Springfield Hosts Inaugural Tour of Missouri

Friday, February 9 2007 (05:39PM) | Posted by Rusty Worley | Jordan Valley

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (February 8, 2007) – State and local officials plus race organizers announced the cities that will play host to starts and finishes for the inaugural world-class professional cycling race, the Tour of Missouri, September 11-16, 2007.

Patterned after the famous Tour de France, the race will feature point to point racing in six stages, as more than 120 world-class cyclists will traverse west to south to east through more than 600 miles of the Show Me State.

The cities of Kansas City, Clinton, Springfield, Branson, Lebanon, Columbia, Jefferson City, St. Charles, and St. Louis have been selected to play host to either a start and/or finish of the inaugural race. Springfield will play host to to Stage 2, of what is being dubbed as Missouri’s biggest professional sporting event ever.

"Springfield is excited to be a part of this inaugural state-wide event and to showcase the revitalization of our Center City, particularly the Jordan Valley area," Springfield Mayor Tom Carlson said. "We look forward to the opportunity to host the Health and Wellness Expo for our area families and welcome some of the best athletes in the world to the Ozarks."

“The Tour of Missouri is an exciting way to showcase the beauty of our state,” said Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder. “I believe this race will capture the imagination of the entire State of Missouri. The race will create the potential for millions of additional tourism dollars being pumped into the local economy’s of Missouri cities as well as our smaller rural communities.”

The Tuesday through Sunday race breaks down as follows:

Stage 1, Kansas City to Kansas City, road race The world-class international race will start in Missouri’s second largest city in Kansas City, Tuesday, September 11, as cyclists will race an out-and-back course.

Stage 2, Clinton to Springfield, road race After an auto transfer, Stage 2 will start in Clinton, the trailhead of Missouri’s famous Katy Trial cross-state bike path, and race to Missouri’s third-largest city Springfield, Wednesday, September 12.

Stage 3, Branson, individual time trial The caravan will make its way 40 miles south Thursday for an individual time trial in the hilly resort town of Branson, Thursday, September 13. For Stage 3, cyclists will race against the clock during this all-important “race of truth”, which could determine the overall winner.

Stage 4, Lebanon to Columbia, road race The caravan transfer north to the agricultural town of Lebanon for the start of Stage 4, routing north to the collegiate town of Columbia, home to the University of Missouri, Friday, September 14.

Stage 5, Jefferson City to St. Charles, road race After a short auto transfer south, Stage 5 will start in Missouri’s capital Jefferson City and travel through the state’s wine region en route to the historic river city of St. Charles, Saturday, September 15.

Stage 6, St. Louis, circuit race The cross-state journey for the world’s top cyclists will finish in Missouri’s largest city, St. Louis, Sunday, September 16. In the shadows of the arch, the race will have gone through more than 20 counties, 50 towns and cities, and covered about 600 miles.

"Missouri is an absolutely beautiful state for a professional cycling race of this nature. It has rich and varied terrain. I think cyclists will be surprised by the amount of hills in the state,” said Jim Birrell, the race’s director and managing partner of Medalist Sports, of whom also manage the Amgen Tour of California and Tour de Georgia. “The enthusiasm from state leaders in Jefferson City, to the civic leaders in the communities hosting this event, to the sports enthusiasts in Missouri really has been overwhelming. There already is a great grass roots buzz about this event. The event shows great promise and hasn’t even started yet."

In its first year, the Tour of Missouri already is slated to be one North America’s top three professional cycling stage races, behind the Tours of California and Georgia. It has been sanctioned by USA Cycling and Union Cycliste Internationale as a 2.1 rating, one of the highest in North America. “To have this race in my home state is unbelievable,” said Dan Schmatz, a professional cyclist originally from the St. Louis area and now riding for the BMC professional cycling team. “It will be unique to race on roads that I have trained on. I think Missouri will be surprised by what they will see. We’re looking to put on a real-good show.” Exact locations of each start and finish line will be announced this spring. More than 120 world-class cyclists from more than 15 countries are expected to participate, along with one of the world’s top professional teams, the Discovery Channel team, owned by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. The team features top Americans George Hincapie (the current U.S. Professional Champion), Levi Leipheimer (a three-time top 10 Tour de France finisher), and young star Tom Danielson, the winner of the 2005 Tour de Georgia. The event right’s holder is The Hawthorne Foundation, and is supported by the state and its tourism group. The event managers are Medalist Sports, Inc., an elite sports marketing and management company located in metro Atlanta, Ga. The Division of Tourism and the State of Missouri are proud supporters of the Tour of Missouri. Tourism is a $13.4 billion industry for the state of Missouri, generating almost 38 million domestic person trips each year. The professional cycling races in other states like Georgia and California have registered more than $40 million in quantified economic impact and tourist attraction.

QUICK FACTS AND CONTACTS

Complete information and graphics: tourofmissouri.com

Schedule
• September 11, Tuesday – Kansas City to Kansas City, road race • September 12, Wednesday – Clinton to Springfield, road race • September 13, Thursday – Branson, individual time trial • September 14, Friday – Lebanon to Columbia, road race • September 15, Saturday – Jefferson City, road race • September 16, Sunday – St. Louis, circuit race

By the Numbers • Estimated total miles: 600 • Total Cyclists invited: 120 • Number of teams: 15 (all elite professional teams)

Exact Race Courses and start and finish locations To be announced late spring with press conferences in each city.

Media Contacts: Rusty Worley, Co-Chair of the Springfield Local Organizing Committee Executive Director, Urban Districts Alliance rusty@itsalldowntown.com 417.831.6200

Race Organization Contact: Chris Aronhalt, Project Director Medalist Sports 770.631.1239 chris.aronhalt@medalistsports.com

National/State Sponsorship Information and Contact: Mark Gorski Tour of Missouri 314.599.3040 mgorski@schuppco.com

Tour Marketing Contact: Steve Brunner KOM Sports Marketing 719.272.7022 sgbrunner@kom-sportsmarketing.com