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61st Vuelta a España - GT
Spain, August 26-September 17, 2006
Main Page Results Overall standings Stage Details Live report Previous Stage Next Stage
Stage 3 - August 28: Córdoba - Almendralejo, 220 km
Ventoso scoops the honours
Hushovd holds on to race lead
By Shane Stokes in Almendralejo, with additional reporting from Hernan Alvarez
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One of the most notable things about the field for this Vuelta a España is the high quality of the sprinters who are present, with fastmen of the calibre of Robbie McEwen, Alessandro Petacchi, Thor Hushovd, Erik Zabel and Luca Paolini all here. Yet for the second day running these names were foiled when Saunier Duval's rapid-finishing Francisco José Ventoso displayed exactly the right combination of strength, speed and timing to scoop his biggest career win to date.
Runners up Hushovd – who retains the maillot oro - O'Grady, Zabel and McEwen will rue a missed chance but in truth, the gutsy Saunier Duval team fully deserved the victory on this, the longest stage of the race. David De La Fuente showed some of the determination which earned him the most aggressive rider award in the Tour de France when he went clear early on with Enrico Franzoi (Lampre-Fondital) and Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Cofidis). That move was finally neutralised with seven kilometres to go but another Saunier Duval rider, David Millar, then took a flyer with a kilometre remaining and stayed clear until 500 metres from the finish in Almendralejo.
Ventoso was the Spanish team's third wave, the 24 year old benefiting from another slightly premature move by McEwen plus his own good timing to get things precisely right on the uphill rise to the line.
"I am very happy to be with this team," he stated with a smile, keen to pay tribute to his Saunier Duval squad. "They did everything just right during the stage and in the end, I was able to win. We decided to have somebody in the early move and it was a very good strategy, one which paid off in the finale.
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"David de la Fuente went early on and after he was caught, David Millar had a go inside the final kilometre. It was difficult for him to stay away due to the high speed, but then I went for the sprint and was able to win."
Ventoso said that this success and an important win earlier in the season made up for a frustrating 2005. "After my first year, I had a lot of motivation for cycling but I had a tough time last season and it was difficult for me. However with my win earlier this year in Bicicleta Vasca and now here in the Vuelta, it is very important. I am very pleased and am 100 percent motivated once more. I hope to make the Spanish team for the world championships but it is logical that if I am selected, I will be working for riders such as Oscar Freire and Alejandro Valverde."
Today's three man break mopped up all of the intermediate bonuses on offer but Thor Hushovd's second runner-up position in two days ensured that he retained the maillot oro. He was pleased, yet the strong final surge he unleashed when coming from a long way back showed that a possible victory was lost.
"I had a bad position and couldn't get the stage win," the Norwegian Credit Agricole rider explained at the finish. "I was too far behind coming in to the finish. I get to keep the jersey though because the team did a really good job for me. So I am happy."
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Today's final kilometre was narrow and twisting, something which could have produced a big crash but fortunately did not. Hushovd and several other riders felt it was risky. "It was dangerous on the run in," he pointed out.
Third-placed O'Grady agreed. "Everyone was pretty tired, it was a long, hard day and then all hell broke lose in the last 20 kilometres. The last few corners were definitely on the limit, that is for sure."
Although the Australian has proven in the past that he is one of the fastest guys in the peloton, his move this year to Team CSC has coincided with pronouncements that he will no longer go for the maillot vert in the Tour. Today he also downplayed the notion of chasing the points jersey here.
"I'm not targeting it," he explained after his trip to the podium to mark CSC's ongoing lead in the best team classification. "I was just having one more crack today, trying to get the leader's jersey. I had a pretty decent position going into the last couple of kilometres. I did a good sprint, I was happy. It was just that two guys were stronger. Thor came past in the last 20 metres and he was really putting out some big horsepower. I needed him to have a bit of a bad day, though [in order to get the race lead]. I did everything I could, but it didn't work."
Despite his strong result, he'll most likely change his approach for the remainder of the race. "My ambition is not to go for a points jersey. I am not sure if I will go for another sprint, either…I asked to have a crack today and Bjarne let me have a go. But I am here to help out Carlos [Sastre], he needs me to be there for him. That's the priority."
