The Tour de Georgia, America’s premier cycling event, will visit Newnan on Tuesday, Apr. 17. Newnan has been named as a Sprint Line city, which is a “race within the race.” The actual sprint line will be located in front of the Coweta County Justice Center on Greenville Street.

The riders, coming from Thomaston, enter Coweta County on Highway 29 in Moreland and travel on Greenville Street and through East Court Square in downtown Newnan. The riders turn at the new 75 Jackson Street complex and continue on Temple Avenue and Highway 27, and they keep pedaling to Rome.

In downtown, from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, a Pedal Party will be held. The Pedal Party is a celebration of the event in Newnan and a chance for spectators to cheer on the cyclists and enjoy downtown Newnan. Several lunch specials are planned for the day. According to Alise Cartledge, Main Street Coordinator, Redneck Gourmet, Fabiano’s Pizzeria, and Quizno’s are all offering $5 lunch specials. Furthermore, many merchants will place a table of merchandise outside for Sidewalk Sales. A group from Musicology featuring Doug Kees, the players are all instructors at Musicology, the music lesson studio at 48 Spring St. in Newnan, will perform. The riders are expected to enter the county at about 12:30 p.m. and are expected to pass through town at about 12:45 p.m.

“As the riders come through downtown, we are encouraging spectators to come downtown to cheer the participants but also to have some fun on the square by shopping, eating lunch, and listening to the band. I understand the cyclists travel fairly quickly so we want you to make an enjoyable and entertaining day out of it. The Tour de Georgia is a world-class professional cycling event, and we welcome these visitors to historic downtown,” said Cartledge.

The Tour de Georgia has also secured other community participation. Local tv show “Noonan Now” and Taco Bell have agreed to sponsor the Sprint Line. They will present a check to the winning rider when the race concludes in Rome that evening. Also, according to Coweta County School System Public Information Officer Dean Jackson, many schools along the route including Moreland, Atkinson, Elm Street, and Arnco Sargeant will line the streets outside their schools to greet the cyclists. Several downtown businesses including Welden Financial and Neighborhood Community Bank are hosting their own Block Party in their parking lots.

The Coweta County Convention and Visitors Bureau will have a “tent row” of sponsors and vendors at the Coweta County Justice Center. They are encouraging anyone along the route to come out and cheer for the cyclists. A group will also gather at the Chattahoochee River in Sargeant as the Tour leaves Coweta County at approximately 1:10 p.m.

The 2007 Tour de Georgia will feature over 600 miles of racing. A total of 15 teams, consisting of eight people per team, are expected to compete, and athletes represent 20 or more nationalities. The race is scheduled for April 16 – 22 and was founded by the Georgia Department of Economic Development. The Georgia Cancer Coalition is the official beneficiary of the race.

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