My experience as an intern at the RTD in picture form
(For my 10 tweets, I ran the @RTDSports twitter account for the second shift.)
A Week at the Races
Capturing the World in Richmond
Kristin Armstrong at the start of the Women’s Elite Time Trial, with a time that held first place through 38 riders– ended up 5th overall.
Men competing in the Elite Men’s Road Race, round the corner onto Main st. after the climb up Libby Hill park.
Hermann Pruisken and Martine ole Wit traveled from the Netherlands to support two riders– Anna Van Der Breggan and Ellen Van Dijk both from the Netherlands– in the Elite Women’s Time Trial.
Crowd at Libby Hill Park was incredible for the Elite Men’s Road Race– the final race of the UCI World Championships 2015.
The cobbles stone parts of the course proved to be very challenging for the riders all week as they fought to climb the steep cobble lined hills of Richmond.
During the Elite Men’s Road Race, country team members held out food and water for the riders to grab as they completed their 160 mile ride to the finish.
The women riders from the Elite Women’s Road Race fought up the cobble stone hill 8 times throughout the race.
Team BMC members racing down Main st. during the Elite Men’s Team Time Trial.
Governor Terry McAuliffe was out supporting the Elite Men’s Road Race– shaking hands and taking pictures with everyone who approached him.
USA’s Kristin Armstrong after crossing the finish line with a time to finish fifth overall in the Elite Women’s Time Trial.
A beautiful way to advertise the host of the 2015 UCI World Championships– Virginia is for lovers “LOVE” sign beneath all of the competing countries flags.
A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity – James Hyman
Main and 5th. Pace car following the racer going down the hill. Shimano was a big sponsor of the entire event. In the front, you can also see the lead motorcycle.
Biker representing Mexico during the men’s individual time trials. Located at Main and 5th.
Some spectators and a volunteer watching the races. The volunteers were able to stand on the roads and helped people cross the streets and answer questions about information anyone needed. Everyone else had to remain behind the gates that closed the streets off. The weather was pretty rainy this day and it was a workday so there were not a lot of people around,
Thai Racer during the individual men’s time trials located on Main and 5th. You can see the media in the background.
Another Thai racer coming down Main and 5th during the men’s individual time trials. Being followed by the media crew and the chaser vehicles.
Irish racer coming down the hill on Main and 3rd during the woman’s individual time trials. She had great form. Looks like a very expensive bike. You can also see spectators watching the races.
A Norwegian racer coming down the corner of Main and 3rd during the women’s individual time trials. A spectator told me that there was an accident that had just happened around the bend right before I had gotten there.
Start/Finish Line on Broad Street. Beautiful location for the races to take place.
Sign inside the Fan Fest at the Greater Richmond Convention Sign. This sign was affiliated with the Virginia is for Lovers exhibit.
Had the opportunity to interview Keith Perrin from Mechanicsville, Virginia this weekend while downtown at the bike races. He is 44 years old and is an Electrician. He started following bike races in 2005 because of Lance Armstrong’s movement. This week was the first week of races that he has ever attended. His favorite rider is Alberto Contador. The furthest that he traveled was to watch a race was downtown Richmond from Mechanicsville where he stayed 6 hours watching the race intently. The other sports that he follows include traditional sports such as tennis, football and basketball. His wife and 4 kids think he is crazy that he watches cycling on television and that he went downtown all by himself to watch the races throughout this past week. He believes that Richmond did a fantastic job in putting on this event this week and is very sad that it is over but has a lot of great pictures to remember it by.
Published Article by WRIC
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — At roughly 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, USA’s Kristin Armstrong hit the Women’s Elite Time Trial course second following German’s Corinna Lechner.
The crowd surrounding the start ramp was roaring as the count down for Armstrong begun.
Armstrong would go on to finish with a time that proved to be the best against 37 other riders until the last wave of women came in and absolutely demolished it.
Linda Villumsen of New Zealand has been on the podium five times in time trial races, but until today has never taken home the gold.
From the start ramp to the finish line; people yelling, cow bells ringing, and fencing lines being pounded on is all you can hear while every rider passes by.
“When a rider comes by everyone’s cheering but then it goes quiet when they pass.” said Chuck Wandling of Hanover, Virginia. “It’s like surfing and waiting for the next big wave to come.”
From the locals of Richmond to those who have traveled the globe to come watch, there was a constant crowd of people waiting to cheer on the women as they accomplished this grueling course.
For many people this was their first professional bike race, and to see what goes into getting these riders on course was foreign to a lot of people.
“It was very exciting, I was amazed at the speed and the entourage of vehicles with the riders.” said Nalini Premkumar of Henrico.
At the finish line of the Women’s Elite Time Trial stood Hermann Pruisken and Martine ole Wit of Rotterdam, catching the eyes of many, dressed head-to-toe in orange holding a huge flag of the Netherlands.
Pruisken said they were there supporting Anna Van Der Breggan, who finished second, and Ellen Van Dijk, who finished seventh. Both riders were representing the Netherlands in the individual time trial.
Pruisken and Wit travel the world supporting these two women.
“We’ve been to I don’t know at least 50 races this year,” said Prusiken.
As the last wave of riders entered the course commentators were already calling the race, saying that Armstrong would stay in the lead and take home gold.
That all went downhill as four of the six riders in the last group demolished Armstrong’s time – something which no one had come close to throughout the race.
Linda Villumsen beat Armstrong at every time check of the race. She stayed at a steady pace and beat Armstrong’s time by 20.58 seconds to win her first gold in Women’s Elite Time Trials.
After her confirmed win, Villumsen was still very clearly in shock.
“I just can’t believe it,” she said.
Finishing in third place was Lisa Brennauer who was the defending national champion coming out of Germany. She was the last rider to go of the 44 riders.
Bike racing may not be the most coveted sport here in the U.S, however bringing a world championship race to the City of Richmond has sparked some interest.
“I’ll definitely be back to watch more of the races,” Premkumar said.
Wandling added, “I’ve never been to a biking event but it was quite fascinating. I’ll be back.”
The action for Tuesday finished up around 4:50 p.m., but the races start up again at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday with the Men’s Elite Individual Time Trial starting in Doswell, Virginia.
The Worlds at VCU!
Champion Peter Sagan Accepts His First Place Trophy
The Competition is Fierce in The Men’s Elite Road Race
USA and Korean Representatives Coming Up Libby Hill
Fans Cheer on Cyclists during the last day of the Worlds at VCU
The Worlds at VCU is Over But Fans Are Still Cycling The Course!
Cycling Fans Gather on the Hill to Watch The Worlds at VCU
Bike Safe and Always Wear Your Helmet!
Fan and Former Cyclist Bret Mingo Enjoys a Beer While Watching The Worlds
Bret Mingo
Annapolis, MD, USA
Age: 46
Occupation: Executive
Do you follow bicycle racing? Yes
How many races do you attend a year? 1-2
Do you have a favorite rider? Peter Sagan. I’m stoked about his win
How did you get involved in the sport? I used to race professionally
What’s the farthest you have traveled to watch a race? Paris, to watch the Tour de France
What other sports do you follow? Hockey, world cup, baseball, football
Do your friends or family think you are nuts? Yes, few Americans understand pro cycling
What are your impressions of Richmond? Richmond did a wonderful job on this race, brought a lot of casual fans into a showcase event. The 86 worlds were an embarrassment (colorado springs), so I think with Richmond’s efforts, the us could see them again much sooner
First Place Winner, Peter Sagan Poses With Second Place, Michael Matthews and Third Place, Ramunas Navardauskas
richmond2015, Student, TheWorldsatVCU, uciworldchampionship, vcubrb
UCI Visitors
Q&A
City and country: Jacksonville, FL
Age: “Spring chickens, in our late 30’s”
Occupation: Gary, retired contractor. Deby, HR director at bank
Do you follow bicycle racing?
We are so excited to be here! This is our first experience!
How many races do you attend a year?
We’ve heard about races like these, but haven’t actually taken time out to get the full experience.
Do you have a favorite rider?
All of them are truly inspirational to us, but of course we are rooting for team USA.
How did you get involved in the sport?
Sometimes we ride our bikes together during beach trips, we see how hard it is to be a cyclist.
What’s the farthest you have traveled to watch a race?
From Florida to New York for our daughters half marathon.
What other sports do you follow?
Football, golf, baseball, and we enjoy the Olympics.
Do your friends or family think you are nuts?
DUH! All of our family think we’re crazy for making this trip.
What are your impressions of Richmond?
It seems very cool and fresh. There are a lot of sites to see, and the people are really friendly. I think Richmond prepped well for the race.
The Worlds At VCU
I had a discussion with these avid cycling fans who claim to attend all major national and international cycling events, estimating that they go to at least 10 races a year. They asserted that they love any rider sporting the orange jersey of team Netherlands and came out to support riders Tim Kerkhof, Sam Oomen, and Twan Brusselman of team NED in the Men’s U23 Road Circuit. With an amateur background in cycling, they got involved with sport through a cycling culture where they live. When asked what other sports they follow, I was given an exclamatory, “Football of course!” (European football that is).
When we closed, they had kind words to say about Richmond, claiming “the people are nice and we don’t mind this weather!” (Definitely referring to the beginning of the week).
Bike Race Selfie Action
My favorite highlight from the Road Circuit Training day: These wonderful racers from Australia, Japan, Estonia, and Poland agreeing to take Snapchat selfies with me! Thanks guys!!
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