Tour of Missouri News & Info

KCStar columnist Mike Hendricks devoted his entire column today to Missouri's upcoming Tour of Missouri:

Thanks to legendary Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, cycling is more popular than ever in this country.

But thanks to the Floyd Landis doping scandal (and numerous others), corporate sponsors are harder to find.

Only some last-minute finagling kept the Tour de Georgia from being canceled this spring.

The Tour of Utah was set for this week, but was postponed a year for lack of corporate support.

So the silence surrounding the Tour of Missouri had some of us wondering.

Would Gov. Matt Blunt's administration pull off its promised Tour de France-style race set for this September?

Or would the Tour of Missouri go flat as a bike tire in a pile of broken glass?

We won't know the answer until the race starts Sept. 11 in KC at the Country Club Plaza and ends at the Gateway Arch six days later.

But an announcement this week out of Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder's office is a good sign. The American-based Discovery Channel team has committed to the race. Which is like saying the Red Sox have committed to your baseball tournament. Or that Roger Federer will make your tennis event.

It's a very big deal. And with the top-ranked team in the world on board, others are sure to follow.

Equally encouraging to me, though, was to get an update from Kinder's chief of staff, Ben Jones, on fundraising and other arrangements key to making the event a reality.

"It's actually going pretty well," he told me during a break in a trip across the state this week to meet with officials in host cities.

Read the rest of Mike's column here--many juicy tidbits.

Visit the official Tour of Missouri web site here or sign up to volunteer for the ride here.

Related:

News: Mike Hendricks: Tour of MO rolling forward

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permanent link to article: "Columnist Mike Hendricks: Tour of Missouri plans rolling forward"
posted by Brent Hugh at 9:29 AM |comment on this article

Velonews had a rundown of the Tour of Missouri status today:

In a year that has seen both the Tour of Utah and the Montréal-Boston UCI stage races canceled due to lack of sponsorship, some had wondered whether the inaugural Missouri race would come off as planned.

Aronhalt said that while organizing a first-year event always presents more review and detail obstacles than a continuing event like California or Georgia, part of the lack of recent news comes down to timing; team and route announcements are expected in the coming weeks to coincide with interest generated by the Tour de France.

"Just earlier today I was on an executive-committee conference call chaired by the lieutenant governor of Missouri, Peter Kinder," Aronhalt said. "Things are going as planned.

"We might have the first announcement of major ProTour teams expected this week. The next big one is the route, which is scheduled for mid-July. We're just waiting for final approval from the department of transportation." . . .

Aronhalt acknowledged that Medalist is prepared for schedule conflicts with the September 1-23 Vuelta a España and the September 9-15 Tour of Britain. Competition director Kevin Livingston was at the Giro d'Italia, talking to ProTour teams and working out logistics, and he'll continue those discussions at the Tour, Aronhalt said.

Aronhalt also acknowledged that Missouri is still without a title sponsor, but said that if need be, the race would likely survive as did the Tour de Georgia, which was under threat of cancellation before Medalist found several key secondary-level sponsorships. . . .

"From the Medalist front, we're pleased by the enthusiasm and understanding of what an event at this level takes. There are some great markets, particularly in cities like Kansas City and St. Louis. I think we'll see some fresh faces in terms of sponsorships, which is good. We have 10-plus partners at this point, from both in state and out of state, but there is always that title-partnership search. As we did with the Tour de Georgia, we are also making sure the event is on solid enough foundation that we can proceed without a title partner."

A 600-mile, six-day race, the Tour of Missouri will travel through Clinton, Springfield, Branson, Lebanon, Columbia, Jefferson City and St. Charles en route from Kansas City to St. Louis. The race will feature teams of eight from 15 of the world's top professional cycling teams. The race is sanctioned by the UCI and ranked 2.1, second only the Tour de Georgia and Amgen Tour of California in North American cycling.

Related:

TourOfMO: Team Discovery to race in Tour of Missouri

TourOfMO: USA Cycling announces '08 Pro Tour calendar including Tour of MO

permanent link to article: "Tour of Missouri planning moving forward"
posted by Brent Hugh at 9:35 AM |comment on this article

According to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch story:

The most recognizable team in international cycling is the first to sign on for the inaugural Tour of Missouri.

The Discovery Channel cycling team, for which Lance Armstrong rode to seven consecutive victories in the Tour de France, will participate in the race, which begins Sept. 11 in Kansas City and ends Sept. 16 in St. Louis.

