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Giro finale
Photo ©: Bettini

93rd Tour de France - ProT

France, July 1-23, 2006

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Stage 3 - Tuesday, July 4: Esch-sur-Alzette - Valkenburg (Netherlands), 216 km

Reversal of fortune for Kessler

Hot, Holland, Hot! Boonen takes the daily double

By Anthony Tan & Brecht Decaluwé in Valkenburg, with additional reporting from Tim Maloney

Matthias Kessler (T-Mobile)
Photo ©: Jon Devich
(Click for larger image)

Like yesterday's stage to Esch-sur-Alzette, just one rider separated breakaway from bunch with five kilometres to go. Unfortunately for AG2R's José Luis Arrieta, he was caught at the base of the Cauberg three kilometres from home, but yesterday's sole escapee Matthias Kessler turned around his disappointment on the climb's 8.3 percent slopes, the T-Mobile man leaving the entire field in his wake and coming home a winner in Holland.

"Yesterday, I already had very good feelings, I felt really good. Today was exactly the same, so I thought I'd try again," said Kessler on his motivation to try, try again.

"The race was different [yesterday compared to today] though, for three reasons," added the 27 year-old.

"The heat, the distance and the fatigue of some riders - it all contributed to a hectic stage and loss of concentration in the peloton. Everybody must watch out if they don't want to be involved in a crash.

Michael Rogers (T-Mobile)
Photo ©: Jon Devich
(Click for larger image)

"And the parcours was completely different; yesterday, the final climb was five kilometres from the finish so that allowed the peloton to reorganise - they were much faster than me, of course. Today, there were only two kilometres left after the [top of the] Cauberg, so I knew it would be harder for them to come back."

Five seconds later, his Australian team-mate Michael Rogers led home a group of 47 riders, with Daniele Bennati (Lampre-Fondital), Tom Boonen (Quick-Step-Innergetic) and Erik Zabel (Milram) third to fifth respectively. On 'Le Cauberg', the rainbow-striped Belgian was a cut above the rest of the pure sprinters, with Hushovd and McEwen finishing two or three groups behind.

Consequently, Boonen elevated himself into the maillots jaune and vert - and without a doubt, fuelling his confidence no end in what is turning into a very fiery war for green.

"I was trying to win the stage - the [yellow] jersey would follow," the world champion began by saying.

Tom Boonen (Quick.Step)
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
(Click for larger image)

"But I had to deal with a slow leak in my tyre in the last five kilometres. It was very dangerous to stand on the pedals, so I stayed in the saddle and rode defensively. I hoped that everything would be brought back together, but that didn't happen.

"Tomorrow, I will be able to ride in the yellow jersey through Belgium!" Boonen exclaimed happily. "I guess that's something which maybe happens one every ten years, so I think it's very special. I will try to make the most of those moments."

Speaking about the maillot jaune, with 17 seconds separating first to tenth and no more than half a minute between 11th to 20th, it's still very much a wide-open affair. Unfortunately for Alejandro Valverde, the door was slammed shut for the Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears leader, who came off worst in a high-speed pile-up and fractured his right collarbone.

"I'm sorry to hear Valverde crashed and is out of the race," said stage winner Kessler, "because I knew how difficult it is for a team to continue riding without a leader." As for his own team, he said: "Now there's only with seven of us and Klöden is our new leader. We came here very well prepared, and for myself, I was 100 percent ready for the Tour. We're all motivated for this Tour de France."

Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne)
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
(Click for larger image)

Pushed a little further on this, the T-Mobile 'Pit-bull' as he's sometimes nicknamed refused to budge. "The first day we affected by the removal of Ullrich and Sevilla, but we are pro riders, so we needed to get focused and show what we're capable of. Yes, I'm in contact with Jan and his wife [after what happened], but that it a private matter between them and myself, so I won't be telling you [the press] about it."

Perhaps spurred by Kessler's victory today, the next person to wear the coveted golden fleece could be world time trial champion Rogers, just one second behind Boonen. Maybe George Hincapie or Thor Hushovd would like another go - or maybe 'Tommeke' will hold onto it a little longer.

"Maybe I'll keep it until Paris!" joked Boonen.

