Just passin' through
First ever Tour of Missouri wheels its way through southwest Missouri.
They descended on the Stockton area almost in a flash, speeding along rural highways on Stage 2 of the historic race, the inaugural Tour of Missouri bicycle race.
"It's not just a race, it's a rolling parade, a traveling festival," says Brent Hugh. "Every seat is free, and every seat is a front row seat. You can get within inches of the athletes as they speed down a straightaway at 40 miles per hour or climb a steep Missouri hill at breath-taking speeds." Hugh is executive director the Missouri Bicycle Federation and statewide volunteer coordinator for the Tour of Missouri.
An article in "VeloNews," a bicycle racing niche magazine, said that it's only fitting that Missouri -- geographically centered and often demographically touted as uniquely representative of the United States as a whole -- host the country's latest major stage race.
The Tour of Missouri hosts 15 international teams, including Americans who have raced much of the season in Europe.
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder told the publication, "This race will do more to connect the dots of small and big cities than any event ever in the state. This will be, outside the 1904 Olympics, the biggest sporting event ever held in the state of Missouri."
As fans of other sports know, watching the event itself is just part of the fun. "Experienced race fans make the race a big party -- just like fans who 'tailgate' at a football game," says Hugh. "You bring your friends, your food, your barbecue, your beer -- and you have a good time."
"At the Tour of Georgia, (held in April) they tripled the number of spectators from the first year to the second -- because those who came the first year went home and told their friends what a great time they had." Just about anyone can ride a bicycle and enjoy it -- a million Missouri adults ride regularly -- but the pro athletes on the Tour are on a different level. "I can bounce a ball and even shoot it at the basket, but nobody gets me mixed up with Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O'Neal," says Hugh. "Pro bicycle racers are just as different from ordinary bicyclists -- almost superhuman." The top pro racers typically average 24-28 miles per hour along a 120- to 130-mile course and still have the strength to spring for the finish line at faster than 40 miles per hour -- and then repeat it all the next day.
Stage one of the race began in Kansas City, Mo., with much fanfare. Stage 2 began in Clinton, Mo., yesterday, and the cyclists sped along rural highways toward Springfield. The tour did not pass through Vernon County, but Cedar Countians got a quick view of the race as its competitors wheeled through the Stockton area, and through the communities of Fair Play, Aldrich and Walnut Grove. The tour will also be passing through the towns of Lebanon, today; Jefferson City and St. Charles on Sept. 15, and at St. Louis on Sept. 16 for the finish. At each of those sites, Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt will be participating in the fanfare, as he did in Kansas City on Sept. 11.