STAGE 1
On stage 1 Andrea Tafi of Saunier Duval-ProdirDan broke first but the peloton quickly reeled him in rather than chance this experienced rider getting away with stealing the stage. The real excitement was when Dan Bowman of TIAA/CREFF broke away from the peloton and the other riders let him suffer on his solo ride for about 90 miles before reeling him in. This is sure to be a lesson for him next time he considers running away from such an experienced group of racers.
Marco Pinotti of Saunier Duval-Prodir and Ivan Fanelli of L.P.R. pulled away from the group in an effort to reel him in. They managed to catch Bowman and blow past him but their attempt was not to hold. Heathnet picked up the pace and drove the peloton with later help by the Discovery Team. As the race made its final laps in Macon several riders tried to break free with no real success.
In the end it boiled down to a sprint as everyone expected. In the final lap the peloton was not very organized and Robbie Hunter of Phonak was able to clip the other sprinters for the stage win. Ben Brooks of Jelly Belly finished second with Michele Maccanti and Danilo Napolitano Team L.P.R. right on his wheel.
Remember that if you get any real cool shots of this stage or have a comment to pass on to the peanut gallery please send it to bicycling@coolbicyling.com.
STAGE 1 RESULTS
5:47:52
1 Robert Hunter (RSA) Phonak Hearing Systems
2 Benjamin Brooks (Aus) Jelly Belly - Pool Gel
3 Michele Maccanti (Ita) Team L.P.R.
4 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Team L.P.R.
5 Gregory Henderson (NZl) Health Net Presented by Maxxis
6 David Canada Gracia (Spa) Prodir - Saunier Duval
7 Caleb Manion (Aus) Jelly Belly - Pool Gel
8 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC
9 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
10 René Haselbacher (Aut) Gerolsteiner
11 Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Team L.P.R.
12 Geoff Kabush (Can) Jittery Joe's - Kalahari Pro Cycling Team
13 Christopher Baldwin (USA) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
14 Glen Mitchell (NZl) Kodak Easyshare Gallery - Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling
15 Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
16 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems
17 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner
18 Kirk Albers (USA) Jelly Belly - Pool Gel
19 Mark Walters (Can) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
20 Elia Aggiano (Ita) Team L.P.R.
21 Daniele Contrini (Ita) Team L.P.R.
22 Saul Raisin (USA) Credit Agricole
23 José Azevedo (Por) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
24 Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
25 Michael Blaudzun (Den) Team CSC
26 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Prodir - Saunier Duval
27 Cesar Augusto Grajales (Col) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
28 Alessandro Maserati (Ita) Team L.P.R.
29 Tom Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
30 Nicolas Fritsch (Fra) Prodir - Saunier Duval
31 Nathan O'Neill (Aus) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
32 Dominique Perras (Can) Kodak Easyshare Gallery - Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling
33 David Zabriskie (USA) Team CSC
34 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Prodir - Saunier Duval
35 Tomasz Nose (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems
36 Danny Pate (USA) Jelly Belly - Pool Gel
37 José Luis Rubiera Vigil (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
38 Michael Barry (Can) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
39 Chris Wherry (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis
40 Matthew Rice (Aus) Jelly Belly - Pool Gel
41 Jose Enrique Gutierrez Cataluna (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems
42 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Credit Agricole
43 William Frischkorn (USA) Team TIAA - CREF
44 Christian Vandevelde (USA) Team CSC
45 Russell Hamby (USA) Kodak Easyshare Gallery - Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling
46 Eric Wohlberg (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team
47 Phil Zajicek (USA) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
48 Andrea Tafi (Ita) Prodir - Saunier Duval
49 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC
50 Peter Wrolich (Aut) Gerolsteiner
