Ford Tour de Georgia
GeorgiaStage 5: Blairsville to Brasstown Bald
April 22, 2006
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Danielson Wins Battle with Landis on Brasstown Bald for Stage 5 of the Ford Tour de Georgia
Landis Holds On To Four-Second Advantage for Lead in General Classification
Like a championship boxing match, Tom Danielson (USA) of Discovery Channel exchanged attacks with fellow American Floyd Landis, but on the steep pitches of Brasstown Bald Mountain, and Danielson won Stage Five of the 2006 Ford Tour de Georgia. Danielson won this same stage last year, but with both cyclists receiving the same time, 4:04:56, Landis holds on to a slim four-second advantage over Danielson for the lead in the General Classification.
"Tom (Danielson) knows that he's better at accelerating, and I'm better at a constant speed, so I assume that's what they were telling him he should do on race radio. I didn't have a choice but to stay with him," said Landis, who retains the Ford Overall Leader. "I thought he would let his teammate (Popovych) win. I wanted to keep Popovych close, although I knew he wasn't going to get a minute. All I had to do was stay with Tom, and that was my goal. I didn't want to ride in front of him (Danielson) too much. He sprinted at the end, got the stage, but I did what I had to do."
Discovery Channel's Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine) worked with Danielson on the final five- kilometer climb up Brasstown and finished 17 seconds back for third place. He was followed close behind by Cesar Grajales of Navigators Insurance, much to the delight of the thousands of fans lining the twisting mountain who were looking for the Colombian to repeat from his 2004 victory.
109 riders began Stage Five under rainy conditions in Blairsville, Ga. and finished under sunny skies on the highest point in Georgia, Brasstown Bald Mountain at an elevation of 4,784 feet/ 1458 meters. The final five kilometers of the stage challenged the best cyclists in the world with an average gradient of 10-12%, and one section in the final 1,000 meters that reaches 24% gradient. The famous local climbs of Hogpen Gap (Category 1) and Unicoi Gap (Category 2) were both won by Jason McCartney (USA) of Discovery Channel, putting him into the United Community Bank King of the Mountain jersey."Today we (Discovery Channel) had a very strong team, and we were ready to do a great climb. I think, from my perspective, we underestimated how strong Floyd (Landis) was. We had such a great team at one point, there were three of us, and one of him," Danielson said at the post-stage press conference. "Last year I had attacked at the bottom and this year I put all my cards at the end, but Floyd was very, very strong. I went once and Floyd was with me, and I waited for Popovych. It became this tactical race, trying different tactical maneuvers, it was like a chess match."
In the General Classification, Popovych moves into third position, knocking out David Zabriskie (USA) of Team CSC, who drops to sixth overall. Popovych will also wear the Aaron's Most Aggressive jersey on Sunday. Two other presentation jerseys will not change going into the final stage - Janez Brajkovic (Slovenia) of Discovery Channel keeps the GE Best Young Rider jersey and Fred Rodriguez (USA) continues to wear the MAXXIS Sprint Leader jersey for a fifth consecutive day.
Stage Six is the final leg of the Ford Tour de Georgia, beginning in Cumming, Ga. Sunday April 23 at 12:30 p.m. with an expected finish in Alpharetta, Ga. between 4:45 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. The peloton will race 118.2 miles/190.2 km including six circuits of approximately four miles each in Alpharetta, with the finish line on Morrison Parkway near Haynes Bridge Road.
UNITED COMMUNITY BANK KING OF THE MOUNTAIN
MCCARTNEY, Jason DSCMAXXIS SPRINT LEADER
Fred Rodriguez DVLAARON'S CORPORATE FURNISHINGS MOST AGGRESSIVE RIDER
