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61st Vuelta a España - GT

Spain, August 26-September 17, 2006

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Stage 18 - September 14: Granada - Sierra de la Pandera, 153 km

Double whammy from Astana

Valverde loses more time as Kashechkin wins

By Shane Stokes in Jaén, with additional reporting from Hernan Alvarez

Andrey Kashechkin (Astana Team)
Photo ©: AFP
(Click for larger image)

Twenty four hours after Alexandre Vinokourov made a some history when he took the first Grand Tour leader's jersey of his career, Kazakhstani compatriot and Astana team-mate Andrei Kashechkin also achieved a personal first for himself when he rode to victory on stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana.

The two riders reached the top of the hors categorie Sierra de la Pandera together, Vinokourov having attacked out of the group of favourites with just under 6 kilometres remaining to the mist-shrouded, wind-lashed summit. Valverde and third placed Carlos Sastre were amongst those who tried and failed to close, with Kashechkin the only one to successfully bridge, inside three kilometres to go. He took the stage win uncontested, while Vinokourov's time bonus plus his 32" margin over fourth placed Valverde at the finish [José Angel Gomez Marchante (Saunier Duval-Prodir) was third] saw him move 53" clear in the general classification.

"We did not talk because we are friends and we understand how things are," said Kashechkin at the post race press conference, when asked if they discussed who would take the stage. "He would work for me and I would work for him in this race, depending on who needed it. We did not do the Tour de France, but we arrived here with good form and were very motivated to do well in the Vuelta.

"Today was also a very important day as we got a message to say that the president of the country would be watching the race on the television, so it was good to have a strong performance."

Had Vino taken the victory, he would have gained additional time over Valverde courtesy of the time bonus. However Kashechkin felt that this was not necessary. "As you could see on the final climb today the peloton was exposed. There were five people who could fight for the classification and I don't think the bonification is important as everyone was flat out and things split apart [in terms of time gaps].

Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana Team)
Photo ©: Sirotti
(Click for larger image)

"When I saw that Sastre was in trouble I knew it was the moment to go for it. I attacked then to get across [to Vinokourov]."

Kashechkin's strong ride means he moves to third overall, overtaking Carlos Sastre (CSC), who was tenth today and drops to fourth overall, 2'51 down. The Kazakhstani is 2'01 behind Vinokourov and 1'13 off the time of Valverde; he was asked if it was possible to take second place?

"I don't know the time gaps between him and me until I see the classification sheet but if the gap is more than a minute it will be difficult to get that back," he answered. "We will see tomorrow and in the time trial."

Vinokourov was delighted with the result, knowing that it means he is almost certain to win this Tour of Spain. He made his move after all of the riders from an early break had been recaptured, namely Nicki Sorensen (Team CSC), Benoît Poilvet (Credit Agricole), Raúl García De Mateo (Relax-Gam), Markel Irizar (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Pedro Horrillo (Rabobank) and Pierre Drancourt (Bouygues Telecom), plus a later move by mountains leader Egoi Martinez (Discovery Channel) and Iban Mayo (Euskaltel).

"I waited for an attack by Valverde and was going to counterattack, but saw that he wasn't having a good day. So I attacked and quickly got a gap. I think that the race will only be over in Madrid but now I have more confidence in myself. I have a good gap and think I can take more [from him] in the time trial."

Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana Team)
Photo ©: AFP
(Click for larger image)

He was asked if missing the Tour de France was beneficial as it meant that he and the team were fresher than others. "Well, I would prefer to have won the Tour!" he answered. "But it is true that we are all fresh as we didn't race in July. I always try to win big races and if it happens that I win this Vuelta, it will be a good thing for me."

"The result is also important back home... there is a good reaction and it is good publicity there for us and our sport. It is a very big race and if we win, it will be a big thing for our sponsors."

Former race leader Valverde started the day just nine seconds behind Vinokourov but his slightly weaker time trialling meant that realistically, he had to take time back on his rival. However he was unable to do so and now looks destined for second place in Madrid.

"It should be acknowledged that Vinokourov is really very strong," he said after the finish. "The Kazakhs showed once again that they are very solid, even if I believe that Vinokourov was very lucky that Kashechkin came to help him in the last part of the ascension, because after having attacked very hard, I think that he started to get really tired.

"As for me, I did my best to fight and I think that it is the most important thing. My team-mates, once again, did exceptional work throughout the stage. And it is for them, for the great Vuelta which they have ridden, that I am sad not to head down from the Pandera with the yellow jersey on my shoulders. Things are very difficult for us now, but the Vuelta is not ended yet and we will fight until the last day."

Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears)
Photo ©: Sirotti
(Click for larger image)

He seemed slightly more resigned when talking to Spanish television. "I fought hard. I am not disillusioned... if someone is stronger than you, then you have to accept it. We all rode well, the team were good and I can be happy with a place on the podium. I will think of the future."

Team-mate Joaquin Rodriguez said they tried to regain the maillot oro. "The two riders from Kazakhstan were very strong. We did the best we could in order to defeat Vinokourov, we played out our strategy. It was Valverde or Vinokourov, and in the end it was Vinokourov."

Saunier Duval rider Jose Gomez Marchante was third on the stage, precisely half a minute behind the leading duo. He had poor fortune and could otherwise have fared better. "I had bad luck, having a puncture in my front wheel at the bottom of the category 2 climb [Alto de los Villares]. I stopped then. My team waited for me but soon after I had more bad luck, flatting my rear wheel.

"It is noticeable that every day Vinokourov is getting better."

Yesterday's stage winner Tom Danielson was one of many tired, cold riders at the summit, but he was also in high spirits. "That was a super climb," he said, as he looked for extra clothing from his Discovery Channel team soigneur prior to riding back down the mountain to the team bus. "It reminds me of Brasstown Bald, it is pretty similar to it.

Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