"I don't know really; I should take a look in the road book to see what's possible. Rogers is very close but I guess he will stay away from the intermediate sprints to be fresh enough for the individual time trial.

"To know what's possible, I'll have to see how far the other sprinters are behind me. Of course, I need to make sure that fighting for yellow doesn't see that I miss out on the green jersey in Paris."

Whatever happens, it's been a real case of maillot jaune musical chairs in the opening week of Le Tour.

How it unfolded

Jerome Pineau (Bouygues)
Photo ©: Jon Devich
(Click for larger image)

175 riders took the start today in Esch-sur-Alzette at 12:10 on a hot, sunny midday, with six climbs on the 216.5 km stage. It was a parcours that was like a cross between the Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Amstel Gold classics, as it wound north through the Belgian Ardennes and into the hilly southeast corner of the Netherlands to finish just after the Cauberg climb like in the Amstel Gold Race.

After a fast start and few early attacks, it was Jensy Voigt (CSC) who made a strong move at km 15 near Strassen, and he was quickly joined by Arrieta (AG2R), Pineau (Bouygues), Laurent (AG2R) and Etxebarria (Euskaltel). This was the right combination and the quintet cruised away as the peloton was in no mood to try and bring them back on the hot, hard and hilly stage. By Bridel, 5 km later, the break already had 1'30 and Voigt was virtual malliot jaune as the big German rouleur was in 47th, 0'36 behind leader Thor Hushovd.

At the first sprint in Mersch after 35 km, the break had extended its lead to 3'55, where Voigt beat Arrieta and Laurent for the points and time bonus. The first hour was run at 45 km/h average as Credit Agricole was riding tempo all alone at the front of the peloton. The break had 5'20 after 50 km as they began a long, gradual climb out of the Sure River valley up to Hosingen.

Credit Agricole works at the front to control the break.
Photo ©: Jon Devich
(Click for larger image)

Credit Agricole upped the chase pace behind as the lead reached 5'00 and the status quo remained as the afternoon heat went over 30 degrees. In the second hour of racing, 42.2 km were covered and the average for over two hours was 43.6 km/h. As the break passed into Belgium after 92 km, the lead was 5'25 over the peloton, with the tough climbs of the Belgian Ardennes looming ahead. In the feed zone in Trois-Ponts, the break increased its advantage to 6'00 on the bunch, and it didn't get much over this.

The first climb was Cat 3 Cote de la Haute Levee, where Pineau beat Etxebarria for the GPM points. Next was the second intermediate sprint in Spa with 72.5 km to race, where Voigt took the points ahead of Arrieta. On the Cat 3 Cote de Oneux after 155 km, a 5.1%, 3.2 km ascent, Pineau took the GPM points again and the peloton was 5'05 back.

Amid the verdant green Ardennes climbs, thousands of Belgian fans were lining the narrow roads to cheer the Tour De France peloton. After a crash on the outskirts of Verviers with 60 km to go, Fred Rodriguez (Davitamon-Lotto) and Eric Dekker (Rabobank) tangled and hit the deck. Both riders had to abandon, Rodriguez with a suspected broken collarbone (which turned out not to be one) and heavy concussion, and Dekker with concussion and facial injuries.

Past Verviers, Rabobank and Quick.Step hit the front to give Credit Agricole to help bring back the fugitives, who were now 4'30 ahead. The third climb of Stage 3, the Cat 4 Cote de Petit-Rechain came with 51 km to go where Pineau took the points again and was looking good to take over the maillot á pois after Stage 3.

Jose Luis Arrieta (AG2R)
Photo ©: Jon Devich
(Click for larger image)

Atop the Cat. 4 Cote de Loorberg with 27 km to go, it was Pineau first again, and he would take over the maillot á pois, but the chase had brought the gap down to 1'40. Suddenly, with 22 km to go near Mechelen, ProTour leader Valverde crashed out with a broken right collarbone and the Tour De France had yet another big contender out of action. On the Cat 4 Cote de Tintelen after 201.0 km, Arrieta attacked with 16 km to go and went solo, while Commesso (Lampre-Fondital) was on the attack in the peloton 1'25 behind and got away. Toto was pulled back as Liquigas-Bianchi and Milram cranked up the pace for Garzelli and Celestino, who were looking to attack on the the Cauberg. With 7 km, the last elements of the break, Voigt and Laurent, were absorbed by the peloton, while AG2R's Arrieta was still 1'02 ahead and hanging tough.