The Vuelta a España is known for its unrelenting heat, particularly here in the south of the country. The searing sun is responsible for the somewhat arid landscape in this part of Spain, and it also makes things difficult for the riders. Indeed temperatures climbed to a blistering 42 degrees today, only slightly shy of the 45 degrees achieved when the race went to Cordoba last year.
Like many others, GC contender Oscar Pereiro crossed the line drenched in sweat, and he stressed the effect this can have. "The big thing about today is that it was very, very hot. I think the next few days may be the same. It makes things very, very hard for us, the riders can end up very tired as a result.
"I didn't do much today, it was a day to take it as easy as possible. My goal is to rest until the Covatilla on Wednesday, that will be an important stage."
How it unfolded
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The Vuelta left Andalusia and welcomed Extremadura today. This was the longest stage of the race as the riders rode 220 kilometres between Cordoba and Almendralejo, with the latter hosting the Spanish Tour for the first time since 1997. Almendralejo means 'little plantation of almonds' in Spanish and the town is named after the trees that were originally planted in this area around 1200.
None of the riders abandoned the race after two stages, and the 189 riders who started in Malaga signed on today in Cordoba. After the descent of the first climb at Alto de Villaviciosa (km 6), three riders made a breakaway: Spain's David de la Fuente (Saunier Duval), Italy's Enrico Franzoi (Lampre) and France's Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Cofidis). As the kilometres went by, the trio was able to increase the gap and led the race by a 5'23 advantage over the peloton at km 23. At the second and last climb of the day (Puerto del Aire – km 30), De la Fuente was first, Franzoi second and Duclos-Lassalle third.
The heat was a key factor during the stage. At 13:30, the temperature on road was around 40° Celsius. All the riders had to deal not only with a very long stage but with the sun that melted everything. Meanwhile, the three leaders kept a good pace and had a 6'25 gap over the peloton at km 59. At the first intermediate sprint after 82 km, De la Fuente crossed the line first, with Duclos-Lassalle and Franzoi in second and third, and the lead was up to 7'06, having come down from a maximum of 7'46.
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At the second intermediate sprint at km 128, De la Fuente again took the maximum bonus points with Franzoi and Duclos-Lassalle behind as the trio still held over six minutes. The peloton, led by Credit Agricole, the current leader's team, never left the three men get too far ahead. At km 167, Duclos-Lassalle had a puncture and the other two waited for him. The lead group lost some more seconds and now led by 5'09 over the main group. 18 kilometres later, the distance was just around three and a half minutes as Credit Agricole, Davitamon-Lotto and Milram worked hard to reduce the gap.
De la Fuente and Franzoi got rid of the tiring Duclos-Lassalle with 16 km to go, and held on for another 10 km before they were swallowed by the hungry peloton. The sprinters' teams fought for control, with Quick.Step and Milram particularly prominent. Paolo Bettini was well placed with one kilometre to go, but an attack by David Millar (Saunier Duval) then threw the cat among the pigeons. Millar flew around the last few dangerous corners, but couldn't hold off the bunch and was passed with 500m to go.
As he did yesterday, Fred Rodriguez (Davitamon-Lotto) hit the gas with Robbie McEwen on his wheel. But he was hindered slightly by Danilo Napolitano (Lampre), lost the momentum, and McEwen was forced to go too early. The Australian kept his nose in front until inside the final 100 metres, when a powerful Francisco Ventoso surged to the left and won the stage from Thor Hushovd, Stuart O'Grady, Erik Zabel and Robbie McEwen.
Stage 4 – August 29: Almendralejo-Caceres, 142 km
A stage through the Extremadura region from the provinces of Badajoz to Caceres. The journey will be much shorter than today as the cyclists will race 78 fewer kilometres and will face no mountainous difficulties at all. It is a flat/undulating stage, almost perfect for the sprinters. There are two intermediate sprints: La Garrovilla (250 m above sea level, km 39) and Puebla de Obando (430 m., km 90).
