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70th Tour de Suisse - PT
Switzerland, June 10-18, 2006
Main Page Results Overall standings Stage Details Previous Stage Next Stage
Stage 4 - June 13: Niederbipp - La Chaux-de-Fonds, 151 km
Vicioso foils sprinters in Suisse
"No reason why we shouldn't start the Tour"
By Shane Stokes in La Chaux-de-Fonds, with additional reporting from Anthony Tan
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Robbie McEwen, Oscar Freire, Erik Zabel and the other contenders for the Tour de France green jersey came to Switzerland looking for a morale-boosting sprint win but it now looks like Tom Boonen may be the only maillot vert hopeful to net a stage victory in this Tour de Suisse. Prior to the race it was forecast that the first four days would be for the sprinters, but with the exception of Boonen's winning gallop on stage one, each have been settled from a break.
Today it was the turn of Spaniard Angel Vicioso to triumph, the Würth rider outsprinting compatriot David Hererro Llorente (Euskaltel) at the end of stage four to La Chaux de Fonds. The two went clear approximately six kilometres from the line and although a fast-chasing main bunch almost had them back before the finish, they retained enough of an advantage to fight it out for the stage win between them.
The victory was important for Vicioso for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was the first for the newly renamed Würth team - or Astana-Würth as they want to be called. The team formerly known as Liberty Seguros has been under a shadow ever since Manolo Saiz was arrested on suspicion of purchasing doping products on May 23, and so getting a victory shows that the unit is still functioning and fighting.
The second reason is Astana-Würth is hoping to retain its Tour de France place and should find out in the next few days if this will be the case. And the third is that Vicioso himself has been under pressure, after the Spanish media implicated him by saying that he was one of the riders allegedly recorded on video footage taken outside Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes' clinic in Calle Zurbano, Madrid.
The Spaniard didn't want to talk about that subject today, saying more than once that he wished only to discuss matters pertaining directly to the Tour de Suisse.
When asked what this first win meant for the newly-renamed team, Vicioso said that "this victory is something special. As the sponsor has shown confidence in us, it is a way to thank them. It is also a special victory for me, especially as it is a ProTour race."
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Vicioso and Herrero made their move in the final kilometres of what was a very active and aggressive finale. Once again the course profile and hill classifications proved deceptive, with the tough undulating terrain leading to many breaks and putting weaker riders under a lot of pressure. Amongst the race favourites to attack were Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile), Cadel Evans (Davitamon Lotto), Jörg Jaksche (Würth) and Koldo Gil Perez (Saunier Duval), each of these being present in a 14 man break which gained two minutes on the main field, but was reeled in with 60 kilometres remaining.
Other individuals and groups then went in short-lived surges. However the most dangerous was probably the attempt by Linus Gerdemann (T-Mobile) and Jose Angel Gomez Marchante (Saunier Duval) with 26 kilometres to go. They opened up a 20 second lead but were finally brought back with 16 kilometres remaining. Then, ten kilometres further on, Vicioso and Herrero made the winning effort. The Lampre-led peloton almost got them back, but not quite; the two fought it out for the stage win and there the Würth rider had enough speed to take top honours.
"Lampre were riding very hard in the last few minutes but I knew they were still a bit behind me. I waited until the right time to start my sprint and to win the stage," Vicioso said. "I let him come by me and then waited for the right time to start my sprint."
He was then asked once more about the Operation Puerto doping affair but wasn't willing to talk on this. "I wish to speak only about the race," he said. However he did respond to a question about the team's participation in the Tour de France.
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"I think we will do the Tour," he said. "There is no reason why we shouldn't do it. There are very important riders in the team such as Vinokourov who can do something in the general classification and there is no reason to put us to the side.
When asked if he would dedicate his win to anyone in particular, he said, "This is a victory I would like to dedicate to Manolo Saiz and the rest of the team. From the start of the season, this hasn't been an easy year for me and the team. There have been difficult moments for us."
Race leader Nick Nuyens had a tough day today, losing contact at one point but eventually returning to the front group. He reached the finish as part of the regrouped main bunch and thus held on to his jersey.
"It wasn't easy because the course was very hard," he said. "I was dropped on the last climb but I got my rhythm back. At the summit I was 250 metres behind. Then on the descent several team-mates came back to me and we chased hard to get back to the first group."
