Springfield, Branson mark Tour of Missouri stages

The weeklong event will take 120 cyclists from 15 professional teams on seven courses across the state.

After several pre-race events in the Kansas City area, Stage I will start Sept. 8 in a new host city – St. Joseph – and take cyclists along the Missouri River before a circuit finish in Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza district, according to a news release.

Stage II routes connects Clinton to Springfield in a remake of last year’s course, which proved to be the decisive stage of the 2007 race when champion George Hincapie took the lead. Click here for a stage two map.

Stage III is a remake of last year’s time trial course in Branson – what organizers expect will be the most critical stage. It begins at Branson Landing and ends at Shepherd of the Hills. Click here for a stage three map.

Cyclists will ride from Lebanon to Rolla on a new course for Stage IV, from St. James to the Capitol Building in Jefferson City for Stage V, and from Hermann to St. Charles in Stage VI.

The final stage will feature the circuit used in last year’s final stage in St. Louis, but with several new features: It will start and finish in front of City Hall, and it will stretch to 14 miles and include Forest Park, the Grand Basin and the Art Museum Hill.

The tour began in 2007 and attracted an estimated 370,000 spectators in six days, the release said. It is managed and marketed by Atlanta-based Medalist Sports Inc. and Colorado Springs-based KOM Sports.

Stage maps are available at www.tourofmissouri.com.[[In-content Ad]]