Road Cycling - Inaugural Tour of Missouri bicycle race

The Tour of Missouri just kicked off about an hour ago. We're scheduled to do this at least 2 more years. The ToM is a brand new UCI-Sanctioned venue, the third major tour on US Soil (along with Tour de Georgia and the Tour of California).

The route runs within a few blocks from my office, so I took my bike and camera, swung by the deli at the Library, grabbed a sandwich, and rode over to the route and staked out a decent spot.

The participants include Slipstream, the imminently-defunct Discovery team (including TdF champs Leipheimer and Contador) and a host of other world-class teams.

My stakeout was only 5 miles from the start line so the whole peloton was still in one chunk. I didn't get many photos, but here are some keepers:

Parts, anyone?
http://www.focushacks.com/kc-bike/photo/TOM07/images/img_1354.jpg

Here comes!
http://www.focushacks.com/kc-bike/photo/TOM07/images/img_1359.jpg

http://www.focushacks.com/kc-bike/photo/TOM07/images/img_1360.jpg

http://www.focushacks.com/kc-bike/photo/TOM07/images/img_1361.jpg

Good photos. They should be coming back pretty soon.

I wish I had a major bike tour going by my office...

Good pics.

I plan to find a spot and camp out with the camera this weekend when they race here in St. Louis.

Thanks for the comments. I forgot to mention the whole album (maybe 12-15 pictures) is here:

http://www.focushacks.com/kc-bike/photo/TOM07/

Let's try this again

Johan Bruyneel:
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/4121/johanbruyneelfi1.th.jpg (http://img237.imageshack.us/my.php?image=johanbruyneelfi1.jpg)

Slipstream Team Car:
http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/3010/teamcartk0.th.jpg (http://img472.imageshack.us/my.php?image=teamcartk0.jpg)

My F75 Felt a bit inadequate around these guys:
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4287/feltsyd1.th.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=feltsyd1.jpg)

Some Levi something or other guy:
http://img458.imageshack.us/img458/5155/levihp9.th.jpg (http://img458.imageshack.us/my.php?image=levihp9.jpg)

And a quick shot just after the start of the race:
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4082/racerr9.th.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=racerr9.jpg)

I'll be watching wednesday when they finish up the day in Springfield.
It will be a sprint finish. Can't wait!

that's really awesome, can't wait to see more pics, must be an incredible feeling seeing all the pros

edit: I had pictures, but I need to find a new host. This will be a placeholder.

if you email me to bikommuter (at) focushacks (dot) com I'll host them in an album just like mine and give you the URL to hotlink the photos here in the forum.

I missed it. Got off work at 4:30 and drove to the Plaza and snapped a few pictures of them taking stuff down. I'm a loser. We're planning on going this saturday to try and see them again.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1025/1362370843_8b2c04f2e8.jpg

More bad pics here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/podcycler/).

Missouri is too flat for a world class stage race. Is stage (except the time trial) going to have a mass sprint finish?

There are 3 local Missouri boys riding in the tour;

Dan Schmatz - BMC (crit specialist/sprinter, I watched him at the Gateway Cup, he's fast, like ludicris speed fast, maybe even plaid....)

Brad Huff - Slipstream (sprinter/track ? )

Brian Dziewa - Jelly Belly (climber)

Personally I'm hoping that Disco will work for Big George, seeing as he has spent his entire career with them.....

Missouri is too flat for a world class stage race. Is stage (except the time trial) going to have a mass sprint finish?

Have you ever been to Missouri? It my not be mountainous but it is definatily not flat. There will be some very challenging terrain. Here is an excerpt from an article about the TOM highlighted on the website.

"Many of the racers at the press conference expressed surprise at the course’s continuously rolling hills, the probability of headwinds and the elevation gains on the time trial course."

Have you ever been to Missouri? It my not be mountainous but it is definatily not flat. There will be some very challenging terrain. Here is an excerpt from an article about the TOM highlighted on the website.

"Many of the racers at the press conference expressed surprise at the course’s continuously rolling hills, the probability of headwinds and the elevation gains on the time trial course."

