The Tour de Georgia was a U.S. professional

road cycling Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling in which cyclists ride on paved roadways. It includes recreational, racing, commuting, and utility cycling. As users of the road, road cyclists are generally expected to obey the same laws as ...

stage race across the state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. The race began in 2003 and was contested six times until 2008. It was one of the three events in North America ranked as Hors Classe (

2.HC The UCI 1.HC and UCI 2.HC are the second tier classification of road cycling races by the UCI, after the UCI World Tour (or its predecessor, the UCI ProTour). The races are part of the various UCI Continental Circuits. The 1.HC events are one-day ...

) stage race events by the UCI, which is cycling's international governing body, along with the

Tour of Missouri The Tour of Missouri was a professional road bicycle racing stage race in Missouri that started on September 11, 2007 with six days of racing. The organizers, who also run the Tour de Georgia and the Amgen Tour of California, billed it as the thi ...

and the

Tour of California The Tour of California (officially sponsored as the Amgen Tour of California) was an annual professional road cycling stage race on the UCI World Tour and USA Cycling Professional Tour that ran from 2006 to 2019. It was the only event on the ...

. The event was cancelled in 2009 and 2010, and despite its backers aiming for the race to be held again in 2011, it has not been held since.

History

Conceived by then-commissioner R. K. Sehgal in 2002, the race was developed by the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism (now known as the Georgia Department of Economic Development) for the benefit of the

Georgia Cancer Coalition Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Beginning with the 2008 race, The Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta will be the race's official beneficiary organization. The Tour de Georgia has boosted

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

in Georgia providing 2.3 million visitors and a $26 million economic impact between 2003 and 2006. The race quickly generated international attention when the U.S. Postal Service cycling team began using it as part of Lance Armstrong's preparation for the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

. Armstrong rode in the race before his Tour campaigns in 2004 and 2005, and Floyd Landis won it before his Tour victory (later disallowed, along with all of Armstrongs wins at a later date) in 2006. On 14 November 2008, the directors of the Tour de Georgia announced that the 2009 race would be canceled, but that the race planned to return in 2010. The reason given was a lack of sponsorship, which had caused the Tour to seek some reductions in 2008 bills. The 2010 event was also cancelled for financial reasons, although the race's backers were aiming for the race to return in 2011. As of July 2012, the race has not been revived.

Route

This six stage event extends riders over 600 miles in six days. One ends in a steep ascent to the top of

Brasstown Bald Brasstown Bald is the highest point in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is located in the northeastern part of the state in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the border between Towns and Union County, Georgia, Union counties south of the city of Hiawassee ...

, the highest point in Georgia. As in the

, the overall leader wears a yellow jersey.

History of results

General Classification

The current leader and overall winner by time after each stage and at the conclusion of the race is awarded the ''Yellow Jersey''.

Sprints Classification

The Sprint Leader Jersey is a gray and ''Aqua-blue Jersey'' is worn by the rider that receives the most bonus points awarded through his placing in intermediate sprints and finishing in the top 15 places at the end of the stage.

Mountains Classification

The

King of the Mountains The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing, Queen of the Mountains (QoM) is used. While the title may be given to the rider who achieves the highest ...

Jersey is worn by current leader and overall winner by points awarded by his placing in mountain climbs. The leader wears a Georgia-inspired ''

Peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-f ...

es Theme Jersey'' (in substitution of the traditional polka dot theme of the Tour de France jersey).

Best Young Rider Classification

The Best Young Rider is the best racer in General Classification that has less than 25 years old. He wears a ''Green Jersey''.

Most Aggressive Rider Classification

The Most Aggressive Rider wears the ''Blue and Green Jersey''. The jersey is awarded at the end of each stage to the rider that demonstrates the most aggressive attacks, breakaways or strategies, as judged by a panel of media and race entourage officials (since 2005).

References

External links

Tour de Georgia blogTour de Georgia photos and stories
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tour de Georgia UCI America Tour races Cycle races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 2003 Cycling in Georgia (U.S. state) 2003 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)