2nd Eneco Tour of Benelux - PT

Netherlands & Belgium, August 16-23, 2006

Photography

Stage 7 - August 23: Ans (Bel) - Ans (Bel), 201.2 km

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

• Mario Aerts (Davitamon) leads the break
• Ekimov leads Hincapie and Boonen
• Quick.Step and Discovery making the tempo
• Max van Heeswijk (Discovery Channel) leads the bunch
• The peloton in the feed zone
• What have we here?
• Simone Cadamuro (Milram) follows Thomas Lovkvist
• Andrea Peron (CSC) leads on La Redoute
• Rabobank sets a hard tempo on La Redoute
• Philippe Gilbert (Francaise des Jeux) leads at the bottom of La Redoute
• Thomas Dekker (Rabobank) attacks after La Redoute
• Merckx and Lovkivst on the Côte de Tilff
• The leaders descend towards Liege
• Portal and Merckx in the last 10 km
• The leaders are caught with 6 km to go
• Philippe Gilbert (Francaise des Jeux) wins as Hincapie crashes with 50m to go
• Philippe Gilbert (Francaise des Jeux) is very happy with this one
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) on the ground after crashing into Schumacher
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) was not happy after his finish crash
• Stage winner Philippe Gilbert on the podium
• Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) was not exactly happy with his red jersey
• Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) won the young rider's jersey too
• Simone Cadamuro (Milram) is the points winner

Images by AFP Photo

• Philippe Gilbert (Francaise des Jeux) almost at the line, while Hincapie falls behind him
• Schumacher heads for home as Hincapie lies on the ground
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) moments after his crash
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) walks across the line
• Hincapie and Schumacher have a quiet word after the stage

Stage 6 - August 22: Bornem (Bel) - Sint-Truiden (Bel), 213.9 km

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

• The group winds away from the airport
• Discovery controls the pace early in the day
• Discovery on the front
• Big George
• Mad Max (Discovery Channel) in control
• The pack moves by a neighborhood peloton
• Boonen is relaxed in stage 6
• Sergei Ivanov (Rus) T-Mobile Team
• Leon Van Bon (Ned) Davitamon-Lotto
• Matthew White on the Mur de Huy
• Mur de Huy
• The peloton all together
• Tom Boonen and George Hincapie
• The leaders
• The race leaders
• A crash in the group disrupted the action for a while
• Olaf Pollack (Ger) T-Mobile Team DNF'd after the crash
• Pollack on the ground
• Didier Rous (Fra) Bouygues Telecom, was also a victim of the crash
• It came down to a sprint
• David Kopp scores his first-ever Pro Tour victory
• Kopp on the podium
• Hincapie still leads the Tour

Stage 5 - August 21: Hasselt (Bel) - Balen (Bel), 183.1 km

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

• The leading seven
• Mathew Hayman (Rabobank) in the breakaway
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) in action
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) rides ahead of De Jongh and Boonen
• Discovery Channel chasing hard
• The skies are dark above the peloton
• Matthias Kessler (T-Mobile) crashes, while a Saunier Duval rider signals the danger
• Matthias Kessler (T-Mobile) on the ground after his crash
• Matthias Kessler (T-Mobile) with his DIY quick fix
• Matthias Kessler (T-Mobile) "A bit of WD-40 and the knee is right as rain"
• Ouch, why me?
• This Caisse d'Epargne rider was another crash victim
• Matthew White (Discovery Channel) worked hard for Hincapie today
• The peloton passing through Balen
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) celebrates victory
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) triumphs at home in Balen
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) on the podium
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) on the podium in the red leader's jersey
• Part of Boonen's fan club in Balen

Stage 4 - August 20: Landgraaf (Ned) - Landgraaf (Ned) ITT, 16.1 km

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Images by Elmar Krings

• The start house
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) stays hydrated
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) in warmup mode
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) and his well-worn shifters
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) flying like a bird
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) warms up
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) towels down
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) in the red jersey for the last time
• Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) did the best time at halfway, but was just beaten by Hincapie at the finish
• Head down for Schumacher
• Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne) pushes himself
• Philippe Gilbert (Francaise des Jeux) had the quickest time for a while
• Thomas Dekker (Rabobank) missed the top 10
• Juan Carlos Dominguez (Unibet.com) was 26th
• Gorazd Stangelj (Lampre-Fondital) keeping cool
• Nick Nuyens (Quick.Step) in the hurt box
• You never know what might happen
• Polish TT champ Piotr Mazur
• German rider Paul Martens (Skil-Shimano)
• Liquigas warms up
• Alan Pérez Lezáun (Euskaltel)
• Javier Meijas Leal (Saunier Duval)
• Karsten Kroon (CSC) in action
• Kim Kirchen (T-Mobile) on the go
• Matej Jurco (Milram) the Slovakian champion
• Enrico Gasparotto (Liquigas)
• Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank) hurting himself
• Steven de Jongh (Quick.Step) is not exactly a time trialist
• Simone Cadamuro (Milram) gets on his machine
• William Bonnet (Credit Agricole)
• Mario Aerts (Davitamon-Lotto) in action
• Markus Zberg (Gerolsteiner)
• Maarten Tjallingii (Skil-Shimano) stretches it out
• Stage winner George Hincapie (Discovery Channel)
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) is now the overall leader
• Simone Cadamuro (Milram) is still the points leader
• Best young rider Stefan Schumacher

Stage 3 - August 19: Beek (Ned) - Westmalle (Bel), 185.0 km

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

• Niko Eeckhout (Chocolade Jacques-Topsport Vlaanderen) receives medical assistance.
• Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) is sitting pretty on the overall classification.
• The early break.
• The peloton take up the chase.
• The early break about to be caught.
• The end is near for the break.
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) is biding his time in the Eneco Tour.
• The peloton groupé with 10 kilometres to go.
• Max Van Heeswijk (Discovery Channel) a popular figure at the Eneco Tour.
• As easy win coming up for Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic).
• The sprint was closer than Tom Boonen expected in the end.
• Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) makes winning look easy.
• Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) waves to his fans.
• Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) enjoying his time on the podium.

