Plans are still being made for the Tour of America in 2008, albeit much shorter and less ambitious than originally planned.
The race is slated to begin Sept. 6 in New York City and end Sept. 28 in Palo Alto, Calif. In between, there are two stages still slated for the St. Louis area, a 143-mile stage from Casey, Ill., to St. Louis on Sept. 13 and a 134-mile stage from St. Louis to Columbia, Mo., on Sept. 14. The 15th would be a "rest day" in which the cyclists and their crews would fly to Denver and resume the race there on the 16th.
The original plan for the race called for a 250-mile stage from Indianapolis to St. Louis on Sept. 12, a 130-mile stage from St. Louis to Carbondale, Ill., on Sept. 13, and a 205-mile stage from Carbondale to Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 14.
There remains several obstacles to this event:In short, I remain rather skeptical whether the Tour of America actually will happen.
- The event still is not on the Union Cycliste Internationale schedule for 2008, meaning few major cyclists would show up.
- The event would conflict with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of Missouri, among other races. The Tour of the Missouri, by the way, is on the UCI schedule for Sept. 8-14.
- Would Missouri have sufficient law-enforcement resources available to escort Tour of Missouri and Tour of America on Sept. 13-14? My hunch would be that the Missouri Highway Patrol would make Tour of Missouri a much higher priority.
- And what about the transition from low altitude to high altitude? Columbia is about 760 feet above sea level. Denver is 5,280 feet above sea level. I know we're talking about high-level athletes, but you still have to wonder about such a drastic change in elevation.
Thanks to my new Facebook friend Fritz at the Cyclelicious blog and VeloNews for reporting the new developments. Yep, I'm on Facebook as well as MySpace and LinkedIn, and frankly, I think Facebook is a lot more fun!Labels: cycling, racing, Tour of Missouri
Roger 0 comments links to this post 11:59 PM
Find out about the latest cycling news here!
Bicycle racing feeds
» Manx cyclists dominate in Denmark
02/06/08 13:55 from BBC Sport | Other Sports | Cycling | World Edition
» Ballan meets with officials to clear up test
02/06/08 13:39 from Yahoo! Sport - Cycling
» Cyclist Stephen Alfred banned for life for refusing drug test; considered 3rd offense (AP)
02/06/08 00:26 from Yahoo! Sports - Cycling News
» National Development Team Prepares to Open Season in Belize
02/05/08 23:11 from USA Cycling News Headlines
» Astana keen to impress after Giro snub (Reuters)
02/05/08 09:52 from Yahoo! Sports - Cycling News
» USA Cycling Unveils 33-Man National Development Team Roster
02/04/08 22:39 from USA Cycling News Headlines
» British pair out of Giro d'Italia
02/04/08 18:35 from BBC Sport | Other Sports | Cycling | World Edition
» Boonen secures victory in Qatar
02/02/08 09:21 from BBC Sport | Other Sports | Cycling | World Edition
» 2008 Tour of Missouri - Announces Cities & Stages - Daily Peloton
02/02/08 01:06 from Tour of Missouri - Google News
» Lebanon, Rolla to host stages in 2008 Tour of Missouri - Waynesville Daily Guide
02/01/08 22:26 from Tour of Missouri - Google News
» Contador not sure of Tour place
02/01/08 19:14 from BBC Sport | Other Sports | Cycling | World Edition
» Astana and High Road denied Giro entry following doping cases (AP)
02/01/08 19:13 from Yahoo! Sports - Cycling News
» USA Cycling Hosts Women's Leadership and Coaching Clinics
02/01/08 19:04 from USA Cycling News Headlines
» Tour of Missouri Announces Host Cities
02/01/08 18:14 from USA Cycling News Headlines
» Boonen wins Tour of Qatar after capturing his 3rd stage win in race (AP)
02/01/08 17:00 from Yahoo! Sports - Cycling News
» Mountain bike course 'too easy'
02/01/08 15:59 from BBC Sport | Other Sports | Cycling | World Edition
» Rolla, St. James amped over Tour of Missouri participation - The Rolla Daily News
02/01/08 11:34 from Tour of Missouri - Google News
» Tour of Missouri will be back this fall - Jefferson City News Tribune
01/31/08 22:07 from Tour of Missouri - Google News
» USA Cycling News Update: Feb. 1
01/31/08 19:31 from USA Cycling News Headlines
» Italy anti-doping chief defends late night raids (Reuters)
01/31/08 10:23 from Yahoo! Sports - Cycling News
» PEOPLE WATCH - Fort Worth Star Telegram
02/06/08 11:09 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» Lance Armstrong Picks Keane For Running Compilation Not once but ... - Gigwise
02/06/08 10:53 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» Lance Armstrong Fails to Win Back Tory Burch - New York Magazine
02/06/08 08:28 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» Sheryl Crow's mother meaning - The List
02/06/08 07:09 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» Morgans Hotel Group Appoints Michael D. Malone to Board of Directors - FOXBusiness
02/05/08 15:45 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» Airvana Enters Global Sourcing Deal With Thomson - Quick Facts [AIRV] - RTT News
02/05/08 15:33 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» A trip back to the beginning - Buffalo News
02/05/08 12:09 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» Talking Shop: Sheryl Crow - BBC News
02/05/08 09:29 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» A little bit closer to feeling fine - Globe and Mail
02/05/08 08:42 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» A little bit closer to feeling fine - Globe and Mail
02/05/08 08:32 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» View From The Saddle - Can't we all just get along?
