Tour of Missouri gets continued state support

JEFFERSON CITY — The Tour of Missouri bicycle race gets a continued financial commitment from a state board.

The Missouri Development Finance Board on Tuesday approved $500,000 to support media coverage of the 2009 race. The board contributed the same amount for this years' race.

The race's $3.7 million budget also includes $1 million from the state tourism division. The rest comes from corporate sponsorships and donations.

The third annual race is to run Sept. 7-13. It has been upgraded to "above category" status by the U.S. and world governing bodies for cycling. That puts the Missouri event on a par with a select few major professional bicycle races outside of Europe.

The only other such race in the United States is the Amgen Tour of California.