Tour De Georgia 2007
By Staff
Monday March 19, 2007 10:03:50am


This is for anything and everything related to this year's Tour De Georgia. Post memories you of past races, speculations on who'll win this year, and so on.


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NewMommy
Comments: 7
Joined: 04/20/2007
04/25/2007 03:53:56 PM
The reason you don't remember the inconvenience is because you were out enjoying the festivities. You were taking advantage of an event your community was offering and therefore it wasn't a big deal. The Tour really isn't any different from any other community event. There is food, activities, music and a parade of sorts. It lasts all day in some areas as does most any other event. It really isn't all that bad. Why can't we look at the bright side of things instead of constantly finding a reason to complain?
 
shannonres
Comments: 32
Joined: 01/17/2006
04/25/2007 12:22:07 PM
Because citizens actually "want" to be a part of parades.... and I don't recall ever not being able to get home because of the Christmas or Shrine parade, both of which bring visitors to our town. Pretty sure these parades have never been bailed out financially, either. Don't be misled by the "tourism dollars" marketing strategy. I've been on the inside and know how and why those figures are tallied.
 
NewMommy
Comments: 7
Joined: 04/20/2007
04/25/2007 10:57:06 AM
While the Tour did close down roads for a couple of hours (depending on your location), so do parades. Why do citizens not complain when they can't cross a road because the local high school marching band and little beauty queens are cruising past? At least the Tour brings tourism dollars to the communities.
 
shannonres
Comments: 32
Joined: 01/17/2006
04/25/2007 09:59:39 AM
Here's a thought.... the TDGa raised $70,000 for the American Cancer Coalition, after being bailed out by AT&T at the last minute. It closed numerous community roads, caused tons of traffic hassles for citizens, affected regularly scheduled events and business operations. However, the Relay for Life, which did not close any roads, did not cause any traffic hassles, did not affect other community events in a negative way, has been in our community for a longer period of time, and did not block any businesses, raised over $250,000. Wonder which one I'll support from now on????
 
NewMommy
Comments: 7
Joined: 04/20/2007
04/25/2007 09:34:02 AM
romegasir - I hate to admit that you are right but I dealt with enough "children" during the Time Trials to know exactly what you are talking about! You have to admit, though, that it is heartbreaking to think the traditional Southern way of treating people (with polite kindness and true hospitality) is gone!
 
romegasir
Comments: 1608
Joined: 03/14/2007
04/25/2007 09:03:54 AM
I don't like Tour De Georgia particularly, but NewMommy, southern hospitality died long ago, and in those rare instances when someone does act decent, it makes the headlines. Most american adults have devolved into children who pout and cry when they don't get what they want.
 
NewMommy
Comments: 7
Joined: 04/20/2007
04/20/2007 09:23:30 AM
Several times yesterday, I was bombarded with people yelling at me because the apparatus I was assigned to was blocking the roadway. Unfortunately, people, I don't make the decisions about when and where the road is blocked and yelling at me really doesn't do you any good. So, next time you are upset that the Tour de Georgia is in town and you can't get across a certain road, don't yell at the emergency services personnel, many of whom are there as volunteers!

And in my opinion, the Tour is a great thing! It shines a very positive light on our beautiful state. People from all over the nation and all over the world for that matter, are able to see North Georgia in all her grandeur. It does bring in a large amount of tourist dollars. But beyond that, we had school children line up and watch the riders go by! Look what they can learn about an active, healthy lifestyle! There are MANY more benefits to the race. I hope it continues to come to my county and town! I was proud to host those in attendance. I would hope our Southern Hospitality hasn't disappeared just because we can't cross a road!
 
shannonres
Comments: 32
Joined: 01/17/2006
04/18/2007 09:33:32 AM
"Business impact: We're hearing mixed reports. "Slow" to "decent" business was reported at two downtown restaurants while another was closed as were several other Broad Street businesses (several cited parking). Compared to previous tours (excluding the rainy '06 edition), this one was down. Broad Street was active at least through 8 p.m.; the cyclists dined en masse at The Forum."

