UCI Worlds: Bellevue, Men's ITT, and Anthony's

It's Wednesday night at UCI Worlds in Richmond and tomorrow's a rest day, at least from the races. The plan is to blog every evening about our adventures and today didn't disappoint. I'm also tweeting, so follow me @GiroJenny for real-time updates.

If you don't have time to read, here's a quick recap of Day 5.

Food: Hotel Restaurant, VIP Tent, Anthony's on the Hill
Bike: Cobbles, Cobbles, Cobbles! Rode the 2 big climbs several times - 23rd St and Libby Hill
Races: Elite Men Individual Time Trial
Picks for Tomorrow: Rest Day
Best Moment: Meeting the Bellevue school children after they cheered us up 23rd St climb.
Not the Best Moment: VIP Tent attendance has increased the last couple days. Unfortunately most people are talking and not watching cycling, so you can't hear live feed.
Strangest Moment: Most of these are happening at dinner, tonight was the same. Strange yet another example of Richmond generosity. (more below)
Best Cycling Encounter: We are losing count. So many great conversations and interactions with athletes and staff. Today's discussion with Marco Pinotti was special. He's on a roll this week with World Championships for BMC Racing Team and Linda Villumsen!

Since the racing didn't start until 1p today, the VIP tent wasn't open for breakfast. We tried out the buffet at the hotel and did some people-watching. It's always an eye opener to see what athletes and different nationalities eat. We spent some time planning our rest day (tomorrow) and then headed out for a ride.

Our plan was to go east like we had a few days before but we only made it as far east as Libby Hill. The cycling crowds were out in force, including many of the junior, U23, and elite teams. Everyone was getting used to the cobbles on 23rd Street and Libby Hill. We couldn't pass up the challenge, so climbed 23rd, then went over to Libby for several laps.

Terry on 23rd

1st time up 23rd (notice school in background)

Libby Hill Entrance

Terry starting 4th interval up Libby Hill

Top of Libby Hill

Taking tourist photos for Team Poland

On the way back to the hotel, we did another pass at 23rd and were thrilled to have the Bellevue school lined up on the fence cheering "You can do it!". I was touched and went over to thank them and was swarmed. It turned out we were some of the first cyclists they cheered for and the 1st to go over and thank them. The young children were so excited, as were the teachers. We took pictures, did high fives, and let them touch our bikes. We also talked about how important it was to cheer loud for everyone, no matter what jerseys they were wearing or if they were boys or girls. I reminded the teacher that I wasn't a pro rider, but they didn't care. Absolutely my best moment of the day and a reminder of what this event means to Richmond and the World.

Bellevue School Children - You can do it!

By the time we finished photos, others came up the climb including Team Luxembourg. They took time out of their practice session to also talk and take photos with the children. It was super emotional seeing these junior athletes interact with these local kids and teachers. I won't be surprised if a future cyclist or world traveler comes out of Bellevue after today. They'll remember this moment for years, I know I will.

Team Luxembourg & Team Bellevue

We had one more stop before finishing our ride. Worlds Social is tomorrow and I had last minute details to finalize at The Urban Farmhouse. I'm looking forward to the event and Kathryn Bertine's book signing tomorrow afternoon. Back to the hotel with just enough time to shower, then off to VIP for lunch and a check on the early men's racers. As I mentioned above, it's tough to watch the race on TV in the tent, so we headed out on course and set up on Governor's climb just as the 1st racer arrived.

The Urban Farmhouse - our daily hangout

Virginia State Capitol

We stayed put for the entire ITT and met many locals and visitors during the breaks between riders. Congrats to winner Vasil Kiryienka from Belarus on the win and to Americans Taylor Phinney (12th) and Lawson Craddock (22nd). After the last rider went by, we walked to The Virginia State Capitol for the free tour. We didn't stay long, but got a good sense of Virginia history and pride. Strange that we've never visited the Utah State Capitol after all these years.

1st American Racer - Lawson Craddock

1st American President - George Washington

One last trip to VIP then back to the hotel for a quick change before dinner. Terry was craving pizza and found a high ranking on Yelp, so we took the hotel shuttle and put our name on the list at Anthony's on the Hill. It is a small place, so we waited outside and soon were talking to a local lady named Karen. When their table was called, she and husband Geoff invited us to join them and we went for it. For the next couple hours we had an enjoyable dinner and talked cycling. They ended up paying for our dinner saying it was their way of saying thanks for visiting Richmond. Well thank you Richmond for welcoming the World to your home and hosting such a wonderful party. The best is yet to come as more people arrive tomorrow for the final three days of racing.