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93rd Tour de France - ProT
France, July 1-23, 2006
Main Page Results Overall standings Stage Details Live report Previous Stage Next Stage
Stage 1 - Sunday, July 2: Strasbourg - Strasbourg, 183 km
Jimmy Casper: The ghost who sprints
Hushovd lucks out; Hincapie lucks in
By Anthony Tan, Tim Maloney & Brecht Decaluwé in Strasbourg
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A sprinters' stage turned out to be exactly that. As the maillot jaune wanted, an early break went and spent most of the day out in front, never looking too dangerous, before being brought back inside ten kilometres to go. However when it came to the sprint, things turned very sour for Thor Hushovd. Very sour indeed.
With a 550 metre-long finishing straight and the peloton at breakneck speed, the sprinting giants approached the line, choosing to wage their battle on the right-hand side of the avenue de la Forêt-Noire. Tom Boonen found himself in front 150 metres too early but had to go; Robbie McEwen was on his wheel, and although boxed in, he miraculously managed to escape again; Hushovd too could see no clear opening, but nevertheless went down a tiny gap along the barriers, where his arm hit a spectator's promotional banner, slicing it wide open.
Ignoring the mayhem and finding his own, clean line was Jimmy Casper. Working his short, muscular legs like the pistons of a Formula 1 motor car and passing rider after rider as if he really were a ghost, Casper emerged in real life at the finish line, unscathed and victorious.
"It was very strange sprint; strange, because there was really nobody leading it," he said. "But it's really the kind of sprint I like, so it was very good for me. And of course, it's something great for me to beat such big champions like Boonen, Hushovd and McEwen.
"At 1.5 kilometres before the last curve I was still not too well-placed, so I thought it was better to stay there and see what happens in the very last moment. Then, it opened up just at the right time and I did the perfect sprint. I hope I can repeat that soon. I know that people waited to see me win for a long time and I hope that I can make up for it now.
About his preparation leading up to the Tour, the 28 year-old said: "I worked a lot, but what changed compared to previous years is that I feel good in my head. That's something new for me, so it was easier to train harder, and I came here more confident."
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While Hushovd still finished ninth, smart thinking by George Hincapie saw him take third in the final intermediate sprint and earn a two-second time bonus as a result, placing him two seconds in front by the end of the day. Naturally, the 33 year-old American was delighted in becoming the fourth American to wear the maillot jaune in Tour de France history, but told the press that wasn't his intention until very late in the piece.
"Today, the plan wasn't to go for any bonus sprints, but when we caught the breakaway, I saw an opportunity that I couldn't pass up... I took it, and I think I made a great decision," said a confident Hincapie.
"I was very disappointed to lose by so little yesterday. I was really gunning for the prologue and I thought I did a great ride, but I got beat by a great rider. I worked super hard to start the Tour de France in great shape, and I turned that disappointment around into a great day."
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Although the seven-man escape was caught, breakaway rider Fabian Wegmann from Gerolsteiner took full advantage of his climbing prowess and was the first to crest the only climb of the day midway through the stage, earning the right to wear the first spotted tunic of the 2006 Tour.
Speaking with race doctor Gérard Porte at the finish line, he offered Cyclingnews some good news: the mighty Thor will live to fight another day.
"He is alright!" exclaimed Porte.
"We could see a slash in his right arm, it's big but not too dangerous. The wound has caused heavy loss of blood in the first few moments, which is logical after such a big effort, but it's not too serious. He talked clearly, didn't lose his consciousness and could answer all our questions. So his situation doesn't scare us anymore.
"But he's got a big haematoma underneath the wound which makes any conclusion difficult. That's why we will take him to the hospital. There will we clean the wound, do some tests and afterwards we'll be able to make a prognosis for tomorrow. I can say the chance is good that he can restart because he didn't fall heavily. I hope he can restart, that's for sure."
Added his team manager Roger Legeay: "He has hit a PMU hand about ten metres before the finish. He has got a slash in his arm, it's got a width of about five centimetres, and he lost a lot of blood. I was really scared because you hear so many strange sounds but we didn't see what happened on television; I looked away when the stage was finished. When I looked again, I saw him lying on the ground."
