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Tour de Georgia - 2.1
USA, April 19-24, 2005
Main Page Results & report Stage Details Previous Stage
Stage 6 - April 24: Blairsville/Union County to Alpharetta, 201.5km
Commentary by Kristy Scrymgeour, with additional reporting from Mark Zalewski and Eddie Monnier
Complete live report
12:24 EDT
Welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage
of the final stage of the 2005 Dodge Tour de Georgia. Its another cold and windy
day out there today at the start line and at the finish. Today riders start
in a town called Blairsville which is about 2000ft in elevation in Appalachian
country, and go through rolling terrain and the Piney Woods of western Georgia
gradually dropping 1000ft in elevation for a flat finish towards Alpharetta.
On the start line its 42 degrees and most of the riders have been hiding in
their team buses/cars until just before the start to stay warm. They are starting
to emerge now to sign on and line up. There is still a fair crowd up here in
the land of NASCAR fans, to watch the riders roll out. Before the real start,
the riders will complete a 6.5km parade lap before hitting the 0km mark at the
start line again at Meeks Park.
12:32 EDT
The riders have now rolled off for
their parade lap and in about eight minutes the race proper should start. No
hang on, their are not starting just yet. There is a delay.
12:36 EDT
Most of the riders are pretty tired
today after two tough days, made epic by not only the terrain, but the weather.
An amazing ride by young Tom Danielson yesterday puts him in yellow today, so
Discovery are out there to control the race somewhat and protect the lead today.
12:39 EDT
They will not have to do it alone
though as another team out there has a jersey to protect and that is Health
Net and the sprint jersey. Sprint leader Greg Henderson and his teammate Gord
Fraser were kind enough to let our reporter Mark Zalewski into their team bus
this morning to warm up. Silly Mark didn't being any warm clothes did he!
Gord said that their main aim today is to keep the sprint jersey. There are
two sprints today. One at 137km and the other at 162km. This will mean that
they have to chase down potential threats up until then or hope for a breakaway
that contains no riders in contention of the sprint jersey. Fraser comments
that they are hoping for the latter.
12:46 EDT
We also spoke to young Trent Lowe
today whose amazing ride into 7th place in yesterdays stage allowed him to stay
on top in the battle for the U23 jersey between him and Saul Raisin. He said
"I feel like I've got a hang over today," he laughed. "You know how you feel
after going out a few nights in a row, well I feel like that but without having
gone out. My only job today is to stay with Saul."
12:57 EDT
Apart from protecting leaders jerseys
and sprint jerseys, it will be a battle today between other teams who would
really like a stage win on this last day. There will no doubt be many attacks
by the domestic US times who would love to get their name on the board and of
course there are many Euro teams who would also love a result here. We still
have Andrea Tafi (Prodir - Saunier Duval) yet to get a stage win and he specifically
told Cyclingnews on the first day that his aim was to get that stage win before
he retires.
12:59 EDT
The race did not actually roll out
on time today. They were delayed, I think due to some cars on the course that
they needed to move. They have now just reached the 0km mark for the official
start and they are now rolling out of town with Discovery on the front.
13:05 EDT
Over in Europe of course. Liège-Bastogne-Liège
has just finished and it was a very exciting race. Don't worry, I'm not going
to give anything away for those of you who want to watch it later, or of course
read the full live report by Jeff Jones on Cyclingnews!
13:07 EDT
The pace is pretty steady out on the
road in Georgia. All the riders are rugged up to stay warm on another very cold
day. A bit different to last years conditions. They will have a few hills to
climb soon which will help to warm them up as well.
13:12 EDT 8km/193.5km to go
Just rolling along
out there at the moment at the beginning of another long day in the saddle.
The whole Discovery team is on the front with the whole Prodir team tucked in
behind them followed by the Health Net team.
13:14 EDT
I think one of the teams to watch
for a stage win today will be LPR. Their sprinter Danilo Napolitano won eight
races last year in Europe as an Espoir and has already won five races this year
with LPR. Perhaps the uphill nature of the finish line today might not be his
preferred finishing style, but he is certainly one to watch.
13:16 EDT
The finish of todays race consists
of six laps of a 5.9km (3.65mile) loop. The riders will have a chance to get
used to the finish line after 6 laps of course. The last 2-300 meters to the
finish is uphill with about a 4% grade. It will be an exciting finish.
