For the past four years, cyclists have looked to the Tour of Missouri for their fix of good racing. Despite the race's cancellation, the situation is altered only slightly this year, thanks to the Gateway Cup.
The demise of the Tour, which had been staged the past three years in early September, was emblematic of cycling's recent struggles in the United States. This year, more than a half-dozen races that attracted national and international riders have been canceled because of lack of sponsorship. Other races, such as the Gateway Cup, keep going strong.
"The Gateway Cup offers four quality days of racing in a row, and St. Louis has been behind the races," said Brad Huff, who is returning to the Gateway Cup after competing for the last three years in the Tour of Missouri. "Elites and professionals from all over the nation will come because it's so well put on."
The secret to longevity has been strong leadership and sponsorship. At the front are event director Mike Weiss and Michael Staenberg of THF Realty, the race's presenting sponsor for the past four years.
"I'm trying to fill the void left by Tour of Missouri," Staenberg said. "We've had something going for a while. We think attendance and professionalism will get better this year."
The difference between the events is in scale. Rather than featuring the best in international cycling, the Gateway Cup attracts national level riders and competitors from the Midwest hoping to move up. The state ponied up $1.5 million as title sponsor for the Tour of Missouri; THF's commitment is between $20,000 and $30,000 for Gateway, according to Weiss.
"We don't seek national media and we are our own production team," said Weiss, who also served as director of Tour of Missouri, Inc., this year. "So we can keep costs lower."
Staenberg's total commitment to cycling exceeds seven figures, considering that for more than a decade, he has backed such projects as:
• Mesa Cycling's junior program and the Big Shark cycling team.
• Trail Net rides and projects.
• The Penrose Park Velodrome.
• The white jersey for the best young rider in the 2008 Tour of Missouri.
• The Rumble to the River, which raised $250,000 for the Variety Club and Ronald McDonald House.
• A team in the MS 150 fundraiser. His group was the top contributor last year but he was not the biggest donor on his own team, "which makes me prouder than almost anything else."
Each project shares the goals that Staenberg and Weiss set for the Gateway Cup: to promote biking in St. Louis and for kids while promoting the area's neighborhoods as "great little pockets," Weiss said. Each project also echoes the acronym behind THF, the name of the commercial real estate company Staenberg founded with Rams owner Stan Kroenke in 1991: To Have Fun.
"There's really no economic benefit," Staenberg said. "Nobody shops at our centers more. We're not like Build-A-Bear or Michelob Ultra. Nobody is going to run out and buy our product because we're in cycling. I guess what we're selling is giving back and inspiring others to give back."
Unlike the Tour of Missouri, which spanned hundreds of miles over state roads, each 'stage" of the Gateway Cup is more of an independent event. The races are held on loop courses ranging from 1 to 1.7 miles, on which riders complete multiple laps. Racing will return to Lafayette Park tonight, Francis Park on Saturday and the Hill on Sunday but will venture for the first time to Benton Park for the finale Monday.
"We wanted to have a local community/small business district to create another win/win," Weiss said. "Benton Park has every characteristic we like and the opportunity to create a slightly more technical and longer course than the other venues. It's a winner."
