Pate 11th on stage, Peterson 3rd in Best Young Rider competition

April 16, 2007 - Macon, GA - April 16, Macon, GA - Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle took the conservative approach to Stage 1’s typical progression of events at the Tour de Georgia. Realizing that the peloton would be anxious for a sprint finish on one of the Tour’s flatter routes, the team declined to place anyone in the day’s major breakaway and instead enjoyed a comfortable (fast! - 46.5 km/h average speed thanks to a hefty tailwind) ride from Peachtree City to Macon.

The peloton is usually a keen judge of just how to time the catching of the breakaway prior to the finish line. In today’s stage, however, the miscommunication of time gaps, and maybe the wind, benefitted the breakaway. Late in the race the time gap was still six, then five, four, three minutes. Team Slipstream/Chipotle sent several riders to the front to help Discovery Channel and CSC chase, but it was not to be.

By the time the race reached the finished circuits around downtown Macon, the breakaway still enjoyed a one minute lead. They would not be caught. Three of the five original breakaway members finished ahead of the hard-charging peloton. In the group sprint, Team Slipstream/Chipotle did a fine job of keeping team leader Danny Pate well-positioned, and he came across the line in 11th place. Tom Peterson rolled through 30th, starting him out in 3rd place in the Best Young Rider competition.