Macon, GA - Stage 1 of the Ford Tour de Georgia is a nearly pancake flat, 129-mile run from Augusta to Macon. It is a classic sprinters stage, and the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis was looking to set up multiple Georgia stage winner Gord Fraser for the finish. However, it appeared that a section of cobbles caused his front skewer to loosen in the first of three 2.1-mile circuits in Macon, taking Fraser out of contention, as the pace of the Discovery-led peloton was too high to allow him to rejoin. The situation gave rising Health Net-Maxxis star Karl Menzies a shot at the sprint finish.

Menzies emerged out of the chaos of the final 500 meters of the stage, which included a crash with less than 300 meters to go, to finish fourth behind stage winner Lars Michaelsen (CSC).

"Mike (Sayers) and Jeff (Louder) did a great job leading me up the last section of cobbles," Menzies said. "Then, coming out of the last turn, Phonak went to the right and that seemed like the direction to go so I followed them. With 200 meters to go, I was at the front sitting second wheel. A corridor opened on the right, but then I got squeezed toward the barriers. I had to hit the brakes and come back around to the left, and that's when CSC went.

"The guys did a great job of protecting me and delivering me to the front for the sprint," Menzies said. "It was a great opportunity, but unfortunately, it didn't work out. But everyone is riding really well. I'm going well. So we'll try to win one tomorrow."

Familiar script

The stage featured its requisite early break and late catch. This time, it was four riders finally slipping away 60 miles into the stage.

"The first two hours of the race were very fast and aggressive," Health Net Presented by Maxxis directeur sportif Jeff Corbett said. "But things relaxed a bit once the break went.

The easing of the pace allowed the quartet of Dan Bowman (TIAA-CREF), who last year on this stage set off on his own and stayed away from a disinterested peloton for 90 miles, Jackson Stuart (Kodakgallery.com-Sierra Nevada), Neil Shirley (Jittery Joe's) and Aaron Olsen (Prodir-Saunier Duval) to eventually extend their lead out to nearly 11 minutes until the peloton finally awakened with about 40 miles remaining.

Initially driven by Phonak and Discovery, who were protecting the overall positions of Floyd Landis and last year's champion, Tom Danielson, respectively, the break slowly came back over the next 20 miles until the four riders finally began to tire and the gap dropped quickly. Olsen had one last go of it solo, but shortly after the race entered the finishing circuits, the break had been swallowed, and then spit out the back.

Despite a number of attacks in the circuits, nothing succeeded and the sprinters had their day, as expected. The Ford Tour de Georgia continues Wednesday with a 116-mile run from Fayetteville to Rome.

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