US$250 Race, US$340 in Ticket System

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COSTA RICA · MOUNTAIN BIKING

The Costa Rica mountain bike race called the White City Epic is set for Liberia, Guanacaste, from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 February 2027. Riders start at 5 a.m. at the Cámara de Ganaderos de Liberia, a cattle-ranchers’ hall, and tickets are on sale at eticket.cr.

For a US reader, this Costa Rica mountain bike race is a dated reason to fly south, with winter flights to Liberia. Prices are listed in US$, but the organiser has not published its 2027 details, so several points are marked unconfirmed.

What the White City Epic Is

The White City Epic is a mountain bike race through the countryside around Liberia, a town nicknamed La Ciudad Blanca, or the White City. The organiser says the trails run mostly over dirt, white stone, rural roads and singletrack, with very little asphalt.

In this Costa Rica mountain bike race, riders cover a set distance each day, and the times add up over the days. In the 2027 listing, the pairs and individual categories run three stages, from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 February.

A third category called Adventure is a single day for individual riders, held on Sunday 21 February. The organiser describes its 2026 version as a single 68-kilometre stage over the same terrain.

The Costa Rica mountain bike race belongs to Moondance Costa Rica S.A., according to the organiser’s website. That site still shows the 2026 edition, run on 29 and 30 August 2026, as its main event.

At that 2026 race, the full Epic covered 150 kilometres (about 93 miles) over two days, with stages of 60 and 90 kilometres. The Adventure stage was 68 kilometres (about 42 miles).

Tickets, Prices and How to Enter

Eticket, a Costa Rican ticketing site at eticket.cr, lists three entries for the 2027 race: Pairs 3 Stages, Individual 3 Stages and Adventure 1 Day. Each page shows a headline price of US$250.00, with eticket’s service charge included.

The structured data behind those pages lists different per-person prices for the same entries. The three-stage races show US$299 at a lower rate labelled BAC and US$340 at the regular rate, and Adventure shows US$149 and US$180.

Eticket does not explain the BAC label, which looks like a bank-card price, so we cannot say who qualifies for it. The identical US$250 on all three pages does not match these figures, so we treat it as unclear and unconfirmed.

For comparison, the organiser’s site priced the 2026 race at US$230 per person for the two-day Epic, with a regular price of US$270. The one-day Adventure cost US$140, with a regular price of US$170.

The 2026 entry fee included a race jersey, drinks and food at aid stations, real-time timing and a finish-line party with music and food. The 2027 package has not been published, so check what your entry covers before you pay.

The pairs listing has women, men and mixed categories, with age groups from Master A (30 to 39) to Gran Master (50 and over). Buy only through eticket.cr or the organiser’s links, because resale offers from strangers carry a real risk of fakes.

The Venue and Liberia

Eticket gives the venue as the Cámara de Ganaderos de Liberia, in El Capulín, Liberia, Guanacaste. The listing shows a 5 a.m. start time for every category.

Liberia is the main town of Guanacaste and sits close to the Pacific beaches that US visitors know from resort holidays. The organiser describes rural roads, white stone and trails around the town, not beach sand.

The pages we read give no parking plan, no shuttle and no route map for 2027. Ask the organiser through its website before you plan a rental car or a taxi to a 5 a.m. start.

The organiser promises a finish-line festival with music and food at its race. The 2027 finish location and awards time are unconfirmed.

Because the Costa Rica mountain bike race starts at 5 a.m., sleeping in Liberia is more practical than driving in from a beach resort. Ask the organiser which hotels sit closest to El Capulín.

How to Get to Liberia from the United States

Liberia has its own airport, Daniel Oduber Quirós International, so US riders can skip the long road trip from the capital San José. Our earlier flights guide lists weekly Saturday Delta Air Lines flights from New York JFK to Liberia between 19 December 2026 and 10 April 2027.

The same guide lists Southwest Airlines flights from Nashville to Liberia starting Saturday 13 February 2027. Neither schedule is confirmed on the airlines’ own pages, and Southwest’s Nashville to Liberia page shows no dated 2027 fares.

Treat the flights as a lead, not a plan, and check the exact days and times on delta.com and southwest.com before you buy. Race week itself, Friday 19 to Sunday 21 February, may have different schedules from the weeks around it.

United Airlines flies Washington Dulles to Liberia only from 17 December 2026 to 4 January 2027, so that route does not cover the race. Our guide to the new US flights to Costa Rica lists the season’s other routes.

Bikes for the Costa Rica mountain bike race travel as sports luggage, and airline fees vary. We did not check Delta’s or Southwest’s current bike rules or prices, so ask each airline before you pack a bike box.

Tips for US and Foreign Visitors

The US State Department says Costa Rican authorities may permit stays of up to 180 days without a visa. It also says a return ticket is required, so book your way home before you fly.

The State Department asks US travellers to the Costa Rica mountain bike race and elsewhere to exercise increased caution in Costa Rica because of crime. It says petty theft is common, that armed robbers usually target phones and wallets, and that you should not resist.

It also reports robberies at isolated rental properties, so a hotel in Liberia may be safer than a remote villa. Keep your bike locked, and do not leave gear in a parked car.

Tap water is often not safe to drink, according to the State Department, so carry bottled water. It also lists dengue, a mosquito-borne fever, so use insect repellent on the ride and at the start line.

On adventure sports, it advises against riding alone and warns not to drive through water you cannot see the depth of. Riders should check their health insurance, because the department says most overseas insurers require cash up front.

Prices on eticket are in US dollars, so your card issuer may add a foreign-transaction fee. Check that fee before you pay.

What Is Not Confirmed Yet

The organiser’s website still showed the 2026 edition when we read it on Wednesday 28 October 2026. The 2027 dates, categories and venue therefore rest on the eticket listing alone.

Eticket shows US$250 on its pages but lists US$299 or US$340 per rider for three stages and US$149 or US$180 for Adventure in its data. Until the organiser publishes its own price list, the price of the Costa Rica mountain bike race stays unclear.

No stage distances, routes, age limits, helmet rules or time limits are published for 2027. The organiser has not said what the entry fee includes this year.

Flight schedules can change, and we did not confirm Delta’s or Southwest’s dates, fares, bike fees or seat availability on their own sites. No airline has said whether extra flights will be added for race week.

Check the organiser’s website and the eticket page again closer to February for any change to the White City Epic. Treat every date above as provisional until the organiser confirms it.

What Comes Next

For other sport in the country, read our Costa Rica sports guide. Our guide to the San José Marathon in Costa Rica covers Sunday 6 December 2026, and our San José city guide covers the capital.

Readers planning a longer stay can start with our Costa Rica explainer. Check the eticket page again before you book flights.

More: Costa Rica news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the White City Epic in Costa Rica?

The three-day races run from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 February 2027 in Liberia, Guanacaste. The one-day Adventure race is on Sunday 21 February, and all start at 5 a.m.

How much does it cost to enter?

Eticket pages show US$250, but its listing data shows US$299 or US$340 per rider for three stages and US$149 or US$180 for Adventure. Which price is right is unclear.

Can US citizens enter Costa Rica for the race?

The State Department says Costa Rica may allow US citizens to stay up to 180 days without a visa. A return ticket is required, so book your flight home first.

Sources: Eticket Costa Rica, MTB White City Epic 2027 (official ticket seller: dates, venue, categories, prices), accessed 28 October 2026; White City Epic, organiser website (Moondance Costa Rica S.A.; 2026 edition formats, prices, kit), accessed 28 October 2026; US Department of State, Costa Rica Country Information (entry, safety and health advice for US citizens), accessed 28 October 2026; Southwest Airlines, Nashville to Liberia flight page (shows no dated 2027 fares), accessed 28 October 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief