Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 12, 1994 TAG: 9405120170
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
First, he didn't have to go to school in the morning. Then, he had an actual conversation with Greg LeMond.
``I said `Good luck,''' the 10-year-old boasted.
And LeMond's response?
``Thanks.''
Newman was content. After all, instead of being cooped up in a stuffy classroom, he was outside, enjoying the spring sunshine along with what seemed like the entire city of Wytheville.
Many of those buzzing around in the morning crowd were youngsters. They didn't have the day off from school, but were on ``field trips'' downtown to send the 106 cyclists on their way to Beech Mountain, N.C.
They watched anxiously and cheered enthusiastically as the colorfully dressed competitors took off and disappeared down Main Street. The whole process took about 30 seconds.
``It is kind of quick isn't it?'' asked Debra Williams, who was keeping tabs on her second-grade class from Spiller Primary School.
Williams said she had added cycling information to her teaching curriculum to prepare her students for the event.
``We looked at maps of the Tour DuPont and the different stages,'' she said. ``We also talked about bike safety, protective headgear and what to remember when you're out on the road.''
Thousands lined Main Street to welcome the nation's premier cycling event, an impressive showing considering local organizers had only four months to prepare for the event.
Medalist Sports Inc., the Tour's organizer, was unable to resolve differences with The Homestead in Hot Springs, an original site on the 1994 route, and approached Wytheville in December about becoming a host city.
``I remember we got the call Dec.17,'' said Trent Crewe, Newman's stepfather and Wytheville's mayor. ``We had been working on getting something for the next year [1995] and were just fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.''
``They took hold of an opportunity at the very mention of it,'' said Tracy Reed, venue director for Medalist. ``They grabbed it and ran full-speed ahead. We've been very, very pleased with the response. This is a phenomenal start.''
In general, stage starts usually don't generate as much revenue as stage finishes, but Wytheville benefited greatly from the course being rerouted. Stage 6 finished in Blacksburg on Tuesday, but cyclists and their entourages stayed in Wytheville that night because Blacksburg hotels were booked for commencement events this week at Virginia Tech.
``We're pleased,'' Crewe said. ``There's been economic benefits to the merchants, particularly hotels and restaurants, and we've gotten some advertising around the world that will be beneficial, too.''
Medalist profited from the arrangement, as well. Last year, Stage 9 ran from Blacksburg to Beech Mountain, a tortuous course measuring 151 miles.
``The riders found that to be a little too long,'' Reed said. ``[Wytheville] is really in a perfect position here.''
Wytheville officials say they hope Wednesday's turnout was impressive enough to earn the city a spot on next year's route, and possibly a finish.
``I think that would be a little more exciting,'' said Kitty Grady, Wytheville's director of public information who spearheaded Wednesday's event.
``It took an incredible amount of work to pull it off,'' Grady said. ``Basically, we've done it all in the last three months. But it was worth it. This is a tremendous turnout.''
by CNB