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Photo ©: Schaaf

93rd Liège-Bastogne-Liège - PT

Belgium, April 29, 2007

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Di Luca strikes again

Italian posts warning to Giro rivals

By Gregor Brown, Brecht Decaluwé and Shane Stokes in Ans

The face of the killer
Photo ©: AFP
(Click for larger image)

He's been known as The Killer for quite some time and Danilo Di Luca gave a reminder of just how fitting that name is when he mercilessly disposed of CSC's Fränk Schleck to win today's Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic.

The Italian Liquigas rider went clear with Schleck inside the final four kilometres of the race and looked to be the one under most pressure as they raced hard to hold off a large chasing group of favourites.

However, once under the red kite Di Luca shifted to assassin mode, unleashing a blistering attack and using his explosiveness to tear clear. Spaniard Alejandro Valverde jumped from the main bunch and got past a fading Schleck, but was unable to overhaul the 2005 ProTour winner before the line.

Di Luca hit the line comfortably ahead, taking his first victory in La Doyenne. Valverde and Schleck were next home, three seconds back, while world champion Paolo Bettini outsprinted Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) and Michael Boogerd (Rabobank) to make it three Italians in the top five.

Damiano Cunego (Lampre), Matthias Kessler (Astana), Juan Jose Cobo (Saunier Duval-Prodir) and Kim Kirchen (T-Mobile) completed the top ten.

Di Luca was ecstatic
Photo ©: AFP
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"I have been dreaming of winning this for nine years," said a delighted Di Luca at the post-race press conference. "There is no doubt about that this is the most beautiful and most difficult race that I have won. I have taken a lot of victories as a professional but this is the most special one. It is the first time that I have felt such strong emotions after winning a race."

"The key to winning here was in finding the right moment to attack. That timing was also the case in Flèche Wallonne and while it didn't work out then, it was just right today. I think we will see that [tactical importance] more and more in cycling as the riders' level is become more similar, making it very important to go at just the right moment."

It is important to have the right legs too, of course. "I was one of the strongest riders but I think I also got my tactics just right. Schleck was of course very strong too. Last year attacked on Saint Nicolas but it didn't work. This year I decided not to do that but to stay on the wheels, perhaps to try to win the race out of a sprint from a small group.

"However the race decided otherwise and I attacked with Schleck. When Valverde was coming so close, I had to go for the finish as I could not risk an attack like that coming from behind."

Valverde, Di Luca and Schleck
Photo ©: Luc Claessen
(Click for larger image)

As was the case in Flèche Wallonne, the Spaniard swooped late to grab second place. He won both of those Classics last year but this time round has to be content as runner-up.

"Today, like Wednesday, I had very good sensations throughout the day and on the Côte of Saint-Nicolas, I was really good," he said. "When Di Luca and Schleck attacked, the other teams gave me all the responsibility to chase, but I could not do the entire job alone and bring everybody in front. When I realized that the pace was not sufficiently high and that it was not possible [for the group] to catch them, I attacked in the last few hundred metres to try to catch them alone.

"It is true that we came here with the intention of winning one of the three races, but I am happy with two second places and sixth place in the Amstel Gold.

"The balance is very positive. All the team did a great job and personally I think that I must be satisfied with how things went because I was there fighting for the victory in each of them, and I proved that my victories of last year were not due to chance. Now I will take some rest before concentrating on the Tour de France, which I will prepare by racing the Dauphiné Libéré."

Schleck took third but had appeared to be heading for a higher placing. Judging from his pedalling, facial expressions and long turns, he had appeared to be a little stronger than his rival during their attack. However, he is a less explosive rider and so lacked the top gear of Di Luca in the finale.

In a first reaction after the race, Schleck seemed to be exhausted. "It was so fast, so hard," he told Cyclingnews. When asked if Di Luca exploited his hard work in the final kilometre, Schleck wasn't angry with the Italian winner. "Di Luca had a right to ride like that. Anyway, if I was stronger [than him], I would have won."

Even though he didn't top the podium it was a very impressive performance, especially given his condition. He told Sporza about the injury sustained one week ago in the Amstel Gold.

"On Saturday my back hurt a lot and after examination it was revealed that I have a broken vertebra. I sacrificed so many things for these races, so I wanted to start. I attacked at the right moment but Di Luca was stronger on the final climb. I'm happy with my third place. I've dreamed about winning this race in the past so I hope to come back here again and realize that dream.

Amstel Gold winner Stefan Schumacher finished 76th but was certainly one of the day's big riders, performing impressively inside the final thirty kilometres of racing. After it became clear that an early break featuring Unai Etxebarria (Euskaltel – Euskadi), Rémy Di Grégorio (Française des Jeux), Vasil Kiryienka (Tinkoff Credit Systems) and, originally, Jan Kuyckx (Landbouwkrediet – Tönissteiner), was doomed, he jumped clear of the peloton with Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas), mopped up Etxebarria, Di Grégorio and lone chaser Carlos Barredo (Quickstep), and was then joined by Cédric Vasseur (Quickstep) and Karsten Kroon (CSC).

The big German then went on the attack again, dragging Vasseur clear before dropping the Frenchman with about 14 kilometres to go. He went into time trial mode from there, holding off the main bunch right until the final climb of the Côte de Saint-Nicolas.

Once back in the fold, the other big names started to fire. Cunego, Boogerd and Bettini were amongst the most active on the uphill sections heading towards the line, but Schleck and Di Luca timed their efforts to perfection, going clear inside the final few minutes of racing and paving the way for the latter's impressive win.

How it unfolded

The peloton gets ready
Photo ©: Brecht Decaluwé
(Click for larger image)
A sunny day greeted the riders of the 93rd Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Temperatures of 22°C let the riders role out of Place Saint-Lambert in shorts and short-sleeved jerseys, with none of the usually arm-warmers needed. It was a huge contrast to the freezing temperatures on the day of the classic Bernard Hinault victory back in 1980.

The riders faced 262 kilometres from Liège, south to Bastogne and back north to Ans (just west of Liège). It is on this northern journey from Bastogne that the terrain really becomes demanding, with 10 of the total 12 côtes dotting Ardennes landscape. These are the same côtes that have produced legendary performances from riders like Eddy Merckx, Hinault and Moreno Argentin.

The second half of La Doyenne is usually dominated by one or two strong teams that work to bring their captains to the front of the race to vie for victory over the concluding and famous climbs; the Côte de la Redoute, Côte de Sprimont, Côte du Sart-Tilman and Côte de Saint-Nicolas. By themselves, these côtes would not be enough to crack the field, but the fact that there are so many climbs in rapid succession is more than enough to weed out all but the absolute strongest riders.

Racing through the Belgian countryside
Photo ©: Sirotti
(Click for larger image)

The favourites were not eager to attack and they performed to save their legs for the northern journey from Bastogne to Ans. Early on an attack of four developed when Vasil Kiryienka (Tinkoff Credit Systems) shot off the front. His first attack was caught at kilometre eight but his second go was successful. He was followed by Jan Kuyckx (Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner) and then the duo of Rémy Di Gregorio (Française Des Jeux) and Unai Etxebarria (Euskaltel-Euskadi).

The four had 45 seconds at kilometre 17. The main peloton decided this escape was 'safe' and let the reins slacken; soon the four had two minutes by kilometre 22, 7'50" at kilometre 28 and a whooping 16'55" by the top of the day's first climb, the Côte de Ny (km 57.5).

When the escape reached the 2.8 kilometre Côte de la Roche-en-Ardenne it held onto 16'55". This gap hit an even 18 minutes by Ortho, at kilometre 87. After the U-turn in Bastogne the gap started to fall; the peloton was now organizing its chase. On the picturesque Côte de Saint Roch the gap was 17'45" to the front four; Unai Etxebarria (Euskaltel-Euskadi) had a flat but was able to quickly join on after the summit.

The 1100 metre Côte de Stockeu took a bite into the escape's advantage. Jan Kuyckx started fading on the fifth climb of the day and soon he was distanced. By the time the pack reached the same côte, with the gap now at 13 minutes, Kuyckx was back by 1'10". The 27 year-old Flanderian looked likely to be caught.

