The 2005 Dodge Tour de Georgia, the most prestigious cycling event in the United States, was an all-around success for Maxxis, a sponsor of the six-stage race. Greg Henderson of Team Health Net presented by Maxxis took the Maxxis Sprint Leader jersey in the second stage and held it through the remaining four days, beating out Lance Armstrong. Henderson’s teammate Gord Fraser won the final stage with Henderson in second place. Trent Lowe of the Maxxis-sponsored Jittery Joe’s-Kalahari team won the Best Young Rider jersey. And the Maxxis Madness stunt shows at every finish line were big hits with the crowd, drawing an increasing number of spectators every day. The company also sponsored the Maxxis Feed Zone at each stage.
“It’s what bike racing should be like all the time,” Fraser told www.cyclingnews.com about the tour. “If more races were like this, I would probably race another ten years. It’s an incredible feeling to have those types of enthusiastic crowds. Let’s hope it continues because this is an incredible event.”
Other Maxxis’ sponsored teams and riders also turned in outstanding performances. In the final classification, Lowe took 11th place. Health Net/Maxxis’ Justin England finished well in 14th place, while England’s teammate Scott Moninger was 20th. Geoff Kabush, a Team Maxxis member who rode with Jittery Joe’s for the tour, finished in 31st place, while Chris Wherry of Health Net/Maxxis was 32nd. Out of 121 riders who started the tour April 19, 81 finished the sixth and final stage.
Health Net/Maxxis was fifth in the final team general classification. Maxxis sponsors four of the 16 teams which competed in the tour: Team Health Net presented by Maxxis; Jittery Joe’s-Kalahari; Colavita/Sutter Home; and Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada.
Members of the DK BMX Stunt Team performed gravity-defying tricks in the Maxxis Madness shows, delighting spectators with back-flips, Supermans, and 720s, which call for a cyclist to perform two 360-degree spins in mid-air. Crowds numbering in the hundreds each day watched Zack Yankush, Quinn Semling, Chris Gerber, and Will Love in the half-hour shows.
Maxxis has been a sponsor of the Dodge Tour de Georgia since its inception in 2003. The company’s U.S. headquarters is located in Suwanee, Georgia outside Atlanta.
Maxxis congratulates Henderson, Lowe, Fraser, and all of these riders on their outstanding performances.
