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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 7 - September 1: León - Alto de El Morredero (Ponferrada), 154 km
Valverde turns on the turbos for victory
Discovery Channel's new star moves into maillot oro
By Shane Stokes in Ponferrada, with additional reporting from Hernan Alvarez
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In a finish reminiscent of the devastating kick he unleashed to win stage 10 of the 2005 Tour de France, Alejandro Valverde overhauled Alexandre Vinokourov in a highly exciting finale at the end of today's seventh Vuelta stage.
Vinokourov went clear twice on the final Alto de El Morredero climb, once on the lower slopes and again inside the final two kilometres of racing. With 500 metres remaining it looked all but certain that the Kazakhstani would win the stage, but he ran out of legs before the line and was passed by Valverde, who certainly lived up to his Green Bullet nickname today.
The Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears leader had actually seemed to be suffering on the early slopes but he then clicked into top gear and drove the pace much of the way up the climb. Although a series of attacks came to nothing, he had more than enough speed to take the stage and vault from sixth to second overall.
"There is only a small difference today but with the time bonus at the line, it is important," said the ProTour leader after the stage. "I am happy with my victory and it is good for my confidence."
"What was most important today was to take some time and reduce the differences to the others. That's what I am most happy about. Winning here is important for the morale. It was like riding a classic on that climb.
"It was great with all the fans here today and the team worked well for me. It was phenomenal to win today. As regards Brajkovic, we have to take him seriously. He is good in the time trials and he's already demonstrated he's going well in the mountains. The stage on Sunday is the main hurdle. It's very hard and it will be important in the overall."
Valverde's rival Carlos Sastre (CSC) also looked to be suffering on the climb but came through for second, four seconds back, while José Angel Gomez Marchante (Saunier Duval-Prodir) was a further two seconds in arrears. Young Discovery Channel rider Janez Brajkovic followed his excellent and unexpected second place two days ago with another impressive ride, taking fourth ahead of team-mate Manuel Beltrán, while a disappointed Vinokourov was sixth, 12 seconds behind Valverde.
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Brajkovic had intended riding for Tom Danielson during the stage but the Discovery leader had a bad day and finished back in 36th place, 3'28 down. The 22 year old consequently had a free rein and this, twinned with his superb current form, saw him take over from overnight race leader Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas), who cracked and lost 1'58 today.
Brajkovic seemed surprised to be leading his first Grand Tour. "I was very happy with how I went today. The first day in the mountains to La Covatilla went very well. I didn't feel very good at first today, I felt blocked, but as the kilometres passed I felt much better and at the end I tried to get some time. I'd like to say thanks to the whole team - the fact that I am in the leader's jersey is the result of all their work.
"I didn't dream about taking the jersey before starting this race. I came here to gain some experience, that was my first goal. I also came here to help our leader Tom Danielson…my target was to do that and also to finish the tour."
The Slovenian won the world under 23 time trial title two years ago and this strength against the clock plus his obvious good form in the high mountains led to some journalists pondering if he could win the race. He played down such talk. "I still think that I am a very young rider and not very experienced. The finish is two weeks away and in that time, many things can happen. We will take it day by day and see how my body will react.
"Johan is such an experienced person that I am sure he will guide me and guide the team in the right way. I trust him 100 percent."
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Eight years ago Brajkovic's former team-mate Lance Armstrong finished fourth in the Vuelta and went on to dominate the Tour de France in subsequent years. He was asked if he thought that his strong performances here could also lead to him becoming another star.
"I don't know, but for sure I am going to do everything I can," he responded. "I am going to work 100 percent to achieve as much as is possible. I don't know if I am going to win a Tour some day but one thing is sure – I am going to give it 100 percent. We will see."
Carlos Sastre's team director Kim Andersen said beforehand that the plan was for him to "take it easy…follow, stay where we are. Sunday will be the big stage." In the end Sastre did precisely that, although it was not necessarily by choice. While he took a good second on the stage, he looked to be in trouble at times on the climb. He confirmed this to Spanish radio after the stage. "I ended up riding with very little strength. I am conscious that I have been racing many kilometres this year; I know that to have concentration and keep a fast rhythm is tough. But I am motivated that I was still able to be among the best of the race and it's important for me thinking of the future.