02/05/08 19:37 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» NYC receives ``Bicycle Friendly'' award
02/05/08 19:34 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» The Guru has left the temple
02/05/08 18:25 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» Danger in the bike lane
02/04/08 20:05 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» Bike adventurer loves Âfair SAÂ
02/04/08 20:02 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» Crossbreed Folding Wheel Makes Bikes Even Smaller
02/04/08 19:59 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» We need a Bicyclist Bill of Rights
02/04/08 18:29 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» KC: Become a Safety Ambassador
02/01/08 20:07 from BicycleNews-MoBikeFed
» Philly next to embrace public-use bicycles?
02/01/08 19:58 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» 8th Annual Bicycle Film Festival Calls for Entries
02/01/08 19:56 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» Mayor Slay supports STLBikeFed's new Hit & Run Justice Fund
02/01/08 19:11 from BicycleNews-MoBikeFed
» Chillicothe moving forward with rail-trail deal
01/31/08 00:42 from BicycleNews-MoBikeFed
» The HumanCar has the power to revolutionize transport
01/30/08 19:27 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» Commuting in the liquid lane
01/30/08 19:24 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» Fixed-gear bicycles gain popularity among students
01/30/08 19:17 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» Jennifer Aniston was a bike messenger
02/06/08 00:30 from Cyclelicious
» Jennifer Aniston's new $12,000 bike
02/05/08 20:42 from Cyclelicious
» Canadian's buys Cannondale, Sugoi
02/05/08 18:15 from Cyclelicious
» typetext
02/05/08 05:24 from Cyclelicious
» Crazy bus passenger
02/05/08 05:02 from Cyclelicious
» Sheldon Brown
02/04/08 19:35 from Cyclelicious
» DKNY orange bicycles
02/04/08 18:48 from Cyclelicious
» Cycling and right hooks
02/04/08 17:31 from Cyclelicious
» Look for me at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show 2008
02/04/08 05:33 from Cyclelicious
» St. Louis Cyclists Fight Back
02/03/08 17:10 from The Cycling Dude
» Folding bicycle wheel
02/02/08 18:45 from Cyclelicious
» 2008 Tour of Missouri cities announced
02/01/08 23:01 from Cyclelicious
» In a pickle... (and win a free lock)
02/01/08 19:07 from Cyclelicious
» Major Taylor
02/01/08 17:16 from Cyclelicious
» For the record...
02/01/08 00:16 from Cyclelicious
» This is dumb.....
02/06/08 11:54 from Bike riding donut guy
» Sick day
02/06/08 07:03 from Up in Alaska
» typetext
02/05/08 13:50 from Bike riding donut guy
» It's all about the fastnachts..........
02/05/08 10:36 from Bike riding donut guy
» Sick, again
02/05/08 03:14 from Up in Alaska
» Super Bowl...........
02/04/08 10:17 from Bike riding donut guy
» The story of stuff
02/04/08 05:30 from Up in Alaska
» An informal poll..........
02/03/08 11:28 from Bike riding donut guy
» Biking the Back Nine
02/03/08 03:54 from Dan On Bike
» Ten
02/02/08 11:01 from Bike riding donut guy
» Peak weekend and the big move
02/02/08 10:10 from Up in Alaska
» January 2008
02/02/08 01:28 from Dan On Bike
» January 2008 Total
02/01/08 01:28 from Dan On Bike
» Too much fun.........
01/31/08 21:30 from Bike riding donut guy
» Camping in January
01/30/08 06:44 from Up in Alaska
Cycling blogs
Other blogs of note
Archives