Saturday, September 26, 2009

Lance phones Missouri governor

Even though Lance Armstrong has never raced in the Tour of Missouri, that didn't stop him from calling Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to thank him for the state's funding of the race.

According to an Associated Press story, Armstrong told the governor that it would be great if state continued to contribute to the ride, but a Nixon spokesman said Armstrong understood the need for more private sponsorship of the race.

Armstrong also briefly described the call on his Twitter page.

Nixon's administration had threatened to freeze money for the 2009 race, but relented after his office received about 1,000 messages of support for the event. The state's three-year deal with Medalist Sports ended after this year's race, but several Democratic lawmakers and Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, the race's biggest supporter in state government, are hoping the state will continue funding for it.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 2 comments 2:54 PM

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Democrats back Tour of Missouri

If you're a fan of the Tour of Missouri bicycle race, you'll be pleased to hear seven Democratic legislators are urging Gov. Jay Nixon, also a Democrat, to back state funding for the 2010 race.

In an Associated Press story, Senate Minority Leader Victor Callahan, House Minority Leader Paul LeVota were among the lawmakers who called the state's $1.5 million investment in the race a wise one for Missouri.

Missouri's three-year agreement with Medalist Sports to run the race ended this year, but Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, a Republican, wants to continue the state's involvement with the race as organizers seek more private sponsorship of the event.

“With a complete realization of the continued recession that our state is facing, we believe that a 14-to-1 return on the state’s $1.5 million commitment to the Tour of Missouri is a wise investment, especially during these difficult economic times,” the legislators wrote. The St. Louis Business Journal says the race brought it nearly $60 million in tourism dollars in 2007 and 2008.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 1:58 AM

Lebanon, Ill., group looking for trailblazers

Do you want to be on the ground floor of planning a new bicycle trail?

A group of people from the Lebanon, Ill., area are forming a committee to study the possibility of a bicycle trail from Lebanon to O'Fallon, Ill. They also may consider another trail that would tie Lebanon to the Shiloh/Scott MetroLink station near Scott Air Force Base.

The committee will hold its first meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 24) in the basement of the Lebanon Visitor's Center, 211 W. St. Louis St. All people who are interested in bicycling in the Lebanon area are encouraged to attend.

In talking to Robert Wilhelm, who is spearheading the effort, he reminded me of something that I already knew from 10 years of holding the Tour de Stooges ride at McKendree University: There's only one safe way to get out of Lebanon.

Two major highways serve Lebanon: U.S. Route 50 and Illinois Route 4. Neither is particularly safe for cyclists because of almost non-existent shoulders and fast, heavy traffic. Although the Illinois Department of Transportation is resurfacing Route 4, I still wouldn't recommend it for cycling because the highway is a shortcut for truckers and other motorists between Interstate 55 and Interstate 64.

A cursory look at a map of the Lebanon area would tell you that Korte-Sewald Road heads southeast from the city. Well, that's not quite true. The railroad overpass on the southern edge of town has been closed for years.

That leaves one safe way out: Monroe Street/Widicus Road, the thoroughfare the Tour de Stooges used to get out and back into Lebanon during our time at McKendree. Monroe/Widicus takes you northwest of Lebanon to some wonderful cycling roads. The problem, though, is that you have to ride well out the way to get to nearby communities like O'Fallon, Shiloh and Mascoutah.

What Robert and other trail supporters are hoping to do is to start out with a trail from Lebanon to O'Fallon. One possibility is the old East St. Louis & Suburban Railway right-of-way, which provided Lebanon and O'Fallon with trolley service from 1903 until the late 1920s. Another possibility would involve College Road, which now heads west of Lebanon but ends at Silver Creek. At one time, it was a through road across the creek to Rieder Road.

Robert said the Metro-East Park and Recreation District has expressed interest in the project. If the district decides to pursue the money and obtain money, construction could begin in the next few years.

The other long-term trail proposal would go roughly along Rieder Road and take cyclists to the Shiloh/Scott MetroLink station. That would tie into a trail now on the drawing board that would link Shiloh, O'Fallon to the Madison County Transit Schoolhouse. The Metro-East Park and Recreation District and Madison County Transit has received money for the project, but they have hit a roadblock because much of the former railroad right-of-way that would be used for that trail now is in private hands, making it much more difficult and expensive to obtain the property.

St. Clair County is far behind neighboring Madison County in the number and miles of bicycle trails, and the Lebanon trail proposal would be a good way to start catching up. While I won't be at Thursday's meeting because of work, I encourage people interested in bicycling in Lebanon, O'Fallon and Shiloh to attend the meeting.

Labels: Illinois, trails

Roger 0 comments 12:40 AM

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Harsh message for a bike thief

Don't worry, no one has stolen one of my bikes. One of my longtime cycling friends, Doug Kaufman, sent this to me with no message other than to circulate this to my cycling friends, so here it is!

A close look at the flier above the stolen bike poster indicates the poster probably was put up in the New York City area. If I ever had my bike stolen, I don't think my poster would be as harshly worded, but I sure understand the sentiment behind it.

Labels: bicycles, theft

Roger 4 comments 2:43 PM

Monday, September 14, 2009

Tour de Coal set for Sept. 26

The good folks at the Coal County Chamber of Commerce are putting on the 4th annual Tour de Coal bicycle ride on Saturday, Sept. 26, in Benld, Ill.

