Tour of Missouri fanzone created online

The Tour of Missouri has partnered with Vitrue, a social media marketing company that provides fans, host partners and sponsors the opportunity to chronicle the 623-mile professional cycling event online at www.tourofmissourifanzone.com. The world-class race through the Show-Me State kicks off in St. Joseph on September 8th and concludes in St. Louis on September 14th.

The site will enable fans to contribute their videos, photos and comments from the race. The site also provides channels devoted to host cities and sponsors. It is the first social site of its kind for this level of a professional cycling event.

"We are very excited about the social media site," said Missouri's Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder. "This is a new platform that will create a fantastic, interactive site for fans. And, for our host communities, it will give them an opportunity to showcase themselves in a new way."

The Tour of Missouri, which is entering its second year, is patterned after the Tour de France and is one of North America's top three stage races. The week-long race will start in St. Joseph and route through Kansas City, Clinton, Springfield, Branson, Lebanon, Rolla, Jefferson City, St. James, Hermann, St. Charles, and St. Louis.

"We've worked for six months to position this program for a successful launch," said Jerry Dowell, the Tour's executive director. "The site is a great way to showcase all the great scenery this state has to offer."

Working with Tour of Missouri was another opportunity for Vitrue to continue to apply the power of social media to the tourism industry. Vitrue's technology enables Fanzone participants to:

Upload photos, video and comments on the site and also through their mobile devices
Create their own profile and message other members within Fanzone creating a true community
Feature content from host cities and sponsors as well as exclusive professional content

"What makes the Fanzone unique is that it translates a very real experience into the virtual world, thereby engaging more people to the Tour of Missouri than those physically present," said Reggie Bradford, chief executive officer, Vitrue, Inc. "We hope this social media solution builds excitement for cyclists, family, friends and, of course, fans who will be cheering the cyclists on for this 600-mile race."

One of the most intriguing and exciting aspects of the site is the race organizer and team upload area. "We will be providing video cameras to Tour personnel and each of the 15 teams in the race in order to capture behind-the-scenes footage, which is usually never seen by the public. Team footage could include views from caravan vehicles following the race or team strategy sessions," said Steve Brunner, president of KOM Sports, which markets the event. "The partnership with Vitrue has been trailblazing from the beginning. They have been incredible to work and brainstorm with. They've been able to mold the site to the needs of the race."

With 400,000 spectators along more than 600 miles of Missouri roads, the site content will flourish in a very viral way. Adds Chris Aronhalt, managing director of the event's management group, Medalist Sports: "Cycling's fan base always has been literally on the streets. This is a unique and timely way to engage the spectators and the participating teams in very effective way. This will be a great historic test."

Vitrue has also worked with AVF Creations, the Web publisher for the event, to completely integrate everything from the look and feel of the Web site to the technical applications.