The Macon Telegraph, Ga. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Apr. 1--MACON, Ga. -- The route of the inaugural Tour de Georgia bicycle race is scheduled to weave through Macon.
Macon is the only city on the six-day race to host the ending of one stage, April 23, and the beginning of the next stage, April 24.
Organizers say this will allow a great number of people an opportunity to view a world-class, professional cycling race.
More than 15 professional teams comprised of 120 international cyclists will compete for prize money and world ranking points.
'Beginning the race during the lunch hour (April 24) will give hundreds of people, who work in the downtown area, an opportunity to see the racers off,' said Chip Cherry, president of the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, in a news release. He is also chairman of the Macon committee organizing the race.
The race is scheduled to wind numerous downtown Macon streets.
April 23, the race's second day, cyclists are to enter the city from Ga. 22 onto Mulberry Street and follow this route:
Right turn from Mulberry to Bond Street, right onto Orange Street, left onto Georgia Avenue, right onto College Street, left onto Washington Avenue/Hardeman Avenue, left onto First Street, left onto Cotton Avenue, right onto Second Street back to Mulberry Street.
After bikers repeat the loop, they are to take Martin Luther King Boulevard to Center City Park, where that leg of the race ends.
April 24, the race's third day begins at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on Cherry Street, going to Cotton Avenue, turning left. Bikers then take a left from Cotton to New Street, a left from First Street to Poplar Street, a right to Walton Avenue, a left to College Street, a left to Ash Street, a right onto Montpelier Avenue and a left onto Ga. 74.
The race is to link cities and towns from the southern coast, through Georgia's heartland, to the northern mountains, showcasing local attractions along the way.
Details of each stage of the race are:
-- aSavannah time trial: Begins at 11 a.m., April 22 in Savannah's historic downtown squares. Individual cyclists will race against the clock on a 2.6-mile course through downtown Savannah. The prologue is scheduled to end at 2 p.m.
-- Augusta to Macon: Begins at 10 a.m., April 23 on Broad Street in Augusta. The 136-mile stage has three official sprint lines -- in Harlem, Warrenton and Milledgeville. A sprint line is a designated point along the route where the first three riders to cross are given bonus points. The stage is scheduled to end at 3 p.m. at Central City Park in Macon.
-- aMacon to Columbus: Begins at 12:30 p.m., April 24 at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. The 124-mile stage has two sprint lines -- in Thomaston and Warm Springs. The stage is scheduled to end at 5 p.m. at the Columbus Civic Center.
-- Callaway/Pine Mountain to Rome: Begins at 10 a.m., April 25 at Callaway. The 138-mile stage has two sprint lines -- in LaGrange and Cedartown. The stage is scheduled to end at 3:30 p.m. on Broad Street in downtown Rome.
-- Dalton to Gainesville: Begins at 10:30 a.m., April 26 on Hamilton Street in Dalton. The 122-mile stage includes two sprint lines -- in Chatsworth and Ellijay. The stage also includes two mountainous sections -- Fort Mountain State Park, with an elevation of 2,842 feet, and Woody Gap, at 3,184 feet. The stage is scheduled to end at 3:15 p.m. on Spring Street in Gainesville.
-- Atlanta Circuit Race: Begins at 1 p.m., April 27 at Centennial Olympic Park. Riders will make nine 9.8-mile laps through downtown Atlanta. The finish is expected at about 3:30 p.m. at Centennial Olympic Park.
Middle Georgia involvement includes the chamber, which is working with businesses to fund local events, and the Macon-Bibb County Convention & Visitors Bureau, which has the responsibility of communications, housing and food arrangements.
The Keep Macon/Bibb Beautiful Commission is also involved by expanding the staging of activities and entertainment associated with its Earth Day events and integrating it with the race day activities.
Law enforcement officials are to control traffic and teach bike safety to children during the Earth Day events, and Middle Georgia cycling groups will serve as volunteers.
Proceeds of the race are to benefit the Georgia Cancer Coalition.
The race is expected to draw an estimated 1 million spectators and 50 million television viewers in the U.S., while generating a projected $30 million in economic development for Georgia in the next five years, according to a news release from the Georgia Partnership for Economic Development. It is a not-for-profit foundation that operates as a public-private partnership with the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism.
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(c) 2003, The Macon Telegraph, Ga. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
