North American pro road racers and team staff, as well as racing fansaround the country, can breath a collective sigh of relief as officialsfrom both the Tourde Georgia and the U.S. Open Cycling Championships have confirmed that their respective events are all systems go.

As reportedtwo weeks ago both events, the second and third on the USA CyclingPro Tour calendar, were without title sponsorship and facing large financialhurdles with their respective start dates quickly approaching. And whileneither race organizer has announced a high-dollar title sponsor, bothsay they are confident their races will take place as planned through thehelp of laterally funded event sponsorship.

The one-day U.S. Open, a point-to-point from Colonial Williamsburg,Virginia, to Richmond, will be held Saturday, April 7. The Tour de Georgia,now in its fifth year, will be held April 16-22.

“Too much sweat equity has gone into this race for it not to happen,”

2007 Tour de Georgia sponsors:

Aaron’s Corporate Furnishings ARAMARK Campus Services Bigelow Advertising Bissell, Inc. Classic Signature Foods CNN Mobile Display Coca Cola N.A. / C.C.E. Cox Enterprises Delta Airlines Dent Wizard Discovery Communications eCorporate Solution Emory Healthcare Garmin GE Energy Georgia Department of Economic Development Georgia Lottery Georgia PowerHeidelberg USAHincapie SportswearInput TechnologiesJittery Joe’s CoffeeKraftMavicMaxxis TiresOakleySmith & NephewStone Mountain Memorial AssociationTerrapin BeerToyota United Pro CyclingUnited Community BankUS ArmyWaffle HouseWimbledon Wines

said Jim Birrell, managing partner of Medalist Sports the organizer of the Tour de Georgia. The event is owned by the GeorgiaPartnership for Economic Development (GPED). In years past the race wassponsored by motor companies Dodge (2003-2005) and Ford (2006.) Two ofthe past four Tour de Georgia winners have also won the Tour de Francein the same year — Americans Lance Armstrong (2004, US Postal Service)and Floyd Landis (2006, Phonak).

“This has been a cornerstone to the calendar. It’s important to thestate and it’s important to the spectators and to the riders,” Birrellsaid, adding that that the race was able to fill its financial gap, believedto be $1 million, through a “collaborative effort on the corporate citizensof Georgia.”

“That helped us to bridge that gap and provide a comfort level for MedalistSports to move forward with its commitment to make it a world class race,”said Birrell, who lives in Peachtree City, the golf-cart community thatwill serve as the start of stage 1 on April 16. “We’re delivering the sameworld-class event we have the last four years.”

Twelve host community partners, as well as its presenting sponsor GPED,are backing the race. Additionally, sponsors of many top American teamsstepped up, including Discovery Communications, Toyota-United Pro Cycling,Jittery Joe’s Coffee, Bissell (Priority Health), Maxxis (Health Net-Maxxis),Hincapie Sportswear (Slipstream-Chipotle), Mavic and Oakley.

Birrell said that the 15 teams that will compete, including a UCI minimumof five international teams required for a UCI 2. HC (Hors Categorie) professional event. “[Competition Director] Kevin [Livingston] and I are working the phones as we speak,” Birrell said. “We hope to announce the teams soon.”

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Birrell said he was in shock Wednesday morning after a serious freewayaccident involving Jackie Tyson, director of communications for the Tourde Georgia, Judy Staton of the Georgia Cancer Coalition and AustralianHealth Net-Maxxis rider Nathan O’Neill, who lives in Georgia. Tyson, Staton and O’Neill were returning from a Tour de Georgia press conference in Chattanooga, the finishing city of stage 3, when Tyson’s Toyota 4Runner was reportedly bumped from the rear, causing it to crash into a guardrail and flip over multiple times.

Both passengers and the driver were wearing seatbelts. O’Neill, whowas still recovering from a collision with a motorist while training inAustralia in late January, received over 60 stitches in his left forearmand was bruised, with facial lacerations from shattered glass. O’Neillwill miss next week’s Redlands Classic, but is expected to race in Georgiain a month’s time. Staton is stable and recovering in an Atlanta hospital,while Tyson remains in intensive care with extensive injuries and headinjuries.

Birrell and his partner at Medalist, Chris Aronhalt, visited Tyson inthe hospital Wednesday afternoon following surgery to treat wounds sufferedwhen the driver’s side roof collapsed. Birrell said Tyson was coherentboth at the accident scene and after surgery, and is expected to fullyrecover, though it was unsure whether she would return in time for theevent.

“Everybody is still in recovery mode,” Birrell said.

Tyson’s husband Jack told VeloNews via email that his wife wasstill in intensive care, and asked that well-wishers not send flowers —at least not yet. “Jackie is still in ICU so no flowers are permitted anyway.I think she will enjoy them more if we have a nice display waiting forher at home. We appreciate your support.”

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Five hundred miles to the north, Richard Durishin, president of RedFive Sports Group, the management company behind the U.S. Open CyclingChampionships, told VeloNews that his event was not only all systemsgo, but that, “We are on the launch pad. We’re putting fuel in the rocketright now.”

The race looked to be in jeopardy several weeks ago when Red Five SportsGroup principal Tim Miller resigned his positions as officer and directorof Red Five Sports Group and as executive director of the U.S. Open dueto financial concerns over the race, which was running without a titlesponsor. Durishin quickly named John Eustice, director of the Univest GrandPrix, as director of the U.S. Open.

“[Instead of a title sponsor] we will have smaller sponsors,” Durishinsaid. “It’s not going to be the ‘your title here U.S. Open.’ At least notright now it’s not. You never know what can happen.”

Durishin said that the inaugural 111-mile race would feature internationalteams, as well as a two-and-a-half hour same-day broadcast on NBC. A route-announcement press conference was scheduled in Richmond for Thursday, and though all the event’s permitting had not been finalized, Durishin was eager to share one shred about the course, a 100km, mostly flat ride from Williamsburg to downtown Richmond, where racers will then face seven 7-mile closing circuits.

“There is a serpentine, straight-uphill cobble section of the circuitthat will blow this thing apart,” Durishin said. “We’re putting a fixedcamera on it. It’s going to be unbelievable.”

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2007 TOUR DE GEORGIA SCHEDULE
Stage 1: Monday, April 16 - Peachtree City to Macon
Stage 2: Tuesday, April 17 - Thomaston to Rome
Stage 3: Wednesday, April 18 - Rome to Chattanooga, Tenn.
Stage 4: Thursday, April 19 - Chickamauga/Walker Co.to Lookout Mountain (Time Trial)
Stage 5: Friday, April 20 - Dalton to Brasstown BaldMountain/Towns Co
Stage 6: Saturday, April 21 - Lake Lanier Islands/ HallCo. to Stone Mountain Park/Dekalb Co.
Stage 7: Sunday, April 22 - Atlanta (circuit race)