Observations on the bike race

Posted by on April 27, 2009 · 7 Comments 

I’d love to see the folks who put on Sunday’s Waynesboro Grand Prix bike races come back in August as planned, but it would take some modifications to have me comfortably on board.
I spent a good part of the day walking the course and talking with cyclists and the handful of city residents who made it out for the day of exciting racing. The racing certainly was something worth getting excited about, with a series of close finishes sparked by the challenging 1-mile course that organizer Tony Bilotta mapped out utilizing the brutal hill on West Main Street that runs in front of the Augusta Free Press Publishing office and then the speedy descent down 11th Street that had the competitors almost flying down toward the old City Hall on Wayne Avenue.
Issues that came to mind for me during my day at the races: Continue reading “Observations on the bike race” »

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Photo Essay | The Waynesboro Omnium

Posted by on April 26, 2009 · 1 Comment 

The Waynesboro Omnium bike race took over the streets of Downtown Waynesboro. AFP editor Chris Graham walked the course to talk with fans and participants and take photos from different vantagepoints along the course. Continue reading “Photo Essay | The Waynesboro Omnium” »

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One more round on bike race

Posted by on March 18, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

The April 26 Waynesboro Omnium bike race will go on as scheduled, but the resolution to the issues raised by Vice Mayor Frank Lucente regarding the downtown event did not come without more in the way of procedural drama.
“I think all the problems have been resolved, and I’m prepared to vote for this bike race, at least this first one, and after that, if that goes through, see if there are any problems with that, and then go with the second race,” Lucente said at City Council’s meeting Wednesday evening, which began technically as the continuation of the March 9 meeting during which the matter of the proposed closing of Main Street to accommodate the bike race first came up. Continue reading “One more round on bike race” »

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Who’s in charge downtown?

Posted by on March 13, 2009 · 33 Comments 

A discount-store owner who has told the local print newspaper that he would “probably move” if Downtown Waynesboro were to ever get back on its feet is, for all intents and purposes, the point man on downtown redevelopment until that day comes.
“I think the compromise, as long as the two restaurants survive through it without any bad numbers, and as long as I don’t take too big a hit, I think it’ll work,” said Bill Mikolay, the owner of Main Street Discount, whose objections to the scheduled April 26 Waynesboro Omnium bike race had threatened its cancellation before the compromise that he referenced in an interview with News Virginian reporter Jimmy LaRoue on Thursday was reached. Continue reading “Who’s in charge downtown?” »

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