TdG Turned on Its Head

In the third stage of the Tour de Georgia, a group of 16 riders, none of them thought to be GC threats, blew the race apart.

The winner on the day was Gianni Meersman, a young guy in his first year riding for Discovery. It was his first pro win.

The 16 got away early in the race, and though chased and held to within a minute at first, the peloton soon lost interest and let them go. By the end of the day, the gap would grow to almost a half hour.

Now, the standings are a who's who of who's that? The top ten have been entirely displaced by those in the break, and the names Danielson, Hamilton, Leipheimer, and the rest are pretty much squashed from contention.

A strange result, but I think it'll make this race even more fun to watch.

(photo from VeloNews)