The goals of the ride are to promote bicycling in Macoupin County and to raise money for community projects in Gillespie, Benld and other nearby communities.

Routes of 15, 30 and 63 miles are available. The routes go past the sites of many former coal mines that were the lifeblood of those communities. In addition, the 63-mile route uses parts of old alignments of Route 66 and passes the gravesite of Mother Jones, a major labor leader in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The cost of the ride is $15 a person ($20 day of ride) and includes a $40 family special ($50 day of ride), and registration takes place from 7 to 9 a.m. at the Benld Civic Center, 201 E. Center St. in Benld. The community is approximately halfway between St. Louis and Springfield.

The start site of the ride used to be at Benld Elementary School, but mine subsidence earlier this year forced the school to be closed permanently, so the start site was moved to the Benld Civic Center.

For more information about the ride, visit its Web site, and you can register online at Active.com.

Thanks to events like the Tour de Coal and the Tour de Donut in nearby Staunton and thanks to the recently completed extension of the Madison County Transit Quercus Grove Trail to Staunton, bicycling has received quite a boost in Macoupin County. Bicycle enthusiasts are hoping to garner support for more bicycle trails that would link the Madison County trails to a bike trail in the Springfield area.

As a native of Macoupin County, I'm always happy to help boost bicycling in that area.

Labels: bicycle rides, Illinois, Tour de Coal

Roger 0 comments 12:10 PM

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Tour of Missouri: What's next?

With big, enthusiastic crowds, many of the biggest names of cycling and exciting stage finishes, you might think the future is bright for the Tour of Missouri.

Instead, the Tour of Missouri is jeopardy.

The state's three-year contract with Atlanta-based Medalist Sports expires after this year's race, and it's extremely uncertain whether the state will be willing to provide major financial backing for the race in 2010 and beyond.

As you recall, the 2009 Tour was threatened when Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon's administration proposed cutting $1.5 million in state money for the event. Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and others successfully motivated more than 1,000 people to contact Nixon to restore the money, which he finally did.

In a story by The Associated Press, Kinder plans to send a letter Monday to Nixon about the Tour's future. Nixon seems to be interested in listening, even if he didn't attend a single stage of this year's race.

"It seems to build each year in interest, in excitement and viewership," Nixon said. "I think if we can put aside other differences and pull together, we can pull off an even better 2010 Tour of Missouri."

Kinder and Nixon agree on one thing: More private sponsorship money is needed to support the race. Frankly, however, I think getting a Missouri company to provide title sponsorship for the Tour of Missouri will be a hard sell.

Another AP story indicated the 2009 tour received about $1.34 million in corporate backing. However, the same story noted that Monsanto, the St. Louis-based agribusiness that donated at least $100,000 in 2008, didn't donate anything in 2009. Emerson, a St. Louis-based technology company, cut its donation in half.

The lack of a title sponsor forced Medalist and race organizers to pull the plug on the Tour of Georgia for at least this year.

Thanks to cities like St. Louis, Kansas City, Rolla and St. Joseph, among others, attendance for the 2009 Tour of Missouri is expected to exceed 2008's estimated crowd of 435,000. Last year's race pumped in an estimated $29.2 million to the state, arguably a good investment for state government.

Future host cities: If there is a 2010 Tour of Missouri, expect Hannibal to make a big push to bring the Tour into the northeastern corner of the Show-Me State for the first time. Hannibal pushed hard to get this year's race to pay a visit, but lost out to Cape Girardeau, which happens to be Kinder's hometown. Next year, Hannibal is marking the 100th anniversary of the death of legendary author Mark Twain, so the Tour would bring another reason for tourists to visit the city and its Mark Twain attractions.

Undoubtedly, Springfield will try to bring the Tour back to the state's third largest metropolitan area. Springfield and nearby Branson were host cities for the 2007 and 2008 Tours, but the Tour skipped southwestern Missouri this year.

It's a given that St. Louis and Kansas City would host stages, and communities like Rolla and St. Joseph helped their causes to be host cities for future Tours.

The biggest disappointment was the relatively small crowd for the Stage 2 finish in Cape Girardeau. Organizers had hoped for a crowd of 30,000, but crowd estimates indicated only 5,000 near the finish line. The Southeast Missourian also reported mixed results from businesses the day of the Tour.

(The photo of the final sprint of Stage 1 in St. Louis was taken by Doug Kaufman.)

Roger 0 comments 10:55 PM

Tour of Missouri: Zabriskie reigns supreme

Nestled safely in the peloton, American David Zabriskie (Garmin-Slipstream) cruised to a 30-second victory in the 2009 Tour of Missouri today in Kansas City.

Zabriskie used his dominant performance in the Stage 5 time trial in Sedalia to finish ahead of Gustav Larrsen (Saxo Bank) and Marco Pinotti (Columbia-HTC). Pinotti used time bonuses to slip ahead of Tom Zirbel (Bissel) for the third podium spot.

Big crowds in the Kansas City Power & Light District cheered Canadian Martin Gilbert (Planet Energy) as he took the Stage 7 Kansas City circuit race victory. Andrew Pinfold (OUCH) was second. Although Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) had to settle for third in the stage, he won the sprinter's competition.

Moises Aldape (Team Type I) captured the King of the Mountains, while Dario Cataldo (QuickStep) was the best young rider. Saxo Bank won the team competition.