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"It's very dangerous, and it's not the first time it happened," said Casper, "so I think it will be a good thing to ban them - in the last 500 metres, at least."
How long Hincapie holds onto the maillot jaune is not up to him, he says. "I would love to keep it as long as possible, but it's really up to Johan [Bruyneel].
"I don't know if we'll try to control it tomorrow and I don't have much time; for me to sprint against guys like Thor or Boonen and those guys, it's really not my thing anymore. All I've been training for lately is time trials and climbing, so my sprint has got slower for sure," he smiled. "But if I get lucky and hold onto it for another day or two, that'd be great."
On his unspoken role as leader of the Discovery Channel team, Hincapie replied: "I don't really need that term, to be called leader of Discovery Channel. For me, those are just words, written in a newspaper or journal. I know what my ambitions are. If I can show my team after the first long time trial or the Pyrenées that I can still ride with the best guys, then I'm sure I'll get that role.
"Everybody wants to see a replacement for Lance, but there really is no replacement for Lance... I don't know if we'll see another Lance in our lifetimes. We came here with different ambitions and we came here with a great team, and we just want to accomplish those ambitions."
How it unfolded
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On a hot, sunny summer Sunday morning, 176 riders took the start in Strasbourg's Cathedral Square and after 10km in Ittenheim in the suburbs of Strasbourg, three Frenchman went on the attack. Perhaps inspired by their big football win the night before against Brazil, Stephane Auge (Cofidis), local lad Matthieu Sprick (Bouygues Telecom) and Benoit Vaugrenard (Francaise des Jeux) got a gap and another French rider, Nicolas Portal (Caisse d'Epargne), soon joined them.
Even though the race pace was high, the quartet of Bleus gained one minute after 12km, and as three other riders bridged across: '05 San Fran GP winner Fabian Wegmann (Gerolsteiner), Unai Etxebarria (Euskaltel) and Walter Beneteau (Bouygues Telecom). The break of the day was established and after 22km in Rumersheim, the seven escapees had a established a three minute lead.
The wind had shifted from the morning and was now coming from the northeast, which made a cross/headwind from the right for the Tour riders. Maillot jaune Hushovd's Credit Agricole team took over the pace-making in the front of the peloton and the stage was set for the next few hours of Stage 1.
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Vaugrenard took the first points sprint in Saverne, which moved him ahead of Joost Posthuma for the maillot blanc of best young riders and as the road headed south, the riders now had a tailwind that pushed them to a faster pace. At the feed zone in Dorlisheim with 98km to go, the gap rose to 5' as the first two hours were run at 44km/hr. average.
The doping scandal of the last few days has had absolutely no effect on the popularity of Le Tour along the roads, as huge crowds lined the road all the way. At the one and only GPM of the day, the Cat 4 climb on the 1.1km Cote de Heiligenstein with 83km to go, it was Fabulous Fabian Wegmann (Gerolsteiner) who took the sprint ahead of regional rider Sprick and the German earned the first maillot pois at this year's Tour.
As Stage 1 turned due east in Barr with 80km to go, Quick.Step, CSC and Milram joined Credit Agricole in the chase. At the second sprint in Plobsheim with 47km to go, it was Beneteau who took the points and time bonus as the peloton chased 2'10" behind. Across the Rheine River into Germany and with 27km to race in Offenburg, the steady chase had pulled the break back to 1'25". Vasseur and Cretskens were on the front for Quick.Step's Boonen, while Marzio "Muleskinner" Bruseghin was Lampre-Fondital's tempo man for Bennati.
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As the gap between the break and the peloton fell under 1', Beneteau hit out from the break solo and had a 20" gap as the third intermediate sprint in Kehl approached with 9km to go. The Bouygues Telecom man took the sprint points and 6" time bonus solo, while the rest of the break had sat up and was absorbed by the chase. 15" behind, Credit Agricole rider Sebastian Hinault took the 4" bonus for second to protect Thor Hushovd's maillot jaune, but a clever George Hincapie took third and gained 2" to move into the virtual race lead.
