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Tour of Georgia - 2.3
Georgia, USA, April 20-25, 2004
Main Page Results Live report Previous stage
Stage 7 : April 25 - Dawsonville - Alpharetta, 142.3 km
All Fraser for the finale
Armstrong posts solid overall win
By Kristy Scrymgeour
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After winning both intermediate sprints on the way to Alpharetta today, Gord Fraser (Health Net) also took the sprint to win final stage of Tour de Georgia, coming around the legendary Mario Cipollini (Domina Vacanze) in the final meters of the uphill battle. In front of huge crowds on the finishing circuit, Fraser proved his sprinting prowess once again. He now goes home with the Sprint jersey and two stages to his name from the second annual Dodge Tour de Georgia, the race that seems to have re-introduced bike racing to the big time in the US.
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Starting in Dawsonville, Georgia today, the stage was flat and fairly uneventful and the tired peloton was content to piano along the road to Alpharetta. The action picked up at the intermediate sprints, with Fraser determined to hold onto the sprint jersey that he had worked so hard to obtain in yesterday's stage. In the final four finishing circuits the pace picked up again for the last battle of the team lead-outs between Domina Vacanze and Health Net. Fraser took the sprint from Colavita rider Juan Jose Haedo who was closely followed by Cipollini and Ivan Dominguez (Colavita).
Lance Armstrong (US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor) finished safely in the bunch to win the tour overall, with Jens Voigt (CSC) taking second and Chris Horner (Webcor) third in the General Classification.
Armstrong validates US stage racing with triumphant win
By Tim Maloney, European editor
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Although he under-promised by saying he wasn't likely to win the race before the sophomore edition of the Dodge Tour de Georgia, in the end Lance Armstrong over-delivered with a solid demonstration of fitness and focus by winning back to back stage wins and the overall general classification in the Georgia tour. Much has changed for Armstrong since he won the 1996 Tour DuPont, his last major UCI race win in America, almost a decade ago. Since then, Armstrong has survived cancer and dominated the Tour de France since 1999. So it's a rare event when Lance Armstrong returns to his native shores to race and the folks of Georgia turned out this week to cheer on Armstrong and the rest of the Tour de Georgia peloton. Armstrong told Cyclingnews after the final stage of the Georgia tour that "I was surprised how many people there were all week and culminating with Saturday's climb and today... there were really tens thousands of people there, which is fantastic. I didn't expect that and I don't think the other riders expected that. It was great and I hope it's an indication of what we can do in the future with cycling and cycling events in America."
Looking forward towards his attempt at a sixth straight Tour de France, Armstrong was pleased with the evolution of his form. "I don't think we can say anything is wrong and maybe things are a little hot right now. In fact, [my form] might be running a little hot right now. So we might need to cool off a little and certainly take some time off after this race to recover, because it was hard. I'll have a forced break in a few weeks when I fly back to Europe in a few weeks. The time trial was a good test, which was a nice surprise and I felt good on the climbs. April is not a great month for me when it comes to climbing longer climbs so there were no real problems and I'll kind of keep plugging away. My training had been going well before [the Georgia tour] but I didn't think I would feel this good in the race. So I was a bit surprised on day three to get a couple of wins and get a time gap on the other guys."
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Armstrong validated the evolution of American pro road racing with his comments on the peloton in the Tour de Georgia, saying "Americans as a whole are very strong and can ride very fast. That comes as a surprise to the Europeans are here. The style of racing is different, but the depth and strength of the field is and was a surprise. I think it's great and I wish we had more events like this that could bring over top level cyclists like Cipollini and the bigger teams and I wish they were in place so we could use them to prepare for races like the Tour. But unfortunately right now, there's not many options... but there's some good bike riders here." With two stage wins and the overall GC, Armstrong did a good job for his current title sponsor, the United States Postal Service, who officially announced during the Georgia tour that they would not continue after nine years of sponsorship.
