There may be another major cycling race coming to Richmond as soon as September 2017. Per CyclingTips, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is currently planning a multiple day stage race in Virginia.
There may be another major cycling race coming to Richmond as soon as September 2017. Per CyclingTips, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is currently planning a multiple day stage race in Virginia.
It’s rumored Tim Miller, who served as Chief Operating Officer for Richmond 2015, is working with Medalist Sports, the company which helped organize last fall’s UCI races, as well as other races in the U.S.
At a press conference following last fall’s races, Miller spoke ambiguously about the future of racing in Richmond. Per RVAnews, when asked about possible future races, Miller said, “I’m not here to announce the next big thing,” only to add, “We’re looking into it…Stay tuned.”
These rumors wouldn’t be popping up if Richmond 2015 hadn’t been considered a success by some involved. Though the first few days of the event left a bitter taste in some local’s mouths, race organizers said they hit many of their attendance and economic impact goals (here’s a link to their full report). And the courses through the city made for some of the most exciting races on the UCI calendar.
Some key differences between Richmond 2015 and the rumored future race are the length of the event, and the type of race.
CyclingTips claims, “the proposed new UCI stage races will be shorter than usual — perhaps four or five days — and use one centrally located hotel as a base, utilizing surrounding towns for stage starts and finishes, rather than travel from town to town.”
Basically, this event would be half the duration of Richmond 2015’s 10 days, and it would use an area (presumably the downtown/Shockoe Bottom/Church Hill area, so Libby Hill Park’s cobblestones can be featured once again) as the de facto race headquarters. However, CyclingTips also hints that these races may reach Charlottesville and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The expansion into Charlottesville would be due to the nature of stage races.
Stage races are won by being the rider with the fastest cumulative time over the course of the event. Conversely, the World Championships were a series of one-day events: whoever came in first that day won the race. But stage races often feature all sorts of different terrain, and almost always have a summit finish. The Blue Ridge Mountains would be a perfect venue for an uphill finish.
A Virginia stage race would certainly be a big stage (pun intended) for Richmond native Ben King. Earlier today, King finished third on Stage 4 of the Vuelta a Espana (or Tour of Spain, which is one of the biggest races of the year), and back in May, he won Stage 2 of the Amgen Tour of California.
Ben King was one of the most popular riders in Richmond last year, and he’s good enough to come away with a stage win or two, especially on these familiar streets.
There are reasons to believe the “Tour of Virginia” will become a real, recurring race.
CyclingTips is a trusted source in cycling news, Richmond’s proved it can pull of a big cycling event, and Miller’s “Stay tuned” from December suddenly carries a lot more meaning. If this were to become official, it’d likely come with a big announcement and press conference in the coming months.
This wouldn’t be the first time Virginia’s held stage races. The now-defunct Tour DuPont held its penultimate stage in Richmond in the early 90’s, and this success apparently helped Richmond win the World Championships bid in 2011.