POPOVYCH, Yaroslav DSCSTAGE 5 INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Rider DANIELSON Thomas LANDIS Floyd POPOVYCH Yaroslav GRAJALES Cesar Augusto BRAJKOVIC Janez WIELINGA Remmert GUTIERREZ CATALUNA José Enrique MARTINEZ DE ESTEBAN Egoi ENGLAND Justin PINOTTI Marco FERNANDEZ DE LA PUEBLA RAMOS Alberto TSCHOPP Johann ZABRISKIE David COLBY Anthony BALDWIN Christopher O'NEILL Nathan EKIMOV Viatcheslav VAN DE WALLE Jurgen LOWE Trent WILSON Trent VAN HECKE Preben VANDBORG Brian WELLS Todd MANION Caleb CUESTA LOPEZ DE CASTRO Inigo RINERO Christophe BAJADALI Andrew HERRIOTT Todd KOBZARENKO Valery VERHEYEN Geert HATTON Peter GUTIERREZ CATALUNA Ignacio SWINDLEHURST Burke JACQUES-MAYNES Ben RAPINSKI Viktor PETERSON Thomas MAZUR Peter LOUDER Jeffry LAGUTIN Sergey JOHANSEN Allan NOVAL Benjamin MERTENS Pieter STALDER Florian CRUZ Antonio PATE Danny ANTHONY Jesse OLLERENSHAW Doug ZAJICEK Phil MENZIES Karl RICE Matthew GATES Nick REISTAD Nick MCCARTNEY Jason MCCORMACK Mark SCARSELLI Leonardo PIIL Jakob RODRIGUEZ Fred TOSATTO Matteo WONG Philip JOHNSON Tim LANGE Michael DAVIDENKO Vassili PERRAS Dominique EUSER Lucas HARTMAN Wesley FRATTINI Davide KUYCKX Jan JENSEN Brian FRASER Gordon BLACKGROVE Heath KAISEN Olivier MACGREGOR Ian BOWMAN Dan LEWIS Craig SHIRLEY Neil BROOKS Benjamin WREN Tyler INGELS Nic FRISCHKORN William BRAMATI Davide ZWIZANSKI Scott STEWART Jackson ELKEN Evan SAYERS Michael ROSSELER Sébastien JONES Brice HUNTER Robert OLSON Aaron PIPP Frank OLIVEIRA FERNANDEZ Luis KLOSTERGAARD LARSEN Kasper HAEDO Juan José ALBERS Kirk SULLIVAN Sean CANDELARIO Alex CLERC Aurélien O'BEE Kirk DOMINGUEZ Ivan KING Austin GRISHKINE Oleg FRIEDICK Mariano ARTACHO Gustavo BLICKEM Ryan WILCOX Craig MACBURNIE Dustin ACTON Alejandro GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 5
Rider LANDIS Floyd DANIELSON Thomas POPOVYCH Yaroslav GUTIERREZ CATALUNA José Enrique BRAJKOVIC Janez ZABRISKIE David O'NEILL Nathan PINOTTI Marco BALDWIN Christopher GRAJALES Cesar Augusto ENGLAND Justin WIELINGA Remmert MARTINEZ DE ESTEBAN Egoi VANDBORG Brian EKIMOV Viatcheslav VAN DE WALLE Jurgen TSCHOPP Johann CUESTA LOPEZ DE CASTRO Inigo WELLS Todd WILSON Trent COLBY Anthony FERNANDEZ DE LA PUEBLA RAMOS Alberto KOBZARENKO Valery BAJADALI Andrew MANION Caleb VAN HECKE Preben HERRIOTT Todd GUTIERREZ CATALUNA Ignacio MAZUR Peter LOUDER Jeffry LOWE Trent JACQUES-MAYNES Ben HATTON Peter SWINDLEHURST Burke NOVAL Benjamin PATE Danny RAPINSKI Viktor VERHEYEN Geert PETERSON Thomas MCCARTNEY Jason ZAJICEK Phil ANTHONY Jesse RICE Matthew RINERO Christophe STALDER Florian LAGUTIN Sergey GATES Nick CRUZ Antonio SCARSELLI Leonardo RODRIGUEZ Fred KUYCKX Jan FRATTINI Davide TOSATTO Matteo LANGE Michael EUSER Lucas JOHANSEN Allan MERTENS Pieter OLLERENSHAW Doug MENZIES Karl ROSSELER Sébastien PIIL Jakob BROOKS Benjamin FRISCHKORN William JENSEN Brian MCCORMACK Mark JOHNSON Tim DOMINGUEZ Ivan BLACKGROVE Heath REISTAD Nick WONG Philip PERRAS Dominique LEWIS Craig DAVIDENKO Vassili WREN Tyler BRAMATI Davide ZWIZANSKI Scott HUNTER Robert PIPP Frank FRASER Gordon JONES Brice SHIRLEY Neil HAEDO Juan José HARTMAN Wesley SULLIVAN Sean SAYERS Michael BOWMAN Dan ALBERS Kirk ELKEN Evan MACGREGOR Ian OLSON Aaron KAISEN Olivier FRIEDICK Mariano OLIVEIRA FERNANDEZ Luis O'BEE Kirk MACBURNIE Dustin STEWART Jackson INGELS Nic CLERC Aurélien CANDELARIO Alex KLOSTERGAARD LARSEN Kasper GRISHKINE Oleg ARTACHO Gustavo KING Austin BLICKEM Ryan WILCOX Craig ACTON Alejandro TEAM RESULTS AFTER STAGE 5
Team Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team Phonak Hearing Systems Team CSC Prodir-Saunier Duval Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team Quick Step-Innergetic Navigators Insurance Cycling Team Jelly Belly Cycling Team Davitamon-Lotto Health Net Presented by Maxxis Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home Wines Team TIAA-CREF Targetraining Cycling Team The Jittery Joe's-Zero Gravity Pro KodakGallery.Com-Sierra Nevada Pro YOUNG RIDER RESULTS AFTER STAGE 5
Rider BRAJKOVIC Janez TSCHOPP Johann FERNANDEZ DE LA PUEBLA RAMOS Alberto VAN HECKE Preben MAZUR Peter LOWE Trent HATTON Peter PETERSON Thomas ANTHONY Jesse STALDER Florian LANGE Michael EUSER Lucas REISTAD Nick LEWIS Craig HARTMAN Wesley BOWMAN Dan MACGREGOR Ian KAISEN Olivier MACBURNIE Dustin INGELS Nic KLOSTERGAARD LARSEN Kasper WILCOX Craig