Tour de Georgia weblog

Leipheimer doubles up, Brajkovic holds lead

Discovery Channel's Levi Leipheimer won his second straight stage at the Tour de Georgia today, easily riding away from the field to win at Georgia's highest peak.

Next to the top was Leipheimer teammate Tom Danielson, who won the climb last year with race leader Floyd Landis shadowing his every move. This year, Discovery Channel did the shadowing, as race leader Janez Brajkovic matched CSC's Christian Vande Velde switchback for switchback. Vande Velde, just 12 seconds behind Brajkovic starting the stage, couldn't gap the young Slovenian.

Anthony Colby and Nathan O'Neill waved the flag for US-based riders, finishing 3rd and 4th, ahead of 2001 and 2003 Giro d'Italia winner Gilberto Simoni.

Top 10:
1) Levi Leipheimer, USA, Discovery Channel
2) Tom Danielson, USA, Discovery Channel
3) Anthony Colby, USA, Colavita-Sutter Home
4) Nathan O'Neill, Australia, Health Net-Maxxis
5) Gilberto Simoni, Italy, Saunier Duval
6) Alexandre Moos, Switzerland, BMC
7) Ryder Hesjedal, Canada, Health Net-Maxxis
8) John Devine, USA, U.S. developmental squad
9) Christian Vande Velde, USA, CSC
10) Janez Brajkovic, Slovenia, Discovery Channel

Brajkovic holds the race lead.

Also:

Walker County Messenger | Leipheimer goes back-to-back

Stage 3 wrap-up

VeloNews | Game over? 13-man break shakes up Tour de Georgia

Slipstream's Lucas Euser made today's break
Originally uploaded by Frank Steele.

Top 10:
1) Gianni Meersman, Belgium, Discovery Channel, in 4:33:18
2) David Cañada, Spain, Saunier Duval, at :01
3) Janez Brajkovic, Slovenia, Discovery Channel, same time
4) Christian Vande Velde, USA, Team CSC, s.t.
5) Kevin Seeldraeyers, Belgium, Saunier Duval, s.t.
6) Jeff Louder, USA, Health Net-Maxxis, s.t.
7) Scott Nydam, USA, BMC, s.t.
8) Rubens Bertogliati, Switzerland, Saunier Duval, s.t.
9) Tim Johnson, Health Net-Maxxis, at 2:20
10) Lucas Euser, USA, Team Slipstream, same time
Full stage results

Overall:
1) David Cañada, Spain, Saunier Duval, in 13:34:21
2) Rubens Bertogliati, Switzerland, Saunier Duval, at :03
3) Christian Vande Velde, USA, Team CSC, same time
4) Janez Brajkovic, Slovenia, Discovery Channel, s.t.
5) Jeff Louder, USA, Health Net-Maxxis, s.t.
6) Kevin Seeldraeyers, Belgium, Quick Step, s.t.
7) Scott Nydam, USA, BMC, at :23
8) Lucas Euser, USA, Team Slipstream, at 2:22
9) Tim Johnson, USA, Health Net-Maxxis, at 2:51
10) Tyler Wren, USA, Colavita-Sutter Home, at 3:57
Full overall standings

Brajkovic takes the lead in the young riders' competition but in a virtual tie with Kevin Seeldraeyers of Quick Step. Health Net's Jeff Louder takes over the climber's jersey, while teammate Tim Johnson was named most aggressive rider today: He'll wear that jersey tomorrow, and up Brasstown Bald on Friday. Tinkoff's Daniele Contrini maintains an 8-point lead in the points competition, but now leads both Meersman and Ivan Stevic of Toyota-United by that count. Even with all the chaos, Discovery Channel leads the team classification by 1 second over Saunier Duval.

VeloNews offers an update on Discovery Channel's Jason McCartney, last year's Tour de Georgia King of the Mountains: McCartney couldn't start this race as he's suffering severe headaches, and is being treated at an Atlanta hospital.

If you're headed out to watch the race tomorrow, here's the departure order for the riders. Garrett Peltonen of Priority Health kicks things off at 11:00 a.m.; Cañada should set out at 1:04 p.m. Eastern.

Also:

cyclingnews.com | New stage turns Georgia upside-down and inside-out | Stage 3 photo gallery

DailyPeloton.com | Tour de Georgia - Stage 3 Report & Results

Walker County Messenger | Youth is served in Chattanooga

Kudos to Scott Herpst at the Walker County Messenger for the best Tour de Georgia stage recap I've seen in a non-cycling-specific publication.

Meersman wins Stage 3, big names on sidelines

Gianni Meersman
Originally uploaded by Frank Steele.

A high-quality group decimated the field at the Tour de Georgia today, as a group of 13 riders stretched their lead out to 29 minutes on the day. As what looks likely to be the deciding break of the race rode away, the peloton was unable, or unwilling, to close down the gap.

In the break were two riders each from Discovery Channel (Gianni Meersman and Janez Brajkovic), Saunier Duval (David Canada and Rubens Bertogliati), Quick Step (Ivan Santaromita and Kevin Seeldrayers) and Health Net (Tim Johnson and Jeff Louder); with representatives from CSC (Christian Vande Velde), BMC (Scott Nydam), Colavita (Tyler Wren), Navigators (Ciaran Power), and Team Slipstream (Lucas Euser).

