2006 TOUR DE GEORGIA ANNOUNCES ROUTE, INCLUDING
12 HOST CITIES
STAGES TO INCLUDE EPIC MOUNTAIN
CLIMBS AND TIME TRIAL INTO CHATTANOOGA
Contacts:
Jackie
Tyson, Tour de Georgia Chris Aronhalt, Tour de
Georgia
Phone:
678-362-6228 Phone: 770-631-1239
E-mail: tdgcommunications@pelotonsports.net E-Mail:
chris.aronhalt@medalistsports.com
ATLANTA, Ga. (November 29, 2005) –
Six days of world-class, professional bicycle racing and community
festivals will place 12 Southeastern cities in two states in the
global spotlight next April. Highlights of the fourth edition of
the Tour de Georgia, taking place April 18-23, 2006, will include
three new host cities, inclusion of Chattanooga, Tennessee and the
legendary climb up Brasstown Bald Mountain.
As North America’s only Hors Classe
(2.HC) professional cycling stage race, the Tour de Georgia will
begin in Augusta, Ga. on Tuesday, April 18 and culminate the
650-plus miles of racing with its grand finale in Alpharetta, Ga.
on Sunday, April 23. The race will return to the Georgia
communities of Macon, Fayetteville, Rome, Dalton, Dahlonega,
Blairsville/Union County, Brasstown Bald Mountain/Towns County, and
Alpharetta as Host Cities for official stage start and finish
lines. New Host Cities for 2006 include Chick- amauga/Walker
County, Ga., Chattanooga, Tenn., and Cumming/Forsyth County,
Ga.
“The Tour de Georgia is a showcase event
for our state and continues to gain momentum each year. For a full
week in April, all 11 of the host cities in Georgia, our friends to
the north in Chattanooga, and all the communities in between, will
partner together for festivals and events which add to the positive
economic impact created by the Tour de Georgia,” said Georgia
Governor Sonny Perdue.
Competitors in the Tour de Georgia will encounter
familiar territory during the first two stages of the race, as they
cross the Historic South region and pedal along the rolling terrain
of the South Metro Atlanta area. Stages three through five
incorporate the mountains of north Georgia, where the beautiful
Blue Ridge meets the panoramic Appalachians. The final stage will
continue to challenge the professional peloton as it passes through
the rolling foothills in the North Metro Atlanta area.
The Individual Time Trial, a race against the
clock, will incorporate the imposing plateau of Lookout Mountain.
The ITT will start in Chickamauga, Ga. (Walker County), rich in
Civil War history, and end in the outdoor playground of
Chattanooga, Tenn., the first time the Tour de Georgia has ventured
across state borders.
Details for each of the six stages, including
mileage, elevation profiles, Sprint lines, and King of the Mountain
climbs, are in the final planning process. Links are provided at
the current web site, www.tourdegeorgia.com, for individuals
to plan trips to the Tour or register to become a volunteer. New
information regarding stage details and Host City festivities will
be released in the coming weeks.
“We are fortunate to partner with the
experience and local leadership of our host communities, as they
have demonstrated a tremendous ability to entertain huge crowds and
provide a safe environment for the world’s best athletes.
Three of our host cities are new to the Tour de Georgia this year,
and we are excited to bring the race to these vibrant communities.
Having partners like the Georgia State Patrol and the Georgia
Department of Transportation to guarantee a safe route, along with
the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) to assist in
the promotion of the event, are vital to the Tour’s continued
success. This is truly a partnership,” said Chris Aronhalt,
managing partner of Medalist Sports, the sports marketing company
licensed to operate the Tour and manage route planning.
GDEcD, the state’s sales and marketing arm,
has been a presenting partner of the Tour de Georgia since the
inaugural event in 2003. As part of its 2006 commitment to the
event, GDEcD will include Tour de Georgia messaging and information
in its regional marketing materials and interactive promotions
aimed to communicate the state's resources and bold spirit to its
travel customers.
"The Tour de Georgia has become a magnificent
invitation to sports enthusiasts from across the United States and
abroad to visit our region. We have seen it attract a diverse range
of tourists and businesses to experience all Georgia has to offer,
from diverse recreational opportunities, music history, film
legacy, to historic sites all along the route,” said Craig
Lesser, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic
Development. “The slight modifications to the route each year
allow returning visitors to see different parts of the state, while
at the same time allowing the tremendous enthusiasm that
accompanies this event to spread to new communities.”
Fifteen professional cycling teams from around
the world, each with eight athletes, will be extended special
invitations to participate in the Tour de Georgia. UCI Pro Tour
teams that compete in Europe, such as the Discovery Channel
Professional Cycling Team (USA), Team Phonak (Switzerland), Team
CSC (Denmark), Team Gerolsteiner (Germany) and others, are expected
to receive an invitation to return to the Tour de Georgia. With a
field in 2005 of professional athletes from 24 countries, the Tour
expects a formal announcement of participating teams in early
2006.
The Tour de Georgia continues to be more than a
tune-up to the Tour de France. For the Georgian population, the
Tour spreads the message about a different race – the battle
against cancer. The Tour continues its partnership with the Georgia
Cancer Coalition (GCC) to support its objectives and messages of
clinical trials and survivorship.
“As one of the largest, annual sporting
events in the state, the Tour de Georgia generates a tremendous
amount of publicity for the State and our local communities.
