Really, company is coming.

Over the past few months, momentum has grown and planning is underway. With a projected $158 million in economic impact, businesses are gearing up and community organizations are forging greater ties across the region. Many companies are discussing strategies to launch new products in RVA during the event. Event organizers are determining the best wearable computing technology for cyclists so that fans can see and feel what they do in real time.

And everyone is buzzing about drone technology and how it will transform the way the sport of professional cycling is experienced live and from afar. No stone has been left unturned. To get to this point, RVA has stepped up. On March 28 the Richmond 2015, Inc. co-chairs, Thomas F. Farrell II, Chairman and CEO of Dominion; Mayor Dwight C. Jones; Governor Robert F. McDonnell; and Senator Mark R. Warner, announced that they had reached 50 percent of their budget target—all from local sources. These founding partners have committed more than $11 million and include Altria, CarMax, The Community Foundation, Davenport & Company, Dominion, Genworth, Bill Goodwin, Bruce Gottwald Jr., Hourigan Construction, Kings Dominion, MWV, McGuire Woods, Norfolk Southern, Piascik, Richmond Region Tourism, Jim Ukrop, VCU Medical Center, and Williams Mullen. Additionally, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Hanover County, Henrico County, and the City of Richmond have also made significant commitments of founding partner support.

On May 5 came another critical milestone. USA Cycling announced that Richmond would be the location of 2014 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships. The announcement was made at the awards banquet in front of 400 collegiate athletes from more than 100 schools competing at the 2013 championships underway in Ogden, Utah. “We are excited to host the 2014 USA Cycling Collegiate Nationals and have it serve as the warm-up event for the 2015 UCI Road World Championships,” says Tim Miller, Chief Operating Officer for Richmond 2015, Inc. “This event will provide an outstanding opportunity for us to test and refine our courses, logistics, and processes before 2015.” At the moment race organizers are determining the route through Richmond’s iconic avenues and scenery.

To prepare, the region has begun a rigorous internal planning process to make sure that we are ready for any of the potential route options. James Jackson, the director of Public Works for the City of Richmond has quietly led the City’s Infrastructure Preparation sub-committee. This is where people like Larry Boyd, of Sanitation, and Dan Urich, the City’s GIS specialist, sit down with people from VDOT and others and compare notes on everything from trash removal to traffic patterns and developing plans for paving streets and improving city gateways. Medalist Sports, which will manage the on-site technical planning and logistics for the “big race” in 2015, has been participating in these city-led  infrastructure conversations.

Medalist is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and was formerly established in Richmond. They were also responsible for the production and marketing of the famed Tour DuPont, which visited Richmond each year from 1989 to 1996. “America is hosting the Worlds Cycling Championships. Everyone has a role to play before, during, and after the race. If you want to get involved, we will need scores of volunteers and you can help out in so many ways. Initially it starts with just getting your neighborhood cleaned, sprucing up your yard, simple things,” says Katie Lackey of the Frontier Project, a partner of the Richmond 2015 organizing committee. “We should all feel a sense of personal ownership because this is a big deal.” Just as important are some of the on-the-ground organizing efforts. Candidates have been briefed and a 2015 listening tour has touched neighborhood groups, networks, and civic and professional organizations throughout the region.

One such entity is the Allies for a More Beautiful RVA that has brought together civic leaders around a larger goal of making Richmond an even more beautiful and enticing place to live. “The UCI Road World Cycling Championships can be a vehicle for doing some things we’ve always wanted to do,” says Beautiful RVA organizer Randee Humprey of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. “Imagine Richmond as the country’s ‘bike-iest’ city, with bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure issues solved finally, rapid mass transit via all-electric buses, bike trails connecting our spruced-up, beautiful neighborhoods, and a Bike Share program that makes it easy for everyone to ride.

The world’s coming for nine days in September 2015, but we have the opportunity to focus on the before- and after-effects NOW. “ Across the region there has been an uptick in cooperation and enthusiasm. In May, for example, the Greater Richmond Bicycle Coalition was officially unveiled to the public at the Bike Month Wrap party at Hardywood Park Brewery. This new partnership of organizations and individuals was formed to coordinate and encourage progress in bicycle infrastructure projects within Richmond and the surrounding region. “We have a great dirt trail system and a thriving racing culture in the Richmond region. But we also want our kids, parents, and grandparents to safely and comfortably bike to school, the grocery store, and park,” notes Max Hepp-Buchanan, director of Bike Walk RVA for the Sports Backers. “Richmond should be bike-able for everyone, from an 8-year-old child to her 80-year-old grandfather.”

To get to the finish line, Richmond 2015, Inc. and The Frontier Project continue to engage in deep sponsor and partner discussions with national and international sponsors. And soon a new round of announcements are planned. Meanwhile, businesses across the region are making plans to fully capitalize on 2015. Richmonders are encouraged to tell their friends outside of the region—all over the country and the world—that the USA is hosting the World Cycling Championships and it will be a must-see and mustattend event. In other words, now is the time to brag. Now is the time to get your neighbors and friends active by developing a local plan of action so that RVA is breathtakingly beautiful by the time company arrives. Now is the time to join the Greater Richmond Bicycle Coalition. And most importantly, now is the time to truly get involved. Don’t ask, “What is the city doing?” Ask yourself, “What am I doing?” to prepare for the biggest convergence of human beings on RVA since the Civil War.

Hosted over the course of nine days, the big event will provide Richmonders with the rare opportunity to watch athletes compete for their country, just as they do during the Olympic Games. Athletes compete in three different disciplines including the traditional Road Race, the Individual Time Trial and the recently introduced Team Time Trial.