13:19 EDT
Last year Gord Fraser was the victor
of the final stage in Alpharetta and perhaps if he's feeling well enough at
the end, Health Net might go for the stage win, but as Gord did say this morning,
their main aim is to keep Henderson in the sprint jersey.
13:21 EDT
After yesterdays stage the top ten
riders in GC are:
1 Tom Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel 21.54.44
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner 0.04
3 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing
Systems 0.09
4 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC 1.10
5 Lance Armstrong
(USA) Discovery Channel 1.41
6 David Zabriskie (USA) Team CSC 3.04
7 Marco Pinotti (Ita) Prodir - Saunier Duval 3.11
8 Nathan O'Neill (Aus)
Navigators Insurance 3.14
9 Michael Blaudzun (Den) Team CSC 3.51
10
José Azevedo (Por) Discovery Channel 3.58
Yesterday was an amazing
race for Danielson. Of course everybody knew he had the talent, but yesterday
he proved that he could pull of a result under pressure.
13:31 EDT 16km/185.5km to go
The field has pretty
much stopped now at mile ten for a "nature break" and things are just starting
to get moving again as we reach the highest point of the day and enter Fannin
County.
13:34 EDT 19km/182.5km to go
Discovery is back
on the front now as the race heads down a descent. The road is very smooth and
perfect, having been recently repaved. The cows are out on the side of the road,
looking up occasional at the array of colours, as men with shaved legs go by
in lycra! Must be a new sight for them I would say.
13:46 EDT
The situation remains the same in
the race. I'm guessing that we will have a few attacks in the not too distant
future, however its a long way to go out their and a lot of tired souls. It
may well be that we'll have to wait for the second half of the race before we
see any action at all.
13:52 EDT 32km/169.5km to go
Still all together
and they have averaged 23miles/hour (36km/h) so far. They are rolling through
beautiful valleys and I would say the riders are happy they are rolling through
the valleys and not over the hills. The race is following a river and people
are out on the side of the road again.
13:53 EDT
Its still cold, the temperature currently
reading 45 degrees. Thats about 7 degrees for all those non Americans reading
this report. But the sun is out.
14:04 EDT
Meanwhile in the town of Alpharetta
where the race finishes today, the crowds are starting to gather. Its cold and
windy, but as I said, the sun is out and I believe we will get a huge crowd
for the finish of this last stage, remembering that it will be the last chance
for many people to see Lance in action in the USA.
14:05 EDT
A little history on Alpharetta that
I grabbed from the town website, which is called www.awesomealpharetta.com!
"From the North Georgia Mountains to the Chattahoochee River along a Cherokee
Indian trail, a tiny village named New Prospect Camp Ground was formed. This
village, made up of tents, a log school, and arbor became a trading post where
Indians and white settlers exchanged their goods. The surrounding countryside
provided excellent farming land, especially for cotton. On December 11, 1857,
the town was chartered and became the county seat of Milton County. The town
was renamed Alpharetta from the Greek words "alpha" meaning first and "retta"
meaning town. In 1932, Milton County was merged into Fulton County."
14:09 EDT 44.8km/156.7km to go
Discovery still
manning the front of the peloton. The paced picked up for a while to 27m/h but
it is back down now and the average is still 23m/h.
14:12 EDT
Credit Agricole are up near the front.
They might have a few digs later on in the race and try to get Saul Raisin up
the road in pursuit of the young riders jersey. Raisin also had a great ride
yesterday, finishing 13th in the stage and is only 31 seconds behind Trent Lowe
in the U23 classification.
14:17 EDT 50km/151.5km to go
Fifty kilomters
into the race now as we head over some rolling hills. The wind is strong and
it is pretty much a direct crosswind, but there are a lot of trees around to
protect the bunch a little bit. Discovery is still on the front and the pace
is picking up a little bit and the field is more strung out now.
14:19 EDT
Another one bites the dust for Colavita
as Derek Wilkonson abandons the race now. The peloton is down to 82 riders for
the last stage.
14:20 EDT
At the start line today in Blairsville,
the home town of famous NASCAR driver Bill Elliot (also known as Million Dollar
Billy), Elliot was actually out near the start with his NASCAR for the fans
to get a look.