In case you were actually bicycling -- as I was today on the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society's Villa Marie Winery Ride in Maryville, Ill. -- instead of watching cycling, you can watch video at Universal Sports.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 6:40 PM

Tour of Missouri: Chicchi wins Stage 6; Zabriskie still in yellow

Sorry about being so late with my Tour of Missouri update for Stage 6. I had a busy evening at my paying job at the Belleville News-Democrat, which also kept me away from the Southwestern High School Class of 1979 30-year high school reunion Saturday night.

Yes, I'm that old!

Anyway, Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas-Cannondale) won Saturday's Stage 6 in yet another sprint finish. Chicchi, who won last year's final stage of the Tour of Missouri, edged Thor Hushovd (Cervelo-Test Team) and Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Colavita-Sutter Home).

David Zabriskie (Garmin-Slipstream) maintained his 30-second lead in the general classification going into today's finale in Kansas City. Although the Kansas City circuit is more hilly and technical than the the St. Louis circuit that ended the 2007 and 2008 event, I wouldn't be surprised if there was yet another bunch finish.

The peloton averaged 29.85 mph on the 110-mile course from Chillicothe, the home of sliced bread, to St. Joseph, the eastern terminus of the Pony Express route. It's the fastest stage ever in the Tour of Missouri.

"We were going 52K (kilometers per hour) for the first part of the race. So, we were flying all day. Only at the Tour de France do you see something like this," Chicchi said on the Tour of Missouri Web site.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 12:34 AM

Friday, September 11, 2009

Tour of Missouri: Zabriskie wins time trial, takes yellow jersey

David Zabriskie is the U.S. professional time trial champion, and now he's the time trial champion of this year's Tour of Missouri.

Zabriskie (Garmin-Slipstream) won today's 19-mile Stage 5 in 36 minutes, 30 seconds. That's an average speed of 31.25 mph!

Gustav Larsson (Saxo Bank) was 30 seconds back, while Tom Zirbel (Bissell) was 44 seconds back. Levi Leipheimer (Astana) finished fifth, 1:10.

Zabriskie's performance puts in on top of the general classification, followed by Larsson and Zirbel. Leipheimer is in sixth overall, behind Marco Pinotti (Columbia-HTC) and Dario Cataldo (Quick Step).

"I know I have the capability" of winning a stage race, Zabriskie told VeloNews. "It's just never panned out. This is looking pretty good."

J.J. Haedo (Saxo Bank) , who held the yellow jersey going into the time trial, fell to 77th place, 4:56 behind Zabriskie. Thor Hushovd, who was second, fell to 60th place, 3:45 back.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 7:00 PM

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Tour of Missouri: Haedo wins Stage 4, yellow jersey

Thor Hushovd's stay in the Tour of Missouri lasted just one day as J.J. Haedo won Stage 4 today in Jefferson City. In the process, Haedo (Saxo Bank) took over the yellow jersey as the top man in the general classification.

Haedo outpowered Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam) in the final sprint up the 300-meter hill leading to Missouri's State Capitol, Dario Cataldo (QuickStep) was third. Although Hushovd lost the yellow jersey, he will wear the green sprinter's jersey in tomorrow's time trial in Sedalia.

Here's your top 10 in the general classification after Stage 4:

1. J.J. Haedo (Saxo Bank), 15.35:08
2. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam), same time
3. Dario Cataldo (Quick Step), 18 seconds back
   
4. Moises Aldape Chavez (Team Type 1), same time
   
5. Michael Friedman (Garmin-Slipstream) 20 seconds back
   
6. Tomas Vaitkus (Astana), same time
7. Michael Creed (Team Type 1), 21 seconds back
8. Jeffry Louder (BMC Racing Team), same time
9. Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo Bank), 22 seconds back
10. Michael Rogers (Columbia-HTC), 23 seconds back

In case you're wondering about some of the big names, George Hincapie (Columbia-HTC) is 21st , Levi Leipheimer (Astana) is 46th and David Zabriskie (Garmin-Slipstream) is 56th, all three at 26 seconds back. Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank) is 99th at 2 minutes, 45 seconds back.

Haedo doesn't expect his time in yellow to last long because Friday's Stage 5 is an individual time trial. "I'm not going to be the one with it tomorrow," Haedo said in the Columbia Missourian. "But even if I don't get the win tomorrow, I'll start with the yellow jersey for the first time."

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 7:07 PM

Tour of Missouri: Cavendish is out

British sprinting ace Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) is out of the Tour of Missouri. He did not make the start this afternoon of Stage 4 from St. James to Rolla.

According to a statement by Columbia-HTC's Bob Stapleton posted on the Tour of Missouri Web site, Cavendish had been fighting an infection since coming to the United States and that it had spread to his lungs.

"He has had a long and successful season and it is a team priority that his general health be protected," Stapleton's statement said. "He is on antibiotics and will rest here in Missouri for a few days prior to returning to Europe."

Cavendish's withdrawal will be a disappointment to lots of cycling fans were were excited about the duel between him and yellow jersey holder Thor Hushovd. Hushovd and Cavendish had the same time going into Stage 4, but Hushovd took over the jersey from Cavendish because his results in the first three stages were better.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 1 comments 2:21 PM

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Tour of Missouri: Podium Girls create a stir

I have nothing against Tour of Missouri podium girls Erin Haney and Jen Caudill, but at least two other blogs aren't too thrilled that the Tour of Missouri hostesses are from Georgia, rather than Missouri.

