The front of Filomena Varagona's home was covered Sunday in Italian and American flags, streamers and balloons. Signs taped to the green concrete yard read, "Good luck cyclists" and "Thank you for the thrills and chills each year." The family made a canvas banner with the name of the annual bike race, "Giro della Montagna" — translated as Tour of the Hill.

The Varagonas have decorated their house since the first Giro della Montagna race was held 24 years ago. In its 25th year, the race has grown into the four-day-long Gateway Cup professional cycling event, held in different neighborhoods across the St. Louis area.

The first two legs of the events were in Lafayette Square and St. Louis Hills; today's race will be held in Benton Park. But the Hill neighborhood, with its strong Italian heritage, has remained the cornerstone.

Residents barbecued salsiccia, set up lemonade stands, blared Italian music and enjoyed pasta on restaurant patios as cyclists whizzed by every couple of minutes on the 1-mile loop course. As riders neared the finish, the crowd cheered, "Giro! Giro! Giro! Two to go! Two to go! Two to go!"

Filomena Varagona, 96, is in a nursing home this year, but her children and grandchildren made sure the decorations were up.

"It's just part of the tradition," said Varagona's daughter, Joanna Parisi, 69, of Affton. "We're crazy Italians."

Holding each race in a strong, vibrant neighborhood has fueled the Gateway Cup's popularity by drawing local sponsorship and fan support, said Joe Torrisi, 57, who organized the first Giro della Montagna.

"It's not like you have to go to Busch Stadium or the Edward Jones Dome. You just go outside your front door," Torrisi said. "By bringing them into the neighborhoods, we brought people into the event."

Hill residents Peter and Sally Hovey said they walked with their three children to Sunday's race because they are "avid neighborhood fans" rather than avid cycling fans.

"It's a source of pride for the neighborhood," said Peter Hovey, 42. "They work hard to be welcoming."

About 600 cyclists compete each day in six different races for men and women based on ability. In Sunday's male pro-level race, about 140 riders raced for 75 minutes and then completed five laps — reaching speeds faster than 30 mph.

Also part of the event's success are the longer road rides held before the races for average cyclists and children's races, which add about 800 more participants, Torrisi said. "The beauty of this is to see it grow multilevel."

This is the first year Benton Park has hosted a leg of the cup. The longer 1.7-mile course shaped like an eight will take riders by landmarks such as the Anheuser-Busch brewery, Gus' Pretzels and Venice Cafe.

"It does make it a lot more fun" said racer Dylan Broll, 27, who drove from Kansas City to compete in the Gateway Cup for the first time. His girlfriend, Megan Pope, 25, appreciates it, too. "There's a lot of other things to do," she said. "It keeps you here all day instead of just leaving afterwards."

Director Mike Weiss said the festival-like atmosphere helps the Gateway compete with other popular Labor Day events.

"It's like a 'taste of' or like a block party," he said. "People are out not just because it's a race, but because they want to be out with their family."