Bommarito Audi West County Gateway Cup Professional Bicycle Races

Gateway Cup concludes the American Criterium Cup in St. Louis on Labor Day weekend. Its signature Sunday race, the Giro Della Montagna, takes place on The Hill, the city’s Italian neighborhood. This professional criterium involves riders completing multiple laps on closed streets for approximately 70 minutes. The women's race occurs in the late afternoon, followed by the men's. The Giro, established in 1986, has a significant history in Midwest bike racing, with one cancellation because of the pandemic. The course is a one-mile rectangle featuring four corners and just under 40 feet of elevation gain per lap. The key section is the backstretch, where the road ascends between turns two and three. This incline requires sprinters to contend for position earlier than on a flatter course. A rider typically must be in first or second place by the final corner to contend for the win. The Hill neighborhood contributes to the event's character with its piazza, Italian eateries, gelati shops, and strong Italian-American heritage, including connections to Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola. Joe Torrisi, a longtime resident of The Hill, originally organized the Giro, which later became the main event of the Gateway Cup.