KANSAS CITY, Mo – One of the country’s top cycling events could come to a screeching halt. A possible state budget cut threatens the Tour of Missouri, a seven-stage September event that is scheduled to wrap up in Kansas City.
Less than two months before the race, the Department of Economic Development is proposing freezing the $1.5 million in state funding for the race. The proposal is a response to Gov. Jay Nixon’s request for departments to list different cuts.
The cut is included in a memo from Linda Martinez, the Director of the Department of Economic Development, which identifies $10 million worth of potential cuts. The amount suggested for the Tour of Missouri is nearly half of the race’s $3.3 million budget.
“It’s our understanding that if the state pulls the money, this event probably will not happen,” said Alan Carr, the Director of Communications with the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association.
Carr said the $1.5 million is a relatively small investment for the large return the event generates. In 2008, the race drew 434,000 statewide spectators. Those fans spent an estimated $29.8 million, with out-of-state tourists accounting for $15.6 million of the spending.
“It would be a big impact not to have it,” said Scott Capstack, who leads the organizing committee for the Kansas City stage of the event. “You pull in a lot of visitors. It gives a lot of exposure to the state. It is an international event.”
For the past year, Capstack and fellow organizer Andy Lucas have worked to recruit volunteers and drum up race sponsors during a down economy. They say this is a crucial time to meet their fundraising goal, but it will be a tough sales pitch with the race in flux.
“A lot of peoples’ time and energy has gone to make this happen,” Capstack said.
A Nixon spokesperson said the priority during the budget decisions will be preserving basic services. The administration will evaluate the proposed cuts in the coming weeks.
The circuit race in Kansas City is slated for September 13. However, a race route has yet to be announced, according to Carr. The local organizing committee is operating with a $150,000 budget.
