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Tour Champion Announces His Return |
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 American George Hincapie (VIEW VIDEO) of team High Road will participate in the Tour of Missouri international cycling race, September 8-14, race organizers announced today. Hincapie, a Tour de France stage winner, also will lend his image to marketing the race.
"With my new team High Road, I will attend the Tour of Missouri this September to defend my championship," said Hincapie, who has already won a stage of the Amgen Tour of California in February, while most recently helping his team win the yellow jersey at the Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T last week. "Being an Olympic year, I plan on doing the Tour de France, Olympics in Beijing, U.S. National Championships and completing my season at the Tour of Missouri. For me, the race last year was special. The spectators and state were unbelievable. It was special as the last year with Discovery Channel team. I look forward to the race this year with my new team."
Team High Road, currently ranked No. 1 in the world in many rankings, and Hincapie are the first team to be formally announced by tour organizers. A total of 15 teams with eight cyclists each will be participating, the same event as last year. The September event finishes the first stage in Kansas City and ends seven days later in downtown St. Louis.
Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, chairman of the Tour of Missouri, Inc., added: "George Hincapie is a top world-class athlete and winner of last year's race. He embellishes everything great about this statewide event. People will come in from around the country to see him and his team perform."
"George's commitment to the race is indicative of the popularity this race has attracted after only one year," said Race Director Jim Birrell. "We expect to build on last year's tremendous success by fielding a stronger roster of teams and individuals. The word is out this is a great race and now one of the U.S.'s three grand tours along with California and Georgia."
More teams will be announced in June.
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Hincapie featured in marketing program |
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 George Hincapie, the defending champion of the Tour of Missouri, will lend his image and likeness for the 2008 marketing campaign, organizers announced.
Hincapie, a team member on a record eight Tour de France wins, will appear on the official poster (see above), rack card, event guide, and map guide for the race, as well as in television and web advertising. It marks the first integrated promotional program using an athlete since the 1996 Tour DuPont, which used Lance Armstrong, then an up and coming star of the sport.
"It's not everyday you have a superstar of the sport win your race," said the Tour's marketing director Steve Brunner. "We thought this would be a great way to feature George and bring attention to the race. He and his team were excited about the ideas on how we plan to use him."
The official poster and rack card featuring Hincapie were unveiled at a press conference in St. Louis.
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Special host city signs by MODOT announced for 2008 |
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Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder today announced, with St. Louis officials, a special host city sign created by the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Along with St. Louis Deputy Mayor Ron Smith, the Lieutenant Governor unveiled a sign that will be displayed at six locations around St. Louis designating the Gateway City as a host city for the international cycling race this September.
“We have created a designated sign to provide demarcation with the help of MODOT for the 12 host cities. The cities have expressed support and pride in this program.”
This is the first program of its kind for a professional cycling stage race in the United States.
MODOT also will partner with Missouri Tourism and Edward Jones for the Official Map Guide using the state’s roads, which is traditionally seen as a road map at many tourist waysides around the state. That program was introduced last year and another first for a professional stage race in the United States and will include all stage maps.
“This event is as much about tourism and economic impact as it is sport,” said Kinder. “Our marketing programs are about promoting tourism within the context of the race.
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