Tour of Missouri News & Info

By Gina Poertner

MoBikeFed wants to hear about your fan or volunteer experience during the 2007 Tour of Missouri. Send stories/ideas/photos to webmaster[at]mobikefed.org. Many tour/volunteer photos are online.

Day 5 of Missouri's Big Race starts out on the chilly side as I assemble my bike for a morning ride. My friends Doug Kiburz and Ed Watkins invited me to do the Tour of Missouri VIP Ride with a great group of people which included Springfield native John Howard (3-time Olympic cyclist, Ironman Triathlon world champ, world records, etc.) and ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes (well known for his 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days). Fortunately for us mortals, this was a leisurely 30-miles on the Katy Trail. I've had the pleasure of getting to know Doug, Ed, and John after meeting them last spring at MoBikeFed's Advocacy Day in Jefferson City.

The Ride...
The group of about 25 cyclists arrives in Augusta and await loaner bikes for John and Dean. I had been having trouble with a shifter for a few days, so John asked to see my bike to take a look. It was doing OK and ended up being fine during the ride, so I'm thinking maybe it had performance anxiety. After standing in the cold for a while, John suggested we go sit in the truck where we compared battle scars from various cycling mishaps. This is one tough dude who's been through it all! Loaner bikes for the guys didn't arrive by start time, so Ed drove them to the bike shop in Defiance. Everyone else had gone while we were waiting around, so Doug and I hauled some serious butt 8 miles down the trail to meet up. We get to Defiance and John and Dean are tweaking bikes and asked for my hex wrench. Four men, a bike shop, and they're asking me for tools. Dean got his bike done and John was still working on his, so I went out front to see what else was going on and talk to Dean. Here comes Ed who's trying to round up all of us, mumbling something about herding cats. He said, "I bet if we tell him Gina's out front he'll hustle out here." So this is what I was dealing with - 4 guys and me. Ed lined us up like any great Directeur Sportif, shot some photos, and drove Doug's truck back to St. Charles while the rest of us had fun on the Katy.

After one last photo, we head down the trail at an easy pace with John and I in front and Dean and Doug behind us. Quite the little peloton! John wants to warm up, taking off like a shot and I get the bright idea to try to keep up (what the heck was I thinking?). I catch up after significant slowing on John's part and we settle into a 17-18mph pace. He told me he had never been on the Katy, so taking him on his first ride out there was a real treat. At 16 miles, we decide to slow down to let Doug and Dean catch up. After a mile or so of wondering where they are, I reach for my cell to call Doug never stopping the bike – there should be laws against this. They were about a mile behind us so we stopped at the sag at the 21-mile mark to wait on them. John shares his Clif Bar with me while we chat with the very friendly folks who provided the sag. Doug and Dean arrive and the conversation turns to rail-trails. Dean wants to run across the country on the American Discovery Trail, which the Katy is a part of, so he wants it done right now. I told him we're working on it!

A few minutes later we take off for the last 7 miles to the ToM finish line in St. Charles. John was setting an 18mph pace again, and Doug and Dean kept up this time (note sarcasm here). Just so you know, 18mph on a rail-trail's crushed limestone surface was a bit of work for me on my road bike with skinny tires, not to mention a tad rough. I recommend either a mountain bike or wider road tires for better traction and less rattling of the bones.

During the ToM I volunteered with the US Anti-Doping Agency. Because I went on this trail ride, the USADA coordinator was all uptight that I wouldn't get to my assignment on time. He even called my cell phone while I was on the trail and sounded like he desperately needed a Valium as he asked where I was and when I'd get there (he really is a good guy and does his job well). He told me the night before that I'd be chaperoning Hincapie.

When we arrived at the finish line, I took off for the USADA drug testing trailer, which was only a few blocks away. It turns out that I had time to go take a shower and make it back without causing them a major cardiac event. After reporting in, I headed back to the finish area - a walk I desperately needed after the cold ride to loosen up a little. I went straight for the VIP tent to refuel with some very tasty food while I listened to the race commentators. Dean stopped to chat for a minute, then I was off to my post at the finish line.

The Race...
The cheering crowd makes for an exciting atmosphere as the racers make their way to the finish. George crosses the line and I jog with him to the awards area to sign him in. It was interesting to listen to the riders talk after the race as they replayed key parts. Following the awards, Hincapie and a Park Ranger biked down to USADA as I jogged between them. George asked if I was going to run all the way down there and I said sure, why not. I said, "I biked the trail with John Howard this morning, and now I get to run with George Hincapie, all that's left is a swim." He just chuckled. We got to a bridge and a slight downhill, so I fell behind at that point. I kept jogging the last block to the trailer and Doc teased me that I'd have to run faster to keep my job. I looked at Hincapie and said, "You dropped me at the bridge, you were supposed to pull me!" He laughed again, I finish his paperwork and take off to dinner across the street with the ToM Security team.

The Tour...
This day and this week exceeded my expectations. I saw many of my cycling friends throughout the race, some who drove all day to watch one stage. I met several people who are becoming friends and have ridden events with them since. I got to know some of the riders, like Jeff Louder who kept winning King of the Mountain. We talked after the race most days about how his ride went. And Ivan Dominguez. I was assigned to chaperone him on Stages 1 and 6. When I approached him with the clipboard at Stage 6, he said with a smile, "I get you again!" Watching him with his fans and the press, I've never seen an athlete so gracious.

For those of you who attended or volunteered at the ToM, you know what I'm talking about and have your own awesome stories. To the rest of you - make it a point to attend or volunteer at next year's race, even if for just one day. It's the most fun this Kansan has ever had in Missouri!

When she's not riding her Schwinn SuperSport GLX, Gina Poertner serves as President of the Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy and Director of Life Balance Health & Wellness in Emporia, Kansas. Gina is Chair of the Organizing Committee of the new (and yet-to-be-named) Kansas bicycle and pedestrian federation. permanent link to article: "Just One Day"
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