The 2008 Tour de Georgia bike race certainly didn't follow any script.
It was full of surprises. Among them:
1. Fifty-one US cyclists rode in the 120-man peloton.
--Not one US cyclist won a stage. Not one US cyclist wore the yellow jersey. (Jason McCartney of CSC did win KOM.)
Interestingly, when Slipstream-Chipotle -- a team with 8 US cyclists -- won the Stage 4 Team Time Trial, it was Australian Trent Lowe who crossed the finish line first. That's how he ended up in the yellow jersey after the next stage.
2. The peloton hosted two former Tour de Georgia champions and many veteran contenders, including the winners of February's Tour of California and last fall's Tour of Missouri.
-- It was 25-year-old Kanstantin Sivtsov, right, from Belarus who made the decisive move on Brasstown Bald on Saturday. He passed 23-year-old Trent Lowe and 10-year cycling pro Levi Leipheimer to capture the stage and eventually the Tour.
3. Team High Road dominated the Tour, with three stage wins and four yellow jerseys.
-- If you had told me that before the race, I would have expected South Carolina's George Hincapie to be wearing the yellow jersey ... more»
I committed a real "Dewey Defeats Truman" blunder at Biking Bis on Saturday when I named Trent Lowe at the overall leader of the Tour de Georgia following the Brasstown Bald stage.
It was Kanstantin Sivtsov (Belarus) of Team High Road who actually captured the overall lead after powering ahead of Trent Lowe and Levi Leipheimer in the final yards on the mountain.
I had listened to and watched the video stream of the end of the final stage, rushed to file a story on the results, then logged off for the day as I undertook to catch up on my one-person parenting duties while my wife is out of town. Big mistake.... more»
In spite of what appears to be an Australian invasion controlling the Tour de Georgia after Friday's stage, the US favorites have climbed in the standings for a battle on Brasstown Bald on Saturday.
Aussie Richard England, right, riding for the Bissell cycling team, challenged and beat countryman Rory Sutherland (HealthNet) in a sprint to the Stage 5 finish line in Dahlonega on Friday.
Meanwhile, Slipstream's Trent Lowe, also from Australia, donned the yellow jersey although he's in a tie with two teammates. Lowe finished first in Slipstream's winning team time trial on Thursday, so he gets the honor of wearing the yellow ... more»
The Slipstream-Chipotle team used its horsepower to win the Team Time Trial at Road Atlanta on Thursday, Stage 4 of the 2008 Tour de Georgia.
Greg Henderson held onto the yellow jersey, however, in spite of his Team High Road's 3rd place finish, less than 4 seconds behind. Astana finished in 2nd place, about 2 seconds behind. Team CSC finished 4th.
The win by Slipstream helps to set up former Tour de Georgia winner Tom Danielson in a good position ... more»
Fifteen teams will be racing against the clock at the Road Atlanta speedway for Stage 4 of the 2008 Tour de Georgia, the event's first-ever team time trial.
The course is located in Braselton, northeast of Atlanta, and the event is scheduled to run from 1 to about 4 p.m. (ET). As usual, WCSN.com is offering its video stream of ... more»
In just one race stage, the 2008 Tour de Georgia is all about Greg Henderson of the High Road team.
The 31-year-old sprint and track specialist from New Zealand won the broken field sprint in Gainesville on Wednesday afternoon to take Stage 3. With yellow jersey holder Ivan Dominguez finishing far back, Henderson also took the over race lead.
And with intermediate and finish line sprint points building up for the past three stages, Henderson also took the lead in the points classification... more»
You could probably guess that if Argentine sprinter J.J. Haedo was signed up for the Tour de Georgia, he wouldn't be quiet for long.
We heard from the Team CSC speedster at the close of Stage 2 on Tuesday, when he missed a crash on the final turn in Augusta and passed an isolated Ivan Dominguez to capture his sixth win of the season.
Monday's winner Dominguez (Toyota-United) hung on to finish in third place, after Team High Road's Greg Henderson, and retain the yellow jersey for another day as overall race leader ... more»
Cuban cyclist Ivan Dominguez won Stage 1 of the Tour de Georgia in a bunch sprint on Monday.
While Rock Racing, High Road and Gerolsteiner battled for position at the front of the peloton, the "Cuban Missile" slipped past their sprinters and rocketed across the finish line.
Jelly Belly's Nicholas Sanderson and Gerolsteiner's Robert Forster finished second and third on the 70-mile stage from Tybee Island to Savannah... more»
It appears that the scheduled 10:30 a.m. (ET) start time for Stage 1 of the 2008 Tour de Georgia is slightly exaggerated. Based on Adobe Tour Tracker, the race started at 10:50 a.m.
There appears to be several opportunities to follow the action from the Tour de Georgia from your home or office when the bike race rolls out this coming Monday through Sunday.
Live video streaming to your computer is being offered for free through World Championship Sports Network WCSN.com. Go to the broadcast schedule page at WCSN and follow the link to "Watch Now" (you might have to register). Also check the "Live Video" page at Tour de Georgia.
Also, it looks like the Adobe Tour Tracker will be back to offer live GPS streaming of riders in the peloton, as well as a course profile, play-by-play from VeloNews and a chatroom ... more»
This is an interesting line-up for the sixth annual Tour de Georgia, which gets underway Monday on Tybee Island.
We have international stars, home-grown favorites, accused dopers, and two former winners, although last year's champion Janez Brajkovic (Slovenia) is not on the roster for Astana.
I'm sure all that talent will be more alert in the early stages this year. If you remember, all the favorites were out of contention by the end of Stage 3 when a breakaway of 13 young riders attacked and beat the peloton by nearly 30 minutes ... more»
Savannah plans to roll with the crowd when the 2008 Tour de Georgia bike race starts in nearby Tybee Island on Monday.
The historic old city is the site of bicycling events that aim to get Savannah residents out on two wheels this weekend.
Two bike rides -- the Savannah Wheelie on Saturday and the Ride for Research on Sunday -- are suited for recreational riders. The Saturday ride is free, and the next 100 to register for the Sunday ride also will get to ride free... more»
(Updated: Rock Racing is in the 2008 Tour de Georgia.)
Saunier Duval-Scott's loss is Rock Racing's gain.
A series of early-season injuries has prompted Spain's Saunier Duval-Scott pro cycling team to opt out of the 2008 Tour de Georgia that rolls from Monday through April 21.
The decision meant Tour de Georgia organizer Medalist Sport reconsidered Rock Racing for that final spot, even as the two were in Georgia Superior Court where the Continental cycling team has filed an injunction to get into the race ... more»
The 2008 Tour de Georgia bike race certainly didn't follow any script. 
2. The peloton hosted two former Tour de Georgia champions and many veteran contenders, including the winners of February's Tour of California and last fall's Tour of Missouri.
In spite of what appears to be an Australian invasion controlling the Tour de Georgia after Friday's stage, the US favorites have climbed in the standings for a battle on Brasstown Bald on Saturday.
The Slipstream-Chipotle team used its horsepower to win the Team Time Trial at Road Atlanta on Thursday, Stage 4 of the 
In just one race stage, the 2008 Tour de Georgia is all about Greg Henderson of the High Road team.
You could probably guess that if Argentine sprinter J.J. Haedo was signed up for the Tour de Georgia, he wouldn't be quiet for long.
Cuban cyclist Ivan Dominguez won Stage 1 of the Tour de Georgia in a bunch sprint on Monday.
Savannah plans to roll with the crowd when the 
(Updated: Rock Racing is in the 2008 Tour de Georgia.)
