USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championship

The 2023 USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championship will be held in our region from Wednesday, June 14 through Saturday, June 17. This prestigious four-day event attracts nationally ranked cyclists and their families from across the country to compete in a variety of race formats. Many of these athletes will go on to compete in the Olympics, sign lucrative corporate sponsorships, and compete in international events like the Tour de France. The first day of racing will be held on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Roanoke County. The second and third day will be held in Franklin County on Thursday, June 15th and Friday, June 16th. The final day will be held in downtown Roanoke. Franklin County will proudly host the largest portion of this national event.

Registration Numbers and Press Conference

As of May 31st, 270 individual riders from more than 30 states are registered for the races being held in Franklin County alone. This number continues to grow daily as new riders and teams commit to the race. A press conference was held on Wednesday, May 31st at the Explore Park in Roanoke County to officially announce the race routes and offer an opportunity for Chairman Tatum to talk about Franklin County and our commitment to this event.

Internal and External Collaboration

County staff continues to work closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that this event is as safe as possible for competitors, minimizes impacts to residents, and provides an impactful first impression to visitors that encourages them to stay longer and return in the future. County departments that have been instrumental include Public Safety, Sheriff’s Department, Tourism, GIS, Public Works, and Parks and Recreation. Numerous external organizations have also been heavily involved in this process and include USA Cycling, Virginia’s Blue Ridge, the Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, and the Virginia Health Department. The collaboration between all internal and external agencies and departments continues to be impressive and impactful to USA Cycling and the cycling community.

Course and Impact

This race will be held on 18 miles of roads over the course of two days and includes temporary and rolling road closures. Enclosed with this memo are maps outlining the course configurations, as well as, daily road closures and detours during the event. Every effort is being made to minimize impacts to residents. Public notification includes direct mailers that will be sent to all residents along the course, hand-delivered and in-person contact with key landowners, and reader boards that will be placed on the course weeks in advance to alert motorists.

It is being communicated that any minor inconvenience incurred will be vastly outweighed by the many benefits of this event. We are asking residents to warmly welcome these athletes and their families to Franklin County.