University of Richmond set to host start of UCI Men’s Elite Road Race

This event of The Big Bike Race™ will start at the school and wind down Three Chopt Road and into Carytown.

July 1, 2015; 11:36 AM • by Trevor Dickerson

From the University of Richmond:

University of Richmond announced today that it will join the team of major partners of Richmond 2015, the organizer of the UCI Road World Championships, a nine-day cycling event to be held in Richmond this September.

As part of the partnership, the University of Richmond will host the official start of the Men’s Elite Road Race – the marquee race during Worlds – on Sept. 27, the final day of competition. The start will wind through the University’s campus, named one of the top 20 most beautiful campuses by the Princeton Review. The cyclists will ride toward historic Monument Avenue and the 10-mile circuit that will be used for all road races throughout the competition.

The Men’s Elite Road Race will leave the University of Richmond’s campus by way of Boatwright Drive before traveling south on Three Chopt Road to Cary Street Road and through Carytown, one of Richmond’s eclectic shopping districts. The cyclists will enter the road circuit at Monument Avenue by way of Boulevard.

“We see this international event as an outstanding opportunity to welcome not only the Richmond community, but also the world to our beautiful campus,” said Edward L. Ayers, president of University of Richmond. “International education, both in the form of Richmond welcoming students from dozens of international countries and our students studying abroad, is a cornerstone of our liberal arts education.”

“We are very excited to welcome the University of Richmond as a partner and to have the opportunity to showcase the University to the world by starting the final race on its campus,” added Wilson Flohr, CEO of Richmond 2015. “The university has long been a leader in international education; we are grateful for its involvement in the largest international event to come to Richmond.”

Richmond’s international education program sends more than 60 percent of undergraduates to study abroad with university support, while bringing international students from more than 75 countries to study on campus. The university’s Office of International Education has relationships with nearly 80 institutions outside the U.S., enabling Richmond students to study abroad for the same cost as attending the university.

The University of Richmond was ranked No. 1 by Bloomberg BusinessWeek in 2011 for international business education. The Institute of International Education ranked Richmond No. 7 among the top 40 baccalaureate institutions for the total number of international students in 2013-14.

The Road World Championships will feature more than 1,000 of the world’s top cyclists from more than 70 countries.

University of Richmond also will host the UCI Gala, a celebration of the culmination of the week-long competition, for UCI, Richmond 2015 and guests.