14:23 EDT
Down in Alpharetta at the moment,
the temperature is 52 degrees. With the wind chill factor its about 47 degrees,
with the wind blowing at 29km/h (18m/h).
14:28 EDT
With the riders now past the 50km
mark, feeding is allowed from the cars. Soon the riders will have another relatively
small climb as they hit the Dawson county line at the 67km mark. From there
it is basically downhill with rollers along the way.
14:35 EDT 59km/142.5km to go
The race has recently
left the Chattahoochee National Forest, which was really quite beautiful and
they are now out in the open, currently passing an apple orchard. With the sun
shining, being out of the shade of the forest will help warm things up for the
riders.
14:37 EDT
We are on a pretty main road now with
Discovery still on the front and the average speed still the same at 37km/h
(23.4m/h). There are no time bonuses in todays stage, so we won't see any action
in the sprints for GC riders trying to move up.
14:40 EDT
Apparently NASCAR driver Bill Elliot's
hometown is Dawsonville, not Blairsville. Dawsonville is actually a town not
far off the road where the riders are passing right now.
14:48 EDT 67km/134.5km to go
We have a pretty
big drop down as we go downhill and drop about 500m at the Dawson County line.
Discovery still at the front setting the pace.
14:50 EDT
After losing his leaders jersey yesterday
by nine seconds on that horribly steep part of the climb up to Brasstown Bald
yesterday, Floyd Landis was in good spirits on the start line today. He rugged
up in his thermal jacket for the race, but looking good.
14:53 EDT
A few emails from readers to give
us a more current nickname for Bill Elliot. According to Lamar Mauney who riders
for the Land Rover/Siemens Home Appliances Devo Cycling Team: "It is actually
"Awesome Bill from Dawsonville"...."Million Dollar Bill" is a bit dated - I
think that came from 1998, the year Winston offered a million dollar bonus for
anyone that could win the three super-speedway races that year.
14:57 EDT
Back to commentary about Cycling!
I would say it is quite an honour for Danielson to be in a position where Lance
Armstrong is now working for him. It was great teamwork on the mountain yesterday
with Lance attacking on Brasstown Bald setting up the move for Danielson and
later sitting on the wheel of Landis in the final kilometers forcing Landis
to have to chase to protect his lead. Again today Lance, although sitting in
fifth position will be working for Danielson to protect the yellow jersey. Discovery
also took over the lead in the Teams Classification yesterday from CSC, and
will hope to also keep that lead, but of course Danielson's yellow jersey is
the most important thing.
15:02 EDT
The peloton is now traveling at 13m/h
(20.8km/h) as they go up a small climb. Discovery still lead.
15:06 EDT
As well as the yellow jersey and the
teams classification, Discovery also have the Mountain jersey with Jose Rubiera.
Of course if you were paying attention, Rubiera claimed the Mountain jersey
during his long breakaway on stage 4 and also got points on one of yesterdays
climbs with the help of Ekimov. He leads the mountain classification by 16 points
from Sven Krauss (Gerolsteiner) and is on no danger of losing it as their are
no mountain sprints in todays stage.
15:12 EDT
I really haven't said all that much
about Gerolsteiner this week, but of course they have had a very successful
week. With the stage win by Peter Wrolich on day two and Levi's impressive performance
up Brasstown Bald yesterday, I'm pretty sure the team would be very happy with
their tour so far.
15:18 EDT
A few readers have been asking whether
Lance will go for the Sprint jersey today, seeing that he is second in the sprint
classification at the moment, only four points behind Henderson. In my opinion,
and I could be wrong, I don't believe Lance will go for it. It will be important
for Danielson to have his whole team protecting him today, especially in the
circuits at the end where he will need to be safe and he'll also need to finish
in the front group without losing any time.
15:23 EDT 91km/110.5km to go
We are about an
hour and 20 minutes from reaching Alpharetta at the moment. I would say the
crowds on the finishing circuit number about 10,000 at the moment and of course
more coming. Out on the road its status quo. Rubiera just took at turn on the
front and basically it Discovery in Tour de France mode today with the whole
team lined up at the front, but this time with Tommy D in yellow.
15:27 EDT
Only a few kilometers from the feed
zone now, so riders will be getting ready to have their lunch. Its sloooowly
getting a little warmer in Alpharetta, now at 55 degrees. At least the riders
will be happy that the sun is out and there is no chance of rain, or snow for
that matter.
