DAHLONEGA - At the finish of the fourth stage of the Tour de Georgia Friday in Dahlonega, Phonak's Floyd Landis, held on to the leaders jersey 30 seconds behind the day's winner Brian Vandborg of CSC.
Lance Armstrong was in the final group. His Discovery teammate, Viatcheslav Ekimov finished second in the rainy race, while Discovery's Jose Rubiera was the day's most aggressive racer.
The end of the fourth stage was very wet, but that didn't deter fans, who crowded the sides of the roads in the rain to get a glimpse of Armstrong and the other cyclists as they crossed the finish just as the sky began to clear.
"Oh, it was a great day, and it was fun to come out," said Greg Randolph, a former pro racer himself, who works for CSC sponsor Smith Optics. He and his children came all the way from Ketchum, Idaho to support team CSC, "It was just raining cats and dogs, and it cleared up just in time. It was real nice."
Scott Branum came with his family from Columbus, Georgia for the event, "We do a lot of riding in Columbus, came up here to do some riding this afternoon, but nothing like these guys," he said.
Branum was there to support his favorite cyclist. "Of course, Lance. You know, you got to love him. He brought cycling to America and made it what it is," Branum said, "It was fantastic! It just couldn't be any better. Feels like we're in Europe."
The Tour de Georgia continues Saturday morning with Stage Five from Gainesville to Brasstown Bald.
Friday
May 2nd, 2025
12:26AM
