The 2007 Tour de Georgia kicks off in Peachtree City this year and, whether you are a cycling fan or not, that is just awesome.
Perhaps the only thing better than being the official starting point for the 2007 Tour de Georgia is being the official finishing point and while Peachtree City is great, it lacks the star power of downtown Atlanta.

We do get a lot more face time with the cyclists, their teams, the Tour de Georgia staff and volunteers and the media though, and that should count for something, especially economically speaking. Right now, there is hardly a hotel room to be had in the area and you may have already seen more riders out sampling the course and the local culture. Some people have been here as early as Thursday and these thousands of guests will be here until a little after 1 p.m. on Monday. They deserve our southern hospitality all weekend and they could use our support come Monday as well.

That’s right, you heard it here, Monday should be a skip day for everyone - students, every one in the work force - just play some hooky. It doesn’t have to be all day, just head to the course around lunch time, hang out and watch some of the best cyclists in the world blaze through Peachtree City on their way to Macon. Having seen parts of the race the last two years I can promise you that the Tour de Georgia is something incredible to see.

The race offers something for nearly every sense. The colors of the riders look impossibly bright, especially set against the backdrop of our unique landscape in Fayette County. Lining up along the course, one can feel the breeze as the cyclists pass by, listening to the buzz of their wheels joining in with a symphony of bells, whistles and cheers from the crowd. It is a day of celebration and parties, grills all over the course are cooking, music is blaring and people come together to witness an amazing athletic feat.

What these athletes do is amazing. On Monday, they will ride 97 miles and they will do it in a matter of hours that few of us could fathom. They will ride again on Tuesday and every day until next Sunday and their rides will be progreesively more difficult, not only because of the miles they will have logged previously but because some days they will climb unbelievable heights and, if they want to win, they will have to do it faster than anyone else. Over 600 miles will be covered over the course of the week - that’s more than the distance from Atlanta to Orlando and New Orleans and just under the distance from Atlanta to Chicago - by bike.

The winners of the Tour de Georgia are often the winners and contenders at the Tour de France. Not onyl are you seeing the current best and brightest - people like Levi Leipheimer, Bobby Julich, George Hincapie, Tom Danielson and Tyler Hamilton, but you also get to see tomorrow’s stars. The U.S. National Team will bring their young riders this year and they will find themselves on pro teams in the not too distant future, as will the cyclists from some of the “smaller” teams.

I know it can be tough to get time off of work and I realize that it was huge to see Lance Armstrong, the ultimate cycling superstar a few years ago, but this race is still significant, entertaining and worth your time and support.
The Tour de Georgia is a unique event that brings the world’s best athletes in one sport to our cities and towns. This is our Boston Marathon, our Masters and our Tour de France and we should be out in the streets, waving flags, ringing bells and celebrating.

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