Waynesboro, VA (April 26, 2007) - Alejandro Borrajo (Rite Aid Pro Cycling) of Argentina outlasted the competition in the mountains to win the 108-mile stage 4 in 4:39:40, three second ahead of the second place finisher.

"It was a difficult day. Riders’ legs were full of fear,” said Borrajo. I gave it one more attack—all I had—and got lucky,” he said. “I hope to keep it going to the final stage.”

This is Borrajo’s second stage at this year’s Tour of Virginia. Borrajo, 27, proved his mettle as a sprinter by handily winning the stage 2 crieterium in Lynchburg on Tuesday.

Today, Borrajo proved his skill as an all rounder on a long, hard road race that included two Cat-3 and two Cat-1 climbs, including the Cat-1 Reeds Gap climb at the mile 94 mark—the scene of much drama during the now defunct Tour DuPont race in the 1990s.

Sprinter Kayle Leongrande (Rock Racing) finished 2 nd in 4:39:43 .

Leongrande formed a chase group and caught up with Borrajo’s breakaway with only a few miles left in the stage. Leongrande stuck with Borrajo as the pair neared the crowd near the finish area in downtown Waynesboro ’s Main Street . But Leongrande could not quite hang on to Borrajo’s wheel and faded in the last two hundred meters, and thus a sprinters’ duel failed to materialize.

“I gave it everything I could; Alejandro (Borrajo) had a little more,” Leongrande said.

Leongrande said his finish proved that he is not just a criterium specialist. He credited his podium finish to his losing weight to increase his power-to-weight-ratio and focusing on climbing this past winter.

Dan Bowman (Kelly Benefit Strategy) finished the stage 3 rd in 4:40:01.

“Zapata (Javier Zapata) and I were in the break, but I just couldn’t hold on,” said Bowman.

Yesterday’s stage winner, Javier Zapata (CAICO) of Colombia , finished 13 th in 4:40:04 .

Zapata brutalized the peloton on yesterday’s final climb during stage 3 to take control of the top spot in the general classification. Today, CAICO successfully defended Zapata’s GC jersey. Zapata will wear the Augusta Medical Center Mountain Leader Jersey into tomorrow’s stage.

“It was another hard day,” said Zapata, “we allowed the terrain to take its toll. We will continue to work to conserve what we have and maintain our ground.”

19-year-old Ryan Baumann (ABD Cycling Team), of Green Bay , WI finished stage 3’s long haul in 24 th place in a time of 4:41:57 . Baumann started the day as the Under-23 leader and earned the right to wear the U-23 Bicyclepowermeters.com Jersey for at least another day.

“With stages like these and tough competition—it’s a very humbling experience. I’m happy just to be here,” said Baumann. “My goal is to finish the week, but the U-23 is an honor.”

Whittled to 116 riders after yesterday’s stage from its original field of almost 180 racers, the peloton began stage 4 amidst the budding dogwood of a burgeoning spring woods inside the beautiful Douthat State Park near Clifton Forge.

After stage 4 was over, the peloton was whittled further to 104 riders.

Prior to the race, some teams and riders said young riders were suffering too early in the week against a tough course and other riders with heavy international experience.

Kelly Benefits Stratagies/LSV director Beth Leasure adamantly dismissed these opinions as nonsense and whining.

“Teams shouldn’t complain the race is too hard,” said Leasure, who has many years of racing experience, including racing on French and a Dutch team and who has a history of success in directing young riders as professionals. “We need a race like this [Tour of Virginia] if we are ever to compete at the world level. I’m grateful that this is hard and that the organizers and cities like Waynesboro are putting on a hard race like this,” she said.

(Attached photos are of the podium (left to right: Dan Bowman, Alejandro Borrajo, Kayle Leogrande), winner (Javier Zapata, and U23 jersey wearer (Ryan Baumann, ABD Cycling Team) and are labeled as such. Photo credits: Nathan Beck.)

Up Next: Stage Five: The Waynesboro - Staunton Road Race, April 27, 2007
Stage 5 on Friday departs Waynesboro for nearby Staunton, only 10 miles distant as the crow flies, but the riders will take the long, hard road there, sampling the rolling terrain of the central Shenandoah Valley over a succession of short, steep climbs on a 99-mile route. Historic downtown Staunton, birthplace of Woodrow Wilson, provides a new finish venue for this new stage.
Local information: www.waynesboro.va.us & www.staunton.va.us

Stage 4 Results (unofficial)
The Douthat State Park - Waynesboro Road Race, 103 miles
* = U-23
Place	First	Last	Team	Time
1	Alejandro	Borrajo (Col)	Rite Aid Pro Cycling	4:39:40
2	Kayle	Leograde (USA)	Rock Racing	4:39:43
3	Dan	Bowman (USA)	KBS/Medifast	4:40:01

When complete results become available, they will be posted here.

About the Tour of Virginia:

The Tour of Virginia showcases North America’s rising stars, and has a tradition of attracting the sport’s up and coming talent. 2007 marks the fifth edition of this race, which was formerly known as the Tour of Shenandoah. The event comprises seven stages over six days and is held on some of the nation’s most quiet and scenic roads amidst the beautiful landscapes of Virginia . An important mission of the Tour of Virginia is to inform the public about diabetes: how to control - and prevent the onset of - the disease and reduce complications through exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Stage details, maps, and sponsor information can be found at the official website, www.tourofvirginia.com

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