This just in … 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis will be at the Tour of Missouri with the OUCH-Maxxis squad.

Landis is back racing this year in the domestic peloton after serving a two-year suspension for allegedly doping en route to the Tour de France title.  He fought the ban, losing twice in arbitration, exhausting his appeals not long before the ban was lifted in January. He also was stripped of the TdF title.

Here’s the Tour of Missouri release on Floyd and his team, which also features defending National Racing champion Rory Sutherland … 

Tour of Missouri announces No. 1-ranked NRC Team OUCH Presented by MAXXIS to It’s Line-up
7 Day Elite Pro Cycling Race Takes Place September 7 - 13
JEFFERSON CITY, MO (May 28, 2009) — Event organizers and Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder today announced the participation of USA Cycling’s National Race Calendar’s top-ranked team OUCH presented by MAXXIS to the line up for the Tour of Missouri, an elite professional cycling race scheduled for September 7-13, 2009.
The OUCH Presented by MAXXIS team joins an increasingly prestigious roster of announced for the third annual event, including Astana, BMC Racing, Cervelo Test Team, Columbia-High Road, Garmin-Slipstream, Jelly Belly, Liquigas, QuickStep and SaxoBank.
A total of fifteen teams will compete, and individual race rosters will be announced in August.
Team OUCH will be led by Floyd Landis, who won the 2006 Amgen Tour of California and the 2006 Tour de Georgia. Team standout Rory Sutherland of Australia was the 2008 United States National Race Calendar winner and is currently positioned No. 1 domestically. Sutherland’s versatility has enabled him to dominate cycling; his experience coupled with a team line up that works exceptionally well together, has created a formidable group considered one of the strongest continentalsquads racing in the Americas.
“With the addition of Team OUCH, the Tour of Missouri continues on pace to become one of the elite racing events in the world. Without a doubt, fans will witness an exciting and competitive race,” said Chris Aronhalt, the managing partner of event organizer Medalist Sports. “Team OUCH adds another layer of distinction to the race. Team OUCH has traditionally been one of the top teams in western hemisphere over the past five years.”
Team OUCH comes off of a strong finish at Joe Martin Stage Race in Fayetteville, Ark., with top racers including Rory Sutherland, Karl Menzies, Andrew Pinfold, John Murphy and Bobby Lea.
The overall course will start in St. Louis and end in Kansas City, routing more than 600 miles of the Show-Me State. Last year an estimated 435,000 spectators lined the roadside for the event; while people from 145 countries watched live coverage via the world webcast of the event.
A pair of Americans have won the first iterations of the race: Christian Vande Velde, who finished fourth overall in the Tour de France before winning in 2008; and George Hincapie, who won the inaugural race in 2007. Both Vande Velde and Hincapie are expected back with their Garmin-Slipstream and Columbia-High Road teams, respectively, this year.
“Team OUCH adds to the event’s appeal to race fans, biking enthusiasts and anyone who enjoys watching elite athletes compete,” said Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder. “This team is considered one of the strongest teams in the world, and we look forward to the respect and attention that such a group will attract to the event. We expect the third Tour of Missouri to be a high profile event, garnering status as one of the premier cycling events in the world.”
The 2009 race will be contested over seven days and seven stages. There will be two circuit races (St. Louis, Kansas City), one individual time trial (Sedalia), and four point to point road races (Ste. Genevieve to Cape Girardeau; Farmington to Rolla; St. James to Jefferson City; Chillicothe to St. Joseph).
Though a stellar world-class field was presented last year, the three-year-old race is expected to be even better as the Tour of Missouri was granted an upgrade to one of the top five-ranked events outside Europe by international and national federation’s for cycling. Additional teams will be announced in coming weeks.
The Tour of Missouri’s premier sponsors to-date are Missouri Tourism, Missouri Farm Bureau of Jefferson City and St. Louis-based companies Drury Hotels, Emerson and Edward Jones.
Industry sponsors to date are MAVIC, Yakima, and Hincapie Sportswear.
For more information: www.tourofmissouri.com.

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