One of those is over at the St. Louis-based Riverfront Times. Writer Chad Garrison was surprised to read Erin and Jen both live in Atlanta.

"But, c'mon. You think over in Europe the Tour de France imports its hostesses from the Republic of Georgia? Hell, no! They use homegrown talent. The question is: Why can't we?

"Surely, we have some corn-fed beauties who can represent Missouri? Don't we?"

The other comes from a frequent critic of the Tour of Missouri, the Fired Up! Missouri political blog.

Fired Up! Missouri often doesn't let the facts get in the way of a juicy blog post or at least some hyperbole. For example, Fired Up! Missouri claim Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder hired Erin and Jen as the podium girls. Not quite true. The RFT post says they were chosen by the Georgia-based Medalist Sports, the promoter of the Tour of Missouri.

"No word on why Miss Missouri, the State Fair Queen or other talented Missouri women were unavailable for these Missouri taxpayer funded gigs," a Fired Up! Missouri contributed known only as Cole wrote. "So much for 'show-casing' the Show-Me State to the world."

In another post about the podium girls, Fired Up! Missouri offers up this bit of commentary: "Peter Kinder's Official Tour of Missouri Hostesses (imported from Georgia) have created a Twitter feed and video blog detailing how they are spending Missourians' tax money." That post goes on to quote from Erin and Jen's Twitter feed.

OK, I have to admit their Twitter posts aren't great literature. But they are what they are: two women describing their days and nights in the Show-Me State.

Here's what the Tour of Missouri Web site has to say about Erin and Jen:

(Erin) Haney, an Atlanta native, is currently working in sales and marketing for Turner Broadcasting. She is also a freelance make-up artist, stylist and TV host. She was named Miss Georgia USA in 2003 and has remained involved in pageants as a producer, consultant, emcee and judge. She possesses a college degree in Fashion Design and interned with fashion designer Vera Wang. Haney also has over 15 years of formal dance training.

(Jen) Caudill, who currently lives in Atlanta, also works in marketing for Turner Broadcasting Company. She also serves as a model and actress and has appeared in music videos and on an episode of Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva. She earned a degree in Advertising from the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism. Caudill is also an experienced equestrian.

Again, I have nothing against Erin and Jen, They're good at their jobs. But you would think there are two women from Missouri who are podium girl material. I know of at least one: St. Louis native Laura Antoine, who was a podium girl at this year's Tour de France. Here's a video of Laura and judge for yourself:



(The photo of Erin and Jen kissing Tour of Missouri Women's Series podium finisher Carrie Cash Wooten was taken by Beth Harris.)

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 11:24 PM

Tour of Missouri: Hushovd wins Stage 3

Finally, someone other than Mark Cavendish won a stage of the Tour of Missouri. Thor Hushovd, who won the green sprinters' jersey at the Tour de France, won a sprint finish to win Stage 3 in Rolla.

Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) finished fifth and lost the yellow jersey to Hushovd. Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam) has the same overall time as Cavendish, and Hushovd took over the yellow jersey based on the aggregate of place finishes.

After the finish, Universal Sports announcers Paul Sherwen and Frankie Andreu said they had believed Cavendish held onto yellow because of the fact Cavendish won Stage 1 and Stage 2. That turned out not to be accurate.

J.J. Haedo (Saxo Bank) finished second in the stage, and Dario Cataldo (Quick Step) was third.

With 6,000 feet climbing in Stage 3, there was anticipation that a major break would form on the major hills. For most of the day, it was just three riders, Matthew Wilson (Team Type 1), Mike Friedmann (Garmin-Slipstream) and Will Frischkorn in the breakway. Frischkorn eventually dropped out, and the peloton caught Friedmann and Wilson with about 9 kilometers left in the race.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 3:44 PM

Tour of Missouri: Stage 4-7 routes

In some ways, the Tour of Missouri is covering lot of new ground this year. With the exception of Stage 4, the routes for this year's Tour are new. Here's a quick look at the routes for the final four stages:

Stage 4 (St. James to Jefferson City, Sept. 10): This is the only repeat route for this year's race. The stage starts in St. James, home to another of Missouri's top wineries, the St. James Winery, and continues on lots of undulating rolling hills, although not as severe as Stage 3, on its way to the state capital of Jefferson City. The stage ends with a 300-meter climb up to the Capitol Wall. The intermediate sprints are in the small towns of Bella and Taos, and the one King of the Mountains banner is about a mile north of Meta on Highway B.

If you got time to kill before the Stage 4 finish, which is expected between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., you can do some riding on the Katy Trail. Although the crushed limestone surface is best suited for hybrid or mountain bikes, conditions on the trail should be dry enough that you can ride a road bike on the trail. A Katy Trail spur takes you over the Missouri River on the Highway 54 bridge to the North Jefferson trailhead.

And, of course, you should visit the Capitol. In addition to its distinctive architecture, the interior is home to noted artist Thomas Hart Benton's "Social History of Missouri" and the Missouri State Museum.

Stage 5 (Sedalia Individual Time Trial, Sept. 11): Sedalia is best known for being the home of the Missouri State Fair, and that's where the time trial begins and ends. It starts at the roundabout and ends near the Woman's Building.

If you have your bike with you, you can ride the Katy Trail to three vantage points of the time trial route: at West 32nd Street, along Quisenberry and Arnett roads and at Highway B.

Other Sedalia attractions include the Bothwell Lodge State Historic Site and the restored Katy depot.

