Top Domestic Teams Announced for 2009 Tour of Missouri, adding four more quality teams to line for September race

Jefferson City, MO - (June 25, 2009) - The Tour of Missouri is pleased to announce the addition of four elite, domestic teams to its prestigious line-up. BISSELL Pro Cycling Team, Colavita / Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light, Kelly Benefit Strategies and Team Type 1 are now confirmed to compete in the invite-only, UCI professional cycling race, scheduled for September 7-13, 2009.  

"The level of competition continues to deepen as the Tour of Missouri continues to attract the best there is in professional cycling," said Chris Aronhalt of event organizer Medalist Sports. "Based on the event's history of solid economic performance and world-wide exposure for Missouri, we expect 2009 to be another unprecedented success." 

Colavita / Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light and BISSELL Pro Cycling Team are currently ranked number one and two, respectively, on the United States' National Racing Calendar (NRC). Team Type 1 is ranked number five out of a total of 69 teams on the NRC.

"We would like to extend a big thank you to the state of Missouri for having us in their race. I am very excited that we will again be competing against the best in the world, and have the opportunity to share our message of inspiration to people affected by diabetes," reports Phil Southerland, founder of Team Type 1 and second-year professional rider.

"I have done a lot of work with the Lantus and Apidra insulin representatives in the state who have shown me what a great diabetes community Missouri has. I very much look forward to working with them, so that everyone with diabetes in Missouri has a chance to meet Team Type 1."

Kelly Benefit Strategies has acquired several big wins in races across South America, and team member Scott Zwizanski recently won Canada's biggest race, the Tour De Beauce in Canada.

"The BISSELL Pro Cycling Team is both honored and excited about the invitation to race the Tour of Missouri, one of the biggest and most prestigious races in the US. To race in a world class field on home soil is always an honor, and I know the BISSELL riders will be up to the task," said Glen Mitchell, BISSELL Pro Cycling's director and manager. "We are known for our strength in the time trials, but we also have some fast finishers for - more- bunch sprints, so we will be looking at every opportunity to put a BISSELL rider on top, throughout the tour.

The 2009 Tour of Missouri will field a total of fifteen teams, with eight riders each. 14 of the available 15 invitations to the Tour of Missouri have been extended and accepted, with the following teams confirmed in addition to above:

• Astana (KAZ)
• BMC Racing (USA)
• Cervelo Test Team (SUI)
• Garmin-Slipstream (USA)
• Jelly Belly (USA)
• Liquigas (ITA)
• OUCH presented by Maxxis (USA)
• Quick Step (BEL)
• Team Saxo Bank (DEN)
• Team Columbia-Highroad (USA)

The International and National Federation for Cycling has recognized The Tour of Missouri as one of the top five ranked events outside of Europe.

In addition to the Missouri Tourism Commission, sponsors to-date include Assurant Health Insurance, Columbia Sportswear, Drury Hotels, Edward Jones, Emerson, Missouri's Electric Cooperatives, Mavic, Missouri Farm Bureau and Spencer Fane Britt & Browne, Wind Capital Group and Yakima.

For the first time since its inaugural year, the 2009 Tour will route east to west, starting in St. Louis and finishing in Kansas City. The past two years, the race routed west to east, starting in Kansas City and finishing in St. Louis.

The race will be contested over seven days and seven stages. There will be two circuit races (St. Louis, Kansas City), one individual time trial (Sedalia), and four point to point road races (Ste. Genevieve to Cape Girardeau; Farmington to Rolla; St. James to Jefferson City; Chillicothe to St. Joseph). The overall mileage for the course is expected to be more than 600 miles.