Latest entries in Photo Blog: 2008 Tour of Missouri
Updates by Maneater photographers from the final stages of the Tour of Missouri between Jefferson City and St. Louis.
Sept. 15, 2008
Vande Velde Takes the Tour
Francesco Chicchi of Team Liquigas overtakes Mark Cavendish of Team Columbia in the final meters of the Tour of Missouri's seventh stage on Sunday in St. Louis.
The Tour of Missouri came to a close yesterday in the streets of downtown St. Louis with Garmin/Chipotle’s Christian Vande Velde taking the overall win.
The final stage of the tour ended with a breakneck sprint down Market St. with most bets being placed on another win by Team Columbia’s Mark Cavendish, but with only a few hundred meters to go it was Francesco Chicchi of Liquigas who took the stage.
The race day began early with the announcement that the course would be cut from 75 miles due to flooding in Forest Park, leaving the racers with a 50 mile, five lap circuit race beginning and ending in front of city hall.
With the streets slick from a short rainfall as the race began, riders Kirk O’Bee of Health Net-Maxxis and Jeremy Powers of Jelly Belly made a break from the main peloton, with four laps to go their chances of maintaining the break were slim.
The two riders were eventually overtaken by the peloton near the end of the race.
Fans and spectators lined the Market St. for the final lap of the race as riders jumped out of their saddles and made the sprint to the finish, with Chicchi taking first, Cavendish second, and Tyler Farrar of Garmin/Chipotle taking third.
Thanks to help from his teammates, Vande Velde who took 16th in the final stage, managed to maintain his overall lead in the tour, and take the gold jersey home.
On the podium, Team Columbia broke out the champagne to celebrate taking the overall General Category team win, with four stages under their belt.
Leaders of the main peloton fly past spectators as they head onto N. Tucker Blvd. during the second lap of Stage 7 on Sunday in St. Louis. The final stage of the Tour of Missouri took competitors on a five lap, 50-mile city circuit.
Members of Team Columbia break out the champagne after taking the overall General Category prize for winning the most stages (four) on the tour.
Overall Tour winner Christian Vande Velde of Team Garmin-Chipotle H3O stands on the podium with second place finisher Michael Rogers of Team Columbia and third place finisher Svein Tuft of Symetrics Cycling on Sunday in St. Louis.
Sept. 13, 2008
Tour of Missouri stage six comes to a close
The tail end of the peloton rolls past cheering spectators Saturday afternoon outside Dutzow, Mo. The sixth stage of the Tour of Missouri took riders on a hilly 110-mile journey from Hermann to St. Charles.
Stage Six of the Tour of Missouri came to a close in St. Charles today, with Mark Cavendish of Team Columbia winning his third stage on this year’s tour.
Ivan Dominguez of Toyota-United took second place, and Brad Huff of Jelly Belly Cycing took a close third. Huff is a native of Missouri, and currently lives in Springfield.
Christian Vande Velde of Team Garmin-Chipotle H30 managed to maintain his overall leader position for the Tour, placing tenth in today’s stage.
The atmosphere in Hermann this morning before the race was positive, even with dark rain clouds hanging overhead. At just past 12:30 p.m. the riders took off for their 110-mile journey to St. Charles.
In St. Charles the sky was still dark as the lead riders flew past the finish line, just 3 hours 32 minutes after leaving Hermann.
The seventh and final stage of the Tour takes place Sunday afternoon, and will take riders through downtown St. Louis for a five lap, 75-mile circuit race beginning in front of City Hall at 2 p.m.
Brad Huff of Jelly Belly Pro Cycling autographs the hat of three-year-old Clark Wahrenbrock of Columbia before the start of stage six of the Tour of Missouri on Saturday. Huff finished third in Saturday's stage.
Tour of Missouri Stage Six winner Mark Cavendish, center, is flanked by Ivan Dominguez and Brad Huff who finished second and third, respectively on Saturday. The stage win was Cavendish's third on this year's Tour.
Jelly Belly Pro Cycling bikes wait for the start of stage six of the Tour of Missouri in Hermann on Saturday morning.
A breakaway group of eleven riders with a two-minute lead on the main pack pedals through the rolling hills of Defiance, Mo. on Saturday. The Tour consists of seven stages, taking international cycling teams from Kansas City to St. Louis.
Van Poppel takes Stage 5, Vande Velde retains lead
Boy Van Poppel of team Rabobank takes Stage 5 of the Tour of Missouri on Friday in Jefferson City.
Tour of Missouri riders rocket down Capitol Avenue on the way to the finish in Jefferson City.
Christian Vande Velde of Team Garmin-Chipotle H3O holds on to the yellow jersey and retains the Tour of Missouri lead heading into Stage 6 on Saturday.
Gov. Matt Blunt rallies the crowd prior to the awards presentation after Stage 5 of the Tour of Missouri in Jefferson City.