51 Svein Tuft (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team
52 Trent Lowe (Aus) Jittery Joe's - Kalahari Pro Cycling Team
53 Brian Vandborg (Den) Team CSC
54 Marco Pinotti (Ita) Prodir - Saunier Duval
55 Mads Kaggestad (Nor) Credit Agricole
56 Timothy Johnson (USA) Jittery Joe's - Kalahari Pro Cycling Team
57 Edward King (USA) USA National Team
0:22
58 Nick Waite (USA) USA National Team
59 Scott Zwizanski (USA) Kodak Easyshare Gallery - Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling
60 Christian Meier (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team
61 Michael Rich (Ger) Gerolsteiner
62 Bruno Langlois (Can) Jittery Joe's - Kalahari Pro Cycling Team
63 Mike Sayers (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis
64 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Credit Agricole
65 Matthias Russ (Ger) Gerolsteiner
66 Antonio Cruz (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
67 Timothy Duggan (USA) Team TIAA - CREF
68 Jason McCartney (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
69 Hayden Godfrey NZ' Kodak Easyshare Gallery - Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling
70 Portal Sébastien (Fra) Credit Agricole
71 Jonathan Sundt (USA) Jittery Joe's - Kalahari Pro Cycling Team
72 Gustavo Artacho (Arg) Colavita Olive Oil - Sutter Home Pro Cycling Team
73 Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Kodak Easyshare Gallery - Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling
74 Rafael Casero Moreno (Spa) Prodir - Saunier Duval
75 Jacob Erker (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team
76 Brice Jones (USA) Jelly Belly - Pool Gel
77 Craig Lewis (USA) Team TIAA - CREF
78 Chad Hartley (USA) Team TIAA - CREF
0:36
79 Jeff Louder (USA) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
80 Andrew Pinfold (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team
81 Jackson Stewart (USA) Kodak Easyshare Gallery - Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling
0:55
82 Justin England (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis
83 John Lieswyn (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis
84 John Devine (USA) USA National Team
1:03
85 Ian Macgregor (USA) Team TIAA - CREF
86 Christian Müller (Ger) Team CSC
87 Gordon Fraser (Can) Health Net Presented by Maxxis
88 David O'Loughlin (Irl) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
89 Scott Moninger (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis
90 Sascha Urweider (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
91 Vassili Davidenko (Rus) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
92 Ivan Fanelli (Ita) Team L.P.R.
93 Ivan Dominguez (Cub) Health Net Presented by Maxxis
94 Kevin Bouchard-Hall (USA) USA National Team
1:49
95 John Murphy (USA) USA National Team
96 Will Routley (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team
2:14
97 Christian Foster (USA) Jittery Joe's - Kalahari Pro Cycling Team
98 Michael Lange (USA) Team TIAA - CREF
99 Todd Herriot (USA) Colavita Olive Oil - Sutter Home Pro Cycling Team
100 David Robinson (USA) Team TIAA - CREF
101 Niki Aebersold (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
2:36
102 Sven Krauss (Ger) Gerolsteiner
103 Daniele Masolino (Ita) Team L.P.R.
104 Cory Lange (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team
105 Aaron Olsen (USA) Colavita Olive Oil - Sutter Home Pro Cycling Team
106 Andy Guptill (USA) USA National Team
2:46
107 Craig Wilcox (USA) Jittery Joe's - Kalahari Pro Cycling Team 3.11
108 Marsh Cooper (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team
3:28
109 Jeremy Powers (USA) Jelly Belly - Pool Gel
110 Derek Wilkerson (USA) Colavita Olive Oil - Sutter Home Pro Cycling Team
111 Kilian Patour (Fra) Credit Agricole
4:19
112 Dan Bowman (USA) Team TIAA - CREF
4:36
113 Michael Wolf (USA) USA National Team
114 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team CSC
115 Davide Frattini (Ita) Colavita Olive Oil - Sutter Home Pro Cycling Team
116 Juan José Haedo (Arg) Colavita Olive Oil - Sutter Home Pro Cycling Team
117 Evan Elken (USA) Jittery Joe's - Kalahari Pro Cycling Team
6:57
118 Steven Cozza (USA) USA National Team
119 Mark McCormack (USA) Colavita Olive Oil - Sutter Home Pro Cycling Team
7:38
120 Jonathan Page (USA) Colavita Olive Oil - Sutter Home Pro Cycling Team
121 Mariano Friedick (USA) Jelly Belly - Pool Gel
THIS YEARS TEAMS LAST YEARS TOUR
