Dominguez claims Yellow Leaders Jersey and Toyota-United leads the Team Competition heading into Stage Two

Photo by Ken Conley

Los Angeles, CA – As if he was shot out of a canon, Toyota-United’s Ivan Dominguez, affectionately known as the “Cuban Missile”, won today’s opening 70.4 mile stage 1 of the 2008 Tour de Georgia Presented by AT & T. 119 riders contested the race which was held in sunny mild conditions on a mostly flat circuit. Ivan Stevic from Toyota-United was in an early breakaway of six riders that never gained more than a minute advantage over the field for most of the race. “With 8 kilometers to go, the Pro Tour teams formed an alliance and drove hard to catch the leaders. Our guys were waiting in the wings to spring Dominguez to the finish if Stevic’s group was caught” said Len Pettyjohn Team Director for Toyota-United.

With 1000 meters to go, Henk Vogels the team captain of Toyota-United led the charge with Dominique Rollin, Ivan Dominguez and Hilton Clarke on his wheel to set up the sprint for Dominguez. “Henk put us in a perfect position and took me to 500 meters where I let loose with everything I had to deliver Ivan as close to the finish as possible before he blew past me with 200 meters to go and easily won.” said teammate Dominique Rollin.

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Fulton County, Ga. — Professional cycling fans will get their wish after all: Rock Racing will be a part of the 2008 Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T after reaching a settlement with race organizer, Medalist Sports, LLC.

The overwhelming favorite pro team in a recent online poll by Bicycling Magazine, Rock Racing will be a part of the six-day, 660-mile stage race that begins Monday, April 21. The team’s roster for the race will be announced in the coming days.

“The fans told us they wanted us to be there,” says Team Owner Michael Ball. “We are pleased that we were able to work with Medalist to come to a mutually beneficial decision. Now the race will truly field the best of the best of international and domestic pro cycling teams which will only build on the momentum created for domestic cycling at the Tour of California.”

Today’s decision was made after ProTour team Saunier Duval-Scott announced they would not be racing due to numerous injuries of key riders. Rock Racing had filed an injunction earlier this month to be allowed entry into the race.

A hearing in the case was scheduled for earlier today but the two parties settled out of court.

Ball said a flood of e-mails, letters and phone calls from fans in support of the team could not be ignored.

“The team is ready to race. Santiago Botero’s win and the team’s performance at Redlands is a clear indication of what to expect next week in Georgia,” said Ball.

Rock Racing’s Botero convincingly won the Redlands Bicycle Classic by 54 seconds in his first ever race in the United States. In capturing the overall, Botero also won the King of the Mountains classification and one stage of the four-day race.

At the Amgen Tour of California in February, Rock Racing was equally impressive by scoring seven top 10 finishes during the seven-stage, 650-mile race. To date in 2008, the team has won six races and registered 15 podium finishes.

Atlanta, GA – Team Type 1, a first-year professional team that has twice won the Race Across America corporate team division, will be among 15 squads at this year’s Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T.

Team Type 1 was founded in 2004 by racers Phil Southerland and Joe Eldridge to inspire people living with diabetes to take a proactive approach to managing their health and overcoming obstacles often associated with the condition. Four of the 15 riders on the Team Type 1 professional squad – Southerland, Eldridge, Tim Hargrave and Fabio Calabria – have Type 1 diabetes.

“This is great news for Team Type 1, and it is a major stepping stone toward our hopes of getting to the Tour de France in 2012,” Southerland said. “Being a native of Georgia, it means the world to me to be able to take part in the biggest race in the state, if not one of the most prestigious in the entire country.”

The 660-mile race begins Monday, April 21 on Tybee Island and ends with a circuit race through the streets of Atlanta on Sunday, April 27. The Tour de Georgia is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious stage races in the United States.

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