After the sprint, Quick.Step moved to the front and upped the pace, quickly catching Beneteau and making it peloton groupé with 7km to go. No team took command in the final kilometres and under the flamme rouge, it was Quick.Step's Pippo Pozzato who was trying to set up Boonen.
On the Avenue de la Foret Noire with 400m. to go, the world champion found himself right up front as his team leadout had a snafu. Boonen jumped, then slowed to try and reposition, but the other sprinters were keying off him and slowed as well with 300m to go.
Nimble Cofidis sprinter Jimmy Casper then moved to the front with 220m. to go, jumped hard and managed to hold off a fast finishing Zabel, McEwen and Bennatti for the surprise win. "We were hoping to win after the French team won the football yesterday and I was just in the right position when a hole opened up for me - and I just went for it", explained a delighted Casper post-stage.
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As Casper powered up the middle for victory, maillot jaune Hushovd was trying to advance along the barriers and with 150m to go, a fan waving a giant green PMU cardboard hand managed to hit the big Norwegian on his right bicep, opening a deep cut. Hushovd crossed the finish line in ninth without any time bonus, looking down at his right arm as the blood in disbelief. A few hundred metres past the finish, the Credit Agricole rider collapsed to the ground in his blood-soaked maillot jaune as Tour de France doctor Gerard Porte rushed to his side.
Hushovd was loaded into the ambulance and went to the hospital for treatment. As Hushovd headed to the hospital, Discovery Channel's George Hincapie, who finished out of danger in 23rd in the sprint, took over the maillot jaune thanks to his 2" time bonus in the day's final sprint.
"I knew that last (points sprint) was a good chance for me to take a time bonus and maybe the maillot jaune. I was really disappointed in the prologue; I wanted it yesterday. It was hard to get a time bonus before with the breakaway today, but once the break came back and I saw the sprinters were saving it for the end, I decided to go for it and it worked," Hincapie said.
Monday, July 3: Stage 2 Obernai (FR)-Esch-sur-Alzette (LUX), 223 km
It's a long day on Monday for the Tour de France peloton, with the second longest stage of Le Tour on the program. Stage two heads northwest towards Luxembourg with two Cat 3 cols in the first 50km.
After the frantic battle for mountain points on the ascents, a break should get away, but the sprinters teams will have to be careful not to let them get too much time and roll it up. With two Cat 4 hills in the last 17km, opportunistic counter-attackers will try for the winner's bouquet in Esch-sur-Alzette.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us
- Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) was all smiles at the start today.
- Stewart O'Grady (CSC) gives a quick interview before the start.
- The early break of the day gets up the road.
- The bunch comes through a couple minutes back from the lead group.
- Credit Agricole controls the front of the group.
- Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) was looking fine earlier in the day.
- Jimmy Casper (Française Des Jeux) throws his bike for the win.
- Jimmy Casper (Française Des Jeux) celebrates just after the line.
- Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) went to the ground just past the finish.
- Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) looks to the sky as doctors look him over.
- George Hincapie (Discovery) takes over the yellow jersey.