Chris Horner (Webcor Builders) started the Tour de Georgia wearing dossard number one as defending champion from the 2003 edition. Horner rode strongly all week but didn't have the long, hard European races in his legs to beat Armstrong and Georgia tour runner-up Jens Voigt (CSC). Horner was happy to share the podium with Armstrong and Voigt, but felt he could have ridden better. "With this level of field, my performance is pretty good. I had a shot at the win, but I just didn't quite have the legs to get the job done. Lance was riding superbly and he didn't falter on the big climb on Saturday. Third place is pretty satisfying."
Horner was disappointed that when he attacked on Friday's steep climb of Wolfpen Gap, CSC didn't make a move to try an isolate Armstrong. "I thought we had an opportunity to attack [Armstrong] but the guys in the group weren't willing to put it on the line and start attacking," he said. Horner showed why he is America's top domestic rider in Georgia with aggressive racing all week, but faced with two powerful Division One teams like USPS-Berry Floor and CSC, he and his Division Three Webcore squad where just outgunned. Armstrong and Ekimov were both in the top five, while CSC's Voigt and Julich were second and fourth. Jittery Joe's climber Cesar Grajales won the difficult stage six to Brasstown Bald, which moved him up to 6th on GC. Rounding out the top ten was a mix of old and new, with old hands Scott Moninger (Health Net) and Eric Wohlberg (Sierra Nevada) and neo-pros Sergio Mariangeli (Domina Vacanze) and Brian Vandborg (CSC) rounding out the top ten.
Other category winners at the Tour de Georgia were Health Net's Gord Fraser, who had a sensational race in Georgia with two stage wins and the sprinter's jersey. His Health Net teammate Patrick McCartney benefited from his solo break in Friday's Stage Five to Dahlonega to capture the KOM jersey, while best young rider classification was taken by USA Cycling's Kevin Bouchard-Hall who finished in 29th on GC, 10:59 down on Armstrong.
Photography
Images by Jon Devich/Cyclingnews.com/www.epicimages.us
- USPS team bikes ready to rumble before the race start.
- George Hincapie (USPS/Berry Floor) makes his way through a mass of eager fans at the start in Dawsonville.
- Mario Cipollini (Domina Vacanze) signs autographs before the race begins.
- The peloton takes up the whole road as they wind their way towards Alpharetta.
- Once again, USPS/Berry Floor strongman Tony Cruz works at the front.
- Pavel Padrnos of the USPS/Berry Floor team sits in front of a seemingly happy Mario Cipollini.
- Lance Armstrong (USPS/Berry Floor) and Mario Cipollini (Domina Vacanze) have a discussion during the race.
- The peloton makes its way onto the final circuits.
- Bobby Julich (CSC) about to hit the front as the peloton passes a mass of spectators.
- A break tried to get away on the final circuits but couldn't get a significant gap.
- Sprints leader Gord Fraser (Health Net/Maxxis) tries to move up in the bunch.
- Lance Armstrong (USPS/Berry Floor) has just one lap to go before being crowned the 2004 winner of the TdG.
- The final sprint, with Gordon Fraser on the left and Mario Cipollini on the right.
- Gord Fraser (Health Net/Maxxis) knows he's done it.
- Team CSC goes home with the team prize.
- The final podium with Lance Armstrong in yellow, sprints winner Gord Fraser, best climber Jason McCartney, and best young rider, Kevin Bouchard-Hall.
- American bike racing legend Davis Phinney speaks with Bobby Julich.
Images by Mark Zalewski/Cyclingnews.com/
- A young fan draws on the road in support of his cycling favorites.
- The Health Net team celebrate their win.
Images by Trish Albert/Southeasterncycling.com
- The Jelly Belly-Aramark car is ready to roll before the stage's start.
- Mario Cippolini's World Champion bike was on the Domina car as a spare.
- The Mavic neutral support crew assisted riders with wheel changes for the entire Tour De Georgia
- Cesar Grajales (Jittery Joes), the Stage 6 winner, prepares for the much flatter stage 7.
- Bobby Julich (CSC) and Gord Fraser (HealthNet-Maxxis) discuss race strategy before the start.
- The crowds line the start of Stage 7
- Mario Cippolini (Domina) catches back on after a bike change in the first few miles of the stage.
- Cesar Grajales (Jittery Joes) gets a helping hand from the team car after a flat.