"When you have little strength, you must learn how to dose it out," he continued. "I'm already 31, I'm an old man in this sport but I'm still learning many things."
Sastre was impressed by Valverde's ride, specifically his finishing burst. "He demonstrated today that he is a super powerful rider and that he wins these kind of sprints with apparent ease," he stated.
Next home was Saunier Duval's leader Marchante, who also gave kudos to the stage victor. "I tried to win, like I tried on Wednesday," he said. "I was rather nervous; Alejandro [Valverde] was terrific and I couldn't win. It's a shame.
Although the general classification is starting to take shape, he feels the race is still wide open. "As I said the other day, this is just the beginning. Some [riders] were very good, some others a little bit worse and anything can change at any moment."
That much is true. Tomorrow's stage is relatively flat and should have little effect on the general classification. But the same can certainly not be said about Sunday's suffer-fest to the Alto de la Cobertoria; weaker contenders may have got away with small time gaps today, but seconds will become many minutes on stage nine. Forget the talk about a cooler race; temperatures may have dropped slightly as this Vuelta moved north, but the action is going to heat right up from this point on.
How it unfolded
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This was the second time a Vuelta stage ended in Alto de El Morredero; the first was in 1997, another Leon-Morredero stage when Roberto Heras won, with Chaba Jimenez and Pascal Richard finishing behind him.
The right breakaway was made when Laszlo Bodrogi (Credit Agricole), David Loosli (Lampre) and Staf Scheirlinckx (Cofidis) took off after 25 kilometres. The peloton allowed the breakaway to go and the lead trio led by 7'47 at km 47. The difference kept growing and by km 60 the three leaders were 11'28 in front.
The three riders had a good advantage and crossed the first intermediate sprint (Toreno, km 101) with David Loosli first, followed by Laszlo Bodrogi and Staf Scheirlinckx. At that point, they led by 12'23 over the peloton.
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At km 114 (40 km to go), the gap came down as the peloton began chasing the lead trio, with the difference around nine and a half minutes. At the second intermediate sprint (Ponferrada, 30 km to go), Bodrogi took the most bonus points followed by Scheirlinckx and Loosli. The gap was 7'48. The tempo was very fast; the average speed so far 43.8 km/h. As the bottom of Morredero neared, the distance between the leaders grew shorter.
At the head of the peloton, Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) took command. Meanwhile, Loosli attacked the breakaway with 18.5 km to go. Three and a half kilometres later, Loosli led by 50 seconds over Bodrogi, 2'15 over Scheirlinckx and 4'08 over the peloton. The race began to go wild, and surprisingly, Alejandro Valverde (Illes Balears) appeared to be in a spot of bother, dropping back.
With 13 to go, a chasing group was formed at the head of the peloton, comprising: Luis Perez (Cofidis), Manuel Beltran, Stijn Devolder (Discovery), Ryder Hesjedal (Phonak), Joaquin Rodriguez (Illes Balears), Alexandre Vinokourov and Sergio Paulinho (Astana), Bernhard Kohl (T-Mobile), and Sylvester Szmyd (Lampre), 2'50 behind Loosli.
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Later on, Valverde changed his tempo and his engines started firing, rejoining the first chase group with 8 km to go. At that moment, the others included: Perez, Beltran, Vinokourov, Andrey Kashechkin (Astana), Carlos Sastre (CSC), Iban Mayo (Euskaltel), Jose Gomez Marchante (Saunier Duval) and Szymd, now roughly two minutes behind Loosli. Vuelta leader Di Luca was dropped and it seemed he was going to lose a few minutes by the finish.
In the final kilometres there were many attacks made by Mayo and Valverde, with Beltran not far behind. As Loosli was caught and left behind 2,000 metres before the finish, Valverde set the tempo while Janez Brajkovic (Discovery) and Vinokourov resisted the fast pace. With 2 km to go, Gomez Marchante also joined the lead group.
With just one kilometre to go, Vinokourov attacked the lead group and manage a small gap. The Kazakh gained a 15 second lead over his chasers but Valverde had other thoughts, as he closed the gap then left Vino et al. behind. The Spaniard crossed the finish line first, with Carlos Sastre in second and Jose Gomez Marchante third. Brajkovic finished fourth, becoming the new overall leader, while Vinokourov lost strength and finished seventh, 12 seconds slower than the stage winner.