Gerolsteiner leads the chase
Photo ©: Luc Claessen
(Click for larger image)

The chase was heating up behind as the big teams worried that the trio may have too much time. Gerolsteiner sent Fabian Wegmann and Markus Fothen to the front to work over the Côte du Rosier. Their efforts were aided by Quick-Step and Lampre-Fondital and the gap dipped back down to below eight minutes.

The efforts of the three teams put riders off the back of the main group. Kiryienka's teammate Salvatore Commesso was dropped as too was 2003 World Champion Igor Astarloa (Milram).

Venezuelan Unai Etxebarria looked the smoothest of the front runners. He led the Belarusian and Frenchman over the Côte de la Vecquée with 5'47" over the peloton. The gap was continuing to go downwards as the chase group was showing no sign of easing. It sped through the second feed zone, intent on closing the gap before the trio hit the next climb, the 2100-metre Côte de la Redoute.

After 200 kilometres of being in the escape it was 'game over' for the Kiryienka. The 8.4% average gradient on the Redoute snapped his legs. He faded fast on the climb, going back toward the peloton which was being led by CSC's Christian Vande Velde.

The American led the chase up most of the fan-packed climb before ripping off on his own. His move was countered by Carlos Barredo (Quickstep-Innergetic). The Spaniard led the chase over the top, picking up Kiryienka, and just over one minute behind the duo of Di Gregorio and Etxebarria.

Boogerd and Bettini crest La Redoute
Photo ©: Luc Claessen
(Click for larger image)

The duo started the Côte de Sprimont with just one minute over Barredo. He was caught by Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) and Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas). A couple of kilometres later they were joined by Karsten Kroon (CSC) and Cedric Vasseur (Quickstep), while behind Caisse d'Epargne were leading the chase. Astana and Rabobank were also helping to drive the peloton along, hoping to get things back together for their team leaders.

The chasers picked up Di Gregorio and Etxebarria with 22 kilometres to go and at this point, the gap between the hard-chasing peloton and those at the head of affairs was just under 30 seconds. Although Schumacher and Kroon would have appeared on any extended list of pre-race favourites, the proximity of the bunch as they raced onto the slopes of the Côte du Sart-Tilman – Tilff made it unlikely they would stay clear.

Vasseur realised that things were looking doubtful and attacked. Schumacher set off in pursuit, closing up strongly. The Amstel Gold winner had been suffering from allergies during Flèche Wallonne but was looking impressive again today. Nibali and Barredo were the best of the rest, chasing but making little impression. They were caught by Kroon, who immediately went to the front of the group to aid the pursuit.

Behind, Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto) jumped out the bunch with 16 kilometres to go and was joined by a couple of others. Things were being shaken up at the head of affairs, with Schumacher dropping Vasseur and Nibali accelerating away from the three chasers, catching the Frenchman.

Stefan Schumacher
Photo ©: Sirotti
(Click for larger image)

Behind, world champion Bettini attacked with 14 kilometres to go and threw the peloton into chaos, the bunch exploding. The Quickstep rider drove hard but was joined by four others, including Cunego. These caught the chasers and then things regrouped due to the ensuing stall.

Schumacher, meanwhile, was still driving things ahead. As was the case in Amstel Gold, he was alone at the head of the race while team tactics were being played out behind. He was hoping that the same thing would happen, namely that the favourites would mark each other out of it and give him the breathing room he needed to build a decisive lead. However Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis) wasn't in a charitable mood and attacked, chasing hard 18 seconds behind the German.

The French rider was brought back soon afterwards and the favourites readied themselves for what promised to be a huge fight-out on the final climb, the tough Côte de Saint-Nicolas. At this point there was a still a considerable main group. Schumacher hung off the front of his bike on the long descent with 10 kilometres to go, trying to gain speed, then got back into the saddle and resumed pedalling hard. He had 20 seconds with 8 kilometres to go but the Liquigas and T-Mobile-led bunch was starting to drive the pace once more.

Yaroslav Popovych
Photo ©: Sirotti
(Click for larger image)

He wasn't going to give up just yet. Knowing that every second would count, he drove hard along small, twisting roads which helped keep him out of sight, and also cornered well on the more technical sections. With seven kilometres to go he had 15 seconds over the peloton, now being driven by CSC. Vinokourov was sitting third wheel.