15:31 EDT 95.5km/106km to go
We have just gone
past the feed zone and are turning left at the Handy Corner Convenience store.
I guess if the riders missed their feed they can drop in their for anything
they need!
15:32 EDT
Our Stage One winner, Robbie Hunter
has abondoned the race at the feed zone. The Phonak boys has a hard couple of
days on the front, defending the yellow jersey in the mountains!
15:36 EDT
An update on young Ted King from the
US National team. Ted crashed yesterday as he started a descent on Unicoi Gap
and was airlifted to hospital from the top of the mountain. After initial concerns
of spinal chord damage, extensive testing including a CT scan proved Ted to
be clear of any major injuries. He has some road rash of course, but apart from
that he is going to be just fine. They kept him in hospital overnight, but just
for precautionary measures as he had hit his head.
15:38 EDT 100km/101.5km to go
It seems the Symmetrics
team car has somehow found their way off-course and have called for Mavic to
take care of the riders until they find their way back to the caravan. Perhaps
they stopped for some chocolate at the Handy Corner Store!
15:40 EDT 101km/100.5km to go
WOW, Finally we
have an attack and guess who it is!! Andrea Tafi (Saunier Duval) of course.
He has 11 seonds at this point and there is no reaction from the field.
15:41 EDT
He is certainly not going to end this
tour without at least trying for his stage win!
15:43 EDT
Out on the course, hundreds of volunteers
are again out in force helping to keep this race safe for the riders. Our correspondent
Mark Zalewski is from Indiana and says that he has just past a friend of his
who came all the way from Indiana to volunteer at this race. So a shout out
to Matt Moore and thanks to all those volunteers out there.
15:47 EDT 106.4km/95.1km to go
Danny Pate (Jelly
Belly/PoolGel) has bridged to Tafi and the pair have a 15" gap on two chasers,
Sven Krauss (Gerolsteiner) and Dominique Perras (Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada)
with another 15" back to the bunch.
15:49 EDT 108km/93.5km to go
Perras and Krauss
have now caught Tafi and Pate and so we have a group of four, 25 seconds ahead
of the field. The group is working together in a paceline, very well together.
15:50 EDT
Danny Pate is the highest on GC out
of the group, but he is almost nine minutes down and not a threat to GC. Discovery
are on the front of the peloton but they wouldn't be worried about this break.
This would be a good situation for them and also for Health Net.
15:53 EDT 110km/91.5km to go
Just over half way
into the race, the break of four now have 1'15" on the peloton.
15:56 EDT 115km/86.5km to go
The gap is increasing
quite quickly with no chase from the bunch and is now at 1'40". The terrain
is only slightly rolling now as we head closer to Alpharetta.
16:01 EDT
A breakaway is non-GC contenders is
always good for a team trying to protect their lead because once a break is
up the road it is unlikely that other attacks will go which allows them to relax
a little and just set the pace. If the break stays away, that is perfect for
them because the finish in the bunch will be safer and their job of protecting
Danielson, keeping him safe and also making sure he finishes right up their
in the bunch is a lot easier.
16:02 EDT
The gap is now 2'30" and rising.
16:06 EDT 120km/81.5km to go
The riders in the
break are now shedding their layers as this hard work has obviously warmed them
up a little. The Gerolsteiner and Jelly Belly car are up with the break, and
Tafi and Perras are handing their clothes to the Mavic Neutral support team.
16:06 EDT
Incidentally, the Symmetrics team
must have figured out how to work their GPS system as they have made it back
into the caravan!
16:09 EDT 123km/78.5km to go
The gap is now 3'05"
and the breakaway is working very well together. Back in the bunch the Discovery
guys who are doing the majority of work are Azevedo, McCartney and Rubiera,
but they wouldn't be too worried about this.
16:11 EDT
Its flat and rolling, well flat for
Georgia anyway. We are only about 15km to the first Maxxis sprint of the day.
Health Net would be happy for this break to stay away so that they don't have
to worry about contesting the sprints to protect Henderson's lead.
16:18 EDT 127km/74.5km to go
Lance has just been
back to his team car to chat with Johan Bruyneel but is now back in the field.