Stage 6 (Chillicothe to St. Joseph, Sept. 12): The Tour of Missouri may be the arguably biggest thing to hit Chillicothe since sliced bread. The first-ever loaves of sliced bread were made and sold in Chillicothe in 1928. A product of the Chillicothe Baking Company, it was sliced on a machine called the Rohwedder Bread Slicer, invented by Iowa resident Otto Rohwedder. It's fitting Chillicothe will has a sliced bread baking contest at 10:45 a.m., one of many events such as kids bike races before the 1 p.m. CDT start of the race. After the big boys leave, parents and adults alike can ride the early part of the course.

The course, of course, has lots of rolling hills, plus headwinds could be a factor in this highly agricultural part of the state. Intermediate sprints are set for Gallatin and Savannah, and the King of the Mountain banner on Highway K between Amazonia and St. Joseph.

St. Joseph is best known for being the starting point of the Pony Express and the city where outlaw Jesse James was shot to death. Museums mark those events. The stage ends at City Hall.

Stage 7 (Kansas City circuit race, Sept. 13): The first two years of the Tour of Missouri ended in St. Louis on a relatively easy circuit from downtown toward Forest Park and back. Thsi year's closing circuit in Kansas City promises to be tougher with more steep hills and technical sections.

The race will begin and end at Grand Avenue at Washington Park in the city's Power & Light District. Competitors will make seven laps on the 10.2-mile course that winds through Penn Valley Park, then back toward downtown Kansas City to the Richard L. Berkeley Riverfront Park along the Missouri River, then back downtown to the Power & Light District, which has a wide range of restaurants and bars.

For a closer look at maps, profiles and course logs for Stages 4-7 , go to the Tour of Missouri site.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 11:28 AM

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Tour of Missouri: Stage 1-2 notebook

A few notes about the Tour of Missouri thus far:

How about the crowds? Some media accounts in the St. Louis reported an estimate of 75,000 people who line the streets of the 7.5-mile circuit for Stage 1 on Monday. It's hard to say how accurate that estimate was, but there sure were a lot of people downtown.

(By the way, the photo of the start of the race near the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis was taken by longtime friend Doug Kaufman.)

The Southeast Missourian reported a crowd of 5,000 for the Stage 2 finish in Cape Girardeau. Organizers were hoping for 30,000 people for the Stage 2 finish, but Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, a native of Cape Girardeau, and Mayor Jay Knudtson said they were proud of the community's support of the event.

Precarious future: Announcers during Stage 1 frequently noted that many of the world's greatest cyclists were at the Tour of Missouri rather than the Vuelta a Espana. Despite the high caliber of racing, the future of the racing still is hanging in the balance.

In its preview of the race, the Kansas City Star reminded its readers that this is the final year of a three-year contract between the state of Missouri and Medalist Sports, the promoters of the event. Gov. Jay Nixon's office had threatened to cut off funding for this year's event, but Kinder and cycling fans were successful in persuading Nixon's office to preserve $1.5 million allocated for the event.

Although Missouri is not in bad financial shape as other states, including neighboring Illinois, the state will be looking to cut expenditures in the next year. Kinder, a Republican, says Nixon, a Democrat, has shown hostility toward the event, a charge that Nixon denies.

Cavendish is hot: Mark Cavendish's victories in Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Tour of Missouri were his 22nd and 23rd wins this year. Although he's only 24, the Stage 1 victory was the 50th of his career, according to the BBC. Cavendish has won at least one stage in each stage race he has competed in since March 2008, VeloNews says.

Live coverage of the Tour: I don't know about you, but I think the caliber of the online broadcasts of the Tour of Missouri has taken a quantum leap this year. Clearly, having Paul Sherwen and Frankie Andreu behind the microphones has added a high level of professionalism to the broadcast, but I think the video coverage is vastly improved from the past two years.

As a Midwest native, I've liked how Sherwen and Andreu have added tidbits about the history and attractions of St. Louis and southeastern Missouri, thus educating people throughout the country and the world about the diversity Missouri has to offer.

Stage 3 will be a challenge for crews covering the race because much of the stage is in a relatively remote part of Missouri. In past years when the Tour hit rural areas of Missouri, there has been breakups in the video or in tour tracker services.

Almost forgot the women: Last year, Brooke Miller came to Missouri for the one-day Tour of Missouri Criterium in Kansas City and won. She liked racing in Missouri so much that she came back this year for the Tour of Missouri Women's Series, which was run Thursday through Monday as part of St. Louis' Gateway Cup Series.

It was a profitable trip for the 33-year-old Santa Cruz, Calif., resident. Miller won all four races during the Tour de LaFayette, the St. Louis Hills race, the Giro Della Montagna and the Tour of Missouri Pro/Am.

"It's great that the Tour of Missouri is offering women a chance to show what we can do," Miller told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

No armadillos in his way: Two years ago, St. Louis-area native Dan Schmatz was hoping to gain some glory in the inaugural Tour of Missouri. Instead, he gained infamy.

Schmatz struck an armadillo in the road between Clinton and Springfield that year and suffered a broken collarbone that knocked him out of of the race.

Over the weekend, Schmatz had a successful run in the Gateway Cup in the Men's Pro/1/2 races. Schmatz won the Tour de Lafayette, St. Louis Hills and Tour of Missouri Pro/Am and finished third in the Giro Della Montagna.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 10:27 PM

Tour of Missouri: Cavendish wins Stage 2

British cyclist Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) keeps the Tour of Missouri yellow jersey after winning Stage 2 in Cape Girardeau in another patented sprint finish. Thor Hushovd finished second, and J.J. Haedo was third.