Images by Fotoreporter Sirotti
- The throw for the line
- Jimmy Casper (Cofidis) wins the stage
- Casper celebrates
- The post-stage mess
- Jimmy Casper (Cofidis) is a grinner
- Thor Hushovd (CA) is attended to by doctors
- Thor Hushovd (CA)
- Thor Hushovd (CA) on the ground after his accident
- Jimmy Casper (Cofidis) salutes the crowd
- Jimmy Casper (Cofidis) the man of the moment
- Jimmy Casper (Cofidis) also took over the green jersey
- Jimmy Casper (Cofidis) in green now
- Fabian Wegmann (Gerolsteiner) tries on the maillot a pois for size
- Fabian Wegmann (Gerolsteiner) is the mountains leader
- Benoit Vaugrenard (FDJ) the best young rider
- George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) likes the fit
- George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) in the maillot jaune
- George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) smiles in yellow
- George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) salutes in yellow
- George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) hopes to end in yellow in Paris
Images by Roberto Bettini/www.bettiniphoto.net
- Christophe Lemevel (Credit Agricole) with his wife
- Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) is ready
- Credit Agricole did a lot of work at the front today
- Andreas Kloden (T-Mobile) drinks a bidon
- Vansummeren and Vasseur lead the bunch
- Jimmy Casper (Cofidis) wins in Strasbourg
- Jimmy Casper (Cofidis) wins the stage ahead of McEwen (L) and Zabel (R)
- Jimmy Casper (Cofidis) can't believe he's done it
- Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval) arrives at the finish
- Thor Hushovd (CA) is helped away by the medical staff
- It looked bad for Hushovd but he should be OK to start tomorrow
- George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) dons the maillot jaune
- George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) waves to the crowd
Images by AFP Photo
- Jimmy Casper (Cofidis) looks like he's seen a ghost after winning the first stage in Strasbourg
- Thor Hushovd (CA) lies on the ground after having his arm cut by a spectator at the finish of stage 1
- Jimmy Casper (Cofidis) salutes from the podium as the stage 1 winner
- George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) in yellow after stage 1
Images by Giorgio Masnikosa/members.chello.se/giorgio.masnikosa
- Benoit Vangrenard has a plan
- Christophe Mengin in his 12th Tour
- Philippe Gilbert gets questions
- A happy Bernhard Eisel
- Bernhard gets the bag
- Happy Norwegians
- Daniel Mangeas entertains the crowd
- Jimmy Casper tired but happy
- Scary sight: a bloodstained Oscar Freire
- Damiano Cunego is home
- So is Stuart O'Grady
- Robbie didn't do it today
- Bruyneel answers happily
- Bjarne Riis does not
Images by Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com
- George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) in green before the start
Images by Anthony Tan/Cyclingnews.com
- The Tour Village is an awful hard place to be.
- This is the guy who sits on the back of the bike with the chalkboard, scribbling down time gaps between the break and the peloton.
- Five-time Tour de France winner Bernard Hinault.
- Axel Merckx takes in his daily dose of caffeine.
- Richard Virenque (R) chats with Francaise des Jeux's Sandy Casar.
- Discovery Channel's demon descender, Paolo Savoldelli.
- Wow... the legs of George Hincapie.
- Frank Schleck is getting quite a bit more media attention since Ivan Basso's departure on the eve of the race.
- Dave Zabriskie talks about his prologue performance of yesterday.
- This will be Chris Horner's second Tour de France, and he'll be hoping to get himself in a break over the coming days.
- Cedric Vasseur, calm before the start of the first stage in Strasbourg.
Images by Fotoreporter Sirotti
- Denis Menchov (Rabobank) at the start
- Iban Mayo (Euskaltel) waiting
- Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Fondital)
- Erik Zabel (Milram) hopeful
- Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) the ProTour leader
- Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) is here
- Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) ready to sign on
- Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) with Florent Brard
- Iban Mayo (Euskaltel) provides a contrast
- Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval) gives the thumbs up
- Michael Boogerd (Rabobank) with Tom Boonen
- Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval) at the start
- Laurent Jalabert with French champ Florent Brard
- Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) fancies un café
- Boonen with his lead out man Jose Rujano…
- Iban Mayo (Euskaltel) with Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne)
- Thor Hushovd (CA) rolls up
- World champ Tom Boonen with the bike he hopes will carry him to victory today
- Valverde chats with his colleagues at the start
- Ready to start stage 1
Results
1 Jimmy Casper (Fra) Cofidis 4.10.00 (44.28 km/h) 2 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 3 Erik Zabel (Ger) Milram 4 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 5 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 6 Isaac Galvez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 7 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC 8 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Francaise Des Jeux 9 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole 10 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank 11 Peter Wrolich (Aut) Gerolsteiner 12 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 13 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic 14 Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 15 Robert Hunter (RSA) Phonak 16 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 17 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 18 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise Des Jeux 19 Carlos Da Cruz (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 20 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 21 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas 22 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel 23 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel 24 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel 25 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval - Prodir 26 Cristian Moreni (Ita) Cofidis 27 David Canada (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 28 Bram Tankink (Ned) Quick-Step-Innergetic 29 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 30 Iker Camano (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 31 Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 