Tour de Georgia bicycle racing officials released maps of this year’s course earlier this week.

Peachtree City will be the host of the overall start of the Tour de Georgia this year on Monday, April 16.

Stage one will be a 97-mile trek that will start near Lake Peachtree at noon and will end in Macon between 3:30 and 4 p.m. The route heads southeast from Peachtree City through Starr’s Mill and Brooks on its way through Zebulon and Barnesville, taking the rolling Cherry Blossom Trail to Macon, which will host a Tour stage for a fifth consecutive year.

On day two, the riders will go from Thomaston to Rome, going through towns such as Gay, Luthersville, Moreland and Newnan on their way to the finish. Day three goes from Rome to Chattanooga, Tenn., while day four goes from Chickamauga/Walker County, Ga., to Lookout Mountain, Ga. Day five goes from Dalton, Ga., to Brasstown Bald. Day six starts at Lake Lanier Islands and rides to Stone Mountain Park. The race finishes on day seven with a circuit race in Atlanta.

The 2007 Tour de Georgia will cover 667 miles in seven days, making it the longest (total distance) in the five-year history of the event, and one of the longest professional stage races in the U.S. this year.

Since 2003 the Tour de Georgia has attracted 2.3 million spectators and generated direct economic impact to the Georgia economy that has totaled over $121 million. Close to 4,000 volunteers make this annual event a success. The Tour de Georgia also supports the Georgia Cancer Coalition with over $125,000 in funding for cancer research and statewide publicity for its partners and services.

The week-long event will maintain its traditional “Tour de France tune-up” slot on the UCI international cycling calendar as a 2. HC (Hors Categorie) professional event, attracting the best teams from North America and across the globe.

Two of the past four winners have also won the Tour de France in the same year as winning the Tour de Georgia — Americans Lance Armstrong (2004, US Postal Professional Cycling Team) and Floyd Landis (2006, Team Phonak).

As the event draws closer, there will be more news on participating teams, special events and more. Visit www.tourdegeorgia.com for more information.

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