Whether Cavendish will be able to hang on to the yellow jersey after Stage 3 remains to be seen. Stage 3, from Farmington to Rolla, has 6,000 feet of climbing and three King of the Mountain climbs.

One thing is for certain, the 2009 Tour of Missouri will have a new champion. Unfortunately, Illinois native Christian Vande Velde suffered a small hairline fracture in his right wrist during a crash on the final straight of Stage 1 in St. Louis. Vande Velde tried to start today's stage, but after the neutral start in Ste. Genevieve, Vande Velde determined he couldn't go on.

Francois Parisian and Timothy Duggan were part of a breakaway that survived for about 60 miles until about 8 miles left in the race.

I was unable to attend today's stage, but it appeared the crowds were strong near the finish line. I didn't get the opportunity to see what kind of crowds the two King of the Mountain climbs and the two intermediate sprints drew.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 3:06 PM

Katy Trail sees boost in visitors

While much of the country struggles with the recession, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports businesses in the small towns along the Katy Trail, a 225-mile former railroad right-of-way that connects St. Charles and Clinton, Mo., are thriving.

From January to July, 62,794 people hiked, jogged or biked the section of Katy Trail State Park between St. Charles and Weldon Spring, according to an estimate by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. That's up from the 41,661 users in the same period last year.

The Post-Dispatch article attributes the boost to two reasons: better weather in 2009 than in 2008 and the desire of many people to stay closer to home for low-cost recreational activities.

Tour of Missouri spectators will get two chances to encounter the trail if they want to get some miles in. Stage 4 on Thursday ends in Jefferson City, which is just across the Missouri River from the Katy Trail. The Stage 5 individual time trial is Friday in Sedalia, and there's three access points to the course from the Katy Trail.

Labels: Katy Trail, Missouri

Roger 0 comments 9:49 AM

Monday, September 07, 2009

Tour of Missouri: Stage 1 goes to Cavendish

Mark Cavendish continued his dominance in sprint finishes by taking Stage 1 of the Tour of Missouri in St. Louis. At least for one day, he gets to wear the yellow jersey.

Team Columbia-HTC controlled the pace of the peloton toward the end of the stage, enabling him to pull out to the victory. J.J. Haedo (Saxo Bank) was second, and Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team)

The end of the stage was marred by an accident involving defending champion Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Slipstream) and Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo Test Team). Vande Velde suffered a wrist injury and went to a St. Louis hospital.

The crowds along the Market Street start/finish area were impressive and thick, and early on in the race, they stretched down Broadway toward Busch Stadium. I saw many people I knew through my association with the Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society and my friends who are a part of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation.

I even saw an old friend of mine who lives in Georgia, Dr. Mike Rallo. Mike had a practice in the Edwardsville-Collinsville area for years, but now he's the medical director for a hospice program in Columbus, Ga. He's also now a part-owner of a bike shop.

As I expected, the crowd thinned out along Broadway until the route reached the Soulard neighborhood, where people could see the cyclists twice before they turned on Russell Street toward McGurk's Irish Pub and the King of the Mountain banner. The presence of bars and restaurants along the Russell Street section of the course no doubt help the crowd there.

Also as I expected, there was a respectable crowd in the Lafayette Square neighborhood. It's great to see such good support of the race.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 5:01 PM

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Tour of Missouri: Who to watch

UPDATED: Even without Lance Armstrong, there are still plenty of reasons for serious and casual bicycle racing fans to watch the Tour of Missouri. I've mentioned some of the big names over the past few months, but here's a recap of some of the top riders who will be starting the race Monday in St. Louis:

• Levi Leipheimer: The Astana rider, soon to be a teammate of Armstrong's on his new Team RadioShack, has won the Amgen Tour of California three straight times. He was in fifth place in this year's Tour de France before breaking a wrist during Stage 12. The wrist has recovered enough that he's able to compete in Missouri.
• George Hincapie: Best known for being Armstrong's longtime lieutenant in the Tour de France, the Team Columbia rider comes into the Tour of Missouri fresh off a U.S. Professional Championships title in the road race. Hincapie won the inaugural Tour of Missouri in 2007.
• Christian Vande Velde: A native of the Chicago suburbs, Vande Velde is the defending Tour of Missouri champion and finished eighth in this year's Tour de France. It will interesting to see how the rivalry that developed between Team Columbia and Vande Velde's Garmin-Slipstream team will play out on the hills of Missouri.
• David Zabriskie: The Astana rider is fresh off a U.S. Professional Championships title in the individual time trial.
  
• Michael Rogers: A three-time world champion, the Australian rider who rides for Team Columbia finished second to Vande Velde at last year's Tour of Missouri.
• Jens Voigt: The German star is a two-time Tour of Germany champ and a multiple stage winner in the Tour de France.
• Floyd Landis: I don't know how much of a factor the OUCH rider will be, but his presence should add some interest. He still is trying to reestablish himself after being stripped of his victory in the 2006 Tour de France.
  
