Rolling into the future

Ben Arancibia
Columnist

Last week, Richmond was named host of the 2015 World Road Cycling Championships, and organizers are beginning the four-year process of preparing the city for the event.

Hosting the World Road Cycling Championships may not seem like a big deal initially, but the event has the ability to bring a large amount of economic development to areas in Richmond that need it desperately. I implore the organizers to look into developing the areas of Richmond that need it most and hiring local citizens to help with preparations instead of importing people from other areas of Virginia.

By numbers alone, the World Road Cycling Championships is quite impressive. More than 450,000 visitors are expected to come to Richmond and areas around the city, including more than 1,000 athletes, more than 1,000 journalists and 500 media outlets from 35 countries. The total expected economic impact is a whopping $135.3 million.

The potential for Richmond to use this event for economic development is limitless.

Jackson Ward, which has needed improvement for a long time, could finally receive the attention that it needs with the influx of funds. Recently, a South Carolina development company withdrew plans to build two hotels in Jackson Ward because “the Richmond lodging market was not recovering like many others.” The World Road Cycling Championships provides a great opportunity for organizers to make new plans for hotels to replace those that were pulled. Those hotels would provide job opportunities in that area and would provide lodging for the more than 450,000 visitors who will, on average, stay nine nights during the event. Revitalizing Jackson Ward is just one way to help revitalize the city of Richmond.

The World Road Cycling Championships also has an effect on VCU President Michael Rao’s Quest for Distinction because it contains a section on green initiatives and sustainability on campus. Using the cycling championships, Rao and the VCU administration could partner with VCU student environmental groups in order to bolster environmental awareness on campus.

Encouraging students to switch from cars to bikes or use public transportation would be one good way to use this event in a positive manner. Having workshops on bike maintenance and other related topics could help VCU progress and become a leading university in green initiatives and activities.

The jobs that the World Road Cycling Championships will bring to Richmond will be pivotal in Richmond’s economic recovery. These jobs could range from helping to setup for the event, to construction of the raceway and to security and traffic control. Although some of these jobs might be temporary, they will still provide a needed income for people in Richmond having trouble during this economic recession.

It would be best for the organizers of the event to hire Richmond locals who can use the income they generate from the jobs and let them reinvest the money back into Richmond. This is one of the ways to revitalize the city, which would allow it to have more events like the World Road Cycling Championships.

Hosting a successful World Road Cycling Championships could be the key for Richmond to break through the stagnant economic growth affecting the city.