Pro Bike Races Return To Charleston

For the third year in a row, competitive cyclists are set to take to the streets of the capitol city.  

The 2026 USA Cycling Professional Road National Championships will take place June 16-21 on the roads of downtown Charleston.  

The championships will feature the Elite, Under-23, and Junior 17-18 Road Race, Time Trial, and Criterium events with marquee events every day. Each race has different course needs and its own set of road closures.  

USA Cycling is the national governing body for the sport of cycling and oversees the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclocross, gravel, BMX, esports, and paracycling. 

According to the Charleston Area Alliance, last year’s racing events generated nearly $7 million in economic impact, which was 50% higher than the previous year. It drew 20,000 attendees with 75% of them coming from out of state including Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Columbus and Raleigh/Durham.  

Events include:  

• Tuesday: Junior Time Trial, U23 Time Trial, Elite Time Trial 

• Wednesday: Junior Criterium, U23 Criterium 

• Thursday: Elite Criterium 

• Friday: Junior Road Race 

• Saturday: U23 Road Race 

• Sunday: Elite Road Race 

The full race schedule can be found here. Course maps can be found here. 

Where To Watch 

The Expo Center located at City Center at Slack Plaza, will be open Wednesday evening, Thursday evening, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and will feature vendors and live music.  

The Hale Street Watch Zone, located on the corner of Hale and Quarrier, will be available for spectating the Criterium races on Wednesday and Thursday.  

Friday will be an eventful day with the Junior road races and a full day of Juneteenth celebrations, including a parade, a free Live on the Levee concert, and Rolls on the River, a pepperoni roll and beer festival.  

The Wertz Ave. Watch Zone will be available for the U23 and Elite Road Race events on Saturday and Sunday.  

An additional celebration, the Bridge Road Bike Bash, takes place on Sunday, featuring children’s activities and a DJ. Additional spectator information can be found here.