When Nuyens was in trouble he appeared to be on his own, with no team-mates nearby. He was asked about this at the finish but played it down. "The finale was very hard. It wasn't a course for my team and before the stage we said we would just see what would happen.
"I was alone for a while but then some team-mates came back for me. It wasn't a problem."
How it unfolded
Today's 161.3 kilometre stage began under sunny Swiss skies, with 164 riders leaving the start town of Niederbipp at 13:25 this afternoon. The opening pace was particularly fast, neutralising any breakaway attempts in the first hour.
It wasn't until 61 kilometres had been covered and with exactly a 100 to go that a group went away, containing none other than T-Mobile Team captain Jan Ullrich along with 16 other riders. A few more bridged across, including race leader Nick Nuyens, but the short though challenging climb to Mont Soleil narrowed the group down to 14 riders by its crest at km 75.3, including: Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile Team), Jörg Jaksche, Alberto Contador, Angel Vicioso (Würth), Beat Zberg (Gerolsteiner), David Canada, Koldo Gil Perez, Jose Gomez Marchante (Saunier Duval-Prodir), Alexandre Botcharov (Credit Agricole), Fabian Cancellara, Christian Vandevelde (Team CSC), Cadel Evans (Davitamon-Lotto), Iker Flores (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Marco Fertonani (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears).
A solid workgroup saw the break's advantage reach two minutes with 73 kilometres to go, but with no-one from the race leader's team represented, Quick.Step-Innergetic took it upon themselves to organise a chase, shaving off a half-minute in just a few kilometres.
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Despite a star-studded breakaway, the gap continued to come down, slowly but steadily. Sensing the inevitable recapture, Caisse d'Epargne's Marco Fertonani decided to attack his companions with just under 40 kilometres left to race.
11 kilometres later and 28 kilometres from the finish in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Rik Verbrugghe (Cofidis) and Sylvain Calzati (AG2R Prevoyance) had bridged up to Fertonani, but moments later, Linus Gerdemann (T-Mobile Team) and Jose Angel Gomez Marchante (Saunier Duval-Prodir) went straight past the trio as if they were standing still.
The bunch, though, still 70 riders strong, weren't so keen to let these groups go, and with 16 kilometres left to race, it was peloton groupé. But fuelled with the motivation of the previous two stages, with two successful breaks in as many days, Euskaltel-Euskadi's David Herrero and Würth's Angel Vicioso were next to try their luck, six kilometres from La Chaux-de-Fonds.
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With five kilometres remaining, Vicisio and Herrero had 16 sixteen seconds over the peloton. Now one long line and driven by Lampre-Fondital and Rabobank, the latter teams were trying to set things up for their sprinters Daniele Bennati and Oscar Freire.
However, three kilometres from the finish, the gap continued to hold firm at 15 seconds; at two kilometres, it was 13 seconds, the pair maintaining this gap as they passed under the flamme rouge, signaling 1000 metres to go.
With the peloton breathing down their necks in the final 500, there was no time for cat and mouse. Rather than one leading the other out, the two chose to sprint mano-a-mano, and it was Vicisio who came out on top over a bitterly disappointed Herrero, the latter banging his fists in frustration, while Bennati outsprinted Freire no more than a second behind them.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by AFP Photo
- Swiss soccer fans wave banners to support their country in the Football World Cup.
- Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile Team) tested himself once again by featuring in today's main break.
- Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile Team) appears to be coming good just at the right time.
- A face of joy, a face of pain - Angel Vicioso (Würth, L) takes the fourth stage in La Chaux-de-Fonds, outsprinting David Herrero Llorente (Euskaltel-Euskadi).
- Angel Vicioso (Würth) is ecstatic with his win.
- Angel Vicioso (Würth) punches the air with delight.
- You can call me Cap'n Nuyens - Nick Nuyens (Quick Step) is serious about Suisse.
- If the jersey fits - Nick Nuyens (Quick Step) is getting used to wearing the golden fleece of Suisse.
