It’s back! In its 36th year, The Gateway Cup — Missouri’s top bicycle racing event will take place the four days during Labor Day weekend in four different St. Louis city neighborhoods.
And for the fifth year, it will be featured on the USA Cycling Professional Road Tour which is the premier professionally sanctioned racing series in North America.
From Aug. 30 – Sept. 2, The Gateway Cup will take over Lafayette Square, St. Louis Hills — Francis Park, The Hill, and Benton Park with spectators and hundreds of cyclists from all over the world.
Within each of these host communities, the racecourse is defined by an approximate one-mile lap known as a criterium. This Americanized style of racing appeals to athletes and spectators alike as the peloton, or pack of cyclists, passes by every few minutes at impressive speeds, holding lines only inches apart from one another. Spectators watch the race unfold lap after lap as the commentators announce race strategy and rev up the crowd, creating a better understanding and involvement with the events. Each community brings its own flair to add to the race day events.
The Gateway Cup features eight successive races each day based on ability — ranging from beginner to professional. Each day is punctuated by the Men’s and Women’s Pro-Am Racing. In this race, 150 of the nation’s top cyclists propel themselves around corners averaging 30 mph towards a dramatic, thrilling sprint finish. Racers will compete for $70,000 in prize money. Due to the equal prize list for pro men and pro women, the Gateway Cup is a top draw for the best women in the sport.
Event organizer and sponsor Mike Weiss of Big Shark Bicycle Company and volunteers continue to grow this event each year spending countless hours in prep time and nary a wink of sleep during the whirlwind days of the event.
With past and current national champion cyclists, Olympic cyclists and racers with international standings, “having an event of this caliber in Missouri and the city of St. Louis is great for the region,” Weiss said in a statement.
Find up-to-date information on race standings, times of races, family-friendly events and more online at gatewaycup.com
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