"I've been looking forward to coming back to the Dodge Tour de Georgia since it ended last year.�The course just gets better and better, and I can tell that this year is no exception," said 2003 Dodge Tour de Georgia champion Chris Horner of Saunier Duval/Prodir. "I'm coming with a great team that is expecting me to lead them against the ProTour�teams as well as the best domestic teams in the U.S."�

"When�Credit Agricole�told me that we were doing the 2005 Dodge Tour de Georgia I was so excited. It's rare for me to make trips back home during the racing season, so to come back to race against the world's best in a stage race of this caliber in my home state means a lot," said Saul Raisin of the French team Credit Agricole. "The Dodge Tour de Georgia is the ultimate test of endurance and might in the U.S., and the ProTour teams know it. In 2003 I was the best young rider, and�this year�I want to be one of the best riders." �

The official 2005 Dodge Tour de Georgia route map can be found at www.dodgetourdegeorgia.com. The Dodge Tour de Georgia is America's premier, professional cycling event and a rolling festival of community activities. In 2004, nearly 750,000 spectators watched along the roadways as 15 international teams competed across 653 miles of the state of Georgia, having an estimated economic impact of $35-70 million.

Won by the U.S. Postal Service's Lance Armstrong, the 2004 race featured world-class cyclists and Tour de France veterans such as American Julich (a 2004 Olympic Games medalist), Italian Mario Cipollini and German Jens Voigt. The Tour is sanctioned by the UCI (2.1 America Tour-Continental Calendar), the international governing body of cycling, and USA Cycling (2.1) as a premier event for elite athletes around the world. The Tour's official beneficiary is the Georgia Cancer Coalition (GCC), and the race proactively promotes a healthy lifestyle at its Healthy Georgia Expo. The Dodge Tour de Georgia, which started in 2003, is owned and operated by the Georgia Partnership for Economic Development.

For more information, visit www.dodgetourdegeorgia.com .