32 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas 33 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 34 Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 35 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile 36 Marco Velo (Ita) Milram 37 Benjamin Noval (Spa) Discovery Channel 38 Yaroslav Popovyvch (Ukr) Discovery Channel 39 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 40 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 41 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Milram 42 Koos Moerenhout (Ned) Phonak 43 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 44 Patxi Vila (Spa) Lampre-Fondital 45 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Crédit Agricole 46 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak 47 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Phonak 48 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Milram 49 Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Spa) Phonak 50 Björn Schröder (Ger) Milram 51 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Liquigas 52 Georg Totschnig (Aut) Gerolsteiner 53 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Francaise Des Jeux 54 José Rujano (Ven) Quick-Step-Innergetic 55 Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Team CSC 56 Axel Merckx (Bel) Phonak 57 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Phonak 58 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 59 Christian Knees (Ger) Milram 60 Matthias Kessler (Ger) T-Mobile 61 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Milram 62 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank 63 Christian Vandevelde (USA) Team CSC 64 Juan Manuel Garate (Spa) Quick-Step-Innergetic 65 Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) T-Mobile 66 José Angel Gomez (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 67 Ruben Lobato (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 68 Arnaud Coyot (Fra) Cofidis 69 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 70 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) Lampre-Fondital 71 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 72 Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 73 Laurent Lefevre (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 74 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 75 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC 76 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) T-Mobile 77 José Luis Rubiera (Spa) Discovery Channel 78 David Kopp (Ger) Gerolsteiner 79 Mario Aerts (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 80 Eduardo Gonzalo (Spa) Agritubel 81 Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 82 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance 83 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas 84 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank 85 Didier Rous (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 86 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Milram 87 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner 88 Christophe Rinero (Fra) Saunier Duval - Prodir 89 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Crédit Agricole 90 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile 91 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance 92 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick-Step-Innergetic 93 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner 94 Aitor Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 95 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Cofidis 96 Christophe Brandt (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 97 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 98 Bram De Groot (Ned) Rabobank 99 Gorka Verdugo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 100 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 101 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 102 Serguei Gonchar (Ukr) T-Mobile 103 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 104 José Azevedo (Por) Discovery Channel 105 Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Rabobank 106 Christophe Mengin (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 107 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Discovery Channel 108 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Quick-Step-Innergetic 109 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 110 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 111 Ronny Scholz (Ger) Gerolsteiner 112 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 113 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 114 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 115 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Crédit Agricole 116 Patrice Halgand (Fra) Crédit Agricole 117 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir 118 Riccardo Ricco (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir 119 Gustav Larsson (Swe) Francaise Des Jeux 120 David Zabriskie (USA) Team CSC 121 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC 122 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 123 Pavel Padrnos (Cze) Discovery Channel 124 Samuel Plouhinec (Fra) Agritubel 125 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Cofidis 126 José Alberto Martinez (Spa) Agritubel 127 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 128 Cédric Vasseur (Fra) Quick-Step-Innergetic 129 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Quick-Step-Innergetic 130 Victor Hugo Pena (Col) Phonak 131 Benoît Salmon (Fra) Agritubel 132 Simon Gerrans (Aus) AG2R-Prevoyance 133 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 134 Moises Duenas (Spa) Agritubel 135 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner 136 Florent Brard (Fra) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 137 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 138 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 139 Juan Miguel Mercado (Spa) Agritubel 140 David Lopez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 141 Nicolas Portal (Fra) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 142 Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 143 Alexandre Moos (Swi) Phonak 144 Viatscheslav Ekimov (Rus) Discovery Channel 145 Julian Dean (NZl) Crédit Agricole 146 Sandy Casar (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 147 Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) T-Mobile 148 Beat Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner 149 Ivan Ramiro Parra (Col) Cofidis 150 Stephane Goubert (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 151 Manuel Calvente (Spa) Agritubel 