Only about 5km from the sprint now. There is a $2500 prize bonus for this sprint
and the break now has a lead of 3'15" so one of these riders in the break will
take that.
16:22 EDT
The gap is holding at 3'15" now. The
points on the sprint line are 5 for the winner, three for second place and one
for third, but like I said, nobody in this break is a threat to the sprint jersey.
Sven Krauss is the closest, but he is still 21 points behind.
16:23 EDT
Someone has broken away from the break!
The sprint is a wide open road. Its Perras who attacked to go for the $2500
and he has taken the sprint. The other three didn't really contest it and they
are now all back together working to keep this break away.
16:25 EDT
The sprint results are Perras, followed
by Pate and Krauss.
16:29 EDT 142km/59.5km to go
We have another
20km before the next sprint which is actually outside the Town Hall in Alpharetta
and just before we start the finishing circuits.
16:30 EDT
The gap has come down a little as
is now at three minutes.
16:34 EDT
The LPR team has now moved to the
front of the peloton to set pace. Perhaps they want that stage win for Napolitano
today and are going to do the work to bring this break back.
16:37 EDT
I just talked with Cyclingnews correspondent
Eddie Monnier who is riding in the Mavic neutral support vehicle today. He said
he caught up with Phonak DS, René Savary, this morning on the start line who
said that of course Phonak were disappointed after yesterdays stage, being such
a close finish, but overall they are happy with the Tour. Two stage wins and
with Landis wearing the yellow jersey for two stages is a successful race.
16:41 EDT
The gap is 3'10" now and some of the
Navigators riders have moved to the front of the peloton to help out LPR.
16:43 EDT
As if I have to tell you this but
there are certainly some pretty dedicated Lance fans out there. I have just
had an email from one such fan from Toronto, Canada who wrote:
"After
Armstrong's announcement before the start of TdG, my girlfriend and I hopped
in the car and made the 19+ hour drive from Toronto Ont, to see Lance ride on
home turf for possibly the last time. We stayed in Dalonghea ( sp?) for a night,
rode up wolf's gap and saw them there, rode down, to the 2km to finish marker,
saw them climb up the last little rise, then races ourselves into town to see
them finish.
What a day !!!! The we hopped back into our car and drove
another 19+ hours back to Canada in time to make it to my best friends wedding!!!!!!
And I would do it all again!!!!"
16:46 EDT 150km/51.5km to go
The gap is falling
now as we are about 20 minutes from Alpharetta. The break is still working well
together with Tafi really powering it. The gap is coming down however, and is
now at 2'30" with LPR doing the work in the chase.
16:50 EDT 153km/48.5km to go
About 10km till
the next sprint now and the gap has come down to two minutes and falling. LPR
are really keen to turn this into a bunch sprint for their sprinter Napolitano.
16:53 EDT 158km/43.5km to go
Tafi still taking
long hard pulls but the gap is coming down with 5km to go till the next sprint.
16:56 EDT
The sprint is on a four lane wide
Boulevarde. The average speed is 24.1km at this stage. Before the sprint is
a small dip leading into a slight right and its a slight rise up to the sprint
line.
The gap is 1'50". I'm afraid its going to be close, but I would
say this break has a big chance of getting caught when we hit the circuits.
16:59 EDT 161km/40.5km to go
LPR still doing
all the work back in the bunch. Health Net have been able to have an easier
day so far but when this break gets caught they are going to have to start working
for Henderson to keep that sprint jersey. I believe the sprint points on the
finish line are 15 points for the winner.
17:01 EDT 163km/38.5km to go
Pate is really trying
to power this break now along with Tafi and has taken a really strong pull just
near the sprint line. Back in the bunch LPR are on the front and a couple of
Health Net riders have started to move up. The gap is now 1'15".
17:02 EDT 164km/37.5km to go
The gap is falling
quickly now and is at 1'05" as they race is about to hit the circuits for the
first of six laps.
17:03 EDT
The winner of the sprint was Pate,
followed by Perras and Tafi. Looks like another disappointing stage win attempt
for Tafi!
17:04 EDT
The breakaway has hit the circuits
now. They are still working hard but we still have 35km to go.
17:04 EDT 167km/34.5km to go
The circuit is 5.9km
in length and is rolling terrain on wide open roads. Its going to be very fast!
