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Haedo takes final stage, Landis wins overall in Georgia
Chalk one up for the little guys. Following a five-day shutout in which domestic teams failed to win a single stage and only managed two top-three finishes against their ProTour foes, Toyota-United speedster Juan Jose Haedo earned a measure of redemption for the U.S.-based squads at the Ford Tour de Georgia, taking a bunch-sprint win on the final day of racing.
The Argentine finished half a bike length ahead of Canadian Gord Fraser (Health Net-Maxxis), with Phonak’s Aurelien Clerc third at the finish of Sunday’s 118.2-mile stage from Cumming to Alpharetta.
"The legs aren’t quite as good as last year and they need to be very good to beat J.J.," lamented Fraser, who won the stage into Alpharetta in both 2004 and 2005. "[Haedo] was inching up and inching up. It was clear he was faster so it was just a question if he was going to run out of real estate. He didn’t. As soon as he got by me it was over. I just got beat by a much stronger rider."
Meanwhile, American Floyd Landis finished safely in the bunch, wrapping up his third major stage race win of 2006. Already this spring the Phonak rider has taken victories in the Tour of California and Paris-Nice. Landis and his team had a fairly relaxed day, with only a late wheel change adding drama to the flat stage, which included just one rated climb, the category 3 Burnt Mountain ascent.
"When I punctured there was still 2.5 laps to go [on the 3.65-mile finishing circuit]," Landis explained. "It was a little stressful but there was plenty of time and everyone was pretty respectful so there was no problems. I just had a teammate stop and I took his wheel. Each race has gotten better this year. Last year I didn’t have the same fitness. This year I couldn’t ask for more."
Landis’ early season exploits drew even higher praise from a man who knows a little about standout stage racers.
"He is definitely having a great start of the season," said Discovery Channel team director Johan Bruyneel. "Last year I think he was a little under expectations. But I think if you have to name five [riders who are potential Tour de France winners] right now he is one of them. The Tour will decide if he is at the same level as guys like [Ivan] Basso and [Jan] Ullrich. But if today you have to name five guys that are contenders he is definitely part of those five."
Four seconds behind Landis in the overall standings was 2005 Tour de Georgia champion Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel). Danielson’s teammate, Yaroslav Popovych, was third at 1:55 in the six-stage, 601-mile race.
"I came here in good shape and I worked hard," said Danielson showing no signs of disappointment despite his failed title defense. "I wanted to see how my fitness is. I think from stage 1 to 6 I proved that my condition is good and that my riding in the peloton has improved, my climbing is good, my time trialing has improved drastically. I think I’m ready for a good Giro. Okay, I finished second but I’m very satisfied with how I raced and I showed that I can be one of the strongest."
American Fred Rodriguez (Davitamon-Lotto) won the points jersey, with the KOM crown going to Jason McCartney (Discovery Channel). McCartney’s teammate Janez Brajkovic won the Best Young Rider competition, while Will Frischkorn (TIAA-CREF) was tabbed Most Aggressive Rider for the day.
"I think we did the perfect race," said Bruyneel. "We knew that the time trial and the mountain stage would be decisive. We have nothing to regret. Tom did a great time trial. We have to accept that we were beaten by a very solid Landis.
"We came here to win. We go home with second and third place overall and a lot of other prizes, so we are very satisfied with the overall team performance. It’s easy to look back and say, if this, then that, but it doesn’t work like that. Cycling is not a science. It’s trying to be the strongest on the road. We had a plan. We tried to follow the plan. Floyd was just stronger than expected and we have to accept that."
Bruyneel’s only regret was the inordinate number of fines he racked up during the week. A grand total was not readily available, but in the overall standings, Bruyneel had clearly taken top honors.
"I think after this race I am going to be a personal official sponsor to the UCI," joked Bruyneel. "It’s one of two things. Either I don’t know the rules and I don’t know how to do my job, or somebody must not like me. I think I know my job and I think I know the rules, so I’ll go for the second option."
The early break ... and the final dash
Frischkorn and fellow American Jeff Louder (Health Net-Maxxis) were the last two members of a break that first formed 11.4 miles into the race. Initially the move numbered 15. But between the dangling of a $2500 prime at the day’s second sprint, and varying objectives, that number had fallen to two by the time the race entered the 3.65-mile finishing circuit in Alpharetta.
From there it became a battle of survival with Frischkorn and Louder desperately trying to hold on while the likes of Davitamon-Lotto, Toyota-United and Phonak all worked hard at the front to reel them in.
The catch finally came with less than two laps to go. With their fate clear the pair sat up and shook hands, knowing it was a just a matter of seconds before the field came roaring by.
That left the end game to the sprinters, and it was Haedo taking the day.
"It was hard," said the soft-spoken Argentine, who clearly has a future in the European peloton. "Gord did a really good sprint. When I went today it was close. It’s hard to sprint with those guys, Gord, Freddy [Rodriguez], Robbie Hunter. There are a lot of guys you have to worry about. We wanted to put a guy in the breakaway and that way we didn’t have to chase. [Davitamon-Lotto] didn’t have anybody they had to chase the whole day. In the end and it was my team and Lotto and Quick Step. In the last lap I was just following Gord."
While Haedo chose the right wheel, Stage 4 winner Rodriguez ended up on the wrong train, being drawn out by Popovych who entered the day just five points behind Rodriguez in the points standings.
"Early on we got caught in a position where we had to do most of the work so I sacrificed the whole team because we had to bring back the breakaway," said Rodriguez about the fact that Davitamon was one of the few teams that had missed the day’s only significant breakaway.
"That left me alone in the final sprint. Discovery put together the major lead-out at the end, so I followed Popovych. Maybe that was a mistake. On the downhill they didn’t have the momentum. Health Net came by going a lot faster and it cost me a lot of energy to get back onto J.J.’s wheel. I sprinted back on to his wheel at 300 meters and spent most of what I had, so when they went they had faster legs."
Race notes
Discovery Channel team director Johan Bruyneel said that team rider George Hincapie’s prognosis had improved greatly in recent days, following his grisly crash at Paris-Roubaix two weeks ago.
"The first reports were pretty negative, surgery and a big fracture," said Bruyneel about Hincapie’s status. "But that didn’t happen. He’s back home and training. He was supposed to come and visit us today, but he didn’t come because he wanted to train for five hours so he is back to normal. His next race is supposed to be Dauphine in June. Until then he’ll just train and preview some Tour stages. So I think he is back on track."
With two stage wins at the Tour of California and another here in Georgia, it’s clear Stage 6 winner J.J. Haedo has a bright future. It can only be a matter of time before he’s doing battle with the ProTour’s best on a full-time basis.
"He’s very talented," said Fred Rodriguez, who witnessed Haedo’s skills at both the big U.S. stage racers. "He proved it in California when he out-sprinted me at the fourth stage. He has what it takes to go Europe if he wants to. He’s in a good position to be successful. I think the only thing he has to do is work on his endurance and that comes with time."
To see how the finale developed, simply click here to open our live update window.
