Into the mountains for Stage 3. Rome to Chattanooga isn't very far as the crow flies, but race organizers have put together a course profile that s-bends through extreme northwestern Georgia, taking in 2 4th-category, a 3rd-category, and a 2nd-category climb on the way. It's 118.2 miles in all, with the two harder climbs packed into the last 30 or so miles of the day.
There's a single sprint line on the day, about 50 miles in, and the finish is actually flattish — if any of the sprinters make it to the line. In some ways, it reminds me of the stage Freddie Rodriguez won into Dahlonega last year, where he was the strongest sprinter in a select group that survived the day's climbs.
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