With 4 km to go in Valkenburg, Discovery Channel joined the chase as Arrieta still had a 0'40 lead. The tension mounted as Arrieta still had to climb the tough cat 3 Cauberg climb, then hang on for another 2 km to the finish. But as the courageous AG2R man hit the base of the 1.5 km Cauberg, he had cracked and the peloton had him in its sights.

Matthias Kessler (T-Mobile)
Photo ©: Sirotti
(Click for larger image)

Boogerd was going all out for Freire, and Boonen was right there with Hincapie Kessler and Gilbert as Casar had a mechanical. But Matthias Kessler's superb attack on the Cauberg was perfectly timed and he dumped Gilbert over the top and was alone as last kilometre, just like yesterday's Stage 2. With the last 800m all slightly downhill to the finish, Kessler wound it up and the chasers couldn't close the gap as they did in Esch-sur-Alzette yesterday. The T-Mobile man took a much needed win for the magenta team, while his teammate Mick Rogers won the group sprint for 2nd and a 0'12 time bonus, ahead of Bennati and Boonen.

Hushovd was gapped up the Cauberg and lost 0'17 to Boonen, so World Champ Tom Boonen took over the maillot jaune from the Credit Agricole rider.

Wednesday, July 5: Stage 4 Huy (B)-Saint-Quentin / 215 km

Time for Tom - Boonen that is - and Boonen-Mania will ring through the Kingdom of Belgium. The World Champ trades his rainbow stripes for the solid yellow of the maillot jaune, so Stage 4 from Huy to the northern French bourg of St.Quentin will be a perfect place for Quick.Step to flex their muscles all day. Can Tom Terrific be the first maillot jaune to win a stage in a sprint since Cipo did it in 1997? Not if Robbie McEwen has anything to say about it, but with his leadout man Freddy Rodriguez out of the race, Boonen may prevail in Saint-Quentin.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us