Results
1 Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Würth 3.45.09 2 David Herrero Llorente (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 3 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 0.01 4 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank 5 Allan Davis (Aus) Würth 6 Cristian Moreni (Ita) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 7 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas 8 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 9 Beat Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner 10 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team 11 Martin Elmiger (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 12 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 13 Arnaud Coyot (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 14 Javier Meijas Leal (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 15 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 16 Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Saunier Duval-Prodir 17 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) T-Mobile Team 18 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 19 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Credit Agricole 20 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 21 Man Beltran Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 22 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 23 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 24 Thomas Lovkvist (Swe) Française des Jeux 25 Giuseppe Muraglia (Ita) Team L.P.R. 26 Christian Vandevelde (USA) Team CSC 27 Bjorn Schröder (Ger) Team Milram 28 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Team Milram 29 Simon Gerrans (Aus) AG2R Prevoyance 30 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 31 Bram Tankink (Ned) Quick Step-Innergetic 32 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 33 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 34 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Würth 35 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team 36 Steve Zampieri (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 37 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile Team 38 Christophe Brandt (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 39 Volodymyr Bileka (Ukr) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 40 Koldo Gil Perez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 41 David Canada Gracia (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 42 Georg Totschnig (Aut) Gerolsteiner 43 Allan Johansen (Den) Team CSC 44 Gregory Rast (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 45 Jorg Jaksche (Ger) Würth 46 Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Würth 47 Geert Verheyen (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 48 Jose Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 49 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 50 Trent Lowe (Aus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 51 David Etxebarria Alkorta (Spa) Würth 52 Iker Flores Galarza (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 53 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) T-Mobile Team 54 Alberto Fernandez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 55 Lorenzo Bernucci (Ita) T-Mobile Team 56 Jose Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 57 Mario Aerts (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 58 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank 59 Markus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 60 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 61 Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) T-Mobile Team 62 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Liquigas 63 Sylvain Calzati (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 64 Marco Fertonani (Ita) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 65 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Würth 0.12 66 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 0.13 67 Giuliano Figueras (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 0.16 68 Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 69 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 0.23 70 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 71 Charles Wegelius (GBr) Liquigas 0.42 72 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Liquigas 73 Jose A Redondo Ramos (Spa) Würth 1.01 74 Hubert Schwab (Swi) Quick Step-Innergetic 5.25 75 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 7.55 76 David Loosli (Swi) Lampre-Fondital 7.56 77 Aurelien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 78 David Navas Chica (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 79 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team CSC 80 Constantino Zaballa Gutierrez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 81 Alexandre Moos (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 82 William Bonnet (Fra) Credit Agricole 83 Joan Horrach Rippoll (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 84 Jimmy Casper (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 14.49 85 Pierre Drancourt (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 86 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Credit Agricole 87 Erki Putsep (Est) AG2R Prevoyance 15.12 88 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 89 Inigo Chaurreau (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 90 Steve Morabito (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 91 Robbie Mcewen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 92 Bram De Groot (Ned) Rabobank 93 Max Van Heeswijk (Ned) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 94 Fabien Patanchon (Fra) Française des Jeux 95 Ralf Grabsch (Ger) Team Milram 96 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Quick Step-Innergetic 97 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 98 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Française des Jeux 99 Sebastien Hinault (Fra) Credit Agricole 100 Michele Maccanti (Ita) Team L.P.R. 101 Marco Velo (Ita) Team Milram 102 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Team Milram 103 Sven Montgomery (Swi) Gerolsteiner 104 Kjell Carlström (Fin) Liquigas 105 Andreas Kloden (Ger) T-Mobile Team 106 Markus Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner 107 Bart Dockx (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 108 Matthias Russ (Ger) Gerolsteiner 109 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Lampre-Fondital 110 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 111 Alexei Markov (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 112 Matthew White (Aus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 113 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 114 Daniele Contrini (Ita) Team L.P.R. 115 Markel Irizar Aranburu (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 116 Roger Beuchat (Swi) Team L.P.R. 117 Pablo Lastras Garcia (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 118 Vincent Jerome (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 119 Andreas Dietziker (Swi) Team L.P.R. 120 Jan Boven (Ned) Rabobank 121 Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 122 Alan Perez Lezaun (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 123 Axel Merckx (Bel) Phonak Hearing Systems 124 Julian Dean (NZl) Credit Agricole 125 Unai Etxebarria Arana (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi 126 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Gerolsteiner 127 Juan Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Rabobank 128 Yannick Talabardon (Fra) Credit Agricole 129 Lilian Jegou (Fra) Française des Jeux 130 Renaud Dion (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 131 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2R Prevoyance 132 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC 133 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 134 Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 135 Sebastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 136 Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team CSC 137 Francesco Bellotti (Ita) Credit Agricole 138 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Team Milram 139 Simone Cadamuro (Ita) Team Milram 140 Giairo Ermeti (Ita) Team L.P.R. 141 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 142 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 143 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 144 Leon Van Bon (Ned) Davitamon-Lotto 145 Stefano Zanini (Ita) Liquigas 146 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 147 Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 148 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 149 Mikhaylo Khalilov (Ukr) Team L.P.R. 150 Isaac Galvez Lopez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 151 Christophe Kern (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 152 Ludovic Auger (Fra) Française des Jeux 28.03 153 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Credit Agricole 154 Anthony Ravard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom DNF Andoni Aranaga Azkune (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi DNF Jakob Piil (Den) Team CSC DNF Johann Tschopp (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems DNF Mauricio Ardila Cano (Col) Rabobank DNF Jurge Van Den Broeck (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team DNF Luciano Pagliarini (Bra) Saunier Duval-Prodir DNF Thierry Marichal (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone DNF Bradley Mcgee (Aus) Française des Jeux DNF Cyrille Monnerais (Fra) Française des Jeux DNF Ian Mcleod (RSA) Française des Jeux DNS Yuri Metlushenko (Ukr) Team L.P.R. HD Ludovic Auger (Fra) Française des Jeux HD Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Credit Agricole HD Anthony Ravard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom Points 1 Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Würth 25 pts 2 David Herrero Llorente (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 20 3 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 16 4 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank 13 5 Allan Davis (Aus) Würth 11 6 Cristian Moreni (Ita) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 10 7 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas 9 8 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 8 9 Beat Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner 7 10 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team 6 11 Martin Elmiger (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 5 12 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 4 13 Arnaud Coyot (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 3 14 Javier Meijas Leal (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 2 15 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 1 Mountains KOM 1, Cat 3 1 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas 5 pts 2 Marco Fertonani (Ita) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 3 3 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) T-Mobile Team 2 4 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 1 KOM 2, Cat 3 1 Jose Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 5 pts 2 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) T-Mobile Team 3 3 Charles Wegelius (GBr) Liquigas 2 4 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 1 Sprints At km 87.5 1 Jorg Jaksche (Ger) Würth 6 pts 2 Beat Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner 3 3 Christian Vandevelde (USA) Team CSC 1 At km 143.4 1 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) T-Mobile Team 6 pts 2 Jose Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 3 3 Koldo Gil Perez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 1 Teams 1 Wurth Team 11.15.29 2 Euskaltel - Euskadi 3 Cofidis, Le Credit Par Telephone 0.01 4 T-Mobile Team 5 Saunier Duval - Prodir 6 Team Milram 7 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 8 Team CSC 9 Quick Step - Innergetic 10 Phonak Hearing Systems 11 Gerolsteiner 12 Davitamon-Lotto 13 Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 14 Liquigas 0.13 15 Rabobank 0.23 16 Lampre - Fondital 0.31 17 AG2R Prevoyance 7.56 18 Bouygues Telecom 22.43 19 Credit Agricole 22.44 20 Francaise Des Jeux 30.23 21 Team L.P.R. General classification after stage 4 1 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 16.15.19 2 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 0.02 3 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) T-Mobile Team 4 Jorg Jaksche (Ger) Würth 0.05 5 Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Würth 0.13 6 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas 0.15 7 Koldo Gil Perez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 0.16 8 David Herrero Llorente (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.17 9 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 0.18 10 Gregory Rast (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 11 Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Saunier Duval-Prodir 12 David Canada Gracia (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 13 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank 0.20 14 