• Mark Cavendish: The Team Columbia rider gained a following in Missouri in three stage wins last year, and he won six stages of this year's Tour de France. I don't think Cavendish will be a factor for the general classification, especially after the exceptionally hilly Stage 3 from Farmington to Rolla, but don't be surprised if Cavendish wins Stage 1 in St. Louis.
• Thor Hushvold: Hushvold was the green jersey winner in this year's Tour de France. Like Cavendish, I don't expect him to a factor in the general classification, but expect some exciting duels with Cavendish on the sprint-finish days.
• Franco Pellizotti: The Liquigas-Cannondale rider was the King of the Mountains in this year's Tour de France. Although the hills in Missouri aren't as long as those in France, they are sizable and they are steep.

View the final rosters for the Tour of Missouri.

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 7:01 PM

Saturday, September 05, 2009

Biking to play horseshoes

I can't say that I know bicyclist Chuck Carter, although I've probably seen him around since he lives in nearby Cahokia, Ill. Nevertheless, Chuck tells an interesting tale.

The 58-year-old Chuck biked from Cahokia to Moline, Ill., to participate in this weekend's Illinois State Horseshoe Tournament.

A story in the Moline Dispatch says when Chuck was younger, he lost his toes to frostbite in a hunting trip in the mountains. He has an artificial knee and said his rib cage is held together with wires after he was stomped on by a bull when he worked in the rodeo.

"I've been everywhere," Chuck told the Dispatch, naming off Canada and states such as New York, Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota and Washington.

Chuck has some good news for people who want to do long-distance cycling: 98 percent of the folks he encounters are good people!

Labels: bicycling, Illinois, touring

Roger 0 comments 2:03 PM

Tour of Missouri: Stage 1-3 routes

The Tour of Missouri route is dramatically different this year than it has been in the past. The most obvious difference is that it goes east to west, from St. Louis to Kansas City, rather than from west to east, as it had done in 2007 and 2008.

Instead of visiting Springfield and Branson in southwestern Missouri, the route visits southeastern Missouri for the first time during Stages 2 and 3. The route also trades a hilly individual time trial (Branson) for a flatter one (Sedalia).

For the first time, the route also skips Hermann and Augusta, two of Missouri's most famous wine country communities. But don't worry wine lovers, the Stage 2 route goes past the Crown Valley Winery near Ste. Genevieve and ends in Cape Girardeau, which has a sizable group of wineries.

Here's a quick look at the Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 routes. To see maps, hill profiles and course logs for the route, visit the Tour of Missouri site.

Stage 1 (St. Louis circuit race, Sept. 7): This is a new course for the St. Louis circuit race. In 2007 and 2008, the circuit started and ended on Market Street near Union Station and went toward Forest Park and the Central West End neighborhood.

This year, the start-finish line will be at the Citygarden on Market Street. Citygarden describes itself as "an oasis in the heart of a major American city’s downtown: a vibrant and serene blending of lush plantings and internationally renowned sculpture with delights of water, stone, architecture and design."

Competitors should be able to gain lots of speed as they cruise down Broadway toward the historic Soulard neighborhood. Michelob Ultra is a Silver Sponsor of the Tour of Missouri, so it shouldn't come as a surprise the route passes the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. The brewery will be open for tours on Labor Day.

The course returns to the Soulard neighborhood for a climb up Russell Street. The King of the Mountain banner will be at Russell and 12th streets, near McGurk's Irish Pub, the most famous of St. Louis' Irish bars. Also nearby is the Soulard Art Market, which is presenting the bicycle-themed show "Spoked!" The gallery will be open Monday during Stage 1. With eight bars and restaurants within a block of the Russell Street section of the course, Soulard will be the party central for Stage 1, and Soulard knows how to put on a party: It's the home of the city's annual Mardi Gras celebration!

Before coming back to downtown, the route passes Lafayette Park in the city's up-and-coming Lafayette Square neighborhood.

Stage 2 (Ste. Genevieve to Cape Girardeau, Sept. 8): Stage 2 begins in one of Missouri's most historic communities, Ste. Genevieve. The community was settled during the state's days as a French colony, and several buildings from the 1700s and early 1800s still survive. Pictured at left is the Bolduc House, which was built in the 1820s.

The both Sprint banner and both King of the Mountain banners take place relatively early in this stage. The first KOM banner in on Highway B about 8.2 miles southwest of the intersection of Highway B and Highway 32 near Ste. Genevieve. The Sprint banner is about 6 miles later on Highway WW at the Crown Valley Winery. The second KOM banner comes about 5.4 miles from the winery on Highway WW. The other sprint banner is in the community of Perryville.

The rest of the route to Cape Girardeau is filled with the "undulating rolling hills" the Tour of Missouri has become famous for. The Velo Girardeau bicycle club, which is planning a ride Sunday on the Stage 2 course, describes the course as "one of the more strenuous 112 mile rides you will encounter." Cape Girardeau is the home of Southeast Missouri State University. It also happens to be the home of Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, the biggest supporter of the Tour of Missouri in state government.

Stage 3 (Farmington to Rolla, Sept. 9): This stage should go a long way in determining who will win the general classification in this year's. With more than 6,000 feet of climbing, Tour of Missouri organizers say this may the toughest stage course ever in the three-year history of the event. If the Stage 2 course is strenuous for mere mortals like me, Stage 3 should be beyond category!

Stage 3 enters the Ozarks near Farmington. Specifically, the cyclists will be riding though the St. Francois Mountains region. The region is home to many of Missouri's best state parks, including Elephant Rocks and Johnson Shut-In.

