City should make Tour bid
The adage that there is always room for improvement is rarely more appropriate than for the first-year efforts for large-scale public events.
Such was the case with Sedalia’s stop on the 2009 Tour of Missouri professional bicycle race. The local organizing group put in scores of hours to plan and pull off the event, and they are to be commended for their dedication and for putting on a well-received day of sports and sun (the weather’s cooperation is never a given).
No event goes off without a hitch, and the Sedalia time trials were no exception. Food vendors were located too far from the course, pulling spectators away from the action if they wanted to grab a bite to eat or something to drink. While volunteer response was solid, there was a disconnect between the event and residents who are not avid cyclists or who don’t follow cycling; more outreach to explain the Tour and generate local interest likely would have increased the turnout.
But as we noted at the top, no first-year event comes off perfectly. Which is why we would like to see Sedalia build on the numerous successes of this year’s time trials and bid to hold that stage again for the 2010 Tour.
The benefit of hosting the time trials is that, unlike a standard tour stop where riders pass through on their way to another destination, the riders start and finish in the same city, so fans and cycling teams remain in that location for the entire day. We were told that the cyclists preferred Sedalia’s more even and open road course over the hills- and turns-laden route in Branson, which hosted the time trials the previous year. And the Missouri State Fairgrounds is a ready-made location for the start and finish, with plenty of parking and good vantage points for spectators.
The budget crunch that jeopardized the state’s allocation to support the Tour has not magically disappeared. Gov. Jay Nixon froze state funding for the Tour in July, just weeks before the event; he released the funds days later after an outcry from race backers and communities that had already invested money and effort to put on a world-class event. That said, there has been no indication that there will not be a Tour of Missouri in 2010. We are hopeful that Tour organizers are seeking private and corporate financial support, rather than relying on taxpayer dollars again.
We also are hopeful that when the 2010 edition of the Tour of Missouri gets rolling, Sedalia will be a stop on the route. City officials and community backers should make a solid case for the Tour to roll into town once again.
