TKC BREAKING NEWS!!! FUNDING FOR TOUR OF MISSOURI SOON TO BE COMPLETELY CUT DURING BROKEASS BUDGET BLOWOUT!!!

These are harsh times in the Show-Me State.

Education funding is being cut along with a number of entitlements. Sadly, they're no money to pay for a lame bike race with a bunch of phony numbers touting a positive economic impact.

To wit, SOME RATHER WELL INFORMED AND AWESOME TKC READERS are noting a simple fact.

THERE'S NO MONEY TO WASTE ON THE TOUR OF MISSOURI DURING THE GREAT RECESSION AND AMID SO MANY OTHER HEARTBREAKING BUDGET CUTS!!!

So, unless there is some overwhelming outpouring of sympathy from self-absorbed cycling dweebs . . . THERE ISN'T GOING TO BE MISSOURI FUNDING FOR THE TOUR OF MISSOURI!!!

For my part, I'm not going to cry about the loss of support for this event that's not even as entertaining as Sophie Monk riding a bike in a bikini top. While there have already been some impassioned pleas from people who can see the writing on the wall for the heavily subsidized tour, I defy anyone to argue that losing the race is a big deal in light of so many other instances of belt tightening. So while Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder is backing off his support of his pet project and asking private donors to pick up the slack, it's doubtful that the public will pitch in. The modus operandi for most cycling advocates is to leave taxpayers on the hook for their hobby. Now that Missouri can't afford to pay for a statewide cycling party we've come to a very rare example of the upper-class forced to do without one of their amenities as we continue to roll through financial harsh times.