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The 2009 Tour of Missouri will start in St. Louis and finish in Kansas City.

Published: Jan. 27, 2009
2009 Tour of Missouri route
2009 Tour of Missouri route
Photo: Courtesy
2009 Tour of Missouri stages


Sept. 7: Stage 1, St. Louis / Circuit Race
A flat urban circuit race through the heart of Missouri’s largest metropolitan area. St. Louis has hosted two overall finishes and now will host the start for the first time.

Sept. 8: Stage 2, St. Genevieve to Cape Girardeau / Road Race
Starting in the southeastern wine country, St. Genevieve will play host to its first stage of the Tour. The city is the oldest settlement west of the Mississippi. Cape Girardeau, the sixth largest city in the state, plays host to its first stage of the Tour. Terrain is rolling hills near the Mississippi River.

Sept. 9: Stage 3, Farmington to Rolla / Road Race
The agricultural community of Farmington plays host to its first stage of the Tour. The course will route through some of the hilliest spots of Missouri and through the Mark Twain National Forest en route to Rolla, which played host to a stage of the tour in 2008. Riders will face longer and tougher climbs on this route than in any previous Tour of Missouri.

Sept. 10: Stage 4, St. James to Jefferson City / Road Race
In a remake of Stage 5 of last year’s race, riders will roll out of St. James in the central wine region en route to the state’s capital in Jefferson City. Jefferson City has played host to a start in 2007 and a finish in 2008. The terrain is rolling.

Sept. 11: Stage 5, Sedalia / Individual Time Trial
The Tour makes its first stop in the agricultural hub of Sedalia, which also annually plays host to the Missouri State Fair. Cyclists will race against the clock in what is expected to be a mostly flat course.

Sept. 12: Stage 6: Chillicothe to St. Joseph / Road Race
The small town of Chillicothe will play host to its first stage as cyclists will face a moderately flat start while moving into short steep hills toward the finish at St. Joseph. Chillicothe is the home of ‘sliced’ bread. St. Joseph, the fifth largest city in the state, will play host to its first tour finish after playing host to the overall start last year.

Sept. 13: Stage 7: Kansas City / Circuit Race
Kansas City has played host to the finish of the first stage the past two years, and hosted teams longer than any other with two years of pre-event activities. Roles reverse as Kansas City become the overall finish of the 2009 Tour. Like St. Louis on the front end, a spectator friendly circuit race is expected. The circuit, however, could feature several of the noted short steep or long gradual hills in Missouri’s largest city. — Route descriptions courtesy Tour of Missouri

The 2009 Tour of Missouri adds more difficult climbing, visits several new cities and features a new east-to-west route, starting in St. Louis and ending in Kansas City.

"As a politician, we try to avoid the phrase 'flip-flop,'" Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder joked at a news conference Tuesday. Besides adding variety, Kinder said the new route allowed Kansas City to host a stage on a weekend, after two years of hosting the opening stage on a weekday.

Kinder told reporters the state-supported event remains a good investment to "rebrand Missouri to a national and international audience in a way that nothing else could do."

U.S. professional road champion Tyler Hamilton attended the news conference and assessed the 2009 course.

"Especially stage 3 looks to me like a really difficult day ... The (stage 5) time trial looks to me not as hard (as last year), so it should make for a nailbiter right up to the final stage in Kansas City," Hamilton.

Hamilton said he was looking forward to coming to the Missouri race this year. His Rock Racing team has not yet been confirmed for the 2009 event; the race will announce its confirmed teams later this spring. Rock Racing raced in Missouri last year but Hamilton was at the Tour of Britain that week.

Hamilton also said he hoped that his former teammate Lance Armstrong would attend this year's event, a remark that garnered applause from the room packed with race volunteers, sponsors and officials from host cities.

Email Steve Frothingham

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