The Tour of Missouri will be coming through downtown Gallatin between 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, according to Gallatin Police Chief Mark Richards.
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Stage 6 of the seven-day event includes a 110-mile race from Chillicothe to St. Joseph. Riders will travel along Highway 6 to Gallatin. Chief Richards has been informed by event organizers that the cyclists will come up Highway 13 to the four-way stop in Gallatin, then travel the 2.5 mile long stretch along West Grand and hook back up with Hwy. 6.
"We’re lucky to have them come through,"said Chief Richards. "They could have easily bypassed us."
Though no specific reason was given for the little loop through Gallatin, Chief Richards said it has been part of the plans from the beginning.
"They want to bring in smaller communities and have the spectator participation," he said. "The other reason may be the hill through town, which offers some versatility to the course."
Though a stellar world-class field was presented last year, the three-year-old race is expected to be even better as the Tour of Missouri was granted an upgrade to one of the top five ranked events outside Europe by international and national federation’s for cycling last month.
The event is a welcome thing for Gallatin as it will hopefully draw business as spectators line the roadways. Last year, the event drew more than 435,000 spectators over seven days. Missouri Tourism noted a direct and indirect economic impact of almost $30 million to the state.
But it will present some traffic concerns for the Gallatin Police Department. Chief Richards is asking for volunteers to help block the streets at every intersection along the route.
"We’ll be blocking Highway 13 and West Grand and the parking areas the night before," he said. "The entire roadway has to be clear. We’ll have roughly 52 intersections and driveways to block off."
Chief Richards will be sending letters out to businesses and information to property owners along the route.
"This will be a community supported event," said Chief Richards. "We need everyone to rally together to make this a success."
The riders will also encounter their first sprint competition on Hwy. 6 at Gallatin, so they will be coming through town at a rapid clip.
"I’m told they’ll be traveling in packs of 15 to 20 riders," said Chief Richards. "They’ll come through quick and be gone."
Gallatin police and the county sheriff’s office have been cooperating with other local law enforcement agencies and the highway patrol to make sure the route is secure and safe.
Sheriff Ben Becerra said his office will need to block off between 50 to 60 intersections. He said he had contacted fire departments, law enforcement and other organizations and has gotten an overwhelming response from volunteers to block off the intersections and doesn’t really need any more volunteer help on a county-wide basis.
Sheriff Becerra said he expected it would take between one and a half to two hours for the riders to cross the county. "We’ve been given different time estimates because it depends on their speed," he said.
Along with the 15 teams of bikers, there will be a caravan of chase cars and motorcycles and ambulances. The tour will be run under "rolling road closures," meaning the route will close prior to the race’s arrival and will reopen once the last race vehicle has passed.
If you’re interested in being a volunteer to help block the city streets, contact the Gallatin Police Department at 660-663-3580.
The seven-day race covers 612 miles. Stage one will begin on Labor Day weekend in St. Louis, Monday, Sept. 7. Stage two is from Ste. Genevieve to Cape Girardeau. Stage 3 is Farmington to Rolla. Stage 4 is St. James to Jefferson City. Stage 5 is a time trial at the Sedalia State Fairgrounds. Stage 6 is from Chillicothe to St. Joseph. (From Gallatin, they will travel north to Pattonsburg, then take Route Z west to King City and on.) Stage 7 is a circuit race in Kansas City.
The upgrade has drawn top pro tour teams Astana, Cervelo Test Team, Columbia- HTC, Garmin- Slipstream, Liquigas, Saxo Bank and Quickstep, all recent Tour de France teams.
Domestic teams participating in 2009 include BISSELL Pro Cycling Team, BMC Racing, Colavita / Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light, Jelly Belly, Kelly Benefit Strategies, OUCH presented by Maxxis, and Team Type 1. Canada’s top team Planet Energy rounds out the field.