Are you saying that you expect any stage except the time trail to not have a sprint finish?? These sprint stages are like the first week warm up stages in the Tour de France, except that there are no mountains in the second week.

FYI, flickr is getting loaded up with people who are tagging their photos with tourofmissouri. I went ahead and threw mine up there, too. There are 300 photos and growing right now.

http://flickr.com/photos/tags/tourofmissouri/

There are 3 local Missouri boys riding in the tour;


Hey there, stranger :)

http://img458.imageshack.us/img458/5155/levihp9.th.jpg
anybody know where to get a cycling cap like levi's before discovery disappears?

To those who are talking about Missouri being flat....I did a cross country cycling trip this summer and I consider myself a very strong climber; that being said, the rolling hills, humidity, wind, etc. of Missouri made it by far the hardest state to get through. Climbs in Utah, Colorado, etc. didn't wear me out like Missouri did. The TOM may not have any crazy climbs, but it will def. make a lot of people hurt.

anybody know where to get a cycling cap like levi's before discovery disappears?

They may be selling them at the race. If so, I may get a couple when I check out the TOM Friday and Saturday. That is, if they aren't readily available elsewhere.

Are you saying that you expect any stage except the time trail to not have a sprint finish?? These sprint stages are like the first week warm up stages in the Tour de France, except that there are no mountains in the second week.

Dude, chill out.

Nobody said the Tour of Missouri was a Grand Tour on the same level as the Tour de France, the Giro, and the Vuelta.

To those who are talking about Missouri being flat....I did a cross country cycling trip this summer and I consider myself a very strong climber; that being said, the rolling hills, humidity, wind, etc. of Missouri made it by far the hardest state to get through. Climbs in Utah, Colorado, etc. didn't wear me out like Missouri did. The TOM may not have any crazy climbs, but it will def. make a lot of people hurt.

Thank you for giving the respect that is due to those relentless central Missouri hills. Everyone who has been to "real" mountains knows that these hills are certainly not, however, you never get a break, ALL DAY LONG. It's just one after another from the start of your day until the end, you get over one, and the next one looms in the distance, it will break you. Gotta love it.

People who think Missouri is flat need to come ride it with me. It's not a mountainous state, for sure, but the sheer relentlessness of the Missouri hills coupled with the humidity and constant headwinds can break even some of the strongest riders. It's not the hardest state to ride in my opinion, but it's definitely not a flat easy place. Ozarks, anyone?

There are 3 local Missouri boys riding in the tour;

Dan Schmatz - BMC (crit specialist/sprinter, I watched him at the Gateway Cup, he's fast, like ludicris speed fast, maybe even plaid....)

Brad Huff - Slipstream (sprinter/track ? )

Brian Dziewa - Jelly Belly (climber)

Personally I'm hoping that Disco will work for Big George, seeing as he has spent his entire career with them.....

not his entire career.

he was with motorola for his first two years.

People who think Missouri is flat need to come ride it with me. It's not a mountainous state, for sure, but the sheer relentlessness of the Missouri hills coupled with the humidity and constant headwinds can break even some of the strongest riders. It's not the hardest state to ride in my opinion, but it's definitely not a flat easy place. Ozarks, anyone?

I'm sure you can put together some hard rides with a decent amount of climbing.

However, the problem if you're trying to create an elite professional RR, there just aren't any climbs that will animate the race, or likely to result in meaningful selections.

Looking at the profiles, it would look like there will be an awful lot of sprint finishes. http://www.steephill.tv/2007/tour-of-missouri/

Unless they come up with a more mountainess stage or 2, I doubt this race can ever grow in stature to approach the Tour of California, or even the Tour of Georgia.

We'll see. Today's going to be a bunch of rollers and an uphill ride the whole way.

Tomorrow's TT circuit will have some good climbs. I'd bet today and tomorrow will spread things out a bit. Keep in mind that the brutality of MO isn't all in the altitude profile, either.

We'll see. Today's going to be a bunch of rollers and an uphill ride the whole way.

Tomorrow's TT circuit will have some good climbs. I'd bet today and tomorrow will spread things out a bit. Keep in mind that the brutality of MO isn't all in the altitude profile, either.


