They say the largest bycicling event is the Tour de France which was started as a ploy by a French Newspaper trying to move copy. The Europeon nature of the event leaves most of the US public in the dark in terms of what cycling is all about.
Here's a little of what I gathered today.
Teams that have a shot of winning a tour choose the winner ahead of time. The strongest team and likely winner is George Hincapie with team Discovery Channel. Victory, if no accidents occur will likely be Hincapie due to an unusual chain of events during the race from Clinton to Springfield.
Hincapie, yellow jerseyed, was part of a breakaway (a group of cyclist sent to the front to throw off the pace)that lasted an unusually large period of time. A seventeen minute boost gave cyclist Hincapie a significant lead. Usually, the Peloton excels to cover ground. A peleton is the mass of cyclist together creating an aerodynamic shield for the "team leader of the trial" to maintain energy.
Riders that have less skill are called "domestiques". The English translation is "maid."
Photos Descriptions:
1. Mr. Leenon holding a handmade sculpture for the fatest time which was given to Levi Leipheimer from Discovery Channel Professional Cycling. The sculpture was created by local artist Tim Cherry entitled "Hot Pursuit"
2. Lt. Governor Peter Kinder passes microphone to Branson Mayor Raeanne Presley
3. Winners Circle - Top 3 in order: Levi Leipheimer - Nathan O'Neill - Matti Helminen
4. Press Conference - Levi Leipheimer and George Hincapie
The Tour of Missouri is team Discovery Channel's last American Race. The team will dismantle at the end of the year. Hincapie has already signed with a new team and Leipheimer is still on the market. The team, created by Lance Armstrong, is disolving due to an announcement that the Tour de France is changing strategies. Instead of corporate sponsored teams, they want to change the format to International representation. Many think execution of "national teams" will provide economic barriers to the sport.
