I suppose a few words about the Tour of Missouri are in order. I left early Thursday morning for Branson to watch the Time Trial and follow the race the rest of the way back home.

Today I will give my general impressions of the race and then maybe give some more specifics in the following days.

My first thought is the apparent efficiency of the organizers, Medallist Sports in conjunction with the state. Every day the race started right on schedule. It appeared to be a very smooth operation

Number 2: When I was on portions of the actual race route, everything was well marshaled and well marked... as it should be.

Number 3: The crowds exceeded was I was expecting. Even in small little towns, the people showed up to cheer. In addition, some folks out in the middle nowhere could be seen sitting on their property alongside the road or parked on gravel side roads waiting for the race to pass by. This was heartening to see and reminded of Europe in a way when people would drop what they may have been to doing that day, take a break, and catch a 30-second glimpse as the race passed by.

Number 4: What fantastic weather we had for the whole race. The mornings were sometimes a little chilly, but nothing was terribly cold, wet or hot.