Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships

See Video Of Finish - Courtesy Justin.tv

Video - Last 15 minutes of Race - Courtesy Justin.tv

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Click HERE for Official Results

GREENVILLE, S.C. (August 31, 2008) – After 115 miles of racing with four climbs over Paris Mountain, the 24th edition of the USA Cycling Professional Road Race championship was decided by a photo finish in downtown Greenville. Thirteen-year professional cyclist Tyler Hamilton (Rock Racing) edged out three-year pro Blake Caldwell (Garmin-Chipotle presented by H30) by two thousandths of a second. Hamilton and Caldwell finished with a time of 4 hours 38 minutes 19 seconds. From the chase group of three riders, Caldwell’s teammate Danny Pate took third place, four seconds back.

“I was happy to be at the front of the race and competitive. It was crazy coming down to a two-up sprint for the national championship. It was special, and the crowd was roaring,“ said Hamilton, a Boulder, CO resident who considered retirement this past winter. “Without a phone call from Michael Ball (Rock Racing team owner) at the beginning of December, I wouldn’t be here.”

Hamilton, 37, started his professional career in 1995 with the United States Postal Service pro cycling team. During his career he is noted for having won the gold medal in the Individual Time Trial at the 2000 Olympic Games. He also has won stages at the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia.

“It’s just an honor to be here going for a national championship. It’s something all of us really wanted; we wanted to get it for Garmin-Chipotle this year and just came up a little short today,” said Caldwell, 24, a 12-time junior national champion. Garmin-Chipotle was one of three teams with 10 riders in today’s road race; the team had seven finish, including five in the Top 10.

Both Pate and Hamilton decided not to race Saturday’s Individual Time Trial championship to conserve energy for today’s road race. Pate was disappointed with his third place finish; he finished 3rd in the Time Trial championship in 2006, and last year he finished one second behind champion David Zabriskie in second place.

Greenville resident and 2006 road race champion George Hincapie finished 22nd today, three minutes and 47 seconds behind Hamilton. He was followed by another race favorite, Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Chipotle) who finished 23rd. Two other veterans expected to do well did not finish the race - three-time Road Race champion Fred Rodriguez (Rock Racing) and three-time Individual Time Trial champion Zabriskie (Garmin-Chipotle). 2007 Road Race champion Levi Leipheimer (Team Astana) did not compete in Greenville, as he was racing with his team at the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain).

Of the 108 athletes who started the race, 44 completed the course. Temperatures remained in the 80s all afternoon, but humidity made it feel like 94 degrees on the road. “I arrived Monday night to adjust to the heat and humidity. I guess it was worth it,” added Hamilton.

Thousands of race fans in downtown Greenville were treated to watching the pro peloton pass 10 times in downtown Greenville. The four long laps of 22.5 miles each in length, which included the climb over the 2,000-foot Paris Mountain, were book-ended by three start and three finish circuits. A new start/finish line for 2008 was relocated just two blocks south of the previous location, allowing for a downhill sprint across the Reedy River and adjacent to Falls Park in the downtown area.

At the awards ceremony it was announced by USA Cycling, Inc. that the dual championships would return to Greenville next year. “This is a great community and the way we work in USA Cycling is to create a long-term relationship with the community and find a home. We are coming back here next year. Thank you Greenville, we are looking forward to another great race next year. This is our third year here, and these things just keep getting better and better and better,” said Steve Johnson, CEO of USA Cycling, Inc.

The Road Race was part of the Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships and a full weekend of activities for Labor Day weekend in Greenville. On Saturday the USA Cycling Professional Individual Time Trial Championship was contested by 32 athletes at the Clemson University – International Center for International Research. The Time Trial championship was won for a third consecutive year by Zabriskie. During the Road Race Sunday, a local contest was held for spectators. The BI-LO Best Tailgate Party was awarded to Greenville resident Al Cole, who lives on Paris Mountain, with an animated display that incorporated “The King” Elvis Pressley, a B93.7 FM bumble bee, and lots of signage.

Two recreational events were held over the weekend to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. The Stars and Stripes 5K Run and 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk was held Saturday at CU-ICAR, just prior to the Time Trial. The 3rd Annual Stars and Stripes Challenge bicycle ride was held on the same route as the road race pros Sunday morning. A record $110,000 was raised by 725 participants from both events, with funds going to the Greenville Hospital System Oncology Research Institute, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Activate Upstate. The Palmetto Peloton Project organizes these events, and has raised a total of $278,000 since 2006, since combining the recreational events with the Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships.