Tour of Missouri News & Info

I'm very pleased to be able to serve as the Statewide Volunteer Coordinator for the Tour of Missouri again this year.

With 7 days of racing and 12 cities involved this year, we need over 2000 volunteers--and so far we have just barely 1000.

So if you're looking to have a great time supporting a great sporting event--the biggest sporting event in Missouri!--please take a couple of minutes to sign up to volunteer with the Tour of Missouri this year.

Related:

TourOfMO: Tour of Missouri 2007 video available

TourOfMO: Stage One is Wet but Volunteers Dont Mind

permanent link to article: "Tour of Missouri still needs 1000 more volunteers!"
posted by Brent Hugh at 12:04 AM |comment on this article

Dave Luecking of the Post-Dispatch--also known as "10 Speed", explains why bicycle racing is the best sport in the world:

There’s no other major sport in the world where a fan in a replica uniform can run alongside the day’s best performer on the field of play in any event, let alone in the sports marque showcase.

If you would try to do what the guy in the photo above is doing, say, in the Super Bowl, or World Series, or NBA playoffs, or Stanley Cup Finals, or the World Cup, or Wimbledon, and you’d be tackled by security and arrested. . . .

But at the Tour de France, the fans are RIGHT THERE, and best of all, ADMISSION IS FREE!!!

See photos of what Luecking is talking about on his blog here.

Related:

TourOfMO: Tour of Missouri to bring economic development

TourOfMO: Tour of Missouri, One Day And Four New Cities Added, St. Joseph Will Host the Grand Depart!

permanent link to article: "Post-Dispatch's Dave Luecking explains why pro bicycle racing is the world's best spectator sport"
posted by Brent Hugh at 10:55 AM |comment on this article

Women’s Cycling Event Precedes Hard Charging Finish of Men’s First Stage

The Tour of Missouri, a seven day professional cycling event featuring elite international men’s teams, is pleased to announce the addition of an invitational pro-am women’s race taking place on Monday, September 8th in Kansas City, Missouri. Top professional women’s teams and riders from across the US will compete in this inaugural event for a $7500 cash purse.
Starting while Stage 1 of the men’s event is underway, the Tour of Missouri Women’s Criterium will showcase the speed and energy of these exceptional athletes on a one kilometer course with multiple turns and hills. The men’s event is the 1st stage of the seven day race, heading from St. Joseph to Kansas City, Missouri, and expected to finish approximately one hour after the women’s finish.

The location of the women’s race is the world-famous Country Club Plaza, Kansas City’s premiere entertainment, shopping and dining destination. The challenging course includes several turns through the winding streets of this dynamic location. As racers fly past the many fountains, high-end boutiques, restaurants and pubs in the Country Club Plaza, spectators will find the course extremely easy to navigate with clear views of their favorite racers from multiple angles. The Spanish-style architecture and high-energy atmosphere of the Plaza provides a backdrop unlike any Criterium course this side of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Women’s Criterium will start at 1:00pm and will cover 55 minutes plus five laps. In addition to the cash prizes, qualified finishers will also be awarded a commemorative jersey and jewelry courtesy of Kansas City’s Silpada. A combined awards ceremony will be held for the men’s and women’s races in the Country Club Plaza, following the finish of the men’s race at approximately 4:30pm.

“It is a privilege to announce this addition to the 2008 Tour of Missouri,” said Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder. “The Tour is the single largest professional sporting event in the state, and the women’s race will be an exceptional prelude to the excitement of the hard-charging finishing circuits of the men’s race.”

The Tour of Missouri is a free event which attracts thousands of race fans and enthusiasts from throughout the country, as well as an international audience through web and TV broadcasts.

The Tour of Missouri is presented by the Missouri Division of Tourism and sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, Drury Inns, Edward Jones, the Missouri Farm Bureau, Emerson and Monsanto. Additional support is provided by the Missouri Wine and Grape Board, Spencer Fane, Dr. Pepper, Felt Bicycle, Bissell and Capital Wind Management. For more information visit www.tourofmissouri.com.


About the Tour of Missouri
After an exceptionally successful inaugural Tour of Missouri in 2007, the Show Me State will again welcome 120 of the world’s elite cyclists on a 600-mile point-to-point race, to be held September 8-14, 2008. The second edition of the Tour will include seven days of racing, from Kansas City to the Ozarks, over the Katy Trail, along Route 66 and the historic Missouri River, with a fantastic finish under the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The race is sanctioned by the UCI and USA Cycling, the international and national governing bodies for cycling, respectively. It is ranked as a 2.1, second in ranking to only the Tour de Georgia and Amgen Tour of California in North American cycling. The event’s management group is Medalist Sports of Tyrone, Ga., the organizers of both the California and Georgia races. KOM Sports Marketing of Colorado Springs, Colo., is the event’s marketing agency.

Related:

TourOfMO: Tour de France controversy affecting the Tour of Missouri?

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

permanent link to article: "Women’s Pro-Am Criterium to Take Place in Kansas City Sep 8th during 2008 Tour of Missouri"
posted by Brent Hugh at 4:39 PM |comment on this article