The Colorado Department of Transportation says that closures along Speer will start at 1 p.m. and last until 4:45 p.m., but just do yourself a favor and avoid it altogether.

Then on Sunday, the final stage of the race will close part of Whittier and City Park West from roughly 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

If you’re not driving and want to know about the fuss is about, you could just go see cyclists along the route. Or you get a ticket to Velorama, which includes shows from Wilco, Death Cab for Cutie and the New Pornographers. Tickets start at $45.