Stage 8 - September 2: Ponferrada-Lugo, 181.6 km
There is just one climb in tomorrow's stage, a category 3 mountain at km 88 (460 m. above sea level - Alto de Ares). There are two intermediate sprints before the climb: O Barco de Valdeorras (km 43) and Quiroga (km 80), so the sprinters' teams once again have a chance before a very mountainous stage come Sunday.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by AFP Photo
- Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears) blows kisses to the Spanish fans before crossing the line.
- Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears) wins the seventh stage of the Vuelta with power and style.
- Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears) punches the air in victory.
- Stage winner Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears) receives some podium delights.
Images by Unipublic
- Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears) relaxes in the car
- Fabian Cancellara (CSC) munches on some food
- The peloton rolls out of Leon
- The bunch riding past another Spanish castle
- David Loosli (Lampre) attacks with Staf Scheirlinckx on his wheel
- Loosli and Scheirlinckx get the early break going
- The peloton approaches a common Spanish landmark
- Liquigas setting tempo
- Laszlo Bodrogi (Credit Agricole) with Scheirlinckx and Loosli on his wheel
- Laszlo Bodrogi (Credit Agricole) drives the break
- The bunch on the lower slopes of the Alto de El Morredero
- Luis Perez (Cofidis) was one of the early aggressors
- Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) attacks early on the climb
- Joaquin Rodriguez (Caisse d'Epargne) looks more comfortable than Stijn Devolder
- Vladimir Karpets (Caisse d'Epargne) sets the pace
- Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) conceded the lead today
- Janez Brajkovic (Discovery Channel) flies to the summit
- Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears) keeps his eyes on his rivals near the summit
- Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears) wins the stage
- Janez Brajkovic (Discovery Channel) on the podium in the gold jersey
- Janez Brajkovic (Discovery Channel) smiles in the gold jersey
Results
1 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 4.01.05 (38.33 km/h) 2 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 0.04 3 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 0.06 4 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.07 5 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 6 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team 0.12 7 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 0.16 8 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team 9 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.23 10 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 0.29 11 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 12 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 0.38 13 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre-Fondital 0.41 14 Josep Jufre (Spa) Davitamon-Lotto 0.44 15 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 0.46 16 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) T-Mobile Team 0.48 17 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Lampre-Fondital 0.52 18 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Phonak Hearing Systems 1.10 19 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner 20 David Loosli (Swi) Lampre-Fondital 1.26 21 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 1.46 22 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas 1.58 23 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 24 Stéphane Goubert (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 25 Jesús Hernández (Spa) Relax-Gam 2.04 26 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 2.09 27 Sven Montgomery (Swi) Gerolsteiner 2.36 28 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 2.40 29 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 30 Theo Eltink (Ned) Rabobank 2.42 31 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Credit Agricole 2.51 32 Serguei Yakovlev (Kaz) Astana Team 3.03 33 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team 3.05 34 Carlos Barredo (Spa) Astana Team 3.23 35 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 3.28 36 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 37 Daniel Becke (Ger) Team Milram 38 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Credit Agricole 39 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 3.50 40 José Miguel Elias (Spa) Relax-Gam 3.54 41 Iñigo Chaurreau (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 42 Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 43 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 4.02 44 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Credit Agricole 4.15 45 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Liquigas 4.16 46 Daniel Moreno (Spa) Relax-Gam 4.21 47 Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 48 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 4.26 49 Ángel Vallejo (Spa) Relax-Gam 4.33 50 Mauricio Ardila (Col) Rabobank 4.38 51 Thierry Marichal (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 4.41 52 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir 53 Pierre Drancourt (Bel) Bouygues Telecom 4.46 54 Juan José Cobo (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 5.22 55 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 56 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 5.27 57 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 5.41 58 Pieter Mertens (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 6.06 59 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team CSC 6.12 60 Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team CSC 61 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 62 Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank 6.47 63 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank 64 Florian Stalder (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 65 Frédéric Bessy (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 66 Jérémy Roy (Fra) Française des Jeux 67 Benoît Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 8.02 68 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 69 Iñigo Cuesta (Spa) Team CSC 8.07 70 David George (RSA) Relax-Gam 8.25 71 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Française des Jeux 9.03 72 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 73 Eric Leblacher (Fra) Française des Jeux 9.17 74 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 10.32 75 Jorge García (Spa) Relax-Gam 76 Nacor Burgos (Spa) Relax-Gam 77 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 78 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 79 Pablo Lastras (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 80 Andrea Moletta (Ita) Gerolsteiner 81 Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 10.54 82 Benoît Poilvet (Fra) Credit Agricole 83 David Cañada (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 84 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 85 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval-Prodir 12.45 86 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 87 Torsten Hiekmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner 14.26 88 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 89 José Antonio Redondo (Spa) Astana Team 14.58 90 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team CSC 16.22 91 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC 92 Aketza Peña (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 93 Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) Liquigas 94 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 95 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Française des Jeux 20.49 96 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 97 René Haselbacher (Aut) Gerolsteiner 98 Ian Mcleod (RSA) Française des Jeux 99 Marco Velo (Ita) Team Milram 100 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Team Milram 101 Stephan Schreck (Ger) T-Mobile Team 102 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 103 André Greipel (Ger) T-Mobile Team 104 Franck Renier (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 105 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 106 Bastiaan Giling (Ned) T-Mobile Team 107 Pedro Horrillo (Spa) Rabobank 108 Fabien Patanchon (Fra) Française des Jeux 109 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 110 Raúl García De Mateo (Spa) Relax-Gam 111 Mathieu Claude (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 112 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Team Milram 113 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Phonak Hearing Systems 114 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 115 Michael Barry (Can) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 116 Luis Fernández Oliveira (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 117 Robert Förster (Ger) Gerolsteiner 118 Wim De Vocht (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 119 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC 120 Thomas Ziegler (Ger) T-Mobile Team 121 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Team Milram 122 Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana Team 123 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 124 Aaron Kemps (Aus) Astana Team 125 Rony Martias (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 126 Alberto Ongarato (Ita) Team Milram 127 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 128 Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 129 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 130 Joan Horrach (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 131 Mads Kaggestad (Nor) Credit Agricole 132 Ángel Gómez Gómez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 133 Scott Davis (Aus) T-Mobile Team 134 David Navas (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 135 Sebastian Siedler (Ger) Team Milram 136 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC 137 Steve Morabito (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 138 Markel Irizar (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 139 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner 140 Xavier Florencio (Spa) Bouygues Telecom 141 Francisco José Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 142 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam 143 José Vicent Garcia Acosta (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 144 Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 145 Alberto Benítez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 146 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems 147 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 148 Daniele Nardello (Ita) T-Mobile Team 149 Davide Vigano (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 150 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 151 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2R Prevoyance 152 Lorenzo Bernucci (Ita) T-Mobile Team 153 Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Team CSC 154 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Credit Agricole 155 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 156 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Credit Agricole 157 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 158 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 159 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole 160 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Credit Agricole 161 Bingen Fernández (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 162 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 163 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 164 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 165 José Antonio Garrido (Spa) Quick Step-Innergetic 166 Rubén Pérez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 167 Kjell Carlström (Fin) Liquigas 168 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas 169 Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 170 Francesco Failli (Ita) Liquigas 171 Dario Andriotto (Ita) Liquigas 172 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Gerolsteiner 173 Luis León Sánchez (Spa) Astana Team 174 Bart Dockx (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 175 Frédéric Finot (Fra) Française des Jeux 176 Markus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 177 Addy Engels (Ned) Quick Step-Innergetic 178 Kevin Van Impe (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 179 William Walker (Aus) Rabobank 180 Christophe Kern (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 181 Iñigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi DNF Steve Zampieri (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems Points 1 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 25 pts 2 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 20 3 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 16 4 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 14 5 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 12 6 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team 10 7 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 9 8 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team 8 9 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 7 10 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 6 11 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 5 12 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 4 13 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre-Fondital 3 14 Josep Jufre (Spa) Davitamon-Lotto 2 15 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 1 16 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi -5 17 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC -5 Mountains Alto de El Morredero - Cat. 1, km 154 1 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 16 pts 2 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 12 3 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 10 4 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 8 5 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 6 6 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team 4 7 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 3 8 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team 2 9 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1 Sprints Toreno, km 101 1 David Loosli (Swi) Lampre-Fondital 4 pts 2 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Credit Agricole 2 3 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 1 Ponferrada, km 124,7 1 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Credit Agricole 4 pts 2 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 2 3 David Loosli (Swi) Lampre-Fondital 1 Teams 1 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 12.03.52 2 Lampre - Fondital 1.25 3 Caisse D'Epargne - Illes Balears 1.55 4 Astana 2.54 5 Euskaltel - Euskadi 5.22 6 Rabobank 7.21 7 Ag2r Prevoyance 9.09 8 Saunier Duval - Prodir 9.32 9 Relax - GAM 9.42 10 Credit Agricole 9.57 11 Cofidis, le Credit Par Telephone 10.01 12 Davitamon - Lotto 10.34 13 Team CSC 11.51 14 Gerolsteiner 13.41 15 Bouygues Telecom 19.24 16 Liquigas 21.59 17 Française des Jeux 24.30 18 Phonak Hearing Systems 28.09 19 Quick Step - Innergetic 40.24 20 T- Mobile Team 41.49 21 Team Milram 44.29 General classification after stage 7 1 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 26.48.27 2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 0.05 3 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 0.10 4 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 0.22 5 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team 0.23 6 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.51 7 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 1.17 8 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) T-Mobile Team 1.37 9 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas 1.47 10 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team 2.28 11 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 2.37 12 Josep Jufre (Spa) Davitamon-Lotto 2.49 13 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Phonak Hearing Systems 3.05 14 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre-Fondital 3.13 15 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 3.33 16 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 3.40 17 Jesús Hernández (Spa) Relax-Gam 4.04 18 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 4.15 19 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 4.21 20 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 4.29 21 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 4.31 22 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 4.38 23 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Lampre-Fondital 4.41 24 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team 4.48 25 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 5.11 26 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir 5.59 27 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner 6.08 28 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 6.40 29 Serguei Yakovlev (Kaz) Astana Team 6.48 30 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 7.10 31 Daniel Becke (Ger) Team Milram 7.49 32 Carlos Barredo (Spa) Astana Team 7.54 33 Juan José Cobo (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 8.03 34 Theo Eltink (Ned) Rabobank 8.34 35 Mauricio Ardila (Col) Rabobank 9.15 36 Iñigo Chaurreau (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 9.55 37 José Miguel Elias (Spa) Relax-Gam 10.05 38 Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 10.20 39 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 10.26 40 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Credit Agricole 10.33 41 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 11.11 42 Iñigo Cuesta (Spa) Team CSC 12.17 43 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Française des Jeux 12.23 44 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank 12.39 45 Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team CSC 13.04 46 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 47 Ángel Vallejo (Spa) Relax-Gam 13.31 48 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 13.47 49 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 14.23 50 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team CSC 14.33 51 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval-Prodir 15.44 52 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 16.15 53 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 16.29 54 Thierry Marichal (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 17.07 55 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 17.42 56 Daniel Moreno (Spa) Relax-Gam 18.17 57 Benoît Poilvet (Fra) Credit Agricole 18.25 58 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 18.26 59 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 18.34 60 Andrea Moletta (Ita) Gerolsteiner 19.13 61 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Liquigas 19.23 62 Benoît Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 19.40 63 Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank 19.54 64 Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 20.02 65 Eric Leblacher (Fra) Française des Jeux 21.52 66 Pablo Lastras (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 23.23 67 Sven Montgomery (Swi) Gerolsteiner 23.44 68 Frédéric Bessy (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 23.50 69 Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 24.13 70 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 24.34 71 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 25.23 72 David George (RSA) Relax-Gam 25.44 73 Torsten Hiekmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner 27.34 74 Pieter Mertens (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 28.32 75 David Loosli (Swi) Lampre-Fondital 29.34 76 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 29.35 77 Lorenzo Bernucci (Ita) T-Mobile Team 30.06 78 Luis León Sánchez (Spa) Astana Team 30.08 79 Michael Barry (Can) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 30.19 80 Stéphane Goubert (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 30.20 81 Daniele Nardello (Ita) T-Mobile Team 30.21 82 Raúl García De Mateo (Spa) Relax-Gam 30.24 83 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 31.33 84 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Credit Agricole 32.09 85 Pierre Drancourt (Bel) Bouygues Telecom 33.07 86 David Cañada (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 