Images by Roberto Bettini/www.bettiniphoto.net

Images by Fotoreporter Sirotti

Images by AFP Photo

Images by Anthony Tan/Cyclingnews.com

Images by Elmar Krings

Results

1 Matthias Kessler (Ger) T-Mobile                                   4.57.54 (43.605 km/h)
2 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile                                        0.05
3 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                    
4 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic                                   
5 Erik Zabel (Ger) Milram                                                  
6 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas                                              
7 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank                                              
8 Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) T-Mobile                                            
9 Georg Totschnig (Aut) Gerolsteiner                                       
10 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                       
11 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Crédit Agricole                               
12 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Milram                                            
13 José Luis Rubiera (Spa) Discovery Channel                               
14 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto                                       
15 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel                                 
16 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                        
17 Riccardo Ricco (Ita) Saunier Duval                                      
18 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC                                             
19 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC                                            
20 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance                                      
21 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                  
22 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Liquigas                                         
23 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                      
24 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner                                      
25 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) T-Mobile                                         
26 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel                                   
27 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                      
28 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Discovery Channel                                
29 Christian Vandevelde (USA) Team CSC                                     
30 Patxi Vila (Spa) Lampre-Fondital                                        
31 Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance                                 
32 Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                
33 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank                                            
34 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                   
35 José Azevedo (Por) Discovery Channel                                    
36 Yaroslav Popovyvch (Ukr) Discovery Channel                              
37 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                  
38 Axel Merckx (Bel) Phonak                                                
39 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Crédit Agricole                                 
40 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank                                          
41 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                 
42 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile                                           
43 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval                                        
44 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak                                               
45 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC                                            
46 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise Des Jeux                               
47 Serguei Gonchar (Ukr) T-Mobile                                          
48 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saunier Duval                                     
49 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                             0.12
50 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                             0.17
51 Laurent Lefevre (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                  
52 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                              
53 David Kopp (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                           
54 José Rujano (Ven) Quick-Step-Innergetic                                 
55 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Francaise Des Jeux                                
56 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Milram                                              
57 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance                                   
58 Didier Rous (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                      
59 Sylvain Calzati (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance                                   
60 Benoît Salmon (Fra) Agritubel                                           
61 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank                                        
62 Juan Miguel Mercado (Spa) Agritubel                                     
63 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole                                      
64 Eduardo Gonzalo (Spa) Agritubel                                         
65 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Francaise Des Jeux                                 
66 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                    
67 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Phonak                                           
68 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) Lampre-Fondital                                    
69 Patrice Halgand (Fra) Crédit Agricole                                   
70 Christophe Brandt (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                                 
71 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Phonak                                               
72 David Zabriskie (USA) Team CSC                                          
73 Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Spa) Phonak                             
74 Cristian Moreni (Ita) Cofidis                                           
75 Inigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                 
76 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                       
77 Benjamin Noval (Spa) Discovery Channel                                  
78 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Milram                                        0.22
79 Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) T-Mobile                                         
80 Pavel Padrnos (Cze) Discovery Channel                                   
81 Ivan Ramiro Parra (Col) Cofidis                                         
82 Cédric Vasseur (Fra) Quick-Step-Innergetic                              
83 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                   
84 David Canada (Spa) Saunier Duval                                        
85 José Angel Gomez (Spa) Saunier Duval                                    
86 Iker Camano (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                     
87 Simon Gerrans (Aus) AG2R-Prevoyance                                     
88 Mario Aerts (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                                   0.34
89 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto                                     
90 Moises Duenas (Spa) Agritubel                                       0.42
91 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank                                           
92 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Cofidis                                          
93 Christophe Rinero (Fra) Saunier Duval                                   
94 Samuel Plouhinec (Fra) Agritubel                                        
95 Viatscheslav Ekimov (Rus) Discovery Channel                             
96 Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Rabobank                                      
97 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                   
98 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                              0.48
99 Christian Knees (Ger) Milram                                        0.50
100 Marco Velo (Ita) Milram                                            1.29
101 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                      
102 Ronny Scholz (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                        
103 Beat Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner                                          
104 Koos Moerenhout (Ned) Phonak                                           
105 Gorka Verdugo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                  
106 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                
107 Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval                                  
108 Ruben Lobato (Spa) Saunier Duval                                       
109 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                 
110 Manuel Calvente (Spa) Agritubel                                        
111 Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                                
112 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                              
113 David Moncoutié (Fra) Cofidis                                          
114 Stephane Goubert (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance                                 
115 David Lopez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                    
116 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas                                        
117 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance                            2.03
118 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Cofidis                                       2.06
119 Julian Dean (NZl) Crédit Agricole                                      
120 Peter Wrolich (Aut) Gerolsteiner                                   2.24
121 Robert Hunter (RSA) Phonak                                             
122 Björn Schröder (Ger) Milram                                            
123 Juan Manuel Garate (Spa) Quick-Step-Innergetic                         
124 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas                                        
125 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Milram                                              
126 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick-Step-Innergetic                             
127 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel                                     
128 Alexandre Moos (Swi) Phonak                                            
129 Jose Vicente Garcia Acosta (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears    2.44
130 Patrick Calcagni (Swi) Liquigas                                        
131 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Cofidis                                          
132 Cédric Coutouly (Fra) Agritubel                                        
133 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance                              3.23
134 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Crédit Agricole                            3.37
135 Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                3.43
136 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                               3.55
137 Sandy Casar (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                               0.05
138 Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Team CSC                                   4.33
139 Bram Tankink (Ned) Quick-Step-Innergetic                           4.58
140 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Quick-Step-Innergetic                        5.48
141 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank                                          
142 Ralf Grabsch (Ger) Milram                                              
143 Wilfried Cretskens (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic                         
144 Christophe Mengin (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                             
145 Gustav Larsson (Swe) Francaise Des Jeux                                
146 Bram De Groot (Ned) Rabobank                                           
147 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Crédit Agricole                              
148 José Alberto Martinez (Spa) Agritubel                                  
149 Carlos Da Cruz (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                            6.51
150 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi                            7.05
151 Florent Brard (Fra) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                 8.05
152 Nicolas Portal (Fra) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                    
153 Isaac Galvez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                      
154 Matej Mugerli (Slo) Liquigas                                           
155 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                      
156 Victor Hugo Pena (Col) Phonak                                          
157 Wim Vansevenant (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                                  
158 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                                   
159 Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto                               
160 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                    
161 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval                                 
162 Arnaud Coyot (Fra) Cofidis                                             
163 Aitor Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                           10.46
164 Stéphane Auge (Fra) Cofidis                                            
165 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC                                     11.35
166 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Crédit Agricole                            12.11
167 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Crédit Agricole                                 
168 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                                
169 Kjelt Carlström (Fin) Liquigas                                         
170 Jimmy Casper (Fra) Cofidis                                        14.44
171 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas                                   18.36
172 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Quick-Step-Innergetic                            
DNF Erik Dekker (Ned) Rabobank                                             
DNF Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto                                   
DNF Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                
 
