STAGE 1 TOUR DE GEORGIA 2008

2008 Stage 1 Video and Press Release

SAVANNAH, Ga. (April 21, 2008) - Ivan Dominguez (CUB) of Toyota-United Pro Cycling surged past a frantic peloton to capture Stage One of the Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T. Thousands of fans lined the streets near Savannah's historic district to watch Dominguez hold off Nicholas Sanderson (AUS) of Jelly Belly, who came in second place, and Robert Forster (GER) of Gerolsteiner, who finished third. Second and third places were determined by a photo finish.

"50 meters to go, I look to my arms and the guys were the same distance behind and I was like, 'I guess no one is going to pass', but you still have to go all the way to the finish," said Dominguez, a sprint specialist who finished second three times at the 2004 Tour de Georgia and wore the Yellow Jersey for one day that year.

With less than one kilometer remaining in the race, teams feverishly worked to put their top sprinters in position for victory. Several teams, including Team High Road and Rock Racing, took turns at the front of the pack before Dominguez and his teammates made their final push.

For his victory today, Dominguez will wear the AT&T Overall Leader jersey in Stage Two. While he also won the Maxxis Sprint Leader jersey, the sprint jersey will be worn Greg Henderson (NZL) of Team High Road for Stage Two, who finished second in the sprint competition. Scott Nydam (USA) of BMC Racing will wear the Georgia Lottery Most Aggressive Rider Jersey while Sanderson, today's second place finisher, will wear the GE Best Young Rider jersey, as the best rider under 25 years of age.

The Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T started with 119 professional riders at the line in Tybee Island, an island municipality and new Tour stage site located 18 miles east of Savannah. The serene waves of the Atlantic Ocean served as a picturesque backdrop for the Tour's first battle. Riders were pushed by a slight tailwind as they departed from Tybee Island and were met with a steady headwind going into Stage One's final sprint in Savannah.

"Leaving Tybee Island, it was a beautiful start," said Nydam. "The last time we were on the coast (California) I think I was spent seven hours in hypothermia so this time was a lot more pleasurable."

Stage Two will depart Tuesday from Statesboro at 11:00 a.m. and is expected to finish between 3:15 and 4:25 p.m. in Augusta. This 115.7 mile (186.2 km) course will head north along southeastern corner of the state and include Georgia Power Sprint lines in Millen/Jenkins County and Sardis/Burke County, GA and the first official climb of the week, a United Community Bank King of the Mountain (KOM) competition in North Augusta. The race will take cyclists into South Carolina, a Tour de Georgia first, before culminating with a circuit finish in downtown Augusta. The Health & Wellness Expo will be open 1:30 - 5:30 p.m. in downtown between Broad and Reynolds streets.

2008 Stage 1 Full Results

• General Classification and Final Results
  
  
• Best Young Rider
  
  
• Sprint Results
  
  
• Teams Results