Tour of Missouri announces 2009 dates, UCI upgrade

December 11, 3:17 PMCycling ExaminerJames Raia

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The Tour of Missouri has announced its 2009 dates and an upgraded race status for its third edition.

Next year’s race will be held Sept. 7-13 and it will be contested as a 2.Hors category or “above category” race by Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), cycling’s international governing organization.

The Tour of Missouri will join the Amgen Tour of California as the only two races outside of Europe with the designation

According to Missouri governmental agencies, the 2008 Tour of Missouri attracted spectators from 32 states and 21 countries. An estimated 434,000 fans witnessed at least part of the event, making it Missouri’s largest international sporting event.

Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Chipotle) of Lemont, Ill., who finished fourth in this year's Tour de France, subsequently won the Tour of Missouri two months later.

The 2009 Tour of Missouri will begin on Labor Day and conclude six days late. Stage host cities will be announced in January.