Tour of Missouri to roll through St. Charles County
St. Charles, O’Fallon hold race events
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The second annual Tour of Missouri cycling race will roll through St. Charles County this weekend, and riders will be greeted by events in O’Fallon and St. Charles.
The race will feature world-class cyclists from 24 countries riding 623 miles across the state.
The race began Monday in St. Joseph. Riders are scheduled to glide through St. Charles County Saturday and finish Sunday in St. Louis.
"It quickly came onto the international calendar and now has become a September tradition," Said Chris Aronhalt, a spokesman for Atlanta-based Medalist Sports, which puts on the tour. "We have some of the top 10 teams in the world competing,"
Carry Summers, a former executive at Silver Dollar City and Bass Pro Shops, came to Gov. Matt Blunt in 2005 with the idea for the Tour of Missouri, according to Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.
Blunt assigned Kinder the task of putting together the race.
"My tiny staff of five took it and ran with it," Kinder said.
The 2007 inaugural tour was two years in the making. It drew a statewide crowd of more than 367,000 spectators over six days.
Kinder said Missouri beat out other states to host the bicycle race.
"We saved the world from the Tour of Kansas," Kinder said.
Kinder said he thought Missouri had a more beautiful course, with the Ozark Mountains and a wine country reminiscent of the Tour de France.
Aronhalt described the Tour of Missouri as one of the nation’s "grand tours," a label borrowed from European bike racing.
"In Europe the grand tours are Spain, France and Italy," Aronhalt said.
The race is expected to cost $3 million to put on, and will be paid for with state funding and corporate sponsorships, Aronhalt said.
Kinder said $1.7 million came from Missouri’s tourism fund. The financial return, in the form of tourist dollars, would add up to more than $26 million, he said.
Fifteen teams are scheduled to compete. There are eight riders per team, with a total of 120, Aronhalt said.
At least 11 racers who also competed in the Beijing Olympics this year are registered for the tour, Aronhalt said. They include standouts George Hincate from Greenville, S.C., and Dave Zabriskie from Salt Lake City are registered to participate, Aronhalt said.
Cyclist Mark Cavendish, a participant from Great Britain, was among the top 10 cyclists in Beijing this year and also won four stages in the Tour de France.
"When everyone gets close to the finish line he’s able to kick it up a notch," Aronhalt said.
Kinder said the Tour of Missouri has introduced people around the world to the state.
Cyclists are eligible for $145,000 in prize money over the course of the race. The overall winner receiving a prize of $15,000.
Prize money for is awarded to winners of each of the race’s seven stages, and cyclists in the top 20 positions each day are also eligible prizes, Aronhalt said.
The race leader will don a yellow jersey, just like the Tour de France.
Aronhalt said spectators will be in for a treat.
"It was clear that part of the country was really hungry for that type of sporting event," Aronhalt said of Missouri.
Officials in O’Fallon and St. Charles will hold events to view and welcome the tour.
STAGE ENDS IN ST. CHARLES
Stage six of the seven-part race will end in St. Charles. The finish is scheduled to conclude on Riverside Drive at approximately 4:15 p.m. with award ceremonies there at 4:30 p.m.
"The electricity in the city was palpable last year," Mayor Patti York said.
York said she expects an even greater turnout this year. The city has planned activities through the entire afternoon of the race day.
The Health & Wellness Expo will begin at 1 p.m. and last until 5 p.m. The event will feature vendors with food and drink, as well as health and safety products such as helmets.
"It’s just a great opportunity to showcase our city," said Carol Felzien, a spokesperson for St. Charles. The city’s police, fire and public works departments will be on hand to provide safety tips.
The mascot for the River City Rascals baseball team will be there as well.
Also at 1 p.m. on Riverside Drive will be the Big Wheel Classic, a race for area preschool children ages 3 to 6.
The Mayoral Tandem Challenge comes next at 2 p.m., featuring York competing against other local politicians.
City spokeswoman Carol Felzien said Mayor Len Pagano and Mayor Paul Lambi from Wentzville are scheduled to race.
St. Charles High School Orchestra will play at 2 p.m., with the Fighting Pirates Marching Band from St. Charles High School Band taking over at 3:15 p.m.
City officials will pass out more than 2,000 St. Charles flags at the event.
Free parking will be available at the Lewis and Clark Boat House & Nature Center at 1050 S. Riverside Drive and at St. Charles City Hall at 200 N. Second Street.
The racers will enter St. Charles through the intersection of Highway B and Boschertown Road. They will move on to the Little Hills Expressway, Mel Wetter Parkway, North Fifth Street, Clark Street and then finish on Riverside Drive, just south of First Capitol Drive.
The streets for the course will be closed to traffic 30 minutes before the cyclists arrive and will re-open after the last racer has passed.
No parking will be allowed on the race course along Fifth Street and from the intersections of Fifth and Clark to Clark and Riverside Drive after 3 p.m. until all of the racers have passed. Organizers expect that will take at least two hours.
O’FALLON HOSTS PARTY
City officials will host a viewing party at O’Fallon City Hall at 2 p.m. for residents who want to catch the race.
The party will include food, games and face painting. A sprint line hosted by Webster University WingHaven campus will be held in front of city hall.
A sprint line is like a finish line without the finish. Cyclists will just keep going, but the leader who passes the sprint line will win $500.
"It is part of the community," Webster spokesperson Monica Campbell said of the race.
The O’Fallon Community Concert Band will play for the event.
In addition to the festivities at city hall, Drabelle said vendors along the parade route will be having outdoor events.
Fort Zumwalt North High School’s marching band will play as the bikers go by the school.
"This is really a citywide event," Drabelle said.
Drabelle said racers will enter the city on Highway DD, and will travel through the city for about an hour through Highway 40, WingHaven Blvd., Bryan Road, Mexico Road, Woodlawn Ave., past Civic Park and along Main Street before turning right onto Tom Ginnever Road.
The racers are to exit the city on Highway 79.
Drabelle said there will be road closures starting at roughly 2 p.m., depending on how fast the racers travel. Roads will be closed for 45 minutes prior to the racers going by and will be reopened after the last racer has passed.
