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Armstrong souvenir left by famed biker in Forsyth
By Harris Blackwood
Community Editor
It’s not exactly an Elvis
scarf, a Barry Bonds baseball,
or a Mean Joe Greene towel,
but Dodi Mace came away
with an unexpected souvenir
from the final leg of the
Dodge Tour de Georgia ...a
Lance Armstrong water bottle.
Mace said that she could
not convince other members
of her family to make the trek,
by automobile, to see the rac
ers pass by the Publix
Shopping Center at the inter
section of Hwy. 9 and Post
Road.
"I was standing in front of
the Chevron station and they
came flying past.” said Mace.
"1 saw something come flying
my way and it hit me in the
knee."
She picked up the water
bottle and was suddenly
besieged by persons offering
to buy it.
"At first. 1 didn’t realize it
was his (Armstrong’s)." Mace
said.
The source of the water
bottle was confirmed when
she viewed a neighbor's home
Pritchett reconsidering political future; others qualify
By Colby Jones
Staff Writer
Forsyth County Commis
sioner A.J. Pritchett is recon
sidering whether he wants to
run for tax commissioner,
make a bid for re-election to
his District 2 seat or forego
political office altogether.
“All three of those."
Pritchett said of his options on
Monday the first day those
seeking office were allowed to
officially declare their candi
dacy by paying a qualifying
fee.
The announcement by
Pritchett comes two months
after he declared his bid to
enter the crow ded field for tax
commissioner.
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"My husband said that 1
should sell it on E-bay, but
I’m going to hang on to it.”
Aside from the water bot
tle. the passage of the Tour de
Georgia was rather uneventful.
Families with folding chairs
and seated on the back of
pickups gathered 30 to 45
minutes before the bikers
came whizzing through down
town Cumming. Within a few
minutes the event was over for
those who came to view the
racing spectacle as it pedaled
toward the finish line in
Alpharetta.
"I was surprised how many
people were there,” said
Armstrong about the large
crowds who showed up from
Dawsonville to Alpharetta for
the Grand Finale of the Dodge
Tour de Georgia. “Actually I
was surprised how many peo
ple came out the whole week.
1 didn’t really expect that, and
I don't think the other riders
expected that. It was great for
the race. 1 hope it's an indica
tion of what we can do in the
future with cycling."
Armstrong, the five-time
Tour de France winner, won
Pritchett
"I have a
few i’s to dot
and t’s to
cross,"
Pritchett said
of his indeci
sion.
"It’s ab
out my per
sonal ambi
tions and
considera-
tions of my family."
Following the first day of
qualifying, candidates for the
tax commission post included
Matthew Maiorano, Wayne
Plummer and Matthew
Ledbetter.
Maiorano, an accountant
w ho works in the tax commis
sioner's office, and Plummer.
the General Classification
(G.C.) in the second annual
Dodge Tour de Georgia.
Armstrong walked away with
the title after spending four
days defending the yellow
Dodge Race Leader jersey,
Gord Fraser captured
Sunday’s final stage, an 88.4-
mile course that finished on
the streets of Alpharetta.
Armstrong edged Jens
Voigt of Germany by 24 sec
onds for the G.C. title with a
final time of 25 hours. 39 min
utes and 20 seconds.
While on his way to victo
ry, Armstrong claimed two
stage victories on an epic dou
ble stage day in Rome on
April 22, the Stage 3 stage
race from Carrollton to Rome
and the Stage 4 Individual
Time Trial. Finishing second
overall. Voigt had a final time
of 25.39 minutes, 44 seconds
24 seconds behind
Armstrong. Defending Dodge
Tour de Georgia champion
Chris Horner of Webcor
Builders was third, 1 minute,
.01 of a second back in the
G.C.
Among the other classifi
cation winners, Fraser, of
a local political activist who
managed Commission
Chairman Jack Conway’s
campaign in 2002, previously
announced their intention to
run for the tax commissioner’s
post.
A lifetime resident of
Forsyth County, Ledbetter
works for R & L Poultry
Supply and is the son of
Lewis Ledbetter, who has
served on the Cumming City
Council for more than three
decades. It is the younger
Ledbetter's first foray into
politics.
The 37-year-old said he
wants to make the tax com
missioner's office more effi
cient and customer friendly,
possibly establishing satellite
Canada, representing the
Health Net team, won the
MAXXIS Sprint jersey. He
wore the jersey after the first
stage in Macon, and reclaimed
if in Stage 6 on the top of
Brasstown Bald Mountain.
Kevin Bouchard-Hall (USA)
of TIAA-CREF won the
Powerade Best Young Rider
jersey, retaining it for the third
consecutive day.
Jason McCartney (USA) of
the Health Net team won the
Georgia Power King of the
Mountain jersey after a solo
breakaway in Stage 5, the first
of two challenging mountain
stages, and remained the cov
eted climber’s jersey to the
end. Team CSC won the Best
Team category with the lowest
cumulative time of 77.05'17”,
1’39” ahead of the U.S. Postal
Service Pro Cycling team.
Finishing behind Fraser at
the line in Alpharetta for sec
ond place in Stage 7 was Juan
Jose Haedo (Spain) of the
Colavita Olive Oil team.
Crowd favorite Mario
Cipollini (Italy) of Domina
Vacanze finished third with
the same time.
offices in the county allowing
residents more convenient
access.
A former chairman of the
county commission. Bill
Jenkins, announced his plan to
run for the post but had not
qualified as of late Monday
afternoon.
In other local races, the
following candidates officially
threw their names into the hat
as of late Monday afternoon:
• Board of Commissioners
District 2 - Michael Busse;
• Board of Education
District 3 - Sharon J. Kasica;
• Board of Education
District 4 - Ronnie Pinson,
Michael R. Schlabra;
• Sheriff - Ted Paxton
(incumbent);
FORSYTH COUNTY NE WS W«dn«»d»y, April 28,2004 -
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Photo/David McGrego:
Forsyth resident Dodi Mace holds a momento from the
Tour de Georgia U.S. cyclist Lance Armstrong’s
water bottle. Armstrong threw the bottle into the crowc
that gathered at the Midway Publix.
• Solicitor General -
Leslie Abernathy (incum
bent);
• State Court Judge - Philip
Smith (incumbent);
• State Court Judge -
Russell McLelland (incum
bent);
• Clerk of Court - Douglas
Sorrells (incumbent);
• Probate Court Judge -
Woody Jordan;
• Chief Magistrate -
Melissa Banker.
The qualifying period runs
until noon Friday. The sitting
commissioner from District 2
said he will make his decision
by then.
“That's the good news," he
said.
ENDRES from 1A
owners feel their sense ol
security has been broken. The
sheriff’s office utilized the
reverse 911 system that alerted
all in the area of the search foi
Endres.
Neighborhood Watch pro
grams are on specific alert lot
the possible suspect and the
white cargo van he was driv
ing. All leads will be investi
gated in the hopes that one
small tip could bring the beau
tician's safe return, according
to sheriff's Capt. Rot.
Freeman.
Anyone with information i
Endres or the suspect is askee
to call the Forsyth Counts
Sheriff's Office at (770) 781
2222. A $5,000 reward i
offered for information leadin
to Endres' recovery.
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