Wollongong 2022 chief executive Stu Taggart was this week able to paint a clear picture of what the Illawarra can expect in exactly one year when it hosts the UCI World Road Cycling Championships.
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Speaking from Belgium during a World Tourism Day webinar hosted by Destination Wollongong on Monday he described the eight day global cycling event as massive.
And after watching how the community embraced it he could fully understood why so many people are describing September 2022 as Wollongong's Olympics.
"They have such an avid cycling community here. It is like nothing I have ever experienced before. This place has been on fire," he said.
"Hopefully you saw on the SBS coverage just how much the Belgium people got behind this event."
Mr Taggart said the Belgium community did many things well. Particularly after there were so many concerns about COVID-19 earlier in the year.
"Six to eight months ago Belgium was in a very similar situation to what we are right now," he said.
"It has been exciting to hear people talk about how happy they are. The sports minister of Belgium was asked what he thought the best thing about the event was and his comment was the happiness it has brought to the community.
"It was great to see how much the local community here get behind the road world cycling championships. It is a great reminder to me how good events like this are.
"When you see athletes in the street celebrating with fans it is a fantastic reminder of what major sporting competitions can bring. There were my first world championships and to spend a week behind the scenes with the local organising committee in Belgium, as well as UCI, has allowed me to understand the size, scale and complexity of this event. It is going to be really useful to our planning."
Mr Taggart said the road world cycling championships were so big there were four host cities. He said there was considerable coordination involved, especially with the remote start locations.
He said the biggest difference and challenge in hosting the UCI event was it was not in a stadium or arena. It covered many kilometres across a region and required enormous coordination.
"We are working really hard to make sure we get that right," he said.
But the upside of it being so spread out it that people in many locations get to see the world's best athletes in their sport.
Mr Taggart said the biggest problem in Belgium was the fans were so excited it was a challenge keeping them off the course.
He said the final three days of competition were held in what he would describe as a university city with 50,000 students. And the event was so big they delayed the semester.
"Cycling is everywhere here. Many people camped out to get good positions on the course. But there were also real hubs around the start and finish areas," he said.
Mr Taggart said one thing Belgium people and businesses did really well was make all competitors and visitors feel welcome.
"And as you would expect with that many people the local restaurants and cafes were busy from 7 o'clock in the morning to 10 o'clock at night. And all the tourism activities were very busy. Some of the connections we have made and the relationships we have built are going to serve us really well as we head towards September next year."
Mr Taggart said one thing he observed closely and learnt from was how the movement and gatherings of people were managed. And what disruptions to expect.
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
