April 28, 2003 – The 2003 Tour of Georgia came to a conclusion yesterday
with the 144K stage four Atlanta circuit race. Under bright, sunny skies
and an 83-degree temperature, the large crowds were treated to an exciting
final stage of racing. The 15k circuit wound its way through Atlanta's
downtown area with the start/finish line adjacent to the Centennial Olympic
Park, the epicenter of the 1996 Olympic Games. The Navigators team's
strategy for today would be fairly simple; go for a stage win, since Jeff
Louder was 1:44 off the pace and unlikely to improve upon that deficit due
to the flat terrain. Another of the many variables in the race would be the
combination of time bonuses and points for the sprint leader's jersey. It
was mathematically possible for Fred Rodriguez (Vini Calderola-Sidermec) to
take the race lead from Chris Horner (Saturn) by winning the bonus sprints
as well as the race. Rodriguez was able to win the first two of the three
bonus sprints and it appeared that his plans for the overall victory were well
within his grasp. Unfortunately for him, the Saturn team let a group of six
low-placed riders gain an advantage of 1-minute on the peloton. Up the road
were Jacob Erker and Pete Knudsen (both Schroeder Iron), Tim Larkin (Ofoto),
Adham Sbeih (Sierra Nevada), Steve Larson (Webcor) and Marten Den Bakker
(Rabobank). For the next several laps, the gap to the leaders hovered at
about 1-minute, so the third and final bonus sprint would be wasted. With
one-and-a-half laps remaining, it was the sprinters that began
to bring the gap down, and the breakaways back into the fold. The speed
increased dramatically on the final lap in preparation for the field sprint.
At the line, it was David Clinger (Prime Alliance) taking the photo finish
ahead of Rodriguez and Moreno DiBiase (Formaggi Pinzolo). Rodriguez' bonus
sprints moved him into second on the overall classification, ahead of Nathan
O'Neill (Saturn).

Stage Four Results:

1. David Clinger (Prime Alliance)
2. Fred Rodriguez (Vini Calderola-Sidermec)
3. Moreno DiBiase (Formaggi Pinzolo)

Overall Final:

1. Chris Horner (Saturn)
2. Fred Rodriguez (Vini Calderola-Sidermec)
3. Nathan O'Neill (Saturn)
4. Michael Barry (USPS)