- Kevin Bouchard-Hall (TIAA-CREF) wins the Tour De Georgia Young Riders blue jersey.
- Team CSC won the Team Competition.
- On the podium for the GC, Jens Voigt (CSC), Lance Armstrong (US Postal), and Chris Horner (Webcor).
Results
1 Gordon Fraser (Can) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 3.20.15 2 Juan Jose Haedo (Arg) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 3 Mario Cipollini (Ita) Domina Vacanze 4 Enrico Degano (Ita) Barloworld-Androni Giocattoli 5 Ivan Dominguez (Cub) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 6 Yuri Metlushenko (Ukr) Landbouwkrediet – Colnago 7 Chris Horner (USA) Webcor Builders 8 Kirk Albers (USA) Jelly Belly/Aramark 9 Benjamin Brooks (Aus) Jelly Belly/Aramark 10 Russell Hamby (USA) Sierra Nevada Cycling 11 Alex Candelario (USA) Jelly Belly/Aramark 12 Jackson Stewart (USA) Ofoto/Lombardi Sports 13 Nicola Gavazzi (Ita) Saeco-Saunier Duval 14 Chad Hartley (USA) Jittery Joe’s Coffee 15 Doug Ollerenshaw (USA) Jelly Belly/Aramark 16 Vassili Davidenko (Rus) Navigators Insurance 17 Gustavo Artacho (Arg) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 18 Mikhail Timochine (Rus) Landbouwkrediet – Colnago 19 Scott Zwizanski (USA) Ofoto/Lombardi Sports 20 George Hincapie (USA) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 21 Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco-Saunier Duval 22 Maximilian Sciandri (GBr) Team CSC 23 Blake Caldwell (USA) USA National 24 Thomas Bruun Eriksen (Den) Team CSC 25 Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Sierra Nevada Cycling 26 Jimmi Madsen (Den) Team CSC 27 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC 28 Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Landbouwkrediet – Colnago 29 Imanol Ayestaran Odriozola (Spa) Webcor Builders 30 Charles Dionne (Can) Webcor Builders 31 Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Domina Vacanze 32 Ivan Ravaioli (Ita) Barloworld-Androni Giocattoli 33 Jason Bausch (USA) Ofoto/Lombardi Sports 34 Francesco Bellotti (Ita) Barloworld-Androni Giocattoli 35 Daniel Bowman (USA) USA National 36 Sergio Marinangeli (Ita) Domina Vacanze 37 Henk Vogels (Aus) Navigators Insurance 38 Caleb Manion (Aus) Jelly Belly/Aramark 39 Ernesto Lechuga (Mex) Jelly Belly/Aramark 40 Christopher Baldwin (USA) Navigators Insurance 41 Timothy Duggan (USA) USA National 42 Damon Kluck (USA) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 43 Jason Klikna (USA) Sierra Nevada Cycling 44 William Frischkorn (USA) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 45 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC 46 James Mattis (USA) Webcor Builders 47 Paul Ellis (USA) Jelly Belly/Aramark 48 Jeff Louder (USA) Navigators Insurance 49 Mark Walters (Can) Navigators Insurance 50 Cesar Grajales Calle (Col) Jittery Joe’s Coffee 51 Jesse Lawler (USA) Jittery Joe’s Coffee 52 Eric Wohlberg (Can) Sierra Nevada Cycling 53 Tim Larkin (USA) Ofoto/Lombardi Sports 54 Scott Moninger (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 55 Chris Wherry (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 56 Benjamin Haldeman (USA) Webcor Builders 57 Tim Johnson (USA) Saeco-Saunier Duval 58 Phil Zajicek (USA) Navigators Insurance 59 Dominique Perras (Can) Ofoto/Lombardi Sports 60 David George (RSA) Barloworld-Androni Giocattoli 61 Justin England (USA) Webcor Builders 62 Pavel Padrnos (Cze) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 63 Ludovic Capelle (Bel) Landbouwkrediet – Colnago 64 Stefan Adamsson (Swe) Barloworld-Androni Giocattoli 65 Antonio Cruz (USA) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 66 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 67 Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 68 Tyler Wren (USA) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 69 Adam Bergman (USA) Jelly Belly/Aramark 70 Danny Pate (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 71 Brian Vandborg (Den) Team CSC 72 Jakob Piil (Den) Team CSC 73 Thad Dulin (USA) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 74 Kevin Bouchard-Hall (USA) USA National 75 Todd Herriott (USA) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 76 John Lieswyn (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 77 Stuart Gillespie (USA) USA National 0.12 78 Daniel Rincon (Col) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 79 Erik Saunders (USA) Ofoto/Lombardi Sports 80 Jacky Durand (Fra) Landbouwkrediet – Colnago 81 Francesco Secchiari (Ita) Domina Vacanze 82 Michael Creed (USA) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 0.19 83 Mario Scirea (Ita) Domina Vacanze 84 Alessio Galletti (Ita) Domina Vacanze 85 Sean Sullivan (Aus) Barloworld-Androni Giocattoli 86 Massimiliano Mori (Ita) Domina Vacanze 87 Gregory Henderson (NZl) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 88 Jason McCartney (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 0.39 89 Ciaran Power (Irl) Navigators Insurance 90 David Clinger (USA) Domina Vacanze 0.51 91 Mike Sayers (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 1.05 92 Aaron Olson (USA) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 4.33 93 James Schneider (USA) Jittery Joe’s Coffee Teams 1 Team CSC 77.05.17 2 US Postal Service Presented By Berry Floor 1.39 3 Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented By Maxxis 5.42 4 Webcor Cycling Team 9.27 5 Jelly Belly-Aramark 12.08 6 Navigators Insurance Cycling Team 22.16 7 Ofoto Cycling Team 26.40 8 Sierra Nevada Cycling 27.35 9 Domina Vacanze 28.07 10 Team Barloworld - Androni Giocattoli 29.57 11 Saeco-Saunier Duval-Prodir/Mixed Team 34.26 12 Usa National 38.03 13 Colavita Olive Oil Pro Cycling Team Presented By Bolla Wines 40.07 14 Landbouwkrediet - Colnago 1.06.42 15 The Jittery Joe's Cycling Team 1.08.35 Final general classification 1 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 25.39.20 2 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC 0.24 3 Chris Horner (USA) Webcor Builders 1.01 4 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC 1.57 5 Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 2.59 6 Cesar Grajales Calle (Col) Jittery Joe’s Coffee 3.07 7 Scott Moninger (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 3.44 8 Sergio Marinangeli (Ita) Domina Vacanze 4.06 9 Brian Vandborg (Den) Team CSC 4.52 10 Eric Wohlberg (Can) Sierra Nevada Cycling 5.25 11 Adam Bergman (USA) Jelly Belly/Aramark 5.27 12 John Lieswyn (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 5.38 13 Phil Zajicek (USA) Navigators Insurance 5.54 14 Christopher Baldwin (USA) Navigators Insurance 6.13 15 Benjamin Brooks (Aus) Jelly Belly/Aramark 6.17 16 Danny Pate (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 17 Dominique Perras (Can) Ofoto/Lombardi Sports 6.26 18 Francesco Bellotti (Ita) Barloworld-Androni Giocattoli 7.07 19 Justin England (USA) Webcor Builders 7.13 20 Ernesto Lechuga (Mex) Jelly Belly/Aramark 7.39 21 Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Sierra Nevada Cycling 8.07 22 William Frischkorn (USA) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 8.16 23 Daniel Rincon (Col) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 8.53 24 Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco-Saunier Duval 9.38 25 Charles Dionne (Can) Webcor Builders 9.53 26 George Hincapie (USA) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 27 Alessio Galletti (Ita) Domina Vacanze 10.13 28 Jimmi Madsen (Den) Team CSC 10.34 29 Kevin Bouchard-Hall (USA) USA