Triathlon Daily

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Race Preview: 2008 Tour de Georgia

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from Velonews…

With no individual time trial and a trip planned up the steep Brasstown Bald mountain, the seven-day 2008 Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T, appears to be a climber’s race. Odds-on race favorites include 2006 overall winner Tom Danielson (Slipstream-Chipotle), Astana’s U.S. national champion Levi Leipheimer and Rock Racing’s Spanish climbing sensation Oscar Sevilla.

However, as last year’s Tour de Georgia proved, when a 13-man breakaway took 29 minutes on the race’s GC favorites, stage races don’t always go according to plan.

No defending champ, but several former winners …

Last year’s race winner, Janez Brajkovic (Astana), will not be in Georgia to defend his title. The 2007 runner-up, American Christian Vande Velde (Slipstream) will return to Georgia.

Two former overall winners return to Georgia — Danielson, overall winner in 2005, and Astana’s Chris Horner, who won the inaugural race in 2003, prior to the introduction of the climb up Brasstown. Horner was originally scheduled to race Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race, but was asked to fly to Georgia.

“The team is going for the win in Georgia,” Horner told VeloNews.

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