In the day's last climb, over Burkhalter Gap, Bertogliati and Seeldrayers escaped the breakaway, but were quickly recaptured. As the leaders neared Chattanooga's downtown, Louder got a healthy gap that looked safe, but Nydam dragged the group back into contact. Vande Velde went on the capture, but was quickly caught. In the last kilometer, Louder attacked again, this time from the back of the group up the right gutter, but Brajkovic countered, and it turned into a free-for-all.

On top of the tussle was the race's youngest participant, Belgium's Gianni Meersman of Discovery Channel, ahead of David Canada of Saunier Duval-Prodir and Disco teammate Janez Brajkovic.

Canada takes over the race leadership, and it looks to me like the overall winner is very likely to come from this break. My expectation is Janez Brajkovic, but Vande Velde or Bertogliati could make things interesting.

Tinkoff, Priority Health, Jittery Joe's, and Toyota-United missed the break that counted. Unable to recruit help from the strong teams with riders in the break, they now all look unlikely to compete in the overall classification.

Even among the teams that made the break, most will now be backing an unexpected leader. Among the riders likely out of the overall competition are pre-race favorite Tom Danielson, Levi Leipheimer, Gilberto Simoni, David Millar, David Zabriskie, and Tyler Hamilton. There's still a lot of climbing in this race, but 29 minutes is an enormous deficit.

Stage 3 preview

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.

Darlington School hosts stage 3 start

Welcome to Georgia
Originally uploaded by Frank Steele.

Today's stage starts from Rome's Darlington School, which was also the start of the 2005 Individual Time Trial. Rome and the school typically turn out a pretty good crowd, and as the picture (fromn 2005) at right shows, even the cheerleaders are there.

This was the first time I ever saw cheerleaders at a cycling event (and so far, the last). UCI, maybe this is why cycling is not generally a televised sport.

Stage 2: Stevic takes Rome

Toyota-United's Ivan Stevic took a trick from the ProTour guys Tuesday to win Stage 2 of the Tour de Georgia. Remembering Yaroslav Popovych's win here last year, Stevic got a lead from teammate Caleb Manion at the foot of Clocktower Hill, got a couple of bike lengths on the climb, and made it stick to the finish line.

“Caleb did a good job -- he led me out in the first 50 meters … I put it in the big ring, looked back and saw the guys going, and at that moment I was getting a bigger gap, so I just went for it,” Stevic said. He knew his team's sprint combo of Henk Vogels and Ivan Dominguez would still have a chance even if he faded before the line.

Stevic edged perennial Tour de Georgia powerhouses Juan José Haedo, now with Team CSC, and Freddie Rodriguez of Predictor-Lotto for the stage win.

Just as yesterday, the US-based squads put out early attacks. Austin King of Jittery Joe's was named the day's most agressive rider for his role in escaping with Glen Chadwick of Navigators and Garrett Peltonen of Priority Health. The trio took a couple of intermediate sprints, netting Chadwick $1000 at the Newnan sprint line (photo), but they were captured after nearly 200 kilometers as the pack neared Rome.

The climb of Clocktower Hill is the first rated climb of the race, and Priority Health's Ben Jacques-Maynes said he used his experience in previous TdG's to take the first King of the Mountains jersey of the race. “I've done this hill a few times, and I knew how to hit it, and I came out with 2-3 bike lengths at the top,” Jacques-Maynes said.

It's an 11-way virtual tie for 1st in the young riders competition, with John Devine of the USA development squad wearing the jersey based on finishing positions so far. Also tied are 3 Slipstream riders: Thomas Peterson, Craig Lewis (of nearby Greenville, SC), and Lucas Euser; and last year's overall best young rider, Janez Brajkovic of Discovery Channel.

Top 10:
1) Ivan Stevic, Serbia, Toyota-United, 5:35:27
2) Juan José Haedo, Argentina, Team CSC, at :02
3) Fred Rodriguez, USA, Predictor-Lotto, same time
4) Sergey Lagutin, Uzbekistan, Navigators, s.t.
5) Alessandro Proni, Italy, Quick Step, s.t.
6) Levi Leipheimer, USA, Discovery Channel, s.t.
7) Charles Dionne, Canada, Colavita-Sutter Home, s.t.
8) Rory Sutherland, Australia, Health Net-Maxxis, s.t.
9) David Canada, Spain, Saunier Duval-Prodir, s.t.
10) Tom Danielson, USA, Discovery Channel, s.t.

GC:
1) Daniele Contrini, Italy, Tinkoff Credit Systems, 8:59:43
2) Doug Ollerenshaw, USA, Health Net-Maxxis, at :29
3) Ben Day, Australia, Navigators Insurance, at :38
4) Ivan Stevic, Serbia, Toyota-United, at 1:07
5) Juan José Haedo, Argentina, Team CSC, at 1:13
6) Fred Rodriguez, USA, Predictor-Lotto, at 1:15
7) Sergey Lagutin, Uzbekistan, Navigators, at 1:19
8) Alessandro Proni, Italy, Quick Step, same time
9) Ryder Hesjedal, Canada, Health Net, s.t.
10) Levi Leipheimer, USA, Discovery Channel, s.t.
...
12) Tom Danielson, USA, Discovery Channel, s.t.
13) George Hincapie, USA, Discovery Channel, s.t.
...
16) Jason Donald, USA, Team Slipstream, s.t.
17) Dave Zabriskie, USA, Team CSC, s.t.

