CHARLESTON, W.Va – Wheels are spinning around downtown Charleston with the kickoff of USA Cycling’s Pro Road Nationals on Tuesday as competitors from across the country compete in the Capital City.
The event returns to Charleston for the third time and continues through Sunday. After two years getting the hang of hosting, city officials think this year will be the best one yet.
“The focus, I think, is mainly on we can pull off the event but having these watch parties and having these areas where people can celebrate having cycling in town. Having Juneteenth in the middle of it and having a “Live on the Levee” in the middle of it makes it really exciting,” Charleston Mayor’s Chief of Staff Matt Sutton said on 580 Live with Dave Allen.
The expanded offerings alongside the competition go hand in hand with numbers that Sutton said show the city that races draw visitors into Charleston from all over the United States. Two years in, USA Cycling is a proven boost to the city’s economy.
“Of all the spending that occurred in Charleston during those days, 13 per cent was from people who are from 50 miles away or more, so you can see that kind of spending and that kind of visitor activity is what’s important to us and really create an exciting event,” Sutton said.
Sutton believes there is a reason that cycling fans and athletes love coming to Charleston and that it has a lot to do with the people involved. As the competition gets started, city leaders will be right in the heart of the action.
“The hospitality that Charleston and West Virginia show leads to more events because these people talk to each other, and it does lead to other things. Right after USA Cycling leaves, USA Gymnastics comes to the Coliseum and Convention Center,” Sutton said.
That hospitality is helping Charleston grow as a destination for major sporting events, with more coming in a matter of weeks. The word is out, and West Virginia’s capital city is becoming a favorite.
“It’s not everywhere where your mayor helped set up the barricades for the cycling event. It’s not everywhere where the first people shaking the cowbell that’s standing in the middle when the cyclists are coming down are city council members,” Sutton said.
The event itself will result in some effects on downtown Charleston in the coming days as streets are closed for races. Kanawha Boulevard is closed beginning on Tuesday with additional closures from Court Street to Hale Street and Lee Street to Kanawha Boulevard beginning at 5 p.m. each day starting Wednesday.
“If you’re at work, leave a little bit early if you’re leaving out of town. Try to get out right before 5 so you can make sure that you can get out of town. We have a little bit of wiggle room in there so nobody’s going to get stuck if they need to. The police officers are there to be able help people out in cases of emergency, but really we need people out of town by 5:15 in that little block area,” Sutton said.
The full schedule and course maps are available at usacycling.org.