The leader hit the Côte de Saint-Nicolas with nine seconds lead, but surely knew it wasn't enough. Pellizotti jumped hard and sped past him, but couldn't get a big gap. Cunego then hit the gas, leading from Kessler and Rebellin and bringing it back together. A brief stall saw John Gadret (AG2R) jump clear but he was immediately caught by another dig by Cunego. Boogerd was next to go, then Bettini jumped hard only to run out of hill.

Soon to retire, Boogerd was seeking to go out in style and tried again with four kilometres to go. He was then countered by Popovych (Discovery Channel) yet this effort also came to naught.

Cunego, Bettini and Valverde were all hovering near the front, keeping an eye on each other, but they all missed a jump by Fränk Schleck and Danilo Di Luca. Schleck was extremely motivated after crashing out of Amstel Gold one week ago, driving hard and making things difficult for Di Luca to get up to his wheel. With three kilometres to go they had amassed a lead of ten seconds and really pushed it as they headed towards the line.

Valverde found himself in the group behind but his finishing speed made victory possible if the leaders were brought back. His team drove the pace, yet Schleck and Di Luca were fully committed. Dekker was in no-man's land, chasing in vain as Schleck led a grimacing Di Luca under the kite.

Valverde realised that the group were not moving fast enough and jumped clear inside the final kilometre, doing everything he could to get to the front. However, Di Luca had sensed it was time to go and kicked hard with about 500 metres remaining, getting clear just before the Spaniard caught Schleck. He turned the final left hand bend with a decent lead and was able to hold off a frustrated Valverde, who found himself taking his second runner-up slot in four days. Schleck hung on for third, with Bettini coming in ahead of Rebellin and Boogerd for fourth.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Luc Claessen/www.ctm-images.com