Images by AFP Photo

• Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) outsprints Max Van Heeswijk (Discovery Channel, R) and Baden Cooke (Unibet.com, L) to take his second stage win of the Eneco Tour.
• Last day in the lead for Tom Boonen?
• Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) popular as ever.
• Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) receives his kiss and winner's bouquet.

Stage 2 - August 18: ’s Hertogenbosch (Ned) - Sittard-Geleen (Ned), 194.6 km

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

• The peloton strings out around a corner
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) in the leader's red jersey
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) in the peloton as race leader
• The two leaders on the last lap
• The peloton chasing hard
• Maarten den Bakker (Milram) doing chase work
• Manuel Quinziato (Liquigas) wins the second stage
• Manuel Quinziato (Liquigas) celebrates at the finish
• Simone Cadamuro (Milram) refreshes himself
• Best young rider Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner)
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) is escorted to the podium
• Manuel Quinziato (Liquigas) on the podium
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) gets the leader's jersey again
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) smiles on the podium
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) receives the leader's kisses
• Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) in yellow as best young rider
• Simone Cadamuro (Milram) is the points leader, and says thanks for the flowers

Images by AFP Photo

• Manuel Quinziato (Liquigas) thoroughly enjoying his first professional victory.

Images by Elmar Krings

• The breakaway one minute ahead of the peloton.
• Race leader Tom Boonen (Quick.Step-Innergetic) enjoys a laugh.
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step-Innergetic) enjoying the attention.
• Simone Cadamuro (Team Milram) becomes the new leader on points.
• Simone Cadamuro (Team Milram) on the podium.
• The peloton en route to Sittard.
• Which way do we go?
• The peloton didn't stay this way as they neared the finish in Sittard-Geleen.
• The peloton negotiates a roundabout.
• Here they come!
• All quiet in the Eneco Tour peloton.
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step-Innergetic) rides alongside T-Mobile's Olaf Pollack.
• Manuel Quinziato (Liquigas) needs to get used to this - it's his first win, after all.
• Manuel Quinziato (Liquigas) takes in the applause.
• The boys from Liquigas were all delighted with Manuel Quinziato's victory.
• Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) continues to lead the young riders' classification.
• Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) in the peloton.
• Stefan Schumacher's eyes are elsewhere. They shouldn't be!
• Stefan Wesemann (T-Mobile) has a bad case of helmet-hair.
• Wouter Weylandt (Quick Step-Innergetic) finished third today.

Images by Brian O'Connor

• The Doenrade bonus points line - before the people showed up.
• The break snatching the bonus points, 2-plus minutes ahead of the peloton.
• The peloton on the rise, coming into Doenrade.
• Guess who is taking a stretch?
• The three leaders on their second lap.
• The pace had picked up quite a bit from the first lap, as a hungry peloton bears down on the breakway.
• The front of the peloton.

Stage 1 - August 17: Wieringerwerf (Ned) - Hoogeveen (Ned), 176.9 km

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Images by AFP Photo

• The peloton rides over the over the 'Afsluitdijk' on the A7 motorway en route to Hoogeveen.
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step-Innergetic) wins the opening road stage of the 2006 Eneco Tour in Hoogeveen.

Prologue - August 16: Den Helder (Ned) ITT, 5.8 km

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

• Prologue winner Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner)
• George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) missed out by 0.45 of a second
• Joost Posthuma (Rabobank) set the early best time, that held for most of the day
• Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) racing to fifth place
• Nick Nuyens (Quick.Step) was eigth, but had the misfortune to crash after the stage
• Thomas Dekker (Rabobank) came a little bit short today to finish 10th
• Jason McCartney (Discovery Channel)
• Karsten Kroon (CSC) was 12th today
• Philippe Gilbert (FDJ) was a solid 13th
• Bobby Julich (CSC) was 15th at the end
• Viacheslav Ekimov (Discovery Channel) in his last prologue
• Rik Reinerink (Skil-Shimano)
• Mark Scanlon (AG2R) in action
• Maarten Tjallingii (Skil-Shimano) was just inside the top 30
• Luke Roberts (CSC) a little rusty?
• Lars Michaelsen (CSC) winds it up
• Julian Dean (Credit Agricole) in not his favourite discipline
• Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank) puts the power down
• Gustav Larsson (FDJ) is his team's other Swedish champ
• Gert Steegmans (Davitamon) on the way back
• Gerben Lowik (Rabobank)
• Axel Merckx (Phonak) in action
• Andrea Peron (CSC) pushing for a good time
• Vicente Reynes (Caisse d'Epargne)