33.13 87 Joan Horrach (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 33.48 88 José Antonio Garrido (Spa) Quick Step-Innergetic 33.53 89 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 34.00 90 Luis Fernández Oliveira (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 34.05 91 Steve Morabito (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 92 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 34.11 93 Florian Stalder (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 35.09 94 Jérémy Roy (Fra) Française des Jeux 35.10 95 Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Team CSC 35.37 96 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 36.24 97 José Antonio Redondo (Spa) Astana Team 37.16 98 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Phonak Hearing Systems 37.28 99 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 37.57 100 Alberto Benítez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 38.39 101 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 38.42 102 Nacor Burgos (Spa) Relax-Gam 39.04 103 Jorge García (Spa) Relax-Gam 104 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Credit Agricole 39.57 105 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 41.01 106 Iñigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 41.04 107 Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) Liquigas 41.26 108 Scott Davis (Aus) T-Mobile Team 41.49 109 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 41.51 110 Francisco José Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 42.33 111 Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana Team 43.02 112 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 43.05 113 Stephan Schreck (Ger) T-Mobile Team 43.06 114 Xavier Florencio (Spa) Bouygues Telecom 43.15 115 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 43.22 116 Ian Mcleod (RSA) Française des Jeux 43.43 117 William Walker (Aus) Rabobank 43.53 118 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC 44.00 119 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team CSC 44.17 120 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 44.32 121 Aketza Peña (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 44.46 122 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 46.23 123 Ángel Gómez Gómez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 46.44 124 Bart Dockx (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 46.52 125 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole 47.38 126 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC 48.44 127 Marco Velo (Ita) Team Milram 48.47 128 André Greipel (Ger) T-Mobile Team 48.48 129 José Vicent Garcia Acosta (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 48.51 130 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Team Milram 48.52 131 Davide Vigano (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 48.54 132 Bastiaan Giling (Ned) T-Mobile Team 48.55 133 Thomas Ziegler (Ger) T-Mobile Team 134 Pedro Horrillo (Spa) Rabobank 48.57 135 Rubén Pérez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 136 René Haselbacher (Aut) Gerolsteiner 48.58 137 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner 138 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC 139 Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 48.59 140 Markel Irizar (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 49.02 141 Markus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 49.03 142 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 49.04 143 Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 49.05 144 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 49.06 145 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems 146 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2R Prevoyance 147 Francesco Failli (Ita) Liquigas 148 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Française des Jeux 49.07 149 Franck Renier (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 49.08 150 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 151 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 49.09 152 Frédéric Finot (Fra) Française des Jeux 49.12 153 Bingen Fernández (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 49.14 154 Aaron Kemps (Aus) Astana Team 49.15 155 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 49.17 156 Fabien Patanchon (Fra) Française des Jeux 49.28 157 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 49.29 158 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas 159 Addy Engels (Ned) Quick Step-Innergetic 49.38 160 Kjell Carlström (Fin) Liquigas 49.51 161 Robert Förster (Ger) Gerolsteiner 49.57 162 Kevin Van Impe (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 49.58 163 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Team Milram 50.03 164 Dario Andriotto (Ita) Liquigas 50.16 165 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 50.36 166 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Credit Agricole 50.40 167 Alberto Ongarato (Ita) Team Milram 50.43 168 Rony Martias (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 51.22 169 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 51.34 170 Sebastian Siedler (Ger) Team Milram 51.50 171 David Navas (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 52.10 172 Wim De Vocht (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 52.23 173 Christophe Kern (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 52.39 174 Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 53.49 175 Mathieu Claude (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 54.57 176 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam 55.58 177 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Gerolsteiner 57.02 178 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Credit Agricole 1.03.31 179 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Credit Agricole 1.04.40 180 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Team Milram 1.06.06 181 Mads Kaggestad (Nor) Credit Agricole 1.09.05 Points classification 1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole 94 pts 2 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 61 3 Francisco José Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 59 4 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC 43 5 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 40 6 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 35 7 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 35 8 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 34 9 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 32 10 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 30 11 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 29 12 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Française des Jeux 28 13 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas 25 14 