Points
 
1 Matthias Kessler (Ger) T-Mobile                                        25 pts
2 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile                                          22
3 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                  20
4 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic                                 18
5 Erik Zabel (Ger) Milram                                                16
6 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas                                            15
7 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank                                            14
8 Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) T-Mobile                                          13
9 Georg Totschnig (Aut) Gerolsteiner                                     12
10 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                     11
11 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Crédit Agricole                             10
12 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Milram                                           9
13 José Luis Rubiera (Spa) Discovery Channel                              8
14 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto                                      7
15 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel                                6
16 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                       5
17 Riccardo Ricco (Ita) Saunier Duval                                     4
18 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC                                            3
19 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC                                           2
20 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance                                     1
 
Mountains
 
Côte de la Haute-Levée - Cat. 3, km 131
1 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                    4 pts
2 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                 3
3 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel                                      2
4 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                               1
 
Côte de Oneux - Cat. 3, km 155
1 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                    4 pts
2 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                 3
3 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel                                      2
4 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                               1
 
Côte de Petit-Rechain - Cat. 4, km 165.5
1 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                    3 pts
2 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                               2
3 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance                                 1
 
Côte de Loorberg - Cat. 4, km 189
1 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                    3 pts
2 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance                                 2
3 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                               1
 
Côte de Trintelen - Cat. 4, km 201
1 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance                                 3 pts
2 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel                                      2
3 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                               1
 
Le Cauberg - Cat. 3, km 214.5
1 Matthias Kessler (Ger) T-Mobile                                         4 pts
2 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise Des Jeux                               3
3 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank                                          2
4 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic                                  1
 
Sprints
 
Mersch, km 35
1 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                               6 pts
2 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance                                 4
3 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel                                      2
 
Spa, km 144
1 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                               6 pts
2 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance                                 4
3 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel                                      2
 
Aubel, km 176.5
1 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance                                 6 pts
2 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                               4
3 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel                                      2
 
Young rider
 
1 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                  4.57.59
2 Riccardo Ricco (Ita) Saunier Duval                                       
3 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise Des Jeux                                
4 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                           0.12
5 José Rujano (Ven) Quick-Step-Innergetic                                  
6 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Francaise Des Jeux                                 
7 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Milram                                               
8 Eduardo Gonzalo (Spa) Agritubel                                          
9 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Francaise Des Jeux                                  
10 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                    
11 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Milram                                        0.17
12 Moises Duenas (Spa) Agritubel                                       0.37
13 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank                                           
14 Christian Knees (Ger) Milram                                        0.45
15 Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval                               1.24
16 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                  
17 Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                                 
18 David Lopez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                     
19 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank                                       5.43
20 Matej Mugerli (Slo) Liquigas                                        8.00
21 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval                                  
22 Aitor Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                            10.41
23 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Quick-Step-Innergetic                        18.31
 