Images by AFP

Images by Brecht Decaluwé/Cyclingnews.com

Images by Fotoreporter Sirotti

Images by Régis Garnier/www.velofotopro.com

Results - 262 km

1 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas                                  6.37.24 (39.56 km/h)
2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne                         0.03
3 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team CSC                                          
4 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quickstep - Innergetic                        0.06
5 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner                                    
6 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank                                    0.07
7 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - Fondital                            0.09
8 Matthias Kessler (Ger) Astana                                         
9 Juan Jose Cobo (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir                           
10 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team                                      
11 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                 
12 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas                                     
13 Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                             
14 Benoît Salmon (Fra) Agritubel                                    0.15
15 John Gadret (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance                                    
16 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Française des Jeux                            
17 Riccardo Ricco (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir                      0.20
18 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Crédit Agricole                            
19 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                              
20 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2r Prévoyance                              
21 Nicki Sørensen (Den) Team CSC                                        
22 Manuele Mori (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir                        0.25
23 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team       0.28
24 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir                     0.31
25 Sergiy Gonchar (Ukr) T-Mobile Team                               0.35
26 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Chocolade Jacques - Topsport Vlaanderen    0.40
27 Alberto Contador (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team        0.50
28 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) T-Mobile Team                                 
29 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                1.02
30 David Lopez Garcia (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne                            
31 Francesco Bellotti (Ita) Crédit Agricole                         1.12
32 Bram Tankink (Ned) Quickstep - Innergetic                        1.13
33 Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Crédit Agricole                               1.21
34 Thomas Dekker (Ned) Rabobank                                         
35 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) Gerolsteiner                                     
36 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor - Lotto                                  
37 Patxi Vila (Spa) Lampre - Fondital                                   
38 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                            
39 Gorka Verdugo (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                              
40 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team               
41 Cristian Moreni (Ita) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone          1.24
42 Giampaolo Cheula (Ita) Barloworld                                    
43 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana                                1.33
44 Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance                              
45 Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus) Team CSC                                 1.36
46 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC                                          
47 Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance                                  
48 Félix Rafael Cardenas (Col) Barloworld                               
49 Josep Jufre Pou (Spa) Predictor - Lotto                              
50 Wim Van Huffel (Bel) Predictor - Lotto                               
51 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana                                       
52 Mauricio Soler (Col) Barloworld                                      
53 Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team CSC                                         
54 Axel Merckx (Bel) T-Mobile Team                                      
55 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Française des Jeux                             
56 Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Predictor - Lotto                           
57 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone             
58 Pedro Arreitunandia (Spa) Barloworld                                 
59 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team          1.46
60 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Tinkoff Credit System                            
61 Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) Liquigas                            1.55
62 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Française des Jeux                       2.27
63 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone               
64 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Team Milram                                    
65 Carlos Barredo (Spa) Quickstep - Innergetic                          
66 Cédric Vasseur (Fra) Quickstep - Innergetic                          
67 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Astana                                         
68 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Crédit Agricole                                
69 Eduardo Gonzalo (Spa) Agritubel                                      
70 Laurent Lefevre (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                               
71 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas                                       
72 Andrea Noe' (Ita) Liquigas                                           
73 Iker Camano Ortuzar (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir                     
74 Mikhail Ignatiev (Rus) Tinkoff Credit System                     2.59
75 Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne                         3.26
76 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner                             5.06
77 Chris Horner (USA) Predictor - Lotto                                 
78 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank                                      5.25
79 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                          7.19
80 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone               
81 José Benitez (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir                            
82 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra) Française des Jeux                            
83 Bert De Waele (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner                   
84 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile Team                                   
85 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Team CSC                             8.31
86 Alexander Efimkin (Rus) Barloworld                                   
87 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre - Fondital                              
88 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank                                    9.30
89 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel - Euskadi                       11.13
90 Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Tinkoff Credit System                  15.09
91 Mirco Lorenzetto (Ita) Team Milram                                   
