September 21/11 11:04 am - Richmond wins bid to host 2015 Road Cycling World Championships

Posted by Editoress on 09/21/11
 

USA Cycling is proud to announce that Richmond, Virginia was selected to host the 2015 UCI Road World Championships. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), competitive cycling’s international governing body, selected Richmond today following a competitive bid process that included the country of Oman. It will be the first time the UCI Road World Championships will be held in the U.S. since 1986.

“Bringing the Road World Championships back to the United States truly punctuates the outstanding state of cycling in America,” said Steve Johnson, President and CEO of USA Cycling. “From the success of American riders and U.S.-based professional teams in Europe to our ever-growing domestic membership to world-class stage races like the Amgen Tour of California and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, the 2015 UCI Road World Championships is yet another milestone towards the continued growth and success of the sport. We appreciate the UCI’s trust in Richmond and we look forward to continuing to work closely with Mayor Jones, Tim Miller and Medalist Sports in making these Road Worlds one of the best.”

The 2015 UCI Road World Championships are scheduled to take place September 19 to 27 and will feature elite men and women, under 23 men, and junior men and women. Events will include the traditional road race, individual time trial and a new team time trial competition that will feature the world’s top professional teams. The eight-day event attracts 1,000 athletes from over 70 nations who compete to wear the coveted world champion's "arc en ciel,” or rainbow jersey.

“It’s rewarding to be able to not only bring the Road Worlds back to the U.S. but to bring them to Richmond,” said Mike Plant, a member of the UCI Management Committee who was instrumental in bringing the Worlds back to the U.S. “Richmond stepped up and proved they could support world class cycling when we brought the Tour de Trump and Tour DuPont to the city in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.”

The World Championships are expected to attract nearly 500,000 onsite spectators and are viewed by a global television audience of more than 300 million people. According to an economic impact study conducted by Chmura Economics & Analytics the 2015 Road World Championships will generate more than $135 million for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

“Richmond is thrilled to be selected to host the 2015 Road World Cycling Championships, joining a list of great cities like Madrid, Florence and Copenhagen,” said Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones. “Bicycling, for transport and fitness, has been an important focus of my administration. Hosting the World Championships will help bring Richmond one step closer to being one of the world’s great bicycling cities.”

“Securing the 2015 World Championships is the result of tremendous collaboration between civic and business leaders and strategic partners,” said Tim Miller, Executive Director of Richmond 2015, Inc., the non-profit corporation responsible for the organization, management and promotion of the 2015 Championships. “As we now enter the next phase, we look forward to expanding these partnerships to ensure that the 2015 World Championships set a new standard of excellence.”

Follow the planning and progress on the 2015 UCI World Road Cycling Championships at www.richmond2015.com, Facebook.com/Richmond2015 or on Twitter at richmond2015. 

Courtesy USA Cycling