Most combative
 
1 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance                                  
 
Teams
 
1 T-Mobile Team                                                    14.53.52
2 Gerolsteiner                                                         0.05
3 Discovery Channel Team                                                   
4 Lampre-Fondital                                                          
5 Team CSC                                                                 
6 Rabobank                                                                 
7 Caisse D’Epargne-Illes Balears                                           
8 Saunier Duval - Prodir                                                   
9 Team Milram                                                          0.17
10 AG2R Prevoyance                                                         
11 Credit Agricole                                                         
12 Phonak Hearing Systems                                                  
13 Francaise Des Jeux                                                      
14 Bouygues Telecom                                                    0.29
15 Euskaltel - Euskadi                                                     
16 Quick Step - Innergetic                                             0.34
17 Agritubel                                                           0.41
18 Davitamon - Lotto                                                   0.46
19 Cofidis Credit Par Telephone                                        1.11
20 Liquigas                                                            1.29
 
General classification after stage 3
 
1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic                           14.52.23
2 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile                                        0.01
3 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel                              0.05
4 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole                                   0.07
5 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Discovery Channel                             0.15
6 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                    
7 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak                                            0.16
8 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                0.17
9 Serguei Gonchar (Ukr) T-Mobile                                           
10 Matthias Kessler (Ger) T-Mobile                                         
11 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto                                   0.20
12 Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance                                 
13 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval                                    0.21
14 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) T-Mobile                                     0.23
15 David Zabriskie (USA) Team CSC                                          
16 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile                                       0.24
17 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                    0.25
18 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance                                      
19 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC                                             
20 Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) T-Mobile                                       0.26
21 Yaroslav Popovyvch (Ukr) Discovery Channel                          0.27
22 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel                               0.28
23 Christian Vandevelde (USA) Team CSC                                     
24 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                              
25 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner                                      
26 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                              0.29
27 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                              0.30
28 José Azevedo (Por) Discovery Channel                                0.31
29 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto                                 0.32
30 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                 
31 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saunier Duval                                     
32 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank                                        0.33
33 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                      
34 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC                                            
35 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank                                             
36 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Phonak                                               
37 Erik Zabel (Ger) Milram                                                 
38 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise Des Jeux                           0.36
39 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                             0.37
40 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                  0.38
41 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Liquigas                                         
42 Sandy Casar (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                                0.39
43 Didier Rous (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                  0.41
44 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank                                          
45 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Francaise Des Jeux                            0.42
46 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                 
47 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Phonak                                       0.43
48 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Milram                                        0.44
49 Axel Merckx (Bel) Phonak                                                
50 José Luis Rubiera (Spa) Discovery Channel                           0.45
51 Patxi Vila (Spa) Lampre-Fondital                                        
52 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance                                   
53 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Francaise Des Jeux                                 
54 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Crédit Agricole                           0.46
55 Patrice Halgand (Fra) Crédit Agricole                               0.47
56 Riccardo Ricco (Ita) Saunier Duval                                  0.48
57 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) Lampre-Fondital                                    
58 Christophe Brandt (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                             0.49
59 Benjamin Noval (Spa) Discovery Channel                                  
60 Inigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                             0.50
61 José Rujano (Ven) Quick-Step-Innergetic                                 
62 Georg Totschnig (Aut) Gerolsteiner                                      
63 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                   0.51
64 Laurent Lefevre (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                              0.52
65 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC                                            
66 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Crédit Agricole                             0.53
67 Cristian Moreni (Ita) Cofidis                                           
68 Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                
69 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas                                         0.55
70 Cédric Vasseur (Fra) Quick-Step-Innergetic                          0.56
71 Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Spa) Phonak                         0.57
72 Pavel Padrnos (Cze) Discovery Channel                                   
73 Iker Camano (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                 0.58
74 Sylvain Calzati (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance                                   
75 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                1.00
76 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Milram                                              
