Cycling is an international sport that resonates strongly with
our community. We consider world champion cyclist Cadel Evans
a local and, as a result, have the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road
Race, being hosted in Geelong next weekend.
During the Committee for Geelong's trade mission to the USA, we
visited Virginia and learned that Geelong and the City of Richmond
are also linked through cycling. Specifically, both cities
have been host to the UCI Road World Cycling Championship; Geelong
in 2010 and Richmond in September 2015.
While in Richmond, we witnessed the excitement of the impending
UCI race. We were also able to convey to our American colleagues
the benefits the race would bring to their City. We were not
wrong. A post-race independent analysis, prepared by Chmura
Economics & Analytics, showed the Economic Impact of the UCI
race for the Richmond Region was USD$161 Million. In
addition, it was estimated the event had an almost USD$170 million
impact to the Commonwealth as a whole.
The analysis also estimated that the 10-day cycling event - an
Opening Ceremony followed by nine days of racing - generated USD$3
million in tax revenue for local governments in the area. An
estimated USD$4.9 million in tax revenue was generated for the
State.
Approximately 645,000 spectators attended the event. This
was in addition to the 791 national representatives from 76
national federations and 40 trade teams who registered for the
championships. Fifty-six percent of all visitors were
estimated to live outside Richmond: 31 percent came from other
states; 13 percent came from other Virginia locations; and 12
percent came from other countries. In addition to the on-site
spectators, hundreds of millions of viewers in 150 countries
watched on TV. As with Geelong, the ancillary benefits of
this international exposure will continue for many years to
come.
In Geelong's 2010 event, Australia medalled in every category
with Australia taking out the number one spot on the final tally of
medals. In Richmond, it was a dominant performance by BMC
Racing in the 2015 UCI Road World Championships' Elite Men's Team
Time Trial that saw the American-registered World Tour team retain
their position as Team Time Trial World Champions.
The organisation, management and promotion of the 2015 UCI Road
World Championships was co-ordinated by Richmond 2015, Inc., an
independent not for profit corporation. Partners of Richmond 2015
included a mixture of businesses, government agencies and the
University of Richmond. In addition to corporate partners, the
Commonwealth of Virginia and surrounding local councils were all
key partners of Richmond 2015. This independent approach
ensured a positive and collaborative attitude to the event.
Cycling is but one area of human endeavour that Geelong brings
to the world and that the world brings to Geelong. It could be any
sport or industry that gets people talking about our region and, as
Geelong transforms, it is vital the focus remains on our City's
positive achievements. This includes being an excellent host
City for many international sporting events. For more
information on the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race visit www.cadelevansgreatoceanroadrace.com.au
Rebecca Casson is the Committee for Geelong Chief Executive
Officer. Follow the Committee for Geelong on Twitter
@Comm4Geelong.