Georgians can be proud that this is also the largest platform for
the Georgia Cancer Coalition to spread the message of the
importance of living a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent
cancer. By partnering with the Tour, we encourage all Georgians to
help our friends and neighbors and work together to reduce human
suffering and untimely deaths attributed to cancer,” said
Bill Todd, president and CEO of the Georgia Cancer Coalition
Information about the Georgia Cancer Coalition
will be available at each Host City before and during the event. As
part of the finish line areas in Macon, Rome, Chattanooga,
Dahlonega, Brasstown Bald Mountain and Alpharetta, the interactive
expo will have exhibits and agencies providing cancer education and
screening opportunities in an entertaining platform. The Tour de
Georgia continues to be the largest multi-day marketing program
utilized by the GCC.
Stages and Host Cities – 2006 Tour de
Georgia
Stage 1: Tuesday, April 18 – Augusta, Ga.
to Macon, Ga.
• Augusta: Third year to host the Tour,
with a Stage Start venue in 2003 and Overall Start in
2005
• Macon: Fourth consecutive year as a
host city, having participated as a Stage Finish and Stage Start in
2003, a one- day Stage Circuit in 2004, and a Stage Finish in
2005
Stage 2: Wednesday, April 19 –
Fayetteville, Ga. to Rome, Ga.
• Fayetteville: Returns to the Tour for a
second consecutive year as a Stage Start
• Rome: Fourth consecutive year as a host
city, having participated as a Stage Finish in 2003, 2004 and 2005,
and having hosted the Individual Time Trial in 2004 and
2005
Stage 3: Thursday, April 20 – Individual
Time Trial from Chickamauga/Walker Co., Ga. to
Chattanooga,Tenn.
• Chickamauga/Walker Co.: Hosts a Tour
stage for the first time, with the start of the ITT
• Chattanooga: First city outside the
state of Georgia to host the Tour, with the finish of the
ITT
Stage 4: Friday, April 21 – Dalton, Ga. to
Dahlonega, Ga.
• Dalton: Fourth consecutive year as a
Stage Start and home to professional cyclist Saul
Raisin
• Dahlonega: Third consecutive year as a
Stage Finish, and bringing its renowned Bear in the Square festival
to Tour fans
Stage 5: Saturday, April 22 – Blairsville/Union Co.,
Ga. to Brasstown Bald Mountain/Towns Co., Ga.
• Blairsville/Union County: Returns for
second consecutive year as a Stage Start
• Brasstown Bald Mountain/Towns County: A
third consecutive stint as a Stage Finish, with its epic finish on
The Bald, the highest peak in Georgia, and compared to the
Alpe d’Huez of the Tour de France
Stage 6: Sunday, April 23 – Cumming/Forsyth
Co., Ga. to Alpharetta, Ga.
• Cumming/Forsyth County: Inaugural Stage
host for the Tour, with a Stage Start on the final day, in
conjunction with the Taste of Forsyth; was a Sprint line host
community in 2004 and 2005
• Alpharetta: A third year as the Overall
Finish host city, with its signature four-mile finishing
circuit
ABOUT THE TOUR DE GEORGIA
The
Tour de Georgia is North America’s premier, professional
cycling event and rolling festival of community activities. The
Tour is held annually in the spring with a varying route. It is
sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and USA
Cycling (USAC) as a 2.HC rating (highest ranked event in North
America), making the event one of the top stage races for elite
athletes around the world. The 2005 Tour was won by Tom Danielson
(USA) of the Discovery Channel Professional Cycling Team; champions
from previous years include Lance Armstrong (USA) in 2004 and Chris
Horner (USA) 2003. The Tour’s official beneficiary is the
Georgia Cancer Coalition (GCC). The Tour de Georgia is owned by The
Georgia Partnership for Economic Development (GPED) and is managed
by Medalist Sports. Merchandise and the latest updates are
available at the official website, www.tourdegeorgia.com
.
ABOUT THE GEORGIA CANCER
COALITION
The
Georgia Cancer Coalition leads Georgia's comprehensive cancer
initiative, uniting people and organizations to work together to
save lives and reduce suffering from cancer. As a public-private
partnership, the Coalition works to strengthen existing cancer
related programs and create new initiatives that accelerate cancer
prevention, early detection, and research and treatment to make the
highest level of care accessible to all Georgians. The Georgia
Cancer Coalition provides guidance and assistance for using
Georgia's resources in the fight to reverse the cancer mortality
and incidence rates. The Coalition is the first of its kind in the
nation and is fast becoming a national model. The official website
is www.georgiacancer.org
.
ABOUT GDEcD
The Georgia Department of Economic Development
(GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for
attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of
existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for
Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the
state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as
planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development.
For more information about visiting Georgia, the state's newly
redesigned website is a helpful and interactive resource --
www.georgia.org.ABOUT MEDALIST SPORTS
Medalist Sports is a full-service international
sports marketing company. The partners have experience in all
facets of the successful management and promotion of world-class
sporting events in the United States, Australia and China. Medalist
Sports specializes in the planning, promotion and management of
multi-day, multi-jurisdiction sports and special events. Current
clients include the Tour de Georgia, Amgen Tour of California and
USA Cycling, Inc (as a license-holder of the U.S. Professional
Cycling Championships). Medalist Sports’ headquarters are
located south of metro Atlanta at P.O. Box 415, Tyrone, GA 30290.
The company website is www.medalistsports.com
.
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