Tour of Missouri is on despite the tumbling economy

by VeloNation Press at 1:35 PM EST

The organizers for the Tour of Missouri have said the 2-year-old race will not see the same fate as it's cousin in Georgia.

Earlier this year the 2009 edition of the Tour de Georgia was scrapped due to lack of funding, and has promised to return in 2010. The Tour de Georgia was the first large scale tour in the United States since the Tour Dupont back in the 1990's.

The the three successful tours in the US are in Georgia, California, and Missouri, and have taken the same approach as the biggest bike race on earth, the Tour de France. The bicycle races are used to showcase the state's tourist attractions, and have shown to bring significant revenue from tourism.

In an interview with the Fort Mill Times this approach was clearly underscored by state officials. "We see ourselves as a partner, not a sponsor," said Stacey Blomberg, a project manager with the Missouri Division of Tourism. "Just last year, we had people from 139 countries sign on to our Web site for the race. These are great opportunities for places such as Lebanon or Rolla and wine country to advertise to those far-out-of-the-way countries."

The race brought 434,000 cycling fans to Missouri during the 2008 edition, and the organization is looking towards growth for 2009.

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