tour-of-missouri

The following letter can serve as a model that you can copy, paste, or adapt as you like when you call, email, write, or fax your elected officials asking them to support the 2010 Tour of Missouri:

The Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation has issued a press release urging fans across Missouri to contact their elected officials in support of the 2010 Tour of Missouri:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Brent Hugh, Executive Director, Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation
816-695-6736 / director@mobikefed.org

Tour of Missouri official press release about the Support the Tour of Missouri effort:

Today Kathleen Nelson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch covered the grass-roots effort to support the Tour of Missouri:

VeloNews is covering the effort to support the 2010 Tour of Missouri:

Lieutenant Governor Kinder talked with KMOX radio recently and expressed optimism that the 2010 Tour of Missouri will go forward.

According to the AP:

The folks in St Joseph sent out a team of high school photographers to take photos of everything associated with the St Joseph stage.

From those photos they have put together a really neat slideshow of the St Joseph stage of the 2009 Tour of Missouri:

Today Lieutenant Governor Kinder's office released the results of the economic impact survey for the 2009 Tour of Missouri--half a million spectators, $38 million economic impact, and about 7 million viewers of the cable TV roundup shows.

That's not bad for a $1.5 million investment from the state of Missouri:

Lt. Governor Kinder Presents 2009 Tour of Missouri Economic Impact Study

Third annual race proves to be most successful

BRANSON, MO - October 1st, 2009 - Lt. Governor Peter Kinder, chairman of the Missouri Tourism Commission and Tour of Missouri, Inc., presented economic impact results from the 2009 Tour of Missouri during a meeting of the Missouri Tourism Commission today in Branson.

"The 2009 Tour of Missouri was met with tremendous support all across our state and I am proud to report that the numbers prove the same," said Lt. Governor Kinder.

"Over 4,000 volunteers worked tirelessly to showcase Missouri across the globe as a world-class tourist destination. We were blessed with great weather through the entire week and, even though we visited smaller towns on this year's revised route, spectators from all across the world helped us surpass last year's success to once again make the Tour of Missouri the largest sporting event ever held in our state."

Throughout the week, 500,000 spectators were estimated to have watched the race at one of the 11 host cities or somewhere along the 600 mile route which passed through many communities in Missouri. In 2008, an estimated 434,000 spectators saw the Tour at some time during the seven stages. In 2007, there were nearly 368,000 spectators who watched the race.

The total economic impact by spectators during the seven-day event was $38.1 million, that's up from $29.8 million in 2008 and $26.2 million in 2007.

"This year's race was a huge success thanks to the tremendous efforts of each of our host cities, corporate sponsors, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Department of Transportation and spectators from across the world," Lt. Governor Kinder said. "I am very pleased that for the state's investment of $1.5 million in the Tour of Missouri, we were able to return over $38 million to communities in our state."

During the course of the seven day event, the average out-of-state visitor spent over $220 per day during their visit. In planning their trip, 83% of non-Missourians said the Tour of Missouri was the reason they came to spend time in Missouri. The average out-of-state visitor spent more than four days in the Show-Me State.

The Tour of Missouri also showcases Missouri to a global audience via live coverage on the Internet and on television.

This year, the Tour's official website, www.tourofmissouri.com received hits from visitors in 153 countries and territories. An estimated audience of 5.6 million people watched nightly highlight shows on the Versus television network and an estimated 1.4 million people watched highlight shows on Fox Sports Midwest and Fox Sports Kansas City.

Following the 2008 Tour of Missouri, the International Cycling Union, the sanctioning body for professional cycling, raised the ranking of the Tour of Missouri to a prestigious 2.HC ranking, making the event one of the top five races outside of Europe. The increased international appeal helped attract seven pro tour teams who competed just weeks before in the Tour de France.

The 2009 Tour of Missouri economic impact study was conducted by IFM Sports, an international leader in sports marketing and research. IFM is a global company based in Germany with American operations based in St. Louis, MO.

IFM Sports conducted the economic impact study for the 2008 Tour of Missouri. They have also provided similar reports for groups such as: Major League Baseball (MLB), the International Cycling Union (UCI), the International Tennis Federation and the National Basketball Association (NBA), among many other professional sporting organizations.

At today's Missouri Tourism Commission meeting in Branson, Lt. Governor Kinder pledged his support for a 2010 race and urged fellow commissioners to also support bringing the event back for a fourth year.

According to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, a group of prominent Missouri Democrats has sent a letter asking Governor Nixon to support the Tour of Missouri in 2010:

Today, the Tour released a letter signed by seven Missouri Democratic lawmakers asking Gov. Jay Nixon — who hasn’t been a big supporter of the Tour — to back continued state funding for the race.

Democrats who signed the letter include minority leaders of the House and Senate, Rep. Paul LeVota and Sen. Victor Callahan, both of the Kansas City area.

Said the letter:

Today, we respectfully offer to you our support for funding the 2010 Tour of Missouri.

With a complete realization of the continued recession that our state is facing, we believe that a 14-to-1 return on the state’s $1.5 million commitment to the Tour of Missouri is a wise investment, especially during these difficult economic times.

The last two years, the Tour of Missouri brought in nearly $60 million in tourism dollars throughout the state. In 2007 and 2008 combined, an estimated 802,000 people saw the race. Another 22 million watched the event on television and viewers in 150 countries viewed live streaming coverage of the event via the Internet.

We will continue to work closely with you and our legislative colleagues in ensuring that we are making smart financial decisions for the families of Missouri. We believe that continuing to fund the Tour of Missouri is a wise investment for communities and tourism across our state.

Other signers of the letter were state representatives Jason Grill, Jamilah Nasheed, Tom McDonald, Chris Carter and Michele Kratky.

The significance of this letter is simply that the Tour of Missouri has broad, bi-partisan support, from leaders and members of both parties and from big cities, suburban areas, small towns, and rural areas.

Missouri has two million bicyclists--who recognize that even if they themselves never race and have no particular interest in bicycle racing, the Tour is good for Missouri and good for bicycling in Missouri.

The decision to continue or not continue the Tour of Missouri for 2010 will most likely be made by the end of the year--so I encourage you to continue calling and emailing Governor Nixon's office:

Email: http://governor.mo.gov/contact/
Call: 573-751-3222
Ask: Governor Nixon, will you support the 2010 Tour of Missouri **and** will you support bicycle friendly policies for the Missouri, including Complete Streets and funding for bicycling & pedestrian facilities in any future MoDOT funding?