152 Inigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 153 Erik Dekker (Ned) Rabobank 154 Cédric Coutouly (Fra) Agritubel 155 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 156 Jose Vicente Garcia Acosta (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 157 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi 158 Sylvain Calzati (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 159 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Cofidis 160 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 161 David Moncoutié (Fra) Cofidis 162 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Crédit Agricole 163 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 164 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 165 Matej Mugerli (Slo) Liquigas 166 Patrick Calcagni (Swi) Liquigas 167 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 168 Kjelt Carlström (Fin) Liquigas 169 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 170 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Crédit Agricole 171 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Crédit Agricole 172 Ralf Grabsch (Ger) Milram 0.42 173 Wilfried Cretskens (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic 174 Wim Vansevenant (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 1.20 175 Stéphane Auge (Fra) Cofidis 2.08 176 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas 2.29 Points 1 Jimmy Casper (Fra) Cofidis 35 pts 2 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 30 3 Erik Zabel (Ger) Milram 26 4 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 24 5 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 22 6 Isaac Galvez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 20 7 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC 19 8 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Francaise Des Jeux 18 9 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole 17 10 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank 16 11 Peter Wrolich (Aut) Gerolsteiner 15 12 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 14 13 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic 13 14 Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 12 15 Robert Hunter (RSA) Phonak 11 16 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 10 17 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 9 18 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise Des Jeux 8 19 Carlos Da Cruz (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 7 20 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 6 21 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas 5 22 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel 4 23 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel 3 24 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel 2 25 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval - Prodir 1 Mountains Côte de Heiligenstein - Cat. 4, km 101.5 1 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner 3 pts 2 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 2 3 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi 1 Sprints Saverne - km 53 1 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 6 pts 2 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 4 3 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi 2 Plobsheim - km 137 1 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 6 pts 2 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 4 3 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 2 Kehl - km 175.5 1 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 6 pts 2 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Crédit Agricole 4 3 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel 2 Young rider 1 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Francaise Des Jeux 4.10.00 2 Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 3 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise Des Jeux 4 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 5 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Francaise Des Jeux 6 José Rujano (Ven) Quick-Step-Innergetic 7 Christian Knees (Ger) Milram 8 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Milram 9 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank 10 Eduardo Gonzalo (Spa) Agritubel 11 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank 12 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Milram 13 Aitor Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 14 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 15 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 16 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 17 Riccardo Ricco (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir 18 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Quick-Step-Innergetic 19 Moises Duenas (Spa) Agritubel 20 David Lopez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 21 Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 22 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 23 Matej Mugerli (Slo) Liquigas Most combative 1 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom Teams 1 Francaise Des Jeux 12.30.00 2 Davitamon - Lotto 3 Liquigas 4 Saunier Duval - Prodir 5 Caisse D’Epargne-Illes Balears 6 Bouygues Telecom 7 Team Milram 8 Lampre-Fondital 9 Discovery Channel Team 10 Cofidis Credit Par Telephone 11 Quick Step - Innergetic 12 Gerolsteiner 13 Phonak Hearing Systems 14 Euskaltel - Euskadi 15 Team CSC 16 Rabobank 17 Credit Agricole 18 T-Mobile Team 19 Agritubel 20 AG2R Prevoyance General classification after stage 1 1 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel 4.18.15 2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole 0.02 3 David Zabriskie (USA) Team CSC 0.06 4 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner 5 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 6 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC 7 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile 0.08 8 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Discovery Channel 0.10 9 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak 0.11 10 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 11 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 0.12 12 Serguei Gonchar (Ukr) T-Mobile 13 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic 0.13 14 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas 0.14 15 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 0.15 16 Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 17 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Cofidis 18 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval - Prodir 0.16 19 