17:07 EDT
LPR have done the work so far, but
I would say they are going to have their work cut out for them. Greg Henderson
(Health Net) is very strong this year and in an attempt to keep his sprint jersey
will be going to the stage win.
17:07 EDT
LPR are still on the front as the
peloton hit the circuits and Credit Agricole is up their with them followed
by Discovery who will be looking after Danielson.
17:08 EDT
The break is at 54" now as they are
on the first lap of the circuit. They are at the U-turn now at the bottom of
the circuit.
17:09 EDT
Tafi is on the front of the break
driving it and they can see the break on the other side of the circuit now.
17:10 EDT
Pate rolls through now to do a turn.
The gap is now 45". As the peloton passed them Tafi sat up and jokingly gave
the field "the bird."
17:11 EDT
The peloton is all strung out now
and moving fast. LPR still on the front. Pate still driving the break as we
near the finish line for five laps to go. The break is 50".
17:12 EDT 172km/29.5km to go
They are riding
through the finish line with Tafi leading. Pate on his wheel followed by Krauss
and Perras. They are not going to give this up.
17:12 EDT
The gap is back down to 45"!
17:13 EDT
Here comes the peloton through the
finish line to see 5 laps to go. One Credit Agricole guy at the front with five
LPR riders. Discovery tucked in behind led by Rubiera.
17:13 EDT
The crowd is hude and LOUD!
17:15 EDT
They did that last lap in 8'08" seconds.
Its fast! The gap is holding at 50". Its an amazing effort by these four guys
in the break.
17:17 EDT
The gap is holding at 50 seconds till
on this second lap of six finishing circuits.
17:18 EDT
LPR still on the front with Discovery
just behind them. Health Net riders Gord Fraser and Greg Henderson are just
behind them and they look good.
17:19 EDT
Perras in on the front of the break
now and Pate pulling through. He has his head down and is driving it! Not long
before they come through the finish line again.
17:20 EDT 178km/23.5km to go
500meters until
the finish line and they will see four laps to go. Tafi is on the front again
going up the hill.
17:21 EDT
All four riders in the break are working
hard together. They all want this break to hold and of course Tafi wants it
more than the rest!
17:23 EDT
The gaps coming down again now. Its
at 30". Health Net have now moved up with LPR.
17:24 EDT 180km/21.5km to go
The whole Health
Net squad have moved up to the front now. They really need to get Henderson
set up here as they have their sprint jersey to protect. They'll also be aiming
to win this stage at the same time. You'll remember that this is the stage Gord
won last year on the same finishing circuit, so they know it well.
17:25 EDT
Pate on the front of the break now.
They still have 30". They will want to bring this back right at the last minute
to prevent to many counter attacks.
17:26 EDT
The crowd is at least the same size
as last year, if not bigger and they are screamers! They know how to make some
noise.
17:27 EDT
Tafi pulling through now on the other
side of the course. They have just rounded the U-turn and are coming back up
towards the finish line. The gap is 25".
17:27 EDT
When they come through the finish
line they will see three laps to go.
17:28 EDT 182.5km/19km to go
LPR still doing
a lot of work on the front. Gerolsteiner are also up there. The gap is 21"
17:29 EDT 183km/18.5km to go
Coming through the
finish line now. Three laps to go. Tafi on the front of the break. Health Net
on the front of the peloton.
17:30 EDT 185km/16.5km to go
Moninger on the
front with LPR behind. The rest of the Health Net team moving up again as they
pass the finish line. Will the break make another lap?
17:30 EDT
This break is not going to stay away
but they are doing an amazing job of staying out there.
17:31 EDT
The gap has got to be under 20 seconds
right now by the look of it. Pate attacking the front of the break now. Krauss
trying to go with him!!!!
17:32 EDT
Former U23 World Time Trial Champion
Danny Pate using his time trialing talents.
17:33 EDT
Pate has split up the this break.
17:34 EDT
Tafi has been caught by the peloton!
17:34 EDT
Pate is still out there and Krauss
is with him!
17:35 EDT
Pate is leading Krauss with about
1km to the finish line. When they get there they'll see two laps to go. Pate
is powering. 20" is the gap.
17:36 EDT 189.8km/11.7km to go
Perras dangling
in between. looks like he's going to get caught by the bunch. Pate still driving
it and now has a bike length gap on Krauss. The gap is falling though. Its 12"
now.
