December 5/02 4:12 am - Tour of Georgia Announced

Posted by Editor on 12/5/02
 

DaimlerChrysler Named Title Sponsor of Tour de Georgia

ATLANTA, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Tour de Georgia today announced that DaimlerChrysler, one of the world's leading automotive, transportation and service companies, will be the title sponsor of the six-day, annual cycling stage race debuting April 22-27, 2003. The tile sponsorship represents both a significant funding commitment and contribution of an assortment of passenger, cargo and light-duty vehicles to support the event.

Specific sponsorship and support will be through the company's Dodge brand, as the event will serve as a prominent forum to promote and showcase a variety of new products including, but not limited to, its line of new Sprinter Vans. The agreement designates Dodge products as the "Official Event Vehicles of Tour de Georgia."

"I am very pleased that DaimlerChrysler's commitment will assure the 2003 Tour de Georgia," said Gov. Roy E. Barnes. "Tour de Georgia promises to have one of the greatest economic impacts across Georgia since the 1996 Olympics. Most importantly, the event will carry the Georgia Cancer Coalition's message of education, awareness, prevention, detection and treatment throughout Georgia -- a 'call to action' for every citizen to get involved to defeat this horrible disease."

The 2003 Tour de Georgia will cover more than 600 miles (965 km), going through the host cities of Savannah, Augusta, Macon, Columbus, Pine Mountain (Callaway), Rome, Dalton, Gainesville and Atlanta. In addition to being the start and/or finish to each day's stage race, each host city will also be home to a celebration of events and activities.

Tour de Georgia is the only stage race of this length in the U.S. sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) for 2003, and one of only five races in the U.S. on the official UCI calendar. Not since the Tour duPont ended in 1996 has there been a major U.S. stage race sanctioned by the UCI.

The race will begin on Tuesday, April 22 with a prologue through Savannah's downtown squares and parks, in which cyclists will compete individually against the clock in a time trial. The first stage of Tour de Georgia, where the racers will compete together, will start on Wednesday in Augusta and finish in Macon. Stage Two will see the teams leave Macon on Thursday and race to Columbus. Pine Mountain (Callaway) will furnish the start for Stage Three on Friday, which finishes in Rome. The north Georgia mountains play host to the cyclists on Stage Four from Dalton to Gainesville on Saturday, which will be a stern test for the riders. The race promises an
exciting finish on Sunday, April 27, with Stage Five planned as a circuit race around Atlanta.