The first training runs for the World Road Cycling Championships will start in the city on September 19, with the Men’s Elite Road Circuit race on Sunday, September 27, the final event.
The Worlds will feature 12 championship races for Elite Men and Women, Under 23 Men and Junior Men and Women. The athletes will be competing for their country, as during the Olympics, in three different disciplines including the traditional Road Race, the Individual Time Trial and the recently introduced Team Time Trial. World Champions are crowned in each discipline.
There will be four different routes in use over the 12 days. The Road Race Circuit will send riders east down Canal Street, up through Libby Hill and Church Hill, and then screaming down Broad Street and into Shockoe. This 16km route will be in use for 4 days (Thurs-Sunday), and will be used for 3 men’s races, 2 women’s races, and a public ride. Each race will loop the course between 5 and 16 times.
Main Street by Poe’s Pub, Libby Hill, the 23rd Street Hill, and Broad Street heading down to 18th Street will all be great places to see the race on days that the route comes up our way.
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While the majority of the courses will be open and free for all spectators, there will be a ticketed Fan Zone in Libby Hill during the Road Circuit races with “deluxe catering with beverage service, including beer and wine, TV Monitors with LIVE feed of all of the races” for $250-475.
Paul Shanks, Director of Communications & Digital Marketing for Richmond 2015, says “The majority of Libby Hill will be open to the public including a beer garden and jumbotron showing the race live.” (added 8/4)
The event is expected to bring 450,000 spectators from all over the world to Richmond over its 8-day run, with Libby Hill perhaps the premier viewing spot in the city. The races will broadcast worldwide on tv and online at richmond2015.com.
Volunteers from the Church Hill Association will be passing out neighborhood guides at several stations throughout the race area, and hopefully our Welcome to Church Hill guide will be useful.
Expect parking restrictions within at least a block of the route and travel difficulties in the general area. Get familiar with the MLK Bridge and the interstate entrances on Mechanicsville and Nine Mile.
Want to volunteer during the races? SIGN UP HERE
More questions? There will be an information session on Tuesday, August 11th at 6:30 PM at the St. John’s Church Parish House.
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THURSDAY 9/24
- Road Circuit Training | 10 AM – noon
Conquer the Cobbles Run | 7 PM – 9 PM
FRIDAY 9/25
- Women’s Junior Road Circuit | 10 AM – 11:50 PM
- Men’s Under 23 Road Circuit | 12:45 PM – 4:50 PM
- Conquer the Cobbles Ride | 7 PM – 9 PM
SATURDAY 9/26
- Men’s Junior Road Circuit | 9 AM – 12:15 PM
- Women’s Elite Road Circuit | 1 PM – 4:25 PM
SUNDAY 9/27
- Men’s Elite Road Circuit | 9 AM – 3:40 PM
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31 comments
RT @chpn: Less than 50 days until the World Road Cycling Championships http://t.co/hoJwHEe6OX #bikerva
RT @chpn: Less than 50 days until the World Road Cycling Championships http://t.co/hoJwHEe6OX #bikerva
Elizabeth Hogshire liked this on Facebook.
Two questions remain: 1) Will the city finish all this 11th hour work they forgot they needed to do, 2) will they do it in a quality way so as to last beyond the race?
Kimberly Ann Paulsrud liked this on Facebook.
Jenny Tremblay West liked this on Facebook.
RT @chpn: Less than 50 days until the World Road Cycling Championships http://t.co/hoJwHEe6OX #bikerva
It would have been nice if the Parks Dept had held some sort of public meeting about the exclusive fan zone. Many of us in the neighborhood had planned to walk over and watch the race from Libby.
Were CHA and Friends of Libby Park consulted beforehand?
Aileen Rivera liked this on Facebook.
I’ve got queries in to see about how much of the park and which part will be given over to the fan zone but haven’t heard back yet.
I imagine it will be about the almighty dollar more than the inconvenience to the resident taxpayer. May need to form an ad hoc FoLP bike race survivors daily happy hour at Hill Cafe.
Looks like maybe it is just a piece of Libby Hill (the best piece of cours!)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/experience-the-uci-road-world-championships-tickets-17172522477
If I read the map correctly, it looks like ALL of Libby Hill will be part of the “Fan Zone”. So, for the right amount of money, I can watch the FREE RACE from my own neighborhood. This is wrong on many levels.
Dashawna Wright liked this on Facebook.
Alexander Merrick-Tagore liked this on Facebook.
Rainie Bishop liked this on Facebook.
The race organizers and city have asked up to do so much to prepare for the races and to put up with so much during the races…then this is sprung on us….not cool
I asked Paul Shanks, Director of Communications & Digital Marketing for Richmond 2015, “I’m trying to get some clarity on how much/what part of Libby Hill will be given over to paid access.”
He says: “The majority of Libby Hill will be open to the public including a beer garden and jumbotron showing the race live.”
I’ve been asking about the city-owned area behind Richmond Hill for several YEARS, and it’s still a mess! Anyone wanting to watch the race from a nice vantage point right beside the 23rd Street hill of cobblestones (we all funded to be repaired for the racers) will have a hard time. Too bad the hill and walkway are so messed up and bug and trash filled.
I am not surprised that the City did not ask the residents of Church Hill if they could appropriate Libby Park. It is typical insensitive bulldozer management.
However, perhaps if the City now realizes that they can make $400.00 a head allowing outsiders to enjoy the VIEW, they will be less likely to destroy it with cheap, innappropriate high rises.
Pete Tobin liked this on Facebook.
What? “the majority of Libby Hill open for public access?” Yeah, the part with the worst views. Luv bikes. Hate the way the city is managing this whole money-loosing event. And triple-hate the way the city/organizers keep asking citizens to do more–including footing the bill for the additional $millions the organizers still owe the UCI just for the pleasure of hosting the race. Now they take away our best viewing spot on the hill. Sucks.
“The majority of Libby Hill will be open to the public including a beer garden and jumbotron showing the race live.”
there are so many reasons to not want to support this event…I wish I could just leave the Hill before it begins and come back when its over – sigh….
Moving out of CH the week before this monster hits. It’s been real for 7 years Church Hill! Good luck neighbors!
I’m really looking forward to the race. I’m sure there will be inconveniences, but man it’ll certainly be a week to remember & it’ll be neat to be a tourist town for 10 days or so.
@ John M – I so agree!! This is so exciting on so many levels! My husband and I both live and work in the city – will it be a little difficult getting around? Probably – but so what? It’s 10 days!!!
I was curious if the beer garden and fan zone would be here the entire 10 days? Or just on the weekend….?
@17 Not sure which beer garden and fan zone you mean….the start/finish line would be open the entire time, I would think. If you mean the area in Libby Hill Park, I think that is just the last four days when the races come through Church Hill. Check their website for more details, you can click through different dates that way.
I actually would like to volunteer up here on the Hill. I already created a volunteer profile on the site but there’s no way to request venues that I can see. If any reader is a captain or volunteer coordinator for Libby Hill, please let me know the best way to proceed.
This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of a world-class athletic event that far out-eclipses any Super Bowl on a world-wide scale. Bring your kids out to watch–they will remember it for the rest of their lives. So exciting!