The "climb" du jour appears to gain 400 feet over 40 miles.

http://www.grassyknolltv.com/2007/ToM/profile_2.gif

I said rollers today. Check the profile for tomorrow's TT. I didn't say it was insane, but it will give the strong climbers an edge.

I'll be in Springfield to watch the end of the stage!

Although Missouri doesn't have the altitude gain either in terms of any single sustained climb or overall when compared to other races, the fact is that it can still be relentless. There are rolling hills that, when they do give way, are replaced with windy flats. There is very little rest. Most descents are short and lead into small climbs - you either have to pound your way downhill to build up momentum to maintain up the hill, or coast down and work the climb up. And you have to do it over and over and over . . .

Windy conditions discourage solo breakaways and encourage riders to stay in the peloton, thus giving you a field sprint at the end of the day.

Are the rollers really tough enough to break up the aerodynamics of the peloton and let a solo rider break away, like a mountain would? If not, you still get a field sprint at the end of the day.

The only way to avoid a huge field sprint would be for large group to break away with representatives of all the major teams. That way the teams will not try to pull them back in for a huge field sprint. Instead, the small group will have a huge time advantage at the end of the day and the best time trialer in the group will win the race at the end of the week. I wouldn't bet against Hincapie now.

Stage races without mountains are too predictable.

Although Missouri doesn't have the altitude gain either in terms of any single sustained climb or overall when compared to other races, the fact is that it can still be relentless. There are rolling hills that, when they do give way, are replaced with windy flats. There is very little rest. Most descents are short and lead into small climbs - you either have to pound your way downhill to build up momentum to maintain up the hill, or coast down and work the climb up. And you have to do it over and over and over . . .

I'm not saying that there isn't hard riding in Missouri. But, as Johnny 99 alludes to the abscence of serious climbs means there is little to cause selections, and can lead to rather dull racing.

According to the local paper - 3 or 4 riders may have been taken out in a collision with an armadillo during today's stage. Does that make it "unpredictable" enough for you? :)

This is the cut&paste from VeloNews:

11:23 AM Bunch sprint
In talking to a handful of riders this morning the expectation is that this will be another day for the sprinters. That notion is reinforced by the fact that Thursday brings what will almost surely be the race’s decisive day – a tricky 18-mile time trial. The true contenders for the overall will be looking to rest the legs today.

11:26 AM Crash
In the truth is stranger than fiction department, we’ve just gotten word that there was a significant pile-up at mile 3 that was caused in part by a wayward armadillo. Among those hitting the deck was Missouri native Dan Schmatz who has been reported as an abandon. One racer who saw the incident said Schmatz actually hit the oversized rodent. Wow...

11:28 AM Others who went down…
…included Slipstream’s Will Frischkorn and Danny Pate, Canadian Svein Tuft, Kodak’s Jesse Anthony and Schmatz’s BMC teammate Jonathan Garcia.

Smooth on the inside, crunchy on the outside.

This is the cut&paste from VeloNews:
One racer who saw the incident said Schmatz actually hit the oversized rodent. Wow...


They need to get their facts straight (http://www.gan.ca/animals/index.en.html) :p

My friend Andy Guptill took 5th in today's stage, having spent most of the day in a break with GEORGE FREAKIN HINCAPIE! Can't wait to ask him what that was like when he gets back here.

My friend Andy Guptill took 5th in today's stage, having spent most of the day in a break with GEORGE FREAKIN HINCAPIE! Can't wait to ask him what that was like when he gets back here.

...that is soooooooo cool.
Do post here afterward.

Imagine being in a race with those guys?
Awesome.

Yeah saw George bring in the break and sprint to the finish, was pretty cool. Dude has some crazy knotting veins on his left leg and seemed kinda out of it afterwards. Puts him in the yellow by what, 2 seconds? The 12 man break was a good 14 minutes ahead of the rest of the pack too...

While I was waiting in line for my course assignment in Kansas City Tuesday, one of the guys who rode the course Sunday told me that our flat stage one contained 5000 feet of climbing. Of course, there was no net gain in elevation, but the times did end up slower than had been predicted. Today in stage two there certainly wasn't a mass sprint at the end.

