Originally Posted by
Dan333SP
So the recent shooting in South Carolina has stirred the pot regarding symbols of the confederacy in the south. Here in Richmond, a lot of people are "proud" that we were the capitol of the confederacy, and Monument Avenue features a number of statues to famous confederates like Stuart and Lee.
There's a new push by activists in our city to have the courses re-routed to avoid this cobbled street and the symbolism of the statues-
Personally, I wish they weren't there in the first place, but re-routing the course doesn't seem like a solution to me. Thoughts?
Interesting question. Robert E Lee was a slave-owner but on the whole a semi-reasonable type. Reportedly he considered secession as stupid. DC is visited by millions despite huge monuments to slave-owning Washington & Jefferson. Virginia, despite unfortunately being part of the Confederacy is nothing like the redneck deep South like NC/SC/Alabama. Virginia is genteel, Blacks & Whites get along & nobody sports Confederate flags on their pickups.
Been to Richmond many times for both pro bike races & NASCAR races. Police always polite & never interested in hassling visitors for cheap revenue. NBC News tried to manufacture an incident at NASCAR Martinsville Virginia track by parading around guys dressed up in "Muslim" clothing. Spectators ignored them & NBC was rather embarrassed.
I think Richmond is gonna be a great host city for Worlds. Big enough for adequate infrastructure & amenities but small enough so that locals will think it's a pretty big deal. In previous stage races like Tour DuPont, Richmond area folks turned out in big numbers. Schools on the route let the kids outside to cheer riders on.