On Saturday, the Worlds began with team trial time training. As the international and stateside cycling teams geared up for the rest of the week, we caught up with hometown fans and a very familiar face.
Kiesha Thigpen is one of many course Marshalls that help the crowd get around safely during the bike races. (Photo by Benjamin May)
Kiesha Thigpen is one of many course Marshalls that help the crowd get around safely during the bike races. She has been closely following cycling for about ten years and will be able to enjoy the race from home in Portsmouth after volunteering today. "I heard about the Worlds coming to Richmond and I was excited. I thought 'this is where I need to be' and I looked into volunteering."
Daniel and Zoey McDavid are Richmond locals. The crowd on Broad Street was excited to meet Zoey and who wouldn't be? Daniel just finished his masters at VCU and works for Capital One. He says the races are interfering with his dog walking because he can't cross the street. I let him know the volunteers in blue shirts are there to help.
Daniel McDavid says the races are interfering with walking his dog, Zoey, because he can't cross the street. (Photo by Benjamin May)
Mayor Dwight Jones was relaxing at 27 on Broad Street as the practice and time trials concluded. He had this to say about the start of the UCI: "We're excited that the world has come to Richmond and we've prepared for a long time to be a good host and as you can see, Richmond looks better than it's ever looked. It's a tremendous day, last night was amazing. I thought there were 12,000 , but somebody said there were 13,000 people out at Browns Island for the Richmond Symphony. It's wonderful opportunity for Richmond to stand up and see what we can be. I hope the people of Richmond will seize the opportunity to enjoy this."
"We're excited that the world has come to Richmond and we've prepared for a long time to be a good host and as you can see," said Mayor Dwight Jones, seen on Saturday relaxing at 27 on Broad St. "Richmond looks better than it's ever looked." (Photo by Benjamin May)
For daily coverage and photos of the 2015 UCI Road World Championships, check the Richmond magazine Bike Blog.