92 Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Gerolsteiner                                      
93 Kjell Carlström (Fin) Liquigas                                       
94 Carlo Scognamiglio (Ita) Team Milram                                 
95 Morris Possoni (Ita) Lampre - Fondital                               
96 Serge Pauwels (Bel) Chocolade Jacques - Topsport Vlaanderen          
97 Manuel Calvente (Spa) Agritubel                                      
98 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                            
99 Xavier Florencio (Spa) Bouygues Telecom                              
100 Sylvain Calzati (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance                               
101 Koos Moerenhout (Ned) Rabobank                                      
102 Antonio Colom (Spa) Astana                                          
103 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone              
104 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team            
105 Theo Eltink (Ned) Rabobank                                          
106 Nicolas Vogondy (Fra) Agritubel                                     
107 Bingen Fernandez (Spa) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone            
108 Yoann Le Boulanger (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                           
109 Serguei Yakovlev (Kaz) Astana                                       
110 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Tinkoff Credit System                         
111 Amaël Moinard (Fra) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone               
112 David de la Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir                     
113 Francisco Perez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne                              
114 Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita) Barloworld                               
115 Steven Kleynen (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner                 
DNF Paul Manning (GBr) Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner                   
DNF Jérémy Roy (Fra) Française des Jeux                                 
DNF Fabien Patanchon (Fra) Française des Jeux                           
DNF Thierry Marichal (Bel) Française des Jeux                           
DNF Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team          
DNF Benjamin Noval (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team             
DNF Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team             
DNF Ludovic Turpin (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance                                
DNF Julien Loubet (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance                                 
DNF Simon Gerrans (Aus) AG2r Prévoyance                                 
DNF Didier Rous (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                  
DNF Erki Pütsep (Est) Bouygues Telecom                                  
DNF Mickaël Buffaz (Fra) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone              
DNF Markus Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner                                     
DNF Tim Klinger (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                      
DNF Markus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                    
DNF Benoît Poilvet (Fra) Crédit Agricole                                
DNF Christophe Le Mével (Fra) Crédit Agricole                           
DNF Juan Miguel Mercado (Spa) Agritubel                                 
DNF Aivaras Baranauskas (Ltu) Agritubel                                 
DNF Nico Sijmens (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner                   
DNF Filip Meirhaeghe (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner               
DNF Jan Kuyckx (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner                     
DNF Frédéric Gabriel (Fra) Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner               
DNF Ed Clancy (GBr) Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner                      
DNF Frederik Veuchelen (Bel) Chocolade Jacques - Topsport Vlaanderen    
DNF Tom Stubbe (Bel) Chocolade Jacques - Topsport Vlaanderen            
DNF Sven Renders (Bel) Chocolade Jacques - Topsport Vlaanderen          
DNF Pieter Ghyllebert (Bel) Chocolade Jacques - Topsport Vlaanderen     
DNF Benny de Schrooder (Bel) Chocolade Jacques - Topsport Vlaanderen    
DNF Johan Coenen (Bel) Chocolade Jacques - Topsport Vlaanderen          
DNF Alexander Serov (Rus) Tinkoff Credit System                         
DNF Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Tinkoff Credit System                         
DNF Daniele Contrini (Ita) Tinkoff Credit System                        
DNF Elio Aggiano (Ita) Tinkoff Credit System                            
DNF Romain Feillu (Fra) Agritubel                                       
DNF Freddy Bichot (Fra) Agritubel                                       
DNF Mads Kaggestad (Nor) Crédit Agricole                                
DNF Christophe Edaleine (Fra) Crédit Agricole                           
DNF Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC                                         
DNF Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Rabobank                                  
DNF Jan Boven (Ned) Rabobank                                            
DNF Adam Hansen (Aus) T-Mobile Team                                     
DNF Scott Davis (Aus) T-Mobile Team                                     
DNF Michael Barry (Can) T-Mobile Team                                   
DNF Tadej Valjavec (Slo) Lampre - Fondital                              
DNF Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre - Fondital                               
DNF David Loosli (Swi) Lampre - Fondital                                
DNF Matteo Bono (Ita) Lampre - Fondital                                 
DNF Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Quickstep - Innergetic                      
DNF Jurgen Van de Walle (Bel) Quickstep - Innergetic                    
DNF Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quickstep - Innergetic                         
DNF Addy Engels (Ned) Quickstep - Innergetic                            
DNF Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne                            
DNF Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne                           
DNF Vicente Reynes (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne                               
DNF Igor Abakoumov (Bel) Astana                                         
DNF Thomas Frei (Swi) Astana                                            
DNF Arkaitz Duran (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir                          
DNF Hugo Sabido (Por) Barloworld                                        
DNF Ryan Cox (RSA) Barloworld                                           
DNF Niki Terpstra (Ned) Team Milram                                     
DNF Sebastian Schwager (Ger) Team Milram                                
DNF Matej Jurco (Svk) Team Milram                                       
DNF Andry Grivko (Ukr) Team Milram                                      
DNF Igor Astarloa (Spa) Team Milram                                     
DNF Ruben Perez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                               
DNF Inigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                           
DNF Aitor Galdos (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                              
DNF Yon Bru (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                                   
DNF Francesco Failli (Ita) Liquigas                                     
DNF Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas                                     
DNF Pieter Mertens (Bel) Predictor - Lotto                              
DNF Dario David Cioni (Ita) Predictor - Lotto                           
DNF Christophe Brandt (Bel) Predictor - Lotto                           
DNF José Vicente Garcia Acosta (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne                   

