Tour of Missouri News & Info

Daniel O'Malley reviews Johnny Green's book, Push Yourself Just a Little Bit More: Backstage at the Tour de France:

As the eyes of the cycling world were set on Lance Armstrong while he pedaled his way through the Pyrenees toward another victory in the Tour de France, Johnny Green sat at the top of the mountain, listening while Sheryl Crow explained how professional cycling might just be the new rock ’n’ roll. . . .

As Green’s other book, A Riot of Our Own, did for life on the road with the Clash, Push Yourself Just a Little Bit More seeks to capture the essence of the world’s biggest bicycle race. While many members of the press watched the race on huge screens tucked away in air-conditioned halls, Green was out on the road. He basked in the twin surges of wind and adrenaline as the riders raced up and down mountains and stormed through tiny villages across France. What he sought wasn’t a dutiful account of the race, which everyone knows Armstrong dominated. He was on a quest for the intangible forces at work that keep riders and fans alike motivated and moving for 23 days and some 2,200 miles each July.

Read the rest of the book review on Playback:STL.

Related:

News: St. Louis Suburban Journal article encourages people to ride like Lance

News: Tour of Missouri Coverage

permanent link to article: "Backstage at the Tour de France"
posted by Brent Hugh at 10:33 AM |comment on this article

According to a KCStar article, doping scandals are affecting the entire sport of bicycle racing:

Two years after Lance Armstrong climbed off his bike, cycling has a mess on its hands. Positive tests, doping allegations - nobody, not even Armstrong, has been immune. The Tour de France, cycling's premier event, is less than two months away, and we still don't know who won last year.

That's because 2006 Tour winner Floyd Landis is huddled with his attorneys in a Malibu courtroom trying to prove his innocence on doping charges. . . .

"We're taking the hit. But because of taking the hit, it's actually being cleaned out," said Jonathan Vaughters, director and CEO of Team Slipstream, a young, U.S.-based professional road racing team.

"In the overall tilt of things, I don't see it as a bad thing." . . .

"I have heard, anecdotally, that people are bummed about (the scandals)," said Carry Porter, spokeswoman for the Cascade Bicycle Club in Seattle, the largest recreational cycling club in the United States.

"On the larger scale, people still want to know who's racing and who's going to be fun to watch. But they might take people's successes with a grain of salt."

Related:

News: The popularity of bicycling

TourOfMO: Team Discovery to race in Tour of Missouri

permanent link to article: "Doping scandals affect racing scene"
posted by Brent Hugh at 1:07 PM |comment on this article

The Tour of Missouri detailed route for all six stages will be announced . . . soon. More details as we know them.

The Medalist Sports people have just wrapped up another successful the Tour de Georgia and are meeting with local organizing committees across Missouri this week. Expect more of the details of the tour, including official volunteer sign-up opportunities, to be announced soon.

Related:

News: Governor promotes physical fitness and bicycling

TourOfMO: Tour of missouri is Discovery Channel Team's last race together

permanent link to article: "Tour of Missouri route to be announced . . . soon"
posted by Brent Hugh at 3:14 PM |comment on this article

John Walker of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce visited the recent Tour de Georgia as part of Branson's planning for hosting an upcoming stage of the Tour of Missouri:

“We have a unique opportunity by hosting the time trials to get to see all of the racers compete individually and stick around a little longer, rather than just watching them go by in one group,” Walker said. “We have the opportunity to create a real festival atmosphere, where people will want to show up five hours before the race begins and three hours after it ends.”

Atchison said one thing he would like to see Branson’s event include is the opportunity for amateur cyclists from the area to have a chance to ride the course as well.

Walker said there are many opportunities for the Tour of Missouri.

“There is no doubt that there are things I saw in Georgia that I know we can improve on and that is what will really make this a great event not only this year but years to come as well,” Walker said.

Read the rest of the story in the Branson Daily News.

Related:

TourOfMO: Tour of MO Breakaway Club announced

TourOfMO: Missouri native Dan Schmatz to lead THF Realty Amateur Team

permanent link to article: "Branson to make Tour of Missouri "just a little better""
posted by Brent Hugh at 3:11 PM |comment on this article

Springfield, MO, has announced a web site about the Tour's visit to Springfield, with links to news, events, and accommodations in Springfield:

Twice named one of America ’s 100 best communities for young families, Springfield is home to such attractions as the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Fantastic Caverns, Incredible Pizza Company, Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Springfield is Missouri’s third largest city with a metropolitan population exceeding 407,000 – and nearly a third of them live within three miles of the Tour of Missouri finish line

Related:

TourOfMO: Huge tourism turnout expected for Tour of Missouri

TourOfMO: Tour of Missouri attendance--was it humongous or just really, really big?

permanent link to article: "Springfield's new Tour of MO web site"
posted by Brent Hugh at 11:39 AM |comment on this article