So, Which Is It?

Woody Marshall/The Telegraph
Jessie Mae Walker, a resident at the Dempsey Apartments,
waits for the Tour de Georgia to pass her on Cherry Street Tuesday afternoon.

Will the crowds be up or down at the Tour de Georgia?
According to George Henry's account in the Associated Press Wednesday morning, "The other notable difference between this year's race and last year's was the size of the crowds greeting the rider. Last year, huge crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of Lance Armstrong. Without the retired seven-time Tour de France champ, the number of spectators dwindled to the levels of the inaugural Georgia event that Armstrong skipped three years ago."

But Phillip Ramati of the Macon Telegraph reported that there wasn't much of difference in the size of the crowds: "Though this year's Tour de Georgia doesn't have Lance Armstrong competing, crowds still showed up in downtown Macon to watch the race. "Fears that the absence of the seven-time Tour de France winner, who retired last summer, might mean many fewer fans seemed unfounded - at least at the end of the stage, where a good-sized crowd gathered on Third and Cherry streets.

"Although police spokeswoman Sgt. Melanie Hofmann said no official crowd estimates were available, many observers said the crowd was only slightly smaller than last year's."