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Langley takes Tour of Virginia opener

By Justin Coons, For VeloNews.com
Published: Apr. 24, 2007

American Russ Langley won the opening stage of the 2007 Tour of Virginia this morning, taking the five-mile time trial along South Lee Highway through the town of Natural Bridge. With seven stages over six days this year, the Tour of Virginia is the new name of the Tour of Shenandoah.Langley (Battley Harley Davidson-Hudson) posted a time of 8:04 in the opening time trial, edging out second-place finisher Eddy Hilger (Priority Health-Bissel) by just more than a second.

Racing continues Tuesday evening with a 25-mile criterium in the heart of Lynchburg.

Road racing begins tomorrow with a 110-mile trek from Bedford to Covington, Virginia. The stage, the longest in the tour, will snake along the James River, through the rolling Allegheny Highlands. Riders will pass over the Cat. 1 Warm Springs Mountain, the first climb of the tour, before descending into Covington.

Billed as the “Showcase for North America’s Future Champions,” the Tour of Virginia places special emphasis on under-25 riders. The race’s 150-rider field will pass through Central Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Mountains and 15 cities before wrapping up in Albemarle on April 29.

2007 TOUR OF VIRGINIA
STAGE 1 (time trial)
Natural Bridge, Virginia. April 24
1. Russ Langley, Battley Harley-Davidson-Hudson, 5 miles in 8:04
2. Eddy Hilger, Priority Health-Bissell, at 0:01
3. Winston David, AEG-Toshiba-Jet Network, at 0:02
4. Dan Timmerman, Kodak Gallery-Sierra Nevada, at 0:02
5. Brian Buchholz, UVA Composite Team, at 0:04
6. Corey Burns, Firodifrutta Cycling Team, at 0:04
7. Ryan Roth, KBS/Medifast, at 0:05
8. Jake Rytlewski, Rite Aid Pro Cycling, at 0:06.
9. Andrew Boone, Kenda-Raleigh Racing, at 0:06
10. Javier Zapata, CAICO, at 0:06