Discovery's commitment is significant, given the uncertain climate in cycling. A spate of doping allegations has led to jittery investors and the cancellation of the Tour of Utah and the Tour de Montreal-Boston.

"Missouri has hung in there when other events haven't," said Steve Brunner, marketing director of the Tour of Missouri. "Once you get a team like Discovery, a lot can fall into place. Getting Discovery proves that the event can be all that we hope."

Since his retirement, Armstrong has remained involved with the team as an owner. His continued presence, combined with the team's success in major races, should bring added fan interest and sponsorship opportunities.

Related:

TourOfMO: Tour of Missouri planning moving forward

TourOfMO: Discovery Channel team first to commit to Tour of Missouri

permanent link to article: "Team Discovery to race in Tour of Missouri"
posted by Brent Hugh at 1:38 AM |comment on this article

Fair Grove native Brad Huff, a professional cyclist who will compete
in the upcoming Tour of Missouri event, will make a personal appearance from 5 to 6 p.m., Saturday, June 23, at the Springfield-Greene County Park Board Summer SnowFest '07.

Huff, 28, who recently placed third in an international competition
in Spain in his second year of professional racing, will sign autographs and pose for photos on the East Plaza of Jordan Valley Park, just outside the east doors of the Jordan Valley Ice Park.

Huff also will be available for media interviews during this time.
This is his last visit home before he competes in the 600-mile Tour of Missouri race on Sept. 11-16, 2007. Stage 2 of the race, beginning in Clinton, will end in downtown Springfield in the late afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 12.

Huff, who turned pro in 2006, races for Team Slipstream Sports
powered by Chipotle. He won the Bronze Medal on March 29, 2007 at the first-ever omnium event at the 2007 UCI Track World Championships in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. In winning the Bronze, he became the first American male to medal at an elite world track championship in 11 years.

Huff is widely considered to be a contender for the U.S. Cycling
Team at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Other career highlights
include: 2007 Pan Am Championships Omnium and Madison Gold Medalist; 2006 USPRO Criterium Champion, 1st American; and 2005 1st Place, US National Criterium Champion.

For information on the Springfield stage of the Tour of Missouri,
visit: www.tourofspringfield.com. To register to volunteer for the
event, call (417) 864-1049.

The 6th annual SnowFest, hosted by the Springfield-Greene County
Park Board to celebrate the beginning of summer, takes place from 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday throughout Jordan Valley Park. In addition to the traditional "mountain" of snow ready for kids to play on, the event features a variety of other activities and entertainment.

Country music star Andy Griggs will perform a free concert at 7:30
p.m.

For more information about the Tour of Missouri event or Brad Huff
appearance, contact: Louise Whall, Director of Public Information,
864-1010 or 880-9151.

For more information about SnowFest, contact: Lisa Zimmerman, Jordan
Valley Ice Park, 866-7444.

Related:

TourOfMO: Discovery Channel team first to commit to Tour of Missouri

TourOfMO: Women’s Pro-Am Criterium to Take Place in Kansas City Sep 8th during 2008 Tour of Missouri

permanent link to article: "Tour of MO racer to make appearance in Springfield June 23rd"
posted by Brent Hugh at 10:17 AM |comment on this article

According to a Springfield News-Leader article:

Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder promised Springfield and southwest Missouri a tourism windfall when the inaugural Tour of Missouri takes to the roads Sept. 11 through 16.

The 600-mile race is patterned after the Tour de France, with point-to-point, or stage racing, for professional cyclists. It's also designed after the annual Tour of California and Tour de Georgia.

Missouri's race is expected to draw 120 national and international competitors, and Kinder called it "the third prong of the triple crown" of U.S. professional bicycle racing. He serves as chair of the race's executive committee.

Kinder told the Springfield Rotary Club Tuesday that the Georgia tour last year attracted 600,000 spectators, California's event drew 1.5 million spectators, and organizers expect at least 500,000 spectators across Missouri.

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permanent link to article: "Tour of Missouri to bring economic development"
posted by Brent Hugh at 9:00 AM |comment on this article

The latest we've heard is that the details of the Tour of Missouri routes will be announced in July.

The volunteer sign-up form at the Tour of Missouri web site should be up and running soon--maybe within a week? Remember that volunteers get a front row seat on all the action . . .

Related:

TourOfMO: Tour of Missouri: Are you riding in it?

TourOfMO: Tour of Missouri communities to sport new ToM welcome signs

permanent link to article: "Tour of MO detailed route announcement in July?"
posted by Brent Hugh at 5:25 PM |comment on this article