National 10.49 30 Tim Larkin (USA) Ofoto/Lombardi Sports 11.56 31 Doug Ollerenshaw (USA) Jelly Belly/Aramark 12.30 32 Imanol Ayestaran Odriozola (Spa) Webcor Builders 13.02 33 Caleb Manion (Aus) Jelly Belly/Aramark 13.06 34 Stefan Adamsson (Swe) Barloworld-Androni Giocattoli 13.31 35 Jason McCartney (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 14.27 36 Chris Wherry (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 15.03 37 Timothy Duggan (USA) USA National 17.28 38 Todd Herriott (USA) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 18.52 39 Maximilian Sciandri (GBr) Team CSC 18.58 40 David George (RSA) Barloworld-Androni Giocattoli 19.23 41 Daniel Bowman (USA) USA National 19.25 42 Pavel Padrnos (Cze) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 20.14 43 Mikhail Timochine (Rus) Landbouwkrediet – Colnago 21.40 44 Mario Scirea (Ita) Domina Vacanze 22.45 45 Massimiliano Mori (Ita) Domina Vacanze 23.23 46 Ivan Ravaioli (Ita) Barloworld-Androni Giocattoli 23.47 47 Russell Hamby (USA) Sierra Nevada Cycling 23.49 48 Tim Johnson (USA) Saeco-Saunier Duval 25.23 49 Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Landbouwkrediet – Colnago 25.46 50 Thad Dulin (USA) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 25.56 51 Henk Vogels (Aus) Navigators Insurance 26.35 52 James Mattis (USA) Webcor Builders 28.04 53 Mark Walters (Can) Navigators Insurance 28.18 54 Jeff Louder (USA) Navigators Insurance 28.49 55 Mike Sayers (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 28.59 56 Jakob Piil (Den) Team CSC 29.01 57 Thomas Bruun Eriksen (Den) Team CSC 29.16 58 Gordon Fraser (Can) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 29.52 59 Ciaran Power (Irl) Navigators Insurance 30.16 60 Scott Zwizanski (USA) Ofoto/Lombardi Sports 30.24 61 Antonio Cruz (USA) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 31.15 62 Benjamin Haldeman (USA) Webcor Builders 31.53 63 Paul Ellis (USA) Jelly Belly/Aramark 32.08 64 Jacky Durand (Fra) Landbouwkrediet – Colnago 32.28 65 Sean Sullivan (Aus) Barloworld-Androni Giocattoli 33.53 66 Alex Candelario (USA) Jelly Belly/Aramark 34.07 67 Jason Bausch (USA) Ofoto/Lombardi Sports 35.35 68 Gregory Henderson (NZl) Health Net Presented by Maxxis 36.13 69 Jackson Stewart (USA) Ofoto/Lombardi Sports 36.33 70 Mario Cipollini (Ita) Domina Vacanze 37.23 71 Tyler Wren (USA) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 37.26 72 Aaron Olson (USA) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 37.33 73 Damon Kluck (USA) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 37.34 74 Vassili Davidenko (Rus) Navigators Insurance 37.35 75 Yuri Metlushenko (Ukr) Landbouwkrediet – Colnago 37.43 76 Chad Hartley (USA) Jittery Joe’s Coffee 38.07 77 Michael Creed (USA) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor 38.18 78 Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Domina Vacanze 38.29 79 David Clinger (USA) Domina Vacanze 38.35 80 Juan Jose Haedo (Arg) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 39.18 81 Jason Klikna (USA) Sierra Nevada Cycling 39.24 82 Erik Saunders (USA) Ofoto/Lombardi Sports 39.38 83 Stuart Gillespie (USA) USA National 41.02 84 Gustavo Artacho (Arg) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 41.59 85 Kirk Albers (USA) Jelly Belly/Aramark 42.06 86 Blake Caldwell (USA) USA National 42.09 87 Francesco Secchiari (Ita) Domina Vacanze 42.32 88 Enrico Degano (Ita) Barloworld-Androni Giocattoli 42.49 89 Ludovic Capelle (Bel) Landbouwkrediet – Colnago 43.34 90 James Schneider (USA) Jittery Joe’s Coffee 43.43 91 Nicola Gavazzi (Ita) Saeco-Saunier Duval 44.00 92 Jesse Lawler (USA) Jittery Joe’s Coffee 46.07 93 Ivan Dominguez (Cub) Colavita Olive Oil, presented by Bolla Wines 50.59
