Opinion: Missouri gets taste of cycling's impact

Twenty-five years later, a taste of the multibillion-dollar international professional cycling industry comes to Springfield via Tour of Missouri. What once was my childhood leisure activity is now encouraging families to spend time outside together and is attracting fans to Springfield from across the Midwest and Europe.

Wellness

CoxHealth is the title sponsor for the Tour of Missouri’s second-stage finish on Sept. 12. Its staff will coordinate the Health and Wellness Expo at the Jordan Valley Ice Park and distribute a youth activity book to schoolchildren throughout Springfield.

The goal will be to entice families to come cheer on the world-class cyclists, such as Tour de France winner Alberto Contador and Missouri State University alumnus Brad Huff, and then motivate those in attendance to pursue a healthier lifestyle. Activities will include cycling exhibits, family activities, demonstrations, bike safety and cancer awareness education.

The Springfield-Greene County Park Board will hold a family bike ride at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Jordan Valley Ice Park. Participants will ride Tour of Missouri’s actual two-mile downtown circuit (north on Kimbrough to Tampa, west to Jefferson, south to Monroe, east to Kimbrough, and back north to the Ice Park).

Economic development and tourism

In fall 2006, the Outdoor Industry Foundation published a study that estimated the outdoor recreation industry contributes $730 billion to the U.S. economy annually.

Some interesting facts regarding cycling include:

• More Americans owe their jobs to bicycle-based recreation (1,135,000) than there are people employed as lawyers;

• The industry generates $17.7 billion in annual state and federal sales and income taxes;

• The industry provides sustainable growth to rural communities;

• Americans spend 88 times more on bicycle-based recreation in one year ($133 billion) than the total box office draw for “Titanic,” the top grossing movie of all time;

• One in four Americans participate in cycling each year; and

• The number of Americans who participate in bicycling is double the population of Canada (60 million).

The complete study is available at www.outdoor

industryfoundation.org/pdf/ResearchRecreationEconomy.pdf.

Gov. Matt Blunt and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder are very supportive of the race, viewing it as an opportunity for economic growth and expansion by supporting Missouri tourism, the state’s second largest industry.

The international spotlight will be on Missouri’s recreational diversity, beautiful landscapes and historic sites. It will showcase 120 world-class athletes involving nine cities across the state from Kansas City to St. Louis.

Of course, the Tour of Missouri is also the perfect chance for visitors to Springfield to add a trip to Bass Pro Shops, one of Missouri’s most visited attractions, to check out its outdoor recreation gear and experience the Wonders of Wildlife hunting and fishing museum.

Interested in volunteering?

The 600-mile course will have more than 30 miles in Greene County on Sept. 12. That’s hundreds of driveways and cross-streets to monitor for the safety of the cyclists. At least 300 volunteers will be needed and everyone is invited to be a part of this inaugural event. Check out www.tourofmissouri.com for more information and to sign up as a volunteer.

Center city is on the move and the Tour of Missouri is a perfect way to promote alternative transportation, highlight wellness through greenways and entice new patrons to experience our urban revitalization.

Rusty Worley, executive director of Urban Districts Alliance, can be reached at rusty@itsalldowntown.com.[[In-content Ad]]