EVENT DESCRIPTION: Last year, close to 400,000 spectators witnessed the inaugural Tour of Missouri—a six-day, 600-mile men’s professional cycling race across the Show-Me State. Running Sept. 8-14, 2008, the race is bigger and better this year, adding an extra day, new terrain, new host cities and a women’s professional cycling race to the Kansas City circuit.
Tour of Missouri is sanctioned by the UCI and USA Cycling, the international and national governing bodies for cycling, respectively. As one of the top cycling events in North America, Tour of Missouri ranks only behind the Tour de Georgia and Amgen Tour of California. The Kansas City metro will host the Tour of Missouri’s first stage on Sept. 8, beginning in new host city, St. Joseph, and concluding with a circuit race at the Country Club Plaza.

WHO: Approximately 120 cyclists from more than 20 countries, representing 15 of the world’s top teams

WHEN: September 8

TIME: Race starts at 12:30 p.m. in St. Joseph, and is scheduled to finish around 4 p.m. on the Country Club Plaza

ROUTE:

• St. Joseph will play host to a Tour stage for the first time, kicking off in front of City Hall.
• The first 50 plus miles feature a series of small, uncategorized climbs, some of which offer a panoramic view of the Missouri River. This differs from the relatively flat out-and-back course featured on Stage One last year.
• Cyclists will come into Kansas City from Parkville on Highway 9, crossing over the Burlington Bridge into downtown. They’ll take Grand Boulevard, then merge onto Main Street to the Country Club Plaza. Cyclists will then take Ward Parkway, loop around the Meyer Circle Fountain at Meyer Boulevard and head back to the Plaza.
• Cyclists will race in three circuits from the Country Club Plaza to Meyer Circle, and back to the Plaza.
• Stage One will finish with a fast and furious circuit race with cyclists descending at about 45 miles per hour to the finish line at the Country Club Plaza.
• Kansas City’s famed Country Club Plaza is a 14-block open-air shopping district filled with romantic Spanish architecture, statues and dazzling fountains.

SPECIAL EVENTS AT THE COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA:

• The Country Club Plaza will be ground zero for the Tour of Missouri in Kansas City. A special celebration at the Plaza will create a festive atmosphere for the entire family to enjoy Tour of Missouri. Activities include: 
  • A Health & Wellness Expo, held near the circuit’s finish line at the Plaza, providing local businesses and organizations with the opportunity to promote their healthy products and services to thousands of race spectators. The Expo will run before, during and after the race, from noon to 6 p.m.
  • Family activities at the Expo including a Kids Zone and free children’s bike helmet giveaway starting at noon.
  • The Country Club Plaza Women’s Pro Am Criterium, a 55-minute, one-mile race featuring the sport’s greatest women cyclists, occurs at 1 p.m., before the men finish.
• A combined awards ceremony for the men’s and women’s races will be held at the Country Club Plaza following the finish of the men’s race at approximately 4:30 p.m.

TEAMS TO WATCH:

• Team Garmin-Chipotle of the United States and Team Liquigas of Italy, two top-performing entrants from the Tour de France, will join the world's top team, Columbia, which will be led by Tour of Missouri’s defending-champion George Hincapie.
• HealthNet presented by MAXXIS , the top team on America's pro circuit the past four years, along with up-and-coming teams BMC and Rock Racing, head the list of top U.S.-based squads.
• Mexico's top professional team Tecos and Canada's best squad Symmetrics, along with top European continental squads from Rabobank of the Netherlands and Sparkasse of Germany will appear at Tour of Missouri.

WHAT TO WATCH: 

• The Michelob Ultra King of the Mountain Leader jersey is awarded to the cyclist who has earned the most points from designated climbing competitions throughout the course. The first Michelob Ultra King of the Mountain competition occurs less than 20 miles into the overall race. New for this year, the circuit in Kansas City will be reversed and feature a 300-meter climb to the Michelob Ultra King of the Mountain, located at 55th Street and Ward Parkway.
• The Edward Jones Sprint High Points Leader jersey is presented to the cyclist who has earned the greatest number of points from designated point areas throughout the race. The first points toward the Edward Jones Sprint jersey will be up for grabs in Platte City and Parkville en route to the final three circuits around the Country Club Plaza and Ward Parkway in Kansas City.

KEY PLACES TO WATCH THE TOUR OF MISSOURI IN KANSAS CITY:

• The Country Club Plaza will be a prime spot to watch the exciting end of the men’s Stage One circuit race, the Women’s Criterium and to experience Tour of Missouri festivities.
• The Meyer Circle Fountain on Ward Parkway is the turn-around location for the men’s Stage One circuit race.
• Race fans can also watch the men’s Stage One cyclists speed down Grand Boulevard, Main Street after 27th Street and along Ward Parkway to Meyer Boulevard.