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team 24 15 André Greipel (Ger) T-Mobile Team 24 16 Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 21 17 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 19 18 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 15 19 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Team Milram 14 20 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 14 21 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems 13 22 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 12 23 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team 10 24 Pedro Horrillo (Spa) Rabobank 10 25 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 9 26 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 8 27 Raúl García De Mateo (Spa) Relax-Gam 8 28 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Credit Agricole 8 29 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 8 30 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam 7 31 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 7 32 Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana Team 7 33 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2R Prevoyance 7 34 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) T-Mobile Team 6 35 René Haselbacher (Aut) Gerolsteiner 6 36 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 6 37 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 5 38 David Loosli (Swi) Lampre-Fondital 5 39 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 5 40 Daniel Becke (Ger) Team Milram 4 41 Mathieu Claude (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 4 42 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 4 43 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir 4 44 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner 4 45 Davide Vigano (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 4 46 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre-Fondital 3 47 Jesús Hernández (Spa) Relax-Gam 3 48 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 3 49 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 3 50 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 3 51 Josep Jufre (Spa) Davitamon-Lotto 2 52 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Phonak Hearing Systems 2 53 Xavier Florencio (Spa) Bouygues Telecom 2 54 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas 2 55 Luis León Sánchez (Spa) Astana Team 2 56 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team 1 57 Pieter Mertens (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 1 58 Eric Leblacher (Fra) Française des Jeux 1 59 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval-Prodir 1 60 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 1 61 Ángel Gómez Gómez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 1 Mountains classification 1 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 33 pts 2 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas 30 3 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 26 4 José Miguel Elias (Spa) Relax-Gam 26 5 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 26 6 Benoît Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 26 7 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Credit Agricole 25 8 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 24 9 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team 22 10 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 19 11 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam 18 12 Ángel Vallejo (Spa) Relax-Gam 16 13 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team 15 14 Xavier Florencio (Spa) Bouygues Telecom 12 15 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 10 16 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 8 17 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 7 18 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 6 19 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 6 20 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 6 21 José Antonio Garrido (Spa) Quick Step-Innergetic 6 22 Rubén Pérez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 5 23 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team 4 24 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 4 25 Jorge García (Spa) Relax-Gam 4 26 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) T-Mobile Team 3 27 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 3 28 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 2 29 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 2 30 Torsten Hiekmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner 2 31 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 2 32 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1 33 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir 1 34 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 1 35 Iñigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 1 36 Mads Kaggestad (Nor) Credit Agricole 1 Combination classification 1 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 10 pts 2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 11 3 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 19 4 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 20 5 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas 24 6 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team 28 7 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 38 8 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 41 9 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team 56 10 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 63 11 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) T-Mobile Team 68 12 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 68 13 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 84 14 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 85 15 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team 93 16 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 97 17 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir 102 18 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 114 19 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 174 20 Xavier Florencio (Spa) Bouygues Telecom 181 21 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam 217 22 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 231 Teams classification 1 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 80.11.59 2 Caisse D'Epargne - Illes Balears 5.20 3 Astana 5.26 4 Lampre - Fondital 6.34 5 Euskaltel - Euskadi 8.12 6 Saunier Duval - Prodir 12.11 7 Rabobank 17.46 8 Relax - GAM 21.01 9 Team CSC 21.53 10 Cofidis, le Credit Par Telephone 34.02 11 Gerolsteiner 35.56 12 Davitamon - Lotto 38.56 13 Ag2r Prevoyance 42.17 14 Credit Agricole 45.08 15 Phonak Hearing Systems 54.19 16 Liquigas 55.56 17 T- Mobile Team 59.47 18 Française des Jeux 1.00.57 19 Bouygues Telecom 1.07.17 20 Quick Step - Innergetic 1.17.13 21 Team Milram 1.24.34