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Shane Stokes/Cyclingnews.com
- CSC's race favourite Carlos Sastre
- Two trophies await presentation
- Flowers and another trophy for the yellow jersey
- Relax Gam rider Mario De Sarraga gets a hand
- He is wearing the jersey as mountains leader
- Thor Hushovd salutes the crowd after retaining yellow
- He was second yet again today
- Hushovd's prize
- Hushovd with some young riders
- CSC held on for another day
- This is how you get those finish line images
- A big hit with the crowd
- Another interview for the stage winner
- We hope that this is his son and not a kidnap-for-ransom attempt, given that the police are close by
- Robbie McEwen interviewed before the start
- He is aiming to win a stage in each of the Grand Tours this year, having taken three each in the Giro and the Tour
Images by AFP Photo
- "Schwarzy" gets ready for stage 3
- Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) sits behind Laszlo Bodrogi
- Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) swallows some more water
- Credit Agricole working hard for Hushovd
- Denis Menchov (Rabobank) feeling the heat a bit
- The peloton passes through another town
- The peloton rides during stage 3 of the Vuelta
- Francisco Ventoso (Saunier Duval) wins the third stage ahead of Hushovd and O'Grady
- Francisco Ventoso (Saunier Duval) is happy on the podium
- Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) still the leader after stage 3
Images by Unipublic
- Iban Mayo (Euskaltel-Euskadi) looking very orange
- Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d'Epargne) at the start
- Mario de Sarraga (Relax) in the mountains jersey
- All lined up at the start
- Waiting for the start of stage 3
- The peloton bunched up early on
- Jose Vicente Garcia Acosta (Caisse d'Epargne) tows Alejandro Valverde back
- David de la Fuente (Saunier Duval) leading the breakaway
- Enrico Franzoi (Lampre) was one of the powerhouses in front today
- Cruising along in 40 degree heat
- Olive country
- Some spectacular scenery during stage 3
- The peloton rides down another narrow back road
- Hard at work in the bunch
- Credit Agricole leading the charge
- Sharing a coke en route
- Two Bouygues riders work on their tans
- The breakaway goes up another small climb
- Franzoi leads the break
- It's not easy in the heat
- The sprint winds up
- Francisco Ventoso (Saunier Duval) celebrates his win
- Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) in gold
- Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) is received on the podium
- David de la Fuente (Saunier Duval) is the combination leader
Results
1 Francisco José Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 5.43.45 (38.4 km/h) 2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole 3 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC 4 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 5 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 6 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 7 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 8 Pedro Horrillo (Spa) Rabobank 9 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 10 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 11 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 12 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner 13 René Haselbacher (Aut) Gerolsteiner 14 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 15 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 16 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2R Prevoyance 17 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC 18 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Française des Jeux 19 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas 20 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 21 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 22 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 23 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 24 Rony Martias (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 25 Rubén Pérez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 26 Ángel Gómez Gómez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 27 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 28 Franck Renier (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 29 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 30 Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana Team 31 David Navas (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 32 Mauricio Ardila (Col) Rabobank 33 Francesco Failli (Ita) Liquigas 34 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 35 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems 36 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Credit Agricole 37 Aaron Kemps (Aus) Astana Team 38 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 39 André Greipel (Ger) T-Mobile Team 40 Xavier Florencio (Spa) Bouygues Telecom 41 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 42 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 43 Nacor Burgos (Spa) Relax-Gam 44 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 45 Serguei Yakovlev (Kaz) Astana Team 46 Robert Förster (Ger) Gerolsteiner 47 David Loosli (Swi) Lampre-Fondital 48 Markel Irizar (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 49 Lorenzo Bernucci (Ita) T-Mobile Team 50 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 51 Pablo Lastras (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 52 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 53 Bastiaan Giling (Ned) T-Mobile Team 54 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 55 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team 56 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Credit Agricole 57 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 58 Michael Barry (Can) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 59 Miguel A. Martín Perdiguero (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 60 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 61 Alberto Ongarato (Ita) Team Milram 62 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 63 André Korff (Ger) T-Mobile Team 64 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 65 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 66 José Ange Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 67 Marco Velo (Ita) Team Milram 68 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Phonak Hearing Systems 69 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 70 José Miguel Elias (Spa) Relax-Gam 71 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 72 Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 73 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 74 Christophe Detilloux (Bel) Française des Jeux 75 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 76 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Phonak Hearing Systems 77 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team CSC 78 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 79 Scott Davis (Aus) T-Mobile Team 80 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) T-Mobile Team 81 Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team CSC 82 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval-Prodir 83 Jorge García (Spa) Relax-Gam 84 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 85 Bingen Fernández (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 86 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 87 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Lampre-Fondital 88 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas 89 William Walker (Aus) Rabobank 90 Mathieu Claude (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 91 Luis León Sánchez (Spa) Astana Team 92 Juan José Cobo (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 93 Daniel Moreno (Spa) Relax-Gam 94 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 95 Thomas Ziegler (Ger) T-Mobile Team 96 Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank 97 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Liquigas 98 Raúl García De Mateo (Spa) Relax-Gam 99 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 100 Theo Eltink (Ned) Rabobank 101 Andrea Moletta (Ita) Gerolsteiner 102 Luis Fernández Oliveira (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 103 Ian Mcleod (RSA) Française des Jeux 104 Kjell Carlström (Fin) Liquigas 105 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank 106 Sebastian Siedler (Ger) Team Milram 107 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team CSC 108 Aketza Peña (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 109 Florian Stalder (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 110 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 111 Benoît Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 112 Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 113 Jesús Hernández (Spa) Relax-Gam 114 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 115 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre-Fondital 116 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam 117 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Credit Agricole 118 Pierre Drancourt (Bel) Bouygues Telecom 119 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner 120 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team 121 Fabien Patanchon (Fra) Française des Jeux 122 Iñigo Chaurreau (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 123 Stéphane Goubert (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 124 Torsten Hiekmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner 125 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 126 Jérémy Roy (Fra) Française des Jeux 127 Davide Vigano (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 128 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 129 Markus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 130 Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 131 Ángel Vallejo (Spa) Relax-Gam 132 Stephan Schreck (Ger) T-Mobile Team 133 Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Team CSC 134 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Team Milram 135 Josep Jufre (Spa) Davitamon-Lotto 136 Benoît Poilvet (Fra) Credit Agricole 137 Thierry Marichal (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 138 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir 139 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC 140 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Team Milram 141 Frédéric Finot (Fra) Française des Jeux 142 Volodymyr Dyudya (Ukr) Team Milram 143 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 144 Pieter Mertens (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 145 Addy Engels (Ned) Quick Step-Innergetic 146 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Gerolsteiner 147 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 148 Alberto Benítez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 149 Eric Leblacher (Fra) Française des Jeux 150 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 151 Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 152 Iñigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 153 Dario Andriotto (Ita) Liquigas 154 Bart Dockx (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 155 Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 156 José Antonio Redondo (Spa) Astana Team 157 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 158 Charles Wegelius (GBr) Liquigas 159 Joan Horrach (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 160 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 161 Freddy Bichot (Fra) Française des Jeux 162 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 163 David George (RSA) Relax-Gam 164 Carlos Barredo (Spa) Astana Team 165 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team 166 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 167 Iñigo Cuesta (Spa) Team CSC 168 José Vicent Garcia Acosta (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 169 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 170 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 171 José Antonio Garrido (Spa) Quick Step-Innergetic 172 Daniele Nardello (Ita) T-Mobile Team 173 Sven Montgomery (Swi) Gerolsteiner 174 Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) Liquigas 175 David Cañada (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 176 Daniel Becke (Ger) Team Milram 177 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Française des Jeux 178 Steve Morabito (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 179 Frédéric Bessy (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 180 Christophe Kern (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 181 Wim De Vocht (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 182 Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 183 Steve Zampieri (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 0.35 184 Kevin Van Impe (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 0.59 185 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Credit Agricole 5.02 186 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Credit Agricole 187 Mads Kaggestad (Nor) Credit Agricole 14.47 188 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Team Milram 189 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Credit Agricole Points 1 Francisco José Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 25 pts 2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole 20 3 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC 16 4 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 14 5 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 12 6 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 10 7 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 9 8 Pedro Horrillo (Spa) Rabobank 8 9 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 7 10 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 6 11 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 5 12 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner 4 13 René Haselbacher (Aut) Gerolsteiner 3 14 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 2 15 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 1 Mountains Alto de Villaviciosa - Cat. 3, km 6 1 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam 6 pts 2 Jorge García (Spa) Relax-Gam 4 3 José Antonio Garrido (Spa) Quick Step-Innergetic 2 4 Benoît Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1 Puerto del Aire - Cat. 3, km 30 1 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 6 pts 2 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 4 3 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 2 4 Mads Kaggestad (Nor) Credit Agricole 1 Sprints Peñarroya - Pueblonuevo, km 82,6 1 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 4 pts 2 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 2 3 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 1 Azuaga, km 128 1 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 4 pts 2 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 2 3 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 1 Teams 1 Lampre - Fondital 17.11.15 2 Davitamon - Lotto 3 Ag2r Prevoyance 4 Liquigas 5 Gerolsteiner 6 Saunier Duval - Prodir 7 Euskaltel - Euskadi 8 Bouygues Telecom 9 Credit Agricole 10 Team CSC 11 Phonak Hearing Systems 12 Astana 13 Cofidis, le Credit Par Telephone 14 Rabobank 15 Team Milram 16 T- Mobile Team 17 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 18 Caisse D'Epargne - Illes Balears 19 Française des Jeux 20 Relax - GAM 21 Quick Step - Innergetic General classification after stage 3 1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole 10.10.33 2 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC 0.11 3 Francisco José Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 0.12 4 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 0.14 5 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC 0.19 6 Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team CSC 7 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team CSC 8 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team CSC 9 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 10 Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Team CSC 11 Iñigo Cuesta (Spa) Team CSC 12 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 0.20 13 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC 0.23 14 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 0.24 15 Pablo Lastras (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 0.26 16 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 17 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 18 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 19 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 20 José Vicent Garcia Acosta (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 21 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 0.27 22 Marco Velo (Ita) Team Milram 23 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Team Milram 24 Daniel Becke (Ger) Team Milram 25 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas 0.28 26 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 27 Michael Barry (Can) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 28 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 29 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 30 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 31 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 32 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 33 Benoît Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 34 Joan Horrach (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 0.29 35 André Greipel (Ger) T-Mobile Team 0.30 36 Lorenzo Bernucci (Ita) T-Mobile Team 37 Thomas Ziegler (Ger) T-Mobile Team 38 André Korff (Ger) T-Mobile Team 39 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) T-Mobile Team 40 Bastiaan Giling (Ned) T-Mobile Team 41 Scott Davis (Aus) T-Mobile Team 42 Stephan Schreck (Ger) T-Mobile Team 43 Daniele Nardello (Ita) T-Mobile Team 44 Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana Team 0.31 45 Aaron Kemps (Aus) Astana Team 46 Serguei Yakovlev (Kaz) Astana Team 47 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team 48 Luis León Sánchez (Spa) Astana Team 49 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team 50 Carlos Barredo (Spa) Astana Team 51 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team 52 José Antonio Redondo (Spa) Astana Team 53 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Credit Agricole 0.32 54 José Ange Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 55 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Credit Agricole 56 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Liquigas 57 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval-Prodir 58 Juan José Cobo (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 59 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas 60 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Credit Agricole 61 Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) Liquigas 62 Charles Wegelius (GBr) Liquigas 63 David Cañada (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 64 Benoît Poilvet (Fra) Credit Agricole 65 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir 66 Davide Vigano (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 0.34 67 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 68 Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 69 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 70 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 71 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 72 Alberto Benítez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 73 José Antonio Garrido (Spa) Quick Step-Innergetic 74 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.35 75 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.37 76 Pedro Horrillo (Spa) Rabobank 77 Mauricio Ardila (Col) Rabobank 78 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 79 Rubén Pérez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 80 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 81 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 82 Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank 83 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 84 Markel Irizar (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 85 Theo Eltink (Ned) Rabobank 86 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 87 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 88 William Walker (Aus) Rabobank 89 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank 90 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 91 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 92 René Haselbacher (Aut) Gerolsteiner 0.38 93 Andrea Moletta (Ita) Gerolsteiner 94 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner 95 Markus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 96 Torsten Hiekmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner 97 Sven Montgomery (Swi) Gerolsteiner 98 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 0.40 99 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 100 David Loosli (Swi) Lampre-Fondital 101 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Lampre-Fondital 102 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre-Fondital 103 Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 104 Francesco Failli (Ita) Liquigas 0.41 105 Iñigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 106 Dario Andriotto (Ita) Liquigas 107 Franck Renier (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 0.43 108 Rony Martias (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 109 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 110 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 111 Xavier Florencio (Spa) Bouygues Telecom 112 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 113 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 114 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 0.44 115 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 116 Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 117 Pieter Mertens (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 118 Josep Jufre (Spa) Davitamon-Lotto 119 Pierre Drancourt (Bel) Bouygues Telecom 0.45 120 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 0.46 121 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 122 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems 123 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2R Prevoyance 124 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 125 Miguel A. Martín Perdiguero (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 126 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 127 David Navas (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 128 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Phonak Hearing Systems 129 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 130 Luis Fernández Oliveira (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 131 Florian Stalder (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 132 Iñigo Chaurreau (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 133 Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 134 Stéphane Goubert (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 135 Steve Morabito (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 136 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Française des Jeux 0.47 137 Christophe Detilloux (Bel) Française des Jeux 138 Frédéric Finot (Fra) Française des Jeux 139 Jérémy Roy (Fra) Française des Jeux 140 Eric Leblacher (Fra) Française des Jeux 141 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Française des Jeux 142 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Phonak Hearing Systems 0.48 143 Aketza Peña (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 144 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 0.49 145 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 146 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 147 Bingen Fernández (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 148 Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 149 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 150 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 0.52 151 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 152 Fabien Patanchon (Fra) Française des Jeux 0.53 153 Freddy Bichot (Fra) Française des Jeux 0.55 154 Wim De Vocht (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 155 Nacor Burgos (Spa) Relax-Gam 0.56 156 Jorge García (Spa) Relax-Gam 157 José Miguel Elias (Spa) Relax-Gam 158 Raúl García De Mateo (Spa) Relax-Gam 159 Daniel Moreno (Spa) Relax-Gam 160 Jesús Hernández (Spa) Relax-Gam 161 Ángel Vallejo (Spa) Relax-Gam 162 Ian Mcleod (RSA) Française des Jeux 0.57 163 Robert Förster (Ger) Gerolsteiner 0.59 164 Ángel Gómez Gómez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 1.00 165 Kjell Carlström (Fin) Liquigas 166 Alberto Ongarato (Ita) Team Milram 1.03 167 Addy Engels (Ned) Quick Step-Innergetic 1.13 168 Steve Zampieri (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 1.21 169 Volodymyr Dyudya (Ukr) Team Milram 1.25 170 David George (RSA) Relax-Gam 1.27 171 Kevin Van Impe (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 1.33 172 Mathieu Claude (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 1.39 173 Frédéric Bessy (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 1.41 174 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 1.42 175 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Team Milram 1.43 176 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 2.11 177 Sebastian Siedler (Ger) Team Milram 2.29 178 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner 3.09 179 Thierry Marichal (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 3.34 180 Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 4.03 181 Christophe Kern (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 4.14 182 Bart Dockx (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 4.16 183 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Gerolsteiner 5.11 184 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Credit Agricole 5.34 185 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam 7.23 186 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Credit Agricole 7.36 187 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Credit Agricole 15.19 188 Mads Kaggestad (Nor) Credit Agricole 17.21 189 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Team Milram 17.41 Points classification 1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole 44 pts 2 Francisco José Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 35 3 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 27 4 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 26 5 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 25 6 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 20 7 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC 19 8 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 13 9 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 12 10 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems 12 11 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 9 12 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 8 13 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam 8 14 Pedro Horrillo (Spa) Rabobank 8 15 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Française des Jeux 8 16 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 7 17 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 6 18 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 5 19 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner 4 20 Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana Team 4 21 René Haselbacher (Aut) Gerolsteiner 3 22 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 3 23 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 3 24 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas 2 25 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 1 Mountains classification 1 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam 18 pts 2 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 6 3 Benoît Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 6 4 José Antonio Garrido (Spa) Quick Step-Innergetic 6 5 Rubén Pérez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 5 6 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 4 7 Jorge García (Spa) Relax-Gam 4 8 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 2 9 Mads Kaggestad (Nor) Credit Agricole 1 Combination classification 1 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 26 pts 2 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 100 3 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 143 4 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam 199 Teams classification 1 Team CSC 30.17.24 2 Caisse D'Epargne - Illes Balears 0.07 3 Team Milram 0.08 4 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.09 5 T- Mobile Team 0.11 6 Astana 0.12 7 Liquigas 0.13 8 Saunier Duval - Prodir 9 Credit Agricole 10 Quick Step - Innergetic 0.15 11 Euskaltel - Euskadi 0.18 12 Rabobank 13 Gerolsteiner 0.19 14 Lampre - Fondital 0.21 15 Bouygues Telecom 0.24 16 Davitamon - Lotto 0.25 17 Ag2r Prevoyance 0.27 18 Phonak Hearing Systems 19 Française des Jeux 0.28 20 Cofidis, le Credit Par Telephone 0.30 21 Relax - GAM 0.37
