| Home|Teams|Rosters|Cities | 2008 | 2007|2006|2005|2004|2003|Trophy|Poster|Glossary | ||
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Stage 5 | Stage 6 | Stage 7 | ||||
STAGE 2 TOUR DE GEORGIA 2008
 |
2008 Stage 2 Videos and Press Release
AUGUSTA, Ga. (April 22, 2008) - In the final 100 meters of a 115.7-mile (186.2 km) stage, sprint specialist Juan Jose Haedo (ARG) of Team CSC burst ahead of the 119-rider field in downtown Augusta to win Stage Two of the Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T. Recovering from a broken wrist while training in March, Haedo edged out Greg Henderson (NZL) of Team High Road and Ivan Dominguez (CUB) of Toyota-United Pro Cycling, who finished second and third, respectively. "I decided in the last 5 K (kilometers) that I would know if I wanted to be in the sprint. I just wanted to be safe, so I managed to stay in the front and I found Ivan's (Dominguez) wheel; so I think it was the perfect lead out," said Haedo, winner of the Sprint Jersey at the 2007 Tour de Georgia. With his third place finish today, Dominguez will continue to lead the General Classification (G.C.) and wear the AT&T Overall Leader jersey. Henderson moved to second place in the G.C., three seconds behind Dominguez. Haedo's victory moved him up to third place overall. Notable American riders in the G.C. are Chris Horner of Astana (27th), George Hincapie of Team High Road (36th), Tom Danielson of Slipstream Chipotle (39th), Bobby Julich of Team CSC (57th) and Levi Leipheimer of Astana (61st). Today's Stage Two of the Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T was highlighted by the first significant break of the Tour. Justin England (USA) of Toyota-United, Rhys Pollock (AUS) of GE Marco Polo presented by Trek, and Bryce Mead (USA) of Jelly Belly Cycling broke away from the peloton at the 40-mile mark in the race before being absorbed by the group as it approached the downtown Augusta circuits. Back in the pack, Team High Road and, later, Slipstream Chipotle aggressively jostled for positioning in the final sprint. "We have a great team and I had George Hincapie looking after me in the final sprint and he got me in the right position with about a kilometer to go," said Henderson. "I jumped on the back of CSC and I went for the line, but unfortunately as I shifted to my 11 sprocket, my big gear, I couldn't drop down in time, so I missed a big opportunity there." Stage Two began in Statesboro, home of Georgia Southern University. The relatively flat course favored sprinters initially with Georgia Power Sprints in Millen and Sardis, before giving climbers their first opportunity to gain points at the first United Community Bank King of the Mountain (KOM) line in North Augusta. This KOM point marked the first time the Tour has entered South Carolina. While Dominguez will remain as the Maxxis Sprint Leader, the sprint jersey will be worn in Stage Three by Henderson, currently second in sprint points. Frank Pipp (USA) of HealthNet presented by Maxxis won the United Community Bank King of the Mountain (KOM) competition. Pollack's efforts in the break earned him the Georgia Lottery Most Aggressive Rider Jersey for Stage Two. Nicholas Sanderson (AUS) of Jelly Belly will continue to wear the GE Best Young Rider jersey. Stage Three will depart Wednesday from Washington, in Wilkes County, GA, a first-time host venue for the Tour. The stage will begin at 11:00 a.m. and is expected to finish between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. in Gainesville/Hall County, GA. This will mark the third time the Tour has been held in Hall County, with Gainesville hosting a stage finish in 2003 and a stage start in 2005. Riders will leave the tree-lined streets and restored antebellum homes of Washington for a 109.7 mile (176.5 km) journey through undulating terrain before a circuit finish on the streets of downtown Gainesville. Riders will have three opportunities to earn sprint points at Georgia Power Sprints in Comer (Madison County), Ila (Madison County) and Homer (Banks County).
2008 Stage 2 Full Results
|
| Tour de Georgia |