Translation -- Big waste for little payoff.
 
baxter
Comments: 1
Joined: 04/17/2007
04/17/2007 03:37:48 PM
I think the Tour De Georgia is good for this area. At least this gives visitors a chance to see our county.

 
shannonres
Comments: 32
Joined: 01/17/2006
04/17/2007 12:05:03 PM
You are so right. A whole lot of inconvenience for a whole lot of nothing.
 
RomeListener
Comments: 24
Joined: 03/24/2006
04/17/2007 11:21:20 AM
This is not a boon for our community. They let out of town vendors set up off Broad Street and suck dollars away from downtown businesses to give to outsiders. The merchants on Broad Street loses tens of thousands of dollars because nobody can get to them. Organizers give free food away to participants at The Forum, meaning that money is NOT spen at local restaurants. Businesses and schools are forced to close early, resulting in a loss of productivity and revenues. And, yes, I have been downtown. It is nowhere close to as exciting as high school football, the Rome Braves or the final round of the Masters. We receive a few minutes of coverage on an obscure cable channel (VS) while losing money in the deal. It is time for Rome to let another community "benefit" from this debacle.
 
shannonres
Comments: 32
Joined: 01/17/2006
04/17/2007 09:13:18 AM
It's obvious that some of us just don't like shutting down the whole town and interrupting our lives for the sake of spending money. Sorry if you don't like our opinion, but our lives don't revolve around bicycles on dangerous roads like Rockmart Highway. And no, my mom won't pull out her lawn chair and sit and watch. After working all day, some of us like to go home and spend quality time with our families without having to take the back road to get there. If you want to talk about economic impact or good for the community, go have a ball tournament at Alto Park or a tennis tournament. They don't shut down roads and actually fill up hotels and restaurants for days at a time, not just one night of free food and complimentary lodging.
 
chris82
Comments: 2
Joined: 04/13/2007
04/13/2007 11:07:42 AM
so have you actually been downtown for the finish?? every year it is pretty damn fast...much more interesting than say masters golf!!!!!!
 
romegasir
Comments: 1608
Joined: 03/14/2007
04/13/2007 11:00:10 AM
shut down major roads for three hours, for two days. A few people stand out and watch a bicycle whiz by....yawn.
 
chris82
Comments: 2
Joined: 04/13/2007
04/13/2007 10:31:32 AM
Well, this is not an obscure event. But we are an obscure town, so that is why the media is so excited. This is actually a huge, multi-million dollar event. As to the money, yes the state is investing money in this, but it is an investment that pays off. The state drops about 1 million dollars into this thing which then generates over 10 million in commerce durring a one week period. Thus causing a huge boost to our state ecconomy.
Finally, Shannon, maybe you mother can pull off to the side of the road, put up a folding chair, and watch the caravan roll by. She just might have a unique and fun experience. Since she is a nurse, I hope she can appreciate that the people involved in this event are involved in active lifestyles, and are very healthy, thus are putting less strain on our national health care system (ultimately less work for her!)
 
TheNaturalist
Comments: 128
Joined: 05/23/2006
04/09/2007 12:15:52 PM
I think Tour de Georgia is a huge white elephant. I don't know why the local media gets so excited about this obscure event.
 
shannonres
Comments: 32
Joined: 01/17/2006
04/09/2007 10:27:50 AM
Is anybody else as annoyed with this Tour de Inconvenience? Not only is the state taking money away from things that are needed to help "fund" this tour, we also can't get to where we're going if we need one of the many roads that will be blocked during the event. My mother is 60 years old -- is in her 40th year as a nurse -- is on her feet from 7 - 5 every single day -- and wouldn't you know it, the road to her home down Rockmart Highway will have a "rolling roadblock" about the time she's ready to get home. I just don't see the benefit of inconveniencing so many people for an event that can't even fund itself!!!!
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