A bonanza for cycling enthusiasts, from September 19-27.
Richmond, Virginia, one of the top 25 booming cities in America, is the host to the 2015 UCI Road World Cycling Championship, to be held September 19-27.
Richmond is one of the oldest cities in Virginia and home to countless US presidents. It is an art filled city with places like the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Richmond Mural Project. This year, rather than arts or charity, the city of Richmond is focused on the UCI Road World Cycling Championship.
The Road Cycling World Championship is held annually in different cities around the world every year and is structured and scored similar to the Olympics. The race is a 9-day event which consists of 12 races. The three types of races are the time trial, road race, and the recently added team time trial. The event sends the hosting city into a buzz as it is covered by more than 500 media outlets. Previous hosts includeCopenhagen, Limburg, Florence, and Ponferrada.
If you are in town for the bike race, there are countless other things to do in Richmond. Simply strolling through Cary Street is something that never gets old because all of the unique restaurants and shops. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is a beautiful place to spend the day or strolling through Richmond trying to spot all of the murals from the Richmond Mural Project (a collection of spray paint modern art murals around the city) is a great way to pass time. With famous, top rated restaurants like Ginger Thai located in Cary town and Sugar Shack located in downtown, Richmond is nothing short of excellent when it comes to places to eat. So a warning to the 450,000 spectators coming to Richmond, it is guaranteed that you will fall in love with some part of the great, grand, wonderful city of Richmond.
The road race will start in Downtown Richmond and go through Monument Avenue, Shockoe Bottom, Great Shiplock Park, and Libby Hill Park and ends on Governor Street. The time trial will start on Monument Avenue and will cross the James River and go through Downtown Richmond. Lastly, the Elite Men’s race will start near Kings Dominion, an amusement park in Virginia, and go through Meadow Event Park, Virginia Union University and end on the long climb up Governor Street.
Richmond has spent nearly 11 million dollars towards this event and will host over 1,000 elite athletes from 70 different countries. Local roads in the city and suburbs are being paved to ensure safety for the cyclists and posters for volunteers hang at every street corner. Virginia Commonwealth University is even offering classes such as “Urban Biking Benefits”, “Mapping the Race”, and “Local Dialogue on UCI impact.”
People from all over the world are now in Richmond for the bike race. This race has got the whole city and everyone around us pumped up and ready to go! So if you’re looking for a great time in a great city, the UCI in Richmond is the thing for you.