Climbs
 
Km 57.5 - Côte de Ny  Points                        
1 Jan Kuyckx (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner    4 pts
2 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel - Euskadi          2
3 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra) Française des Jeux          1

Km 83 - Côte de la Roche-en-Ardenne  Points         
1 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Tinkoff Credit System        4 pts
2 Jan Kuyckx (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner    2
3 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra) Française des Jeux          1

Km 129 - Côte de Saint Roch  Points                 
1 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra) Française des Jeux          4 pts
2 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Tinkoff Credit System        2
3 Jan Kuyckx (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner    1

Km 173 - Côte de Wanne  Points                      
1 Jan Kuyckx (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner    4 pts
2 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra) Française des Jeux          2
3 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Tinkoff Credit System        1

Km 179.5 - Côte de Stockeu  Points                  
1 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Tinkoff Credit System        4 pts
2 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra) Française des Jeux          2
3 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel - Euskadi          1

Km 185 - Côte de la Haute-Levée  Points             
1 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra) Française des Jeux          4 pts
2 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Tinkoff Credit System        2
3 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel - Euskadi          1

Km 197.5 - Côte du Rosier  Points                   
1 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Tinkoff Credit System        4 pts
2 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel - Euskadi          2
3 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra) Française des Jeux          1

Km 210 - Côte de la Vecquée  Points                 
1 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel - Euskadi          4 pts
2 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Tinkoff Credit System        2
3 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra) Française des Jeux          1

Km 227.5 - Côte de la Redoute  Points               
1 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra) Française des Jeux          4 pts
2 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel - Euskadi          2
3 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Tinkoff Credit System        1

Km 233 - Côte de Sprimont  Points                   
1 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra) Française des Jeux          4 pts
2 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel - Euskadi          2
3 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner               1

Km 248 - Côte du Sart-Tilman - Tilff  Points        
1 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner               4 pts
2 Carlos Barredo (Spa) Quickstep - Innergetic        2
3 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas                     1

Km 256.5 - Côte de Saint-Nicolas  Points            
1 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quickstep - Innergetic         4 pts
2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne          2
3 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner                 1       

Climbs overall

1 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra) Française des Jeux      24 pts
2 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Tinkoff Credit System    20
3 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel - Euskadi      14
4 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner            5
5 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quickstep - Innergetic      4
6 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne       2
7 Carlos Barredo (Spa) Quickstep - Innergetic     2
8 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner              1
9 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas                  1

ProTour standings

1 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner                                  157 pts
2 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 107
3 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas 100
4 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank 82
5 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC 79
6 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner 75
7 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 63
8 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 62
9 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 58
10 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep - Innergetic 57
11 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 53
12 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre - Fondital 50
13 Matthias Kessler (Ger) Astana 50
14 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) Lampre - Fondital 46
15 Roger Hammond (GBr) T-Mobile Team 45
16 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 45
17 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - Fondital 45
18 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Predictor - Lotto 44
19 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team 43
20 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 42
21 Marcus Burghardt (Ger) T-Mobile Team 40
22 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Rabobank 40
23 Leif Hoste (Bel) Predictor - Lotto 40
24 Allan Davis (Aus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 40
25 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana 38
26 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 38
27 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quickstep - Innergetic 37
28 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 36
29 Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team CSC 30
30 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Predictor - Lotto 30
31 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 28
32 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 25
33 Roberto Petito (Ita) Liquigas 25
34 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 25
35 Riccardo Ricco (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir 24
36 David Lopez Garcia (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 23
37 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC 23
38 Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 22
39 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 20
40 Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 20
41 Christophe Mengin (Fra) Française des Jeux 15
42 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor - Lotto 15
43 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone 15
44 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2r Prévoyance 11
45 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre - Fondital 10
46 Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz) Astana 10
47 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Team Milram 10
48 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 8
49 Max Van Heeswijk (Ned) Rabobank 7
50 John Gadret (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance 5
51 Baden Cooke (Aus) Unibet.com 5
52 Kevin Van Impe (Bel) Quickstep - Innergetic 5
53 Vicente Reynes Mimo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 5
54 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank 3
55 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 3
56 Koldo Gil Perez (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 3
57 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 3
58 Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus) Team CSC 3
59 Matteo Bono (Ita) Lampre - Fondital 3
60 Koldo Fernandez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 3
61 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 3
62 Manuel Beltran Martinez (Spa) Liquigas 3
63 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre - Fondital 3
64 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval - Prodir 3
65 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance 3
66 Fabio Baldato (Ita) Lampre - Fondital 2
67 Patxi Javier Vila Errandonea 2
68 Mirco Lorenzetto (Ita) Team Milram 2
69 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas 2
70 Constantino Zaballa Gutierrez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 2
71 Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Liquigas 2
72 José Antonio Redondo Ramos 2
73 Sebastian Siedler (Ger) Team Milram 2
74 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2r Prévoyance 1
75 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 1
76 Iker Camano Ortuzar (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 1
77 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Quickstep - Innergetic 1
78 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance 1
79 Sven Krauss (Ger) Gerolsteiner 1
80 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole 1
81 Mathew Hayman (Aus) Rabobank 1
82 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Française des Jeux 1