77 Juan Miguel Mercado (Spa) Agritubel                                 1.01
78 Ivan Ramiro Parra (Col) Cofidis                                         
79 Benoît Salmon (Fra) Agritubel                                       1.03
80 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                   
81 David Canada (Spa) Saunier Duval                                        
82 Simon Gerrans (Aus) AG2R-Prevoyance                                     
83 David Kopp (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                           
84 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank                                    1.07
85 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Cofidis                                          
86 Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) T-Mobile                                         
87 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                              1.16
88 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Milram                                            
89 Eduardo Gonzalo (Spa) Agritubel                                     1.17
90 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank                                       1.20
91 Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Rabobank                                  1.22
92 Moises Duenas (Spa) Agritubel                                       1.23
93 Christian Knees (Ger) Milram                                        1.25
94 Mario Aerts (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                                   1.26
95 Christophe Rinero (Fra) Saunier Duval                               1.31
96 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                               1.34
97 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                   1.35
98 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                           1.39
99 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas                                     1.51
100 Ronny Scholz (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                    1.54
101 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                             1.58
102 Koos Moerenhout (Ned) Phonak                                           
103 Beat Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner                                      2.01
104 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                            2.13
105 Marco Velo (Ita) Milram                                            2.15
106 Gorka Verdugo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                              2.16
107 David Moncoutié (Fra) Cofidis                                      2.17
108 David Lopez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                    
109 Stephane Goubert (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance                             2.20
110 Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval                                  
111 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance                            2.23
112 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Cofidis                                       2.31
113 Julian Dean (NZl) Crédit Agricole                                  2.36
114 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas                                    2.38
115 Robert Hunter (RSA) Phonak                                         2.48
116 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Milram                                          3.00
117 Alexandre Moos (Swi) Phonak                                        3.06
118 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel                                 3.07
119 Juan Manuel Garate (Spa) Quick-Step-Innergetic                     3.16
120 Jose Vicente Garcia Acosta (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears    3.21
121 Peter Wrolich (Aut) Gerolsteiner                                   3.22
122 Patrick Calcagni (Swi) Liquigas                                    3.36
123 José Angel Gomez (Spa) Saunier Duval                               3.43
124 Samuel Plouhinec (Fra) Agritubel                                   3.44
125 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance                              3.52
126 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                  4.05
127 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Crédit Agricole                            4.13
128 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                               4.29
129 Manuel Calvente (Spa) Agritubel                                    4.53
130 Viatscheslav Ekimov (Rus) Discovery Channel                        4.55
131 Björn Schröder (Ger) Milram                                        5.21
132 Bram Tankink (Ned) Quick-Step-Innergetic                           5.30
133 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank                                      6.06
134 Gustav Larsson (Swe) Francaise Des Jeux                            6.12
135 José Alberto Martinez (Spa) Agritubel                              6.17
136 Christophe Mengin (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                         6.33
137 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Quick-Step-Innergetic                            
138 Ruben Lobato (Spa) Saunier Duval                                   6.35
139 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Crédit Agricole                          6.37
140 Cédric Coutouly (Fra) Agritubel                                    7.29
141 Carlos Da Cruz (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                            7.34
142 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi                            7.38
143 Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto                           8.22
144 Victor Hugo Pena (Col) Phonak                                      8.23
145 Isaac Galvez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                  8.25
146 Florent Brard (Fra) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                 8.35
147 Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Team CSC                                   8.48
148 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                  8.49
149 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                8.50
150 Ralf Grabsch (Ger) Milram                                          9.33
151 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick-Step-Innergetic                         9.52
152 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Cofidis                                      9.54
153 Bram De Groot (Ned) Rabobank                                      10.10
154 Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                           10.33
155 Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                               11.13
156 Arnaud Coyot (Fra) Cofidis                                        11.40
157 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC                                     11.41
158 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                              12.29
159 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval                            12.35
160 Matej Mugerli (Slo) Liquigas                                      12.41
161 Nicolas Portal (Fra) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears               13.02
162 Stéphane Auge (Fra) Cofidis                                       16.47
163 Wilfried Cretskens (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic                    16.48
164 Kjelt Carlström (Fin) Liquigas                                    16.55
165 Wim Vansevenant (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                             19.29
166 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                           19.45
167 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Crédit Agricole                            22.04
168 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Crédit Agricole                            22.10
169 Jimmy Casper (Fra) Cofidis                                        24.21
170 Aitor Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                           24.49
171 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas                                   28.17
172 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Quick-Step-Innergetic                       28.45
 
