Canadian Gord Fraser won the sixth and final stage of the Tour de Georgia on Sunday, as American Tom Danielson of Lance Armstrong’s Discovery Channel team claimed the overall victory.
Sunday’s relatively flat run from north Georgia to the outskirts of Atlanta produced just one significant break, as Italian Andrea Tafi of Prodir-Saunier Duval made a move at the halfway mark of the 201,5km stage, joined by American Danny Pate, Canadian Dominique Perras and Sven Krauss.
But the four leaders succumbed to the charging peloton with 10km to go and the sprinters took control for the six laps of the closing circuit in Alpharetta.
Fraser found the line first, towing teammate Greg Henderson of New Zealand who finished second in the stage and claimed the sprint title.
Danielson, who had seized the overall lead in the mountains on Saturday, crossed the line safely in the pack to capture the overall crown.
Armstrong, the six-time Tour de France winner who announced last Monday that this year’s Tour de France would be his last race, finished in the main pack in 22nd, and was fifth overall.
American Gerolsteiner rider Levi Leipheimer was second overall, four seconds behind Danielson, followed by Phonak’s Floyd Landis of the United States and American Bobby Julich of Team CSC. – Sapa-AFP