For three consecutive Saturdays in June, St. James will host or play a part in three bicycle events.

On June 7, and as a part of the Rolla area's Summerfest, the “Tour de Phelps” will be held. It is a recreational bicycle event for beginners, intermediate riders and families.  Registration is from 8:30 9:00am that Saturday at the Oak Meadow Country Club parking lot (10700 County Road 3110). From there, riders will pedal their way to St. James via Country Club Road and Old St. James Road (County Roads 3110 and 3120, respectively) to the St. James City Hall.  After a rest stop there with cookies, bananas and water, the cyclists will pedal back to Oak Meadow Country Club.  The total length of the ride is about 12 miles.  The registration fee is $3.00.  All riders must wear helmets and must register and sign a liability release form. There will be no “sag” service for this ride. Riders must complete the loop and return to Oak Meadow Country Club. If you have questions or need more information, contact Dick Elgin at Elgin Surveying & Engineering, Inc. at 573 364 6362.

The second event which St. James will at least play a part is the “Route 66 Duathlon” to be held on June 14.  In this duathlon, competitors will run a 5000 meter (“5K” or about 3.1 miles) foot race (around Ber Juan Park in Rolla), then hop on their bicycles and race to St. James, then back to Rolla (about 18.6 miles of cycling). There will be 23 divisions classified by age groupings, both men and women's.  There also is a team division where one person runs the 5K footrace and another person does the bicycle part of the duathlon. The overall winner should complete the duathlon in just a few minutes over one hour.  The competitors will come into St. James on Old St. James Road (County Road 3120), coming toward town by Nelson Hart Park, turn left (north) onto South Louise, turn right (east) onto James Boulevard (Old Route 66), turn right (south) onto Meramec Street, turn right (west) onto Eldon Street, go past City Hall and the Fire House and then on west to Old St. James Road and back to Rolla.  There will be about 50 racers. They will first arrive in St. James at about 8:45am and most should clear St. James by about 9:30am. During this time no streets will be closed in St. James, but course marshals will be at each corner directing traffic to ensure the cyclist are not impeded and that the race is conducted safely. Race day registration will be from 7:15 7:45am at Ber Juan Park (Rolla) at the SplashZone Parking lot.  For more information about this event contact Rolla's Recreation Centre at 573 341 2FUN.

St. James will host the “Meramec Town and Wine Country Ride” on Saturday, June 21. Cyclists will gather and register at the St. James Tourist Information Center from 8:00 11:00am at the intersection of I 44 and Highway 68 (Exit 195).  From there they can choose one of two routes.  Both routes go east toward Rosati and Fanning. The short route is rolling and is about 10.4 miles. The long route is hilly and is about 27 miles.  Alternatively, recreational riders may opt to tour the town. A map will be provided highlighting tourist sites and businesses which help sponsor the ride.  This event is sponsored by the St. James Chamber of Commerce and Meramec Vineyards Winery. For further information, contact Phyllis Meagher at Meramec Vineyards, 573 265 7847. There is a $10.00 fee for adults, and $5.00 for children 12 or under. Riders receive a T shirt, sag support, breakfast food at registration, water, a marked route, a “Passport” for the tour ride and an entry into a drawing for a bicycle donated by the St. James Wal-Mart Distribution Center.

Of course these three events are a prelude to what will be the largest event of the year in St. James, the start of Stage 5 of the Tour of Missouri bicycle race. On the morning of Friday, September 12, St. James will host the start of that stage of the Tour which will end in Jefferson City that day. About 120 professional bicycle racers and their entourage and thousands of fans will be in town that morning to cheer the group at the race start. Much more about this event will be forthcoming through the summer.