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Phonak 20 Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 0.17 21 Victor Hugo Pena (Col) Phonak 0.18 22 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) T-Mobile 23 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 24 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 25 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank 26 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile 0.19 27 Viatscheslav Ekimov (Rus) Discovery Channel 28 Isaac Galvez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 0.20 29 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 30 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 31 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC 32 Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) T-Mobile 0.21 33 Yaroslav Popovyvch (Ukr) Discovery Channel 0.22 34 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas 35 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel 0.23 36 Christian Vandevelde (USA) Team CSC 37 Jimmy Casper (Fra) Cofidis 38 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner 39 Didier Rous (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 0.24 40 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 41 Robert Hunter (RSA) Phonak 42 Gustav Larsson (Swe) Francaise Des Jeux 43 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Francaise Des Jeux 0.25 44 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Cofidis 45 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Cofidis 46 Ronny Scholz (Ger) Gerolsteiner 47 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 48 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 49 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 50 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC 0.26 51 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Phonak 52 José Azevedo (Por) Discovery Channel 53 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.27 54 Erik Dekker (Ned) Rabobank 55 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas 56 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir 57 Bram De Groot (Ned) Rabobank 0.28 58 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 59 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 60 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 61 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 62 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank 63 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance 64 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Francaise Des Jeux 65 Erik Zabel (Ger) Milram 66 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 0.29 67 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 68 José Alberto Martinez (Spa) Agritubel 69 Koos Moerenhout (Ned) Phonak 70 Julian Dean (NZl) Crédit Agricole 0.30 71 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 72 José Angel Gomez (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 73 Patrice Halgand (Fra) Crédit Agricole 74 Florent Brard (Fra) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 75 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) Lampre-Fondital 0.31 76 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise Des Jeux 77 Christophe Brandt (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 0.32 78 Beat Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner 79 Bram Tankink (Ned) Quick-Step-Innergetic 80 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Quick-Step-Innergetic 81 Benjamin Noval (Spa) Discovery Channel 82 Inigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.33 83 José Rujano (Ven) Quick-Step-Innergetic 84 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi 85 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick-Step-Innergetic 86 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 87 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Liquigas 88 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 0.34 89 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance 90 Sandy Casar (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 91 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 92 Cédric Vasseur (Fra) Quick-Step-Innergetic 93 Christian Knees (Ger) Milram 0.35 94 Laurent Lefevre (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 95 Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 96 Pavel Padrnos (Cze) Discovery Channel 97 Iker Camano (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.36 98 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 99 Cristian Moreni (Ita) Cofidis 100 Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 101 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Milram 102 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Crédit Agricole 103 Jose Vicente Garcia Acosta (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 0.37 104 Matthias Kessler (Ger) T-Mobile 105 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank 0.38 106 Björn Schröder (Ger) Milram 0.39 107 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Milram 108 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Crédit Agricole 109 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 110 Ivan Ramiro Parra (Col) Cofidis 111 Axel Merckx (Bel) Phonak 112 José Luis Rubiera (Spa) Discovery Channel 0.40 113 Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Spa) Phonak 114 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 115 Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Rabobank 116 Patxi Vila (Spa) Lampre-Fondital 117 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 0.41 118 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Crédit Agricole 119 David Canada (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 120 Simon Gerrans (Aus) AG2R-Prevoyance 121 Sylvain Calzati (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 122 Moises Duenas (Spa) Agritubel 123 Alexandre Moos (Swi) Phonak 0.42 124 Matej Mugerli (Slo) Liquigas 125 Riccardo Ricco (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir 0.43 126 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 127 Carlos Da Cruz (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 128 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Milram 129 Arnaud Coyot (Fra) Cofidis 0.44 130 Samuel Plouhinec (Fra) Agritubel 131 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 132 Juan Miguel Mercado (Spa) Agritubel 133 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 134 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Crédit Agricole 0.45 135 Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Team CSC 136 Christophe Mengin (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 