The 2010 UCI World Road Cycling Championships were held in Geelong from 29 September to 3 October. The whole city was buzzing with anticipation during the days before the racing as the infrastructure was being erected and the riders were out in the colours of their respective countries exploring the course and undertaking time trials.
I want to thank everyone for their patience, especially those who took different travel routes, those who put up with time delays and those who had to find alternative parking. The people of Geelong embraced this fantastic event, with crowds out in force to support the riders and to enjoy such a magnificent spectacle. The City of Greater Geelong did an exceptional job in ensuring that the event ran smoothly, which was quite a task considering the sheer volume of visitors and spectators.
An article in the Geelong Advertiser states that more than 156 000 people packed the streets last Sunday for the main event. The article quotes the president of the UCI, Mr Pat McQuaid, as saying:
“People can be proud that they hosted the event very successfully and it should give Geelong the confidence to go after any other major event.”
Mr McQuaid was also quoted as having said:
“Geelong has done an outstanding job from the atmosphere to the crowd to the weather …
It justified our decision to come here.”
As well as the enormous numbers of people converging on Geelong, it is estimated that over 400 million people worldwide saw Geelong and the region at its finest — a feat of which Geelong and Victoria should be extremely proud. We showcased the magnificence of the area and all it has to offer. Geelong is now on the international map thanks to the enormous work and positive attitude of all those involved. It is an indictment of members of the opposition that they chose to stand on the sidelines and to snipe and criticise.