Points classification
 
1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic                                 67 pts
2 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                  66
3 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto                                    65
4 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole                                     62
5 Erik Zabel (Ger) Milram                                                59
6 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas                                            57
7 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank                                            54
8 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC                                          43
9 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile                                          36
10 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Francaise Des Jeux                               36
11 Jimmy Casper (Fra) Cofidis                                            35
12 Peter Wrolich (Aut) Gerolsteiner                                      31
13 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel                               28
14 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                   28
15 Matthias Kessler (Ger) T-Mobile                                       25
16 Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval                                 24
17 Isaac Galvez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                     20
18 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise Des Jeux                             19
19 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval                                18
20 Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) T-Mobile                                         17
21 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                16
22 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                             16
23 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto                                     15
24 Cristian Moreni (Ita) Cofidis                                         15
25 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance                               14
26 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas                                       13
27 Georg Totschnig (Aut) Gerolsteiner                                    12
28 Robert Hunter (RSA) Phonak                                            11
29 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                     11
30 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                            10
31 David Zabriskie (USA) Team CSC                                        10
32 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                               10
33 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Crédit Agricole                             10
34 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile                                          9
35 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Milram                                           9
36 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                   9
37 José Luis Rubiera (Spa) Discovery Channel                              8
38 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                      8
39 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel                                     8
40 Aitor Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                8
41 Carlos Da Cruz (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                                7
42 Yaroslav Popovyvch (Ukr) Discovery Channel                             6
43 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                       5
44 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas                                        5
45 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval                                       4
46 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel                                  4
47 Riccardo Ricco (Ita) Saunier Duval                                     4
48 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Crédit Agricole                                4
49 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Discovery Channel                               3
50 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC                                            3
51 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak                                              2
52 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC                                           2
53 David Canada (Spa) Saunier Duval                                       2
54 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                 2
55 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                2
56 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                  1
57 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance                                     1
58 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Cofidis                                         1
 
Mountains classification
 
1 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                   17 pts
2 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval                                 14
3 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                      12
4 Aitor Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                10
5 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                 7
6 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R-Prevoyance                                 6
7 Christophe Laurent (Fra) Agritubel                                      6
8 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                               6
9 Matthias Kessler (Ger) T-Mobile                                         4
10 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise Des Jeux                              3
11 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank                                         2
12 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                 2
13 Laurent Lefevre (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                 2
14 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic                                 1
 
Young rider classification
 
1 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                 14.52.48
2 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                           0.03
3 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise Des Jeux                            0.11
4 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Francaise Des Jeux                             0.17
5 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Francaise Des Jeux                              0.20
6 Riccardo Ricco (Ita) Saunier Duval                                   0.23
7 José Rujano (Ven) Quick-Step-Innergetic                              0.25
8 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                 0.35
9 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Milram                                               
10 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Milram                                        0.51
11 Eduardo Gonzalo (Spa) Agritubel                                     0.52
12 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank                                       0.55
13 Moises Duenas (Spa) Agritubel                                       0.58
14 Christian Knees (Ger) Milram                                        1.00
15 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                              1.33
16 David Lopez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                 1.52
17 Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval                               1.55
18 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank                                       5.41
19 Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                            10.08
20 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval                             12.10
21 Matej Mugerli (Slo) Liquigas                                       12.16
22 Aitor Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                            24.24
23 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Quick-Step-Innergetic                        28.20
 
Teams classification
 
1 Discovery Channel Team                                           44.37.55
2 Team CSC                                                             0.01
3 T-Mobile Team                                                        0.02
4 Caisse D’Epargne-Illes Balears                                       0.07
5 Gerolsteiner                                                         0.18
6 Phonak Hearing Systems                                               0.26
7 Lampre-Fondital                                                      0.37
8 Saunier Duval - Prodir                                               0.42
9 Rabobank                                                                 
10 Credit Agricole                                                     0.43
11 AG2R Prevoyance                                                     0.44
12 Francaise Des Jeux                                                  0.51
13 Bouygues Telecom                                                    1.10
14 Davitamon - Lotto                                                   1.12
15 Quick Step - Innergetic                                             1.15
16 Euskaltel - Euskadi                                                 1.27
17 Team Milram                                                         1.28
18 Cofidis Credit Par Telephone                                        1.40
19 Liquigas                                                            1.56
20 Agritubel                                                           1.59


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