The UCI Road World Championships explained in 8 questions

I heard some bike race is happening in the City of Richmond this fall. Is this true?

Well, yes. Richmond will host the UCI Road World Championships from Sept. 19 through Sept. 27. Worlds, however, is more than just some bike race. It is one of cycling’s most important events.

Wait, so this is a big deal?

That’s still an understatement. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, “This will prove the most significant professional sporting event in Virginia history.”

Worlds falls right behind the Tour de France, undeniably the world’s most popular and prestigious race, yet the two events differ. The Tour de France consists of 21 stages where each race has a winner, and there is one overall winner. For Worlds each race is its own world championship. 

Additionally, the Tour de France is an all-male race, whereas Worlds has several events for both men and women. For men, Worlds, the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, also a stage race, make up cycling’s Triple Crown. The Tour de France is to the Kentucky Derby as Worlds is to the Belmont Stakes.

Could you quantify how popular this race is?

About 450,000 on-site spectators and 300 million worldwide viewers – close to the size of America – will watch about 1,000 cyclists from about 75 countries compete in 12 races during this nine-day event.

How is University of Richmond involved?

The Men's Elite Road Race, the event's premier race, will begin on Boatwright Drive on Sept. 27. University of Richmond and Richmond 2015, the organizer of Worlds, announced a partnership in June. The Men's Elite will bring anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 visitors to Richmond's campus, Ed Ayers, president emeritus, wrote in a school-wide email.

How was Richmond chosen?

Richmond was selected to host Worlds in a similar fashion as cities are selected to host the Olympics. Cities submit proposals to Union Cycliste Internationale, competitive cycling’s governing body, who then chooses a host city. Richmond submitted its application in 2010 and received the bid in 2011, beating out Oman and Quebec City, Canada. Richmond will be the first American city to host Worlds since Colorado Springs hosted the event in 1986. Recent cities that hosted Worlds include Copenhagen, Madrid and Florence. Doha, Qatar will host the event in 2016.

Has Richmond hosted anything like this before?

In May 2014, the city hosted the collegiate bicycling championships, a three-day day event featuring around 400 athletes from about 100 colleges and universities. While this event, which served as a test event for Worlds, was large, it was nowhere near as popular as Worlds will be.

Are there any riders I should know about?

Sure. Here are a few notable riders:

Michał Kwiatkowski – Kwiatkowski, a 25 year old from Poland, won last year’s elite men’s road race. Kwiatkowski, however, dropped out of this year’s Tour de France when “there wasn’t anything left in the tank,” he said.

Shelley Olds (pictured left) -- Despite being relatively new to competitive racing, Olds might be the American’s best bet to win the women’s elite road race. Olds, who captained the women’s soccer team at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, finished sixth in last year’s elite road race, which was the highest finish for an American woman and a personal best finish in the event.

Tejay van Garderen -- Van Garderen, an elite American cyclist, has had great success at Worlds, winning the men's time trial with BMC Racing Team in 2014 and finishing fourth and second in the same race in the two previous races, respectively. He has not found the same success individually, though, as he failed to finish the elite road race in 2012 and 2013.

Ben King – A Richmond native, King is fighting to make team USA. King, who did not qualify for this year’s Tour de France, but finished 54th in 2014, will certainly be a hometown favorite if he makes the roster.

What impact will this event have on the city?

The economic impact of Richmond 2015, including both event staging and visitor spending, is estimated to be $158.1 million for Virginia, while also generating an estimated $5.0 million in state tax revenue, according to Richmond 2015. The city is using this event to improve the cities riding conditions in several ways, such as adding new cycling lanes around the city making it easier to ride through downtown.

Contact editor-in-chief Jack Nicholson at jack.nicholson@richmond.edu