Here is my Buddy on a fashion way he's 13th win of the season !!



Click on the "Next Photo" below the picture and enjoy a bunch of good pictures of different riders..

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2007/sep07/missouri07/index.php?id=/photos/2007/sep07/missouri07/missouri071/JD_07TOM_stg1_dominguez


Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm life is Good !!!!!! and sweet !!! :-) :-)

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2007/sep07/missouri07/index.php?id=/photos/2007/sep07/missouri07/missouri071/0583_DominguezPod_gcatPhSpt

I figured today would weed out the cream of the crop. They're all awesome racers capable of more than I could dream of right now, but it doesn't surprise me that there was a breakaway like that. Tomorrow will be a interesting test of strength and pacing. With no one to draft on and the very real possibilities of either pushing too hard too early or holding back for too long, we're almost certain to have a good time spread on tomorrow's stage.

I can't believe a freaking armadillo DNF'd Schmatz. :( He's a local favorite and was a top-20 finisher on stage one. I'm missing all sorts of details but Eric Rogers (http://kcbike.info) told me he went to the hospital and his blog (http://www.danschmatz.missingsaddle.com/) is dormant today.

I figured today would weed out the cream of the crop. They're all awesome racers capable of more than I could dream of right now, but it doesn't surprise me that there was a breakaway like that. Tomorrow will be a interesting test of strength and pacing. With no one to draft on and the very real possibilities of either pushing too hard too early or holding back for too long, we're almost certain to have a good time spread on tomorrow's stage.

I can't believe a freaking armadillo DNF'd Schmatz. :( He's a local favorite and was a top-20 finisher on stage one. I'm missing all sorts of details but Eric Rogers (http://kcbike.info) told me he went to the hospital and his blog (http://www.danschmatz.missingsaddle.com/) is dormant today.

Bummer about Schmatz, saw him 2 weeks ago at the Lafayette crit, looked to be in good form...

Big George takes 2nd stage...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2007/sep07/missouri07/index.php?id=/photos/2007/sep07/missouri07/missouri072/JD_07TOM_stg2hincapie

Yeah hopefully he doesn't have a bad crash or hit an armadillo :cry: or just implode on the TT today. He should be able to take the win into St Louis. 4:35 finish for 126 miles..that's pretty good I'd say

I'm amazed at how many people are just trash-talking the Tour of Missouri.

You'd think that we'd all be just tickled pink that the inaugural Tour of Missouri is the 3rd UCI-sanctioned race in the United States (this year).

But instead, everyone is *****ing about "no mountains in Missouri" and "it's just gonna be a bunch sprint."

Do you want some wine with your cheese?

I hear ya. I don't even like watching road racing that much, but having it close to home and seeing some local (ish) names on the board is exciting to me. As mentioned earlier, a net gain of a few hundred feet in MO can contain thousands of feet of climbing. Yes, there are downhills and flats, but a climb is still a climb, and inertia from a downhill doesn't carry you up the next. It just gives you time to think about how bad the next hill is going to suck. It's almost as mentally taxing as it is physically taxing.

I lived in Missouri (Misery?) for a few years. I completely agree with the people who say the hills are more than they look on paper. You don't have to deal with the high altitude, but you do have to deal with short, steep hills that just keep coming.

They're lucky in that a month earlier and they'd be in 90 / 90 weather (90 degrees and 90% humidity). That can be equally brutal.

^
I repeat again, I'm not saying that there aren't hard rides in Missouri. I'm saying that the topography of this year's stages do not lend themselves to developing a world class race, and unless they find better routes with climbs steep enough to cause selections, it's unlikely this race can raise to the level of a Tour of California, or the Tour de Georgia.


These guys are so fast that the aerodynamics of the pack overcomes the climbers advantage on even reasonably steep short hills. So while having a bunch of 200 foot rollers may make for a hard day of riding, it doesn't animate a stage race.

I hear ya. Even on my commuter convoy when I get two or three people together, our meager pace line with only a few riders at sub-20MPH hill climbs has an advantage from drafting.

Great merlinextralight, you've made your point. Now go away and let the rest of us enjoy our state's great race.