Lieutenant governor: Bike event will have world's top team

The Missouri cycling tour planned for Sept. 11 through 16 will now feature the best team in the world.

The world's No. 1 ranked Team Discovery Channel, Lance Armstrong's former crew, will ride in what Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder called a chance to "knit" the state together.

"People asked me, 'Kinder, are we going to see you out there on your bike?' and the answer is 'No, you're going to see Lance Armstrong's team,'" Kinder told a group of about 50 at a Cape West Rotary Club meeting Thursday afternoon.

Kinder said the tour, which will begin in Kansas City and traverse Missouri's biggest cities, small towns and wine country, is the best branding opportunity the state has ever had.

The cyclists will visit Springfield, Branson, Columbia and Jefferson City before concluding in St. Louis on a Sunday afternoon, where the St. Louis Cardinals happen to host the rival Chicago Cubs. The exact route is expected to be announced later in July.

Though the Tour of Missouri will bypass Cape Girardeau, Kinder promised his hometown will see the race in future years.

"We thought it important to have the three largest cities," he said.

Team Discovery Channel boasts top Americans Levi Leipheimer, a contender in this year's Tour de France, 2006 U.S. National Champion George Hincapie and 2005 Tour of Georgia winner Tom Danielson.

In addition to Armstrong's historic seven consecutive Tour de France victories, the pro cycling team holds the honor of being the only American team to have won each of the sport's premier competitions -- the Tour de France, Tour of Spain and Tour of Italy -- according to the Tour of Missouri official Web site.

The team has posted 19 victories so far in 2007.

When asked about the importance of the addition to the tour's financial success, Kinder said that he thought the race would have happened without it, but it helped having the "big dogs" sign on.

"I didn't want to wake up and see that Wisconsin had done this, or Iowa, or God forbid, Kansas," Kinder said.

The hope is the race will generate millions in tourism revenue, following in the footsteps of the Tour of Georgia, which drew about 600,000 cycling aficionados who spent an estimated $27.56 million in the state.

"These people are everywhere, and there's a buzz in the cycling world, and they will come here and spend money in our state," Kinder said.

Jim Birrell, the race's director and managing partner of Medalist Sports, said he thinks cyclists will be surprised by the challenge Missouri's hills will provide.

While the Tour of Missouri still lacks a corporate title sponsor, Kinder said more than a dozen had already been contacted, and Georgia did not get the sponsorship of AT&T until a week before the race.

"One way or another, we are going to get this done," Kinder said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245