I am volunteering as a traveling course marshal for the first time ever here at the Tour of Missouri and I am having a blast!!! I want to thank anybody who e-mailed or called the Gov. in support. I have been at it for two days now and I just wanted to comment on how great the crowds are. They are wonderfull. People who know nothing about the sport of cycling have turned out to support the race. They are asking questions and willing to look at this sport with a new appreciation. All the people I have been able to talk to have all been either current cycling fans or people who wanted to come out and see what all the hoopla is about. I can not say enough as to how incredible it has been to get to talk to people who are new to the sport about how it plays out. The high light of my day was talking to a group of 8th grade girls who were allowed out of school just to watch and could only ask excitedly how much longer before they saw the riders. I asked them if they knew what the were going to see today. They replied no and were happy to listen as I explained who was who and there positions. I had a spare cow bell which they got a kick out of after I told them it was a very European thing to do. They loved it. Their dads were willing to talk shop about a sport which they normally picked football over on any given Sunday & were willing to appreciate what these athletes go through to race. There were kids watching of all ages at a lot of locations and even high school marching bands. As we drove through the country away from towns we were seeing old and young a like grabing their front porch chairs to watch the race go buy. People were waiving and cheering at every race vehicle that went by including the police. In St. Louis while trying to manage traffic control people were just as curious and some were being helpful to the marshals lending an extra hand. It was great to see people from all walks of life standing next to each other sharing in the excitement of what they were watching. While the race circuited the city everybody spoke to each other with out judgement or stereotypes. It was amazing. The cyclist are something else as well. They are for the most part approachable and appreciate the attention even in the small towns. Even though they haven't been to the TDF, team Jelly Belly are a pr dream. They are very patient and welcoming of their fans. I love being able to see Garmin,Columbia & Astana and the whole list TDF competitors in my own back yard. Wow Wow Wow! I look forward to the poeple I will meet as I help course marshal and travel from town to town the rest of the week. For any one who is a cycling fan who can get here I recommend catching a stage and contacting Gov. Nixon to say thanks and hope to see it next year. I hope everyone gets the chance to volunteer at an event like this. Once again thanks to anybody who contacted Nixon and thanks for anyone who reads this and lets me share!!!!!-G
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