Other stage reports:

CyclingNews.com | Stevic's studies pay off with Rome win

VeloNews | Stevic takes stage 2 in Georgia

Stage 2 preview

Today's stage runs from Thomaston to Rome, about 135 miles in all. It wraps up with 3 laps of downtown Rome, but stages ending here don't necessarily end with field sprints.

Last year, Discovery Channel's Yaroslav Popovych took advantage of a short, steep hill called Clocktower Hill on the finishing circuit to gap the field and win alone. In 2004, Lance Armstrong came off the wheel of Ivan Dominguez to take the victory in a sprint.

There are 2 sprint lines on the day: The first 45.6 miles into the race in Newnan, home of Sprayberry's Barbecue, and the second in Rockmart, near the Silver Comet Trail, 108.8 miles in.

The first time up Clocktower Hill in Rome is the first King of the Mountains line of the race.

I'll be getting as many pictures as I can, and hope to upload at least some of them from Rome this afternoon.

Stage 1 wrapup

cyclingnews.com | Tinkoff rides the wind to a win

VeloNews | Tinkoff's Contrini wins Georgia opener

Daniele Contrini of Tinkoff Credit Systems is the first leader of the Tour de Georgia, after surviving a long break on Stage 1.

Contrini, who raced here in 2005 for Team LPR, chalks up Tinkoff's first victory in North America, ahead of Doug Ollerenshaw of Health Net/Maxxis and Ben Day of Navigators Insurance. A wicked tailwind gave the breakaway a slight advantage, but the pack whittled down a lead of more than 8 minutes to slightly more than a minute at the finish. Health Net's Ryder Hesjedal led in the field at 1:07. Health Net and Navigators each had 3 riders in the day's top 10.

Tinkoff faces an interesting tactical situation: They brought only 6 riders, and Tyler Hamilton is probably here to race his own race, so they're left with only 4 riders to set tempo.

Top 10 (Stage and overall):
1) Daniele Contrini, Italy, Tinkoff Credit Systems
2) Doug Ollerenshaw, US, Health Net/Maxxis, @ :21
3) Ben Day, Australia, Navigators Insurance, @ :28
4) Ryder Hesjedal, Canada, Health Net/Maxxis, @ 1:07
5) Ivan Dominguez, Cuba, Toyota-United, same time
6) Karl Menzies, Australia, Health Net/Maxxis, s.t.
7) Sergey Lagutin, Uzbekistan, Navigators Insurance, s.t.
8) Ciaran Power, Ireland, Navigators Insurance, s.t.
9) Juan José Haedo, Argentina, Team CSC, s.t.
10) Alessandro Proni, Italy, Quick Step, s.t.

cyclingnews.com | Stage 1 Photo Gallery

Contrini wins Stage 1

www.cyclingnews.com presents the Tour de Georgia

There are only brief results so far, but Daniele Contrini of Tinkoff Credit Systems took Stage 1 into Macon today. Doug Ollerenshaw of Health Net and Ben Day of Navigators round out the podium.

The top three were the surviviors of a nearly day-long break that had more than 8 minutes in hand at one point, but the peloton swallowed almost the entire break, with Contrini, Ollerenshaw, and Day about a minute free of the field.

Ryder Hesjedal of Health Net took the field sprint for 4th, ahead of Toyota-United's Ivan Dominguez and Health Net's Karl Menzies.

More soon.

Danielson the clear favorite as '07 TdG starts

cyclingnews.com | Carrying the Discovery torch

Discovery Channel's Tom Danielson comes into the Tour de Georgia the clear favorite for overall victory. Danielson has traditionally been a climbing specialist, whose time-trialing has improved over the last few years, and is well-suited to this year's hilly course profile.

His Discovery Channel team absolutely controlled the race last year, winning two stages, the team category, best young rider (Janez Brajkovic, who's back), and king of the mountains (Jason McCartney, ditto): Everything but the overall, as Floyd Landis beat Danielson by 4 seconds in the time trial and made it stand up by shadowing Danielson to the line on Brasstown Bald.

This year's course is even more favorable to Danielson, as the time trial is a climbing TT. Also, Levi Leipheimer, another of the strongest climbers in the race, is riding on Danielson's squad this year.

So who could threaten Danielson's overall? Gilberto Simoni of Prodir-Saunier Duval, a very strong climber with a Giro d'Italia win to show for it, is the obvious threat, and if Tyler Hamilton returns to his competitive form, he's a dark horse, as well. I tend to discount the US-based teams for the overall, but would love to be wrong on that.

There's also an interesting interview with Danielson at the Paul on Podium weblog, interesting because it focuses more on the mental side of the sport than any rider interview I can remember.