Fresh off victories in the prestigious Paris-Roubaix _ aka Hincapie Heartbreaker _ and the Tour of Flanders, Tom Boonen’s Quick Step squad has been added to the Tour of Missouri, Sept. 7-13.
The Quick Step boys become the fifth Pro Tour team included in the race, along with Garmin-Slipstream, Columbia-High Road, Astana and Liquigas. Other teams in the race include the No. 2 team in the world, Cervelo, as well as Jelly Belly and BMC.
QuickStep’s roster includes Boonen, who won Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix for the third time, Stijn Devolder of Belgium, winner of the Tour of Flanders, and Australian Allan Davis, who has led the UCI’s Pro Tour standings much of the year. This is the first year at Missouri for Quick Step, which rides American-built Specialized bikes.
“It is a big win for Missouri that the world No. 1 ranked team has chosen to participate in one of the world’s top bike races,” Lt. Governor Peter Kinder said in a statement. “The caliber of athletes and teams will translate directly into more spectators and more economic impact for the state and host cities.”
For the first time in its three years, the race will route east to west, starting in St. Louis on Labor Day and finishing in Kansas City.
A total of 15 teams are scheduled to take the start line. Rosters will be announced over the summer.