This past September I made a point to go shoot the final stage of the 2009 Tour of Missouri which was held in Kansas City. The final stage was a 72-mile circuit race that worked its way around downtown Kansas City. I made a point of driving the course the weekend prior to the race to decide in advance my shot locations. The great thing about a circuit race is that you have multiple opportunities to catch the riders during the race. I opted to capture the start of the race at Crown Center and then make my way up to 17th and Summit at the top of one of the hill climbs then high-tailed it back to Union Station as my third and final location.
The day started out overcast, but finally gave way to sunshine for the second half of the race. It was great to see so many people come out and support a truly great event for Kansas City and the State of Missouri. While at the time, a 2010 Tour was in jeopardy of falling victim to State budget cuts, in the end it was decided that the State stood to loose more money from breach of contract lawsuits should they decide not to fund it. So it looks like the there will be a 2010 race!
Nikon D700 | 24-70 mm f.28 | 70-200mm f2.8
