Can you imagine 5,000 to 10,000 visiting people in downtown St. James?

That is going to be the reality on September 12 when St. James will be the start city for the fifth stage of the Tour of Missouri.

A 'deceivingly tougher' Tour of Missouri will challenge the field of 120 world-class cyclists from 15 elite professional teams when they line up for the September 8th - 14th Tour of Missouri, race organizers announced today in the overall race finish city St. Louis.

Stage 5 starts in St. James at 2 PM on Friday, September 12, and is expected to end in Jefferson City around 6:30 PM.  The 108-mile road race will include one Mich ULTRA King of the Mountain point and two Edward Jones sprint lines in the towns of Bland and Vienna.  

On Monday, June 23 the official route through St. James was announced.

“This is a once in a lifetime event,” said Phelps County Commissioner Larry Stratman.

Mayor Dennis Wilson explained the route through St. James to the gathered crowd. According to Wilson the race will start on Jefferson and Eldon streets. The competitors, who will be in a neutral start until they are out of town, will then go north on Jefferson and take a left onto James. They will then take another left onto Meramec where they will continue until it dead ends on Jefferson/Missouri Highway 68/8. They will take another left there in order to pass by the elementary and high schools and then pass through the start once more for gathered fans to see. After crossing over Interstate 44, the cyclists will take a right onto Missouri Route B at the Tourist Information Center. The actual race will start somewhere along the area between St. James Winery and Maramec Vineyards. The race will later travel through the cities of Bland and Belle.

“It's an absolutely beautiful area,” said Wilson, “and it's something I would never want to do on a bike.”

The race will be a total of 104 miles to Jefferson City, Missouri.

“We are so excited about them starting here,” said Wilson.

According to Wilson the race was first going to start in the morning, however, the local organizing committee was approached about a later start. The committee was excited about this because it allowed for more possibilities in creating a festival like day in St. James.

Cycling enthusiast Dick Elgin said, “It's a big deal for the cyclists to be here.”

There will be 120 professional cyclists in St. James, as well as their entourage.

This is the first year the wine country city of St. James plays host to the Tour of Missouri.  Described as “a never ending series of small hills,” this challenging stage has the latest start time in this year's tour.  With continuous elevation change throughout the course, significant time gaps between riders is expected. The late start will provide locals and out-of-towners the ability to kick off the weekend early.

“Again, the great state of Missouri will play host to these world-class athletes from more than 20 countries this September,” said Lt. Governor Kinder. “This year, we've worked to make the course more challenging and with a few new twists, including new terrain, new cities, homage to our Armed Forces on September 11th and another grand finale in St. Louis.”

Added Birrell: “In response to surveying a lot of the cyclists from last year's race, we've made it a bit more challenging with some more hills,” said Birrell.

“While Missouri doesn't have any major mountains, it is a very hilly state.  We have incorporated some of the big rollers within the state and come up with some very good courses. One of our course advisors was Kevin Livingston, originally from Missouri, who rode at a world-class level in Europe for almost a decade and was a great climber. He pointed us in the right direction.”

Last year's inaugural race suited Toyota-United's Ivan Dominguez, who won the opening stage in Kansas City and the closing stage in St. Louis, has become a big fan of the Tour of Missouri despite the tougher terrain.

“As a sprinter, I like the flat terrain, so more hills are not necessarily so good for me,” said Dominguez, who won more races on the North American circuit than any racer. “But, there are three good stages for me in Kansas City, Springfield and St. Louis, so, I am excited.  And, it is always a challenge to go up against some of the top sprinters from the European pro teams. Last year's race was very good for my Toyota-United teammates. There were lot of spectators, especially for a new race. And, it's always good to win. Of course, Kansas City and St. Louis are now my new favorite towns.”

The Tour of Missouri is supported principally by Missouri Department of Tourism, Edward Jones, Drury Hotels, Missouri Farm Bureau, Emerson, Anheuser-Bush, Missouri Wine and Grape Board.  It is a free, public, international event that began in 2007 and attracted an estimated 370,000 spectators over six days. The event is managed and marketed by Medalist Sports, Inc., of Atlanta, Ga., and KOM Sports of Colorado Springs, Colo., the leaders in cycling management and marketing in North America.

The Tour of Missouri, Inc., is set-up as a non-profit organization for the sole purpose of staging a world-class cycling event for the purposes of promoting tourism, community affairs, and its sponsors.

A luncheon and fundraiser for the Tour of Missouri is planned for July 28 at the St. James Golf Course. Lt. Governor Kinder will be in attendance at this Chamber of Commerce sponsored event.

According to Wilson, volunteers and sponsors are still needed.