Talk about stars aligning.
For me, it did the other weekend. I was at Richmond, Virginia, for the 2015 World Road Cycling Championships and my pick to win, Peter Sagan, won. I was with my favorite sister, Flom, whom I had to convince to join the party and my brother, JC, who needs no convincing, was also there. JC drove us from his place in NJ to Richmond via Philadelphia and DC, that’s about 8 hours total on the road.
With the hotels around Richmond full and expensive, we stayed at a Best Western about a 20min drive from downtown Richmond. We already recon’d the race route the night before but we got lost, but we were ready.
I had thought that the race would start around lunch like what they do in European races but the race started 930, probably to coincide with European prime time. JC had bought a parking space online but we couldn’t get to the place as the race was already 12/16 laps so he parked a block from the nearest route just in time for the peloton to whizz by.
I felt giddy I saw my idols in the flesh even though i couldn't figure out there faces due to the speed they were moving. Still, my knees felt weak thinking that I was there, and the moment I had been dreaming since the late 80’s was finally coming true! Pinch me!
The Virginia police was very firm but courteous and allowed us to cross the street as soon as they deem it safe. Even cars were allowed to cross the race route.
I wanted to really blend with the moment and I asked the the first group of fans I saw, a trio from Poland, wearing Polish kits, if we could strike a pose with them. And we were not to be outdone with our cebucycling.com jerseys, thanks to Niño Abarquez. Then we had posed with the Norwegians and the Eritreans, who seemed to have the biggest, the most colorful and the noisiest contingent, than the Americans and the Slovaks.
We sauntered towards the finish line area and it wasn’t filled with fans yet. There was this VIP lounge but at US$499 admission, it was beyond me. We went to the team tents and spotted the Italian manager, Davide Cassani. JC was looking for souvenirs like a discarded water bottle but wasn’t too quick to get one. With the race still a long way to go, we went to the Richmond Convention Centre for the exhibits. There we scored a few items and had lunch while watching the race unfold on a jumbotron.
With 60ks to go, we decided to look for a spot to stake. I would have wanted to got to Libby Hill but it was too far. Then we spotted the last K kite, which was on a steep section about 400m long about 900m from the finish. I was here where I thought that the race would be won and it did! We screamed like crazy as the riders went by on the final lap- first to appear was Peter Sagan, followed by Greg van Avermaet and Eddy Boson Hagen and then finally the vanquished field!
After the race was over, we went back to finish line to grab for souvenirs, met Bob Roll and had a glimpse the new champion interviewed. Two hours later, with the streets almost empty, we grudgingly but happily went back tour hotel.
Bucket list checked, few more to go!