Don’t discount a bicycle race to St. Joseph this September, the Tour of Missouri’s technical director warned Thursday.

“(It’s) deceptively difficult,” said Chuck Hodge, a main architect of the seven routes that make up the 2009 Tour of Missouri.

Race organizers divulged route details Thursday during a conference call with media.

The seven-day race starts on Sept. 7 in St. Louis and ends Sept. 13 in Kansas City. Stage 6 includes a 110-mile race from Chillicothe to St. Joseph on Sept. 12.

“On paper this may seem like a flat, leisurely ride through the country, but beware of the winds and shorter, steep climbs toward St. Joseph,” according to a route guide. “Weather could turn this simple stage into a grueling slugfest, pitting riders against each other and Mother Nature.”

Racing will start in downtown Chillicothe on Jackson Street in front of the courthouse. From there, riders will proceed northwest to Gallatin, where on Missouri Highway 6 they will encounter their first sprint competition. They’ll travel north to Pattonsburg, then take Route Z west past the windmills in King City, where organizers anticipate the highest difficulty level of the day.

“If we have a windy day — and they built the wind farm there for a reason — it could definitely break the field up,” Mr. Hodge said.

They’ll continue west toward Whitesville, then take Missouri routes D and E south and west to Savannah, where the second sprint awaits.

From Missouri Route T, riders will turn left onto Missouri Route K and climb Hoffelmeyer Hill for the stage’s only King of the Mountain competition, which is just south of Amazonia.

“For all of us who bike, it’s a killer,” said Andy Clements, assistant director of public works for St. Joseph. “But for all of the pro guys, it will be a little glitch.”

From then on, it’s a downhill race to the finish in St. Joseph. They’ll veer right onto St. Joseph Avenue, then turn left at Krug Park onto Northwest Parkway.

“I love that road. We’d like to use it more,” Mr. Hodge said of the Parkway, but medians and other technical challenges made incorporating more of it difficult.

Then they will veer right at Corby Parkway and curve around and up onto 22nd Street. Mr. Clements recommended this site as a prime spectator spot.

The riders then will take 22nd to Frederick Avenue, Frederick to Faraon Street and then Faraon to Sixth Street. From there, they will turn left onto Francis and race to the finish in front of City Hall, where riders kicked off the 2008 Tour of Missouri.

Riders previously took the Parkway south out of town toward Kansas City. Actual racing didn’t begin until they passed Bartlett Park, though.

While this year riders are scheduled to spend roughly the same amount of miles in the St. Joseph city limits, spectators are in for a more exciting show.

“It’s going to be full-blown racing all the way this time,” Mr. Clements said. “Being at the very end and being a finish, the dynamic will be very different this time.”

For more information on the race and the routes, go to www.tourofmissouri.com.

Alyson E. Raletz can be reached

at alysonraletz@npgco.com.