Brad Huff, Jelly Belly Cycling: Huff hasn't participated in the Gateway Cup since 2005, in part because the race conflicted with the Tour of Missouri the past three years.
"I didn't have any wins in the Gateway Cup, but the seconds and thirds enabled me to move up the ranks," he said.
Huff gained notoriety in the inaugural Tour of Missouri for a spectacular crash on the finishing straight of the final stage, from which he walked away with only bruises. This season, he has victories at the Tulsa Tough and in the criterium of the Tour de Grove. A notoriously poor climber, he earned "King of the Hill" honors at the Nature Valley Grand Prix in June.
"What an oxymoron," he said.
Dan Schmatz, Michelob Ultra/Big Shark: Schmatz also became notorious at the first Tour of Missouri. He went headfirst into the pavement after crashing into an armadillo and left the race with a broken collarbone. A graduate of Parkway West, Schmatz retired as a pro in 2007 and lives in Colorado but continues to race in events like the Gateway Cup. Schmatz won three of the four Gateway Cup races last year and is competing for his 10th consecutive year.
Scott Moninger, Michelob Ultra/Big Shark: Moninger also raced in the inaugural Tour of Missouri in 2007, then retired at the end of the season. In his career, Moninger earned 275 victories, more than any other American, most of them on American soil. He is a coach with Peaks Coaching Group in Boulder, Colo.
Daniel Holloway, Bissell Pro Cycling: Winner of the 2008 Tour de Winghaven as an amateur, Holloway last month became the U.S. Pro Criterium champion.
Kenda Pro Cycling presented by Geargrinder: Event director Mike Weiss said the team, directed by former Tour de France rider Frankie Andreu, would send a full squad to all four men's events.
Women's races: Weiss said many women who raced here last season, when the women's events were under the banner of the Tour of Missouri, would return this season. "If anything, the women's field, top to bottom, is more talented than the men's," Weiss said. Most notable is St. Louisan Carrie Cash of Team Vera Bradley.