137 Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) T-Mobile 138 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 139 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Quick-Step-Innergetic 140 Georg Totschnig (Aut) Gerolsteiner 141 Benoît Salmon (Fra) Agritubel 0.46 142 Marco Velo (Ita) Milram 143 David Kopp (Ger) Gerolsteiner 144 Gorka Verdugo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.47 145 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 146 Aitor Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.48 147 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Crédit Agricole 148 David Moncoutié (Fra) Cofidis 149 David Lopez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 150 Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 151 Christophe Rinero (Fra) Saunier Duval - Prodir 0.49 152 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel 153 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Crédit Agricole 154 Kjelt Carlström (Fin) Liquigas 0.50 155 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 156 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 157 Cédric Coutouly (Fra) Agritubel 0.51 158 Stephane Goubert (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 159 Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 160 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 0.52 161 Patrick Calcagni (Swi) Liquigas 162 Juan Manuel Garate (Spa) Quick-Step-Innergetic 163 Mario Aerts (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 164 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 0.54 165 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Milram 166 Peter Wrolich (Aut) Gerolsteiner 0.58 167 Eduardo Gonzalo (Spa) Agritubel 1.00 168 Nicolas Portal (Fra) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 1.03 169 Manuel Calvente (Spa) Agritubel 1.06 170 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner 1.09 171 Ruben Lobato (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 1.12 172 Ralf Grabsch (Ger) Milram 1.27 173 Wilfried Cretskens (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic 1.46 174 Wim Vansevenant (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 2.10 175 Stéphane Auge (Fra) Cofidis 3.10 176 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas 3.13 Points classification 1 Jimmy Casper (Fra) Cofidis 35 pts 2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole 32 3 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 30 4 Erik Zabel (Ger) Milram 26 5 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC 24 6 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 24 7 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 22 8 Isaac Galvez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 20 9 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Francaise Des Jeux 18 10 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel 17 11 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 16 12 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank 16 13 Peter Wrolich (Aut) Gerolsteiner 15 14 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 14 15 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic 13 16 Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 12 17 Robert Hunter (RSA) Phonak 11 18 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 10 19 David Zabriskie (USA) Team CSC 10 20 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 10 21 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 9 22 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner 8 23 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise Des Jeux 8 24 Carlos Da Cruz (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 7 25 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 6 26 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 6 27 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas 5 28 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile 4 29 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel 4 30 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Crédit Agricole 4 31 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Discovery Channel 3 32 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak 2 33 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 2 34 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi 2 35 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel 2 36 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 1 37 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval - Prodir 1 Mountains classification 1 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner 3 pts 2 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 2 3 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi 1 Young rider classification 1 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux 4.18.26 2 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank 0.07 3 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 0.09 4 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Francaise Des Jeux 0.14 5 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Francaise Des Jeux 0.17 6 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 0.18 7 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise Des Jeux 0.20 8 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Quick-Step-Innergetic 0.21 9 José Rujano (Ven) Quick-Step-Innergetic 0.22 10 Christian Knees (Ger) Milram 0.24 11 Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 0.25 12 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank 0.27 13 Moises Duenas (Spa) Agritubel 0.30 14 Matej Mugerli (Slo) Liquigas 0.31 15 Riccardo Ricco (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir 0.32 16 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 17 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Milram 18 Aitor Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.37 19 David Lopez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 20 Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 0.40 21 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir 0.43 22 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Milram 23 Eduardo Gonzalo (Spa) Agritubel 0.49 Teams classification 1 Discovery Channel Team 12.55.16 2 Team CSC 0.01 3 T-Mobile Team 0.07 4 Caisse D’Epargne-Illes Balears 5 Phonak Hearing Systems 0.14 6 Gerolsteiner 0.18 7 Davitamon - Lotto 0.31 8 Credit Agricole 9 Liquigas 0.32 10 AG2R Prevoyance 11 Cofidis Credit Par Telephone 0.34 12 Lampre-Fondital 0.37 13 Francaise Des Jeux 0.39 14 Saunier Duval - Prodir 0.42 15 Rabobank 16 Bouygues Telecom 0.46 17 Quick Step - Innergetic 18 Euskaltel - Euskadi 1.03 19 Team Milram 1.16 20 Agritubel 1.23