Beat Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner 0.21 15 Steve Zampieri (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 16 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Credit Agricole 0.22 17 Jose Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 18 Christian Vandevelde (USA) Team CSC 0.23 19 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) T-Mobile Team 20 Man Beltran Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.24 21 Bjorn Schröder (Ger) Team Milram 22 Thomas Lovkvist (Swe) Française des Jeux 23 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 24 Georg Totschnig (Aut) Gerolsteiner 25 Bram Tankink (Ned) Quick Step-Innergetic 26 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team 26 Lorenzo Bernucci (Ita) T-Mobile Team 28 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 29 Cristian Moreni (Ita) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 30 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile Team 30 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 32 Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Würth 33 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team 34 Allan Johansen (Den) Team CSC 35 Simon Gerrans (Aus) AG2R Prevoyance 36 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Würth 37 Markus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 38 Iker Flores Galarza (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 39 David Etxebarria Alkorta (Spa) Würth 40 Sylvain Calzati (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 41 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 42 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank 43 Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) T-Mobile Team 44 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Würth 0.35 45 Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 0.39 46 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 0.46 47 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Liquigas 1.05 48 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 1.34 49 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 2.07 50 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 2.17 51 Christophe Brandt (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 52 Geert Verheyen (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 53 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Team Milram 54 Jose Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 55 Giuseppe Muraglia (Ita) Team L.P.R. 56 Trent Lowe (Aus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 57 Charles Wegelius (GBr) Liquigas 2.58 58 Martin Elmiger (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 5.05 59 Allan Davis (Aus) Würth 5.11 60 Volodymyr Bileka (Ukr) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 61 Alberto Fernandez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 62 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 5.33 63 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 7.04 64 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 65 Javier Meijas Leal (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 66 Constantino Zaballa Gutierrez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 8.13 67 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 10.42 68 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Liquigas 11.16 69 David Loosli (Swi) Lampre-Fondital 12.25 70 Hubert Schwab (Swi) Quick Step-Innergetic 12.28 71 Arnaud Coyot (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 13.09 72 Mario Aerts (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 73 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 74 Aurelien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 14.53 75 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team CSC 76 Joan Horrach Rippoll (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 14.59 77 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 15.25 78 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 15.29 79 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2R Prevoyance 80 Mikhaylo Khalilov (Ukr) Team L.P.R. 81 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Team Milram 15.35 82 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Lampre-Fondital 83 Giairo Ermeti (Ita) Team L.P.R. 84 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 85 Axel Merckx (Bel) Phonak Hearing Systems 86 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 16.11 87 Marco Fertonani (Ita) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 16.23 88 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 16.35 89 Pierre Drancourt (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 17.05 90 Jose A Redondo Ramos (Spa) Würth 17.19 91 Matthew White (Aus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 17.28 92 Andreas Kloden (Ger) T-Mobile Team 93 Juan Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Rabobank 94 Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 17.59 95 Alexandre Moos (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 19.11 96 Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team CSC 20.16 97 Giuliano Figueras (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 20.18 98 Inigo Chaurreau (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 20.22 99 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Team Milram 100 Yannick Talabardon (Fra) Credit Agricole 101 Francesco Bellotti (Ita) Credit Agricole 102 Unai Etxebarria Arana (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi 103 William Bonnet (Fra) Credit Agricole 21.04 104 Sebastien Hinault (Fra) Credit Agricole 22.09 105 Markus Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner 106 Max Van Heeswijk (Ned) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 22.15 107 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Quick Step-Innergetic 108 Vincent Jerome (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 109 Markel Irizar Aranburu (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 110 Lilian Jegou (Fra) Française des Jeux 111 Alexei Markov (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 26.21 112 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Gerolsteiner 26.24 113 Ralf Grabsch (Ger) Team Milram 26.27 114 Matthias Russ (Ger) Gerolsteiner 115 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 116 Isaac Galvez Lopez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 117 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC 118 David Navas Chica (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 28.06 119 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 28.14 120 Steve Morabito (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 28.20 121 Kjell Carlström (Fin) Liquigas 122 Robbie Mcewen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 123 Erki Putsep (Est) AG2R Prevoyance 124 Marco Velo (Ita) Team Milram 125 Julian Dean (NZl) Credit Agricole 126 Renaud Dion (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 127 Leon Van Bon (Ned) Davitamon-Lotto 128 Bart Dockx (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 129 Sebastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 130 Daniele Contrini (Ita) Team L.P.R. 29.58 131 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Française des Jeux 31.28 132 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 133 Roger Beuchat (Swi) Team L.P.R. 31.33 134 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 31.34 135 Jan Boven (Ned) Rabobank 136 Simone Cadamuro (Ita) Team Milram 137 Fabien Patanchon (Fra) Française des Jeux 138 Andreas Dietziker (Swi) Team L.P.R. 139 Sven Montgomery (Swi) Gerolsteiner 140 Alan Perez Lezaun (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 141 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 32.00 142 Stefano Zanini (Ita) Liquigas 32.57 143 Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 33.05 144 Jimmy Casper (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 34.51 145 Michele Maccanti (Ita) Team L.P.R. 35.14 146 Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 35.22 147 Christophe Kern (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 35.26 148 Bram De Groot (Ned) Rabobank 35.36 149 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 150 Pablo Lastras Garcia (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 38.57 151 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Credit Agricole 40.17 Points classification 1 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 59 pts 2 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank 40 3 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 29 4 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 29 5 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 27 6 Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Würth 25 7 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 25 8 Daniele Contrini (Ita) Team L.P.R. 25 9 David Herrero Llorente (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 24 10 Allan Davis (Aus) Würth 22 11 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2R Prevoyance 22 12 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) T-Mobile Team 20 13 Jorg Jaksche (Ger) Würth 16 14 Cristian Moreni (Ita) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 16 15 Mikhaylo Khalilov (Ukr) Team L.P.R. 14 16 Koldo Gil Perez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 13 17 Aurelien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 13 18 Martin Elmiger (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 12 19 Sebastien Hinault (Fra) Credit Agricole 11 20 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic 10 21 Alexei Markov (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 10 22 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas 9 23 Isaac Galvez Lopez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 9 24 Bjorn Schröder (Ger) Team Milram 8 25 Beat Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner 7 26 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team 6 27 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Française des Jeux 6 28 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 5 29 Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 5 30 Gregory Rast (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 3 31 Arnaud Coyot (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 3 32 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 3 33 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 2 34 Volodymyr Bileka (Ukr) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 2 35 Javier Meijas Leal (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 2 36 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 1 37 Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team CSC 1 38 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 1 Mountains classification 1 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas 21 pts 2 Jose A Redondo Ramos (Spa) Würth 14 3 Daniele Contrini (Ita) Team L.P.R. 8 4 Steve Zampieri (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 8 5 Alan Perez Lezaun (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 7 6 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Gerolsteiner 6 7 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) T-Mobile Team 6 8 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 5 9 Jose Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 5 10 Jorg Jaksche (Ger) Würth 3 11 Marco Fertonani (Ita) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 3 12 Koldo Gil Perez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 2 13 Charles Wegelius (GBr) Liquigas 2 14 Roger Beuchat (Swi) Team L.P.R. 2 15 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 1 16 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 1 17 Joan Horrach Rippoll (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 1 18 Bram De Groot (Ned) Rabobank 1 Sprints classification 1 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas 15 pts 2 Daniele Contrini (Ita) Team L.P.R. 12 3 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) T-Mobile Team 9 4 Jorg Jaksche (Ger) Würth 7 5 Jose A Redondo Ramos (Spa) Würth 7 6 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 6 7 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Gerolsteiner 6 8 Beat Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner 4 9 Steve Zampieri (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 4 10 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Credit Agricole 3 11 Jose Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 3 12 Koldo Gil Perez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 1 13 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) T-Mobile Team 1 14 Christian Vandevelde (USA) Team CSC 1 15 Roger Beuchat (Swi) Team L.P.R. 1 Team classification 1 Saunier Duval - Prodir 48.46.44 2 Phonak Hearing Systems 0.07 3 Wurth Team 0.13 4 Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 5 Gerolsteiner 6 Team CSC 7 Quick Step - Innergetic 0.14 8 T-Mobile Team 9 Euskaltel - Euskadi 0.18 10 Team Milram 0.19 11 Discovery Channel 0.25 12 Liquigas 0.31 13 Lampre - Fondital 0.43 14 Rabobank 0.47 15 Cofidis 6.59 16 AG2R Prevoyance 8.14 17 Davitamon-Lotto 15.03 18 Team L.P.R. 27.26 19 Bouygues Telecom 28.28 20 Credit Agricole 32.36 21 Francaise Des Jeux 50.00
