Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Richmond City Council celebrates the selection today of Richmond to serve as the host city for the 2015 Union Cycliste Internationale World Road Cycli

RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL
Richmond City Council – Richmond City Hall - 900 E. Broad Street, Suite 200 - Richmond, VA 23219 - www.council.richmondva.gov

COUNCIL PUBLIC INFORMATION NEWS ADVISORY
IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO BE FORWARDED AND SHARED
Wednesday, 21 September 2011

Richmond City Council celebrates the selection today of Richmond to serve as the host city for the 2015 Union Cycliste Internationale World Road Cycling Championships

WHAT
Richmond City Council celebrates the selection this morning by Union Cycliste Internationale for Richmond, Virginia to host the 2015 Union Cycliste Internationale World Road Cycling Championships. This nine-day event is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Richmond region and to be a financial boon for Richmond-area families and businesses.

Richmond is known for its thriving cycling culture and community that has long been a dedicated advocate and promoter of cycling and Richmond City Council feels this event would be an outstanding and natural fit for our city.

Some examples of Richmond's commitment to cycling include the following;

• Richmond, Virginia was one of the first (and still few) cities in North America to have installed install bike racks on our local public transit bus system. This service is provided at no extra charge to the rider.

• Richmond has a working Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails Planning Commission that provides assistance and information to further increase and enhance cycling and walking as viable methods of transportation.

• Richmond has installed bike racks all over the city for cyclists.

• Richmond created a “Share the Road” public information campaign to help promote cycling and protect cyclists.

• In December 2009, Richmond finished the Richmond Riverfront phase of the Virginia Capital Trail, which is the first of three through the city that will make up a 55 mile trail, connecting Richmond to Williamsburg, Virginia.

• Richmond has numerous bike clubs, associations, organizations and teams and a growing number of independent bike retail and service businesses. These include the Richmond Area Bicycling Association that was established in 1973, and CyCor Sports, which, in 1997, was the only U.S. city to send three qualifiers to the 1997 USA National Team Selection Camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

• Richmond has an outstanding history of successfully hosting international cycling events, which include the Tour de Trump, Tour DuPont, CapTech Classic, Xterra World Tour and the Duathlon World Championships.

• Richmond is home to the largest university in the state, Virginia Commonwealth University, which has begun holding an Annual Richmond Bike Week, which showcases cycling in Richmond and include many fun and competitive events.

CONTACT For more information, please contact The Honorable Kathy Graziano, President, Richmond City Council, Councilwoman,
Southwest 4th District, at 804.320.2454 (tel), or Kathy.graziano@richmondgov.com



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______________________________________
Steven R. Skinner, APR
Council Public Information Manager
Office of the Chief of Staff
RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL
Richmond City Hall
900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305
Richmond, Virginia 23219
804.646.6052 (office)
804.335.4054 (mobile)
804.937.1386 (home/mobile)
804.646.5468 (fax)
skinnesr@ci.richmond.va.us (email)
www.council.richmondva.gov(website)
______________________________________

MISSION The mission of Richmond City Council
is to represent citizens in creating and amending
local laws, providing government policy and
oversight, and approving the city budget.

VISION Richmond City Council is committed to
creating a vibrant community that is a great place
to live, work, learn, play, visit and raise a family.