Stage 3 Sprint banners will be in Pilot Knob, about 15 miles into the stage, and Viburnum, at about 54.7 miles.

But the bigger attraction will be the three KOM banners. The first comes shortly after the town of Banner on Highway 32. Competitors will climb from about 940 feet to about 1300 feet in that KOM climb.

Then there's two back-to-back KOM banners between Viburnum and Cherryville. The first is about 8.5 miles north of Viburnum, a town of about 800 people, and the second banner comes 3.6 miles later. Both hills are steep.

Although that's the last of the KOM banners, there's plenty of hills between Cherryville and Rolla, the home of the Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly the University of Missouri-Rolla). Rolla is a repeat finish city for the Tour, and the city has events planned to coincide with the race.

Enjoy your time following the Tour of Missouri and come back frequently for updates during the Tour!

Labels: Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 11:45 AM

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Tour of Missouri: TV coverage

UPDATED: In case you can't make it to the Show-Me State for this year's Tour of Missouri, you should be able to watch some video of the action.

Versus is planning coverage for each stage of the race. The cable network plans half-hour segments at midnight CDT following each stage. Expect to hear a familiar voice behind the microphone. Legendary cycling commentator Paul Sherwen has confirmed on his Twitter page that he will be on site during the race, and Frankie Andreu will join him

Universal Sports will have streaming video available from the Tour of Missouri. Throughout the week, streaming video also will be available at the Tour of Missouri site, KMOV.com and KMBC.com. Here are the times listed for coverage:

• Stage 1, Monday, Sept. 7: 3:30 p.m. CDT
• Stage 2, Tuesday, Sept. 8: 2 p.m. CDT
• Stage 3, Wednesday, Sept. 9: 2 p.m. CDT
• Stage 4, Thursday, Sept. 10: 4:30 p.m. CDT
• Stage 5, Friday, Sept. 11: 3 p.m. CDT
• Stage 6, Saturday, Sept. 12: 3:30 p.m. CDT
• Stage 7, Sunday, Sept. 13: 3:30 p.m. CDT

KMOV-TV in St. Louis will air Stage 1 of the Tour of Missouri on one of its digital channels. KMOV's coverage is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. CDT Monday and will be aired on Digital Channel 4.2 (Channel 154 on Charter Cable in the St. Louis area). KMBC-TV in Kansas City plans to cover Stage 7 live from 2-5 p.m. CDT on Sept. 13.

Fox Sports Midwest and Fox Sports Kansas City will air the Sherwen-Andreu highlight show. Some of the times are approximate because of broadcasts of St. Louis Cardinals (FSM) and Kansas City Royals (FSKC) baseball games and post-game shows or of college football games. Here's the schedule:

• Stage 1, Monday, Sept. 7: 10:30 p.m. CDT (FSM and FSKC)
  
• Stage 2, Tuesday, Sept. 8: About 11 p.m. CDT (FSM). About 10:30 p.m (FSKC)
  
• Stage 3, Wednesday, Sept. 9: 10:30 CDT (FSM). About 10:30 p.m. (FSKC)
  
• Stage 4, Thursday, Sept. 10: 11:30 p.m. CDT (FSM and FSKC)
  
• Stage 5, Friday, Sept. 11: About 11 p.m. CDT (FSM). 11:30 CDT (FSKC)
  
• Stage 6, Saturday, Sept. 12: 12:45 a.m. CDT Sunday (FSM and FSKC)
  
• Stage 7, Sunday, Sept. 13: 11:30 p.m. CDT (FSM and FSKC)
  

Cycling TV's schedule makes no mention of the Tour of Missouri.

I'll update this post when I hear of more opportunities to see the race.

Labels: television, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 11:25 PM

Tour of Missouri: Related events

If you're coming to St. Louis for the Tour ofMissouri, which begins Monday, or the Gateway Cup series of bicycle races, which begins Friday, you may be interested in a couple of events:

On Thursday night, the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation is presenting the movie "Veer," a look at the bicycle culture in Portland, Ore. The movie will be shown at the Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar Blvd. in University City. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the movie begins at 7. Admission is $10, and you can buy advance tickets through the Tivoli's online ticket site. You can watch the trailer below:



On Friday night, the Soulard Art Market hosts a reception for the "Spoked!" exhibition of bicycle-related art. The opening reception is from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Soulard Art Market, 2028 S. 12th St. in St. Louis. An encore viewing party takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday.

The gallery is near the Stage One course as it makes its way on Russell Street through the historic Soulard neighborhood, and it will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Labor Day so Tour of Missouri spectators can view the exhibit.

Don't forget your bicycle! On Sunday, Trailnet will be putting on the Giro and Tour of Missouri Bicycle Ride in St. Louis' Italian neighborhood, The Hill. Registration takes place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Shaw Visual and Performing Arts Community Education Center, 5329 Columbia Ave. Routes of 22, 30 or 43 miles will be available. After the ride, you can enjoy the Gateway Cup Giro Della Montagna, which also takes place on The Hill.

If you want to explore St. Louis on your own, check out the Bike St. Louis network on marked bike routes on city streets.

Of course, there are non-cycling events going on in the St. Louis area. Those include the Illinois-Missouri college football game Saturday at the Edward Jones Dome, the Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Big Muddy Blues Festival at Laclede’s Landing. For information, visit www.explorestlouis.com.

Labels: St. Louis, Tour of Missouri

Roger 0 comments 9:44 AM