One of the fascinating things about professional bike racing is the team car parking lot on race day.

It’s like venturing into 15 locker rooms, open not only to team personnel and media but also to the spectators, who mingle with the riders, taking pictures and getting autographs.

The team parking lot is also a place to differentiate the haves from the have nots in professional  cycling.

For instance, Columbia and Garmin-Chipotle, the heavyweights of American cycling, have large motorhomes in addition to a small  fleet of team cars. Same with the well-funded domestic teams Toyota-United and Rock Racing. Visiting international squad Liquigas, and domestic teams such as Jelly Belly (above, with Brad Huff in the front seat) and Health Net-Maxxis have campers rented for the week.

The rest of the teams make do with a couple of team cars and maybe a van, leaving the riders basically to get ready in public with a small circle of folding chairs being their only personal space tho they will hop into a team car if they need complete privacy.

Fans in Missouri have generally been respectful of the athletes, who have been more than accommodating in mixing with the public. In Lebanon, for instance, schools were off and the students filled the team parking lot before Stage 4. Residents also were out in force for the race starts Tuesday in Clinton, Friday in St. James and Saturday in Hermann. There also were good crowds at the finishes in Springfield, Rolla and St.Charles, tho rain held the numbers down Monday in Kansas City.

Veterans of the international peloton find the crowds in the U.S. to be a pleasant respite from the swarms of fans in Europe who can get a bit pushy and overzealous. Plus, Missourians turned out in small towns and crossroads throughout the state to watch the colorful peloton with its mile-long caravan of cars breeze through.

That’s part of the beauty of bicycle racing. The public streets double as the field of play, so folks can walk out their front door and be within a foot of the action. And spectators can actually mingle with the players before and after the race. No other sport has this level of access.

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