Tour of Missouri cyclist tells locals to expect 'intense' finish to Cape Girardeau stage

Professional cyclist Brad Huff warned fans to keep focused on the course during the closing meters of the Tour of Missouri's second stage in Cape Girardeau.

"It's going to be intense," Huff said. "Tell the people not to blink because it will happen so fast, it will be over before they know it."

Huff, a Springfield, Mo., resident who competed in the last two Tours, was in Cape Girardeau for a news conference about the Tour's second stage, which ends on Main Street in front of Hutson's Furniture. The seven-stage race begins Sept. 7 in St. Louis and concludes Sept. 13 in Kansas City.

Huff said the dash through downtown Cape Girardeau on Sept. 8 will be thrilling.

"Everyone's seen on an infomercial or public television and the ants are all in one mass and they're all trying to get in that one hole. That's what it's like," he said to describe a finish to a stage. "It's complete chaos, but it's controlled. The teams are controlling it, things are happening for a reason. It's high speed. Everyone knows what they're doing, but yet at the same time anything can happen."

Huff anticipates the final turn, from William Street onto Main Street will decide the race.

"Coming into this left-handed turn, teams will be fighting tooth and nail for that left-handed turn," he said. "Whatever team gets their sprinter to that turn in second or first position, they will most likely win the race or place in the top three. It's going to be a fight just to get to that corner, besides the finish. So there's actually two finishes, that corner and the finish."

The race will feature 15 teams and 120 riders, meaning the street will be packed as they stream toward the finish line. Huff knows how stressful the final meters of the race can get after his crash near the finish line of the 2007 race in St. Louis. He hit a barrier and flew off his bike. The key during the sprint to the finish is keeping one's composure, he said.

"You have to have complete confidence in everyone," he said. "Tempers flare and people get upset when things happen, but that's competition, that's sport. Everyone's wanting to win. Everyone's doing their best to win. The good thing is everyone does it in a fair manner and we all get there, hopefully, safely."

Local organizers plan to offer more than the cyclists to entertain fans at the finish line. Tracey Glenn, chairwoman of the local organizing committee, said there will be a street festival, bicycle and tricycle races and musical performances to add to the excitement on Main Street.

Chris Aronhalt, managing partner for Medalist Sports, which organizes the Missouri race, said there's significant waiting involved in watching a cycling event because it covers such a vast area. Just the second stage covers more than 120 miles. But that doesn't mean fans will miss out on the action.

"We will have the race live on the big-screen television," he said. "It will be a great festival atmosphere."

And while the street festival and performers will add excitement, the cyclists still will be the main attraction.

"It's like the fourth turn of the Kentucky Derby," Aronhalt said of the dash to the finish. "You've got 120 cyclists elbow-to-elbow going well over 30-plus mph, all trying to get that extra inch. ... For me, we still get goose bumps."

kmorriss@semissourian.com

388-3647

Pertinent address:

William Street and Main Street, Cape Giradeau, Mo.