17:37 EDT
The gap is ten seconds as the peloton
come through the finish line. Two laps to go. Pate soldiers on. Perras still
dangling but getting caught right now. Pate and Krauss only have five seconds
now.
17:38 EDT
LPR on the front now and Discovery
is right up there tucked in safely.
17:38 EDT
Coming up to ten kilometers to go
now, what an exciting finish.
17:39 EDT
Grouppo Compacto. Pate and Krauss
have been caught and the race is all together now. A Health Net rider on the
front with LPR.
17:41 EDT
Mainly LPR on the front with a couple
of Health Net riders. Discovery just behind and the rest of the Health Net team
behind them getting ready to move up.
17:41 EDT
LPR riders are out of the saddle and
driving it. Its fast and the field its strung out. When they come through this
time they will have one lap to go!
17:42 EDT
Governor Purdue is up on the stage
watching the race. He previously addressed the crowd saying how exciting it
was to have a bike race here is Alpharetta!
17:43 EDT
Still altogether now. No counter attacks
at this point. Its too fast. A long line at the front with LPR reall driving
the pace. Their sprinter Napolitano is tucked in there ready to strut his stuff.
17:44 EDT
He's already won five races in Europe
this year, but he will have a challenge from Health Net.
17:45 EDT 194km/7.5km to go
Still single file
here. The pace is very high. They have about 1.5km to the finish line for a
km to go.
17:45 EDT
Lance has floated to the back of the
peloton now. There is a slight gap at the front with a Profir rider. Its Tafi
again. He doesn't give up this guy!
17:46 EDT 196km/5.5km to go
One lap to go now!
Tafi had about a 50m gap when he came through the finish.
17:46 EDT
Tafi is caught. The field is single
file front from head to tail. Danielson is in there looking safe!
17:48 EDT
The pace is really high, still all
together. LPR still at the front followed by Landis. Landis is now setting pace
at the front.
17:49 EDT 198km/3.5km to go
They are on the other
side of the circuit now. Floyd still on the front. It is way too fast for any
attacks. Chris Wherry (Health Net) now on the front. Three kilomters to go!
17:49 EDT
Wherry driving it at the front. Landis
just behind him followed by Ekimov.
17:50 EDT
CSC moving to the front now. They
are at the bottom of the course turning the U-turn. They are out of the saddle
up the slight rise.
17:50 EDT
Prodir has a rider on the front now.....
17:51 EDT
Now its a Navigators rider, followed
by Phonak and CSC.
17:51 EDT 200.5km/1km to go
One km to go!
17:52 EDT
The crowd are screaming, here comes
the bunch. Its all together strung out.
17:52 EDT
Very very fast.
17:53 EDT
Its a huge field sprint. Wide across
the road.
17:53 EDT
Its a huge field sprint. Wide across
the road.
17:53 EDT
Its health Net. Fraser with Henderson
on his wheel.
17:54 EDT
Its Fraser, followed by Henderson
followed by Phonak. I think its Clerc. Gord has done it again.
17:54 EDT
It looked like Gord was leading out
Henderson but on the line Henderson sat up to clap his teammate. They achieved
two purposes, the stage win and the sprint jersey!
17:55 EDT
It looks like Napolitano came in fourth
followed by Hasselbacher. Its not confirmed yet though.
17:56 EDT
Definitely the top three are Gord
Fraser, Greg Henderson (Health Net) and Aurelien Clerc.
18:00 EDT
Danielson finished safely in the bunch
and is therefore the winner of the 2005 Dodge Tour de Georgia!
18:06 EDT
Thanks for following our live coverage
of Tour de Georgia. See y'all next time!
Results
Provisional 1 Gord Fraser (Can) Health Net/Maxxis 2 Greg Henderson (NZl) Health Net/Maxxis 3 Aurelien Clerc (Swi) Phonak 4 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) LPR 5 Rene Haselbacher (Aut) Gerolsteiner 6 Christian Muller (Ger) CSC 7 David O'Loughlin (Irl)Navigators 8 Christian Vandevelde (USA) CSC 9 Portal Sebastien (Fra) Credit Agricole 10 Vassili Davidenko (Rus) Navigators General classification after stage 6 1 Tom Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel 2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner 3 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems
