The world road biking championships wrapped up in Richmond this weekend… Initial fears about slow-to-appear crowds disappeared by the time the largest race happened Sunday. Preliminary numbers show more than 600,000 spectators showed up for the event.
The height of the action on Sunday’s 10-mile course was Libby Hill...
“Look at the wall of fans, it’s like a theater here in Libby Hill. What a fantastic site!”
It’s a steep cobble-stoned street winds its way up into Church Hill, a neighborhood at the east end of the city. Bikers zoomed through the spot 16 times over the course of the 160-mile race -- to crowds of people from all over the world.
The men’s elite group raced Sunday, while women -- like Diana Penuela of Colombia -- raced Saturday.
Official attendance numbers for the event won’t be released for some time.
Going forward, the state will take a look at hotel bookings... tax income... and airport traffic… all to quantify the economic impact of the 10-day-event. Those results are expected in several months.