All professional sports are expensive, and sponsorship plays a key role in being able to produce high quality events. 
Unlike traditional team sports such as baseball, basketball and football, cycling teams are named for their sponsors.  In addition, the jerseys worn by professional cycling teams are adorned with a variety of logos.  But there is much more significance to jerseys than just the logos.
The best known jerseys are probably the  "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_jersey" \o "Yellow jersey" yellow jersey from the "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_France" \o "Tour de France" Tour de France and  "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maglia_rosa" \o "Maglia rosa" pink jersey from the  "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giro_d%27Italia" \o "Giro d'Italia" Giro d'Italia. These jerseys were given the same color as the paper their original main  "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponsor" \o "Sponsor" sponsors (both sports newspapers) were printed on: yellow and pink paper, respectively. The significance of these jerseys is the cyclist donning the jersey is the race leader. 
Because of the popularity of the Tour de France most multi-day stage races, like the Tour of Missouri, use a yellow jersey. 
In addition to the race leader’s jersey, other jerseys hold significance throughout a multi-day stage race.  In the Tour of Missouri, five different jerseys will be awarded each day. 
The first is the yellow jersey of the race leader.  This is the most important one, as it is worn by the rider with the lowest cumulative time for the race. 
Next is the King of the Mountain (KOM) Jersey, which is polka dot for the Tour de France.  Along the route are certain mountains with points awarded to the individuals reaching the summit.  Some stages will have no mountains while other will have three or more.  The rider with the most points derived from the mountains is awarded the KOM Jersey.
Points are also awarded for sprint lines throughout the daily ride.  Most stages will have at least one sprint point, and the rider with the most points derived from sprints is awarded the Sprint Jersey, which is green in the Tour de France. 
The rider under the age of 25 with the lowest cumaltive time is awarded the Youngest Rider Jersey, which is typically white.  Many races also award a Most Aggressive Rider Jersey given to the rider displaying the most courage or determination. 
Cyclists will also wear jerseys representing other significant victories such as the National Champion of a country or the World Champion.  So when watching the Tour of Missouri as it rolls into Rolla look for the various jerseys.  Also take the opportunity to see the awards ceremony where the jerseys are handed out to each rider.  Then when visiting St. James the next morning, you may be able to get his autograph. 
The Family Fun Ride for July 22 in St. James.  The ride will begin at 6:00 PM at the Plaza which is located at the intersection of Washington and Highway 68.  The ride will consist of between 3 and 5 miles of easy riding.
(Scott Caron, director of the The Centre, Rolla’s Recreational and Health Complex, is also the chairman of the Tour of Missouri local organizing committee.)