Jittery Joe's excited about Georgia

It's unlikely that any of its riders will challenge for the podium, especially as 2004 winner Lance Armstrong is returning to defend his title, but the Jittery Joe's cycling team is nevertheless excited about the upcoming Tour of Georgia. The team is based in Athens, Georgia and so enjoys unique status as far as the local media are concerned.

"The amount of media we get from the Dodge Tour is more than we get the rest of the year combined," says team manager Micah Rice. "It is really an honor to just get invited to a race of this magnitude, but to be the hometown team is really special."

"This will be my third Dodge Tour, but my first with Jittery Joe's-Kalahari," says Tim Johnson, co-captain of the team. "I can't wait. It will be hard to improve on the team's stage win from last year, but we have a few surprises up our sleeve."

Last year, Jittery Joe's rider Cesar Grajales won the race's queen stage up Brasstown Bald Mountain, attacking with two kilometres to go to take his and the team's biggest ever win.

This yea, team members will be signing autographs at Hank Aaron Land Rover/Jaguar in the Augusta area the evening before the race. The team will be there from 5:30pm to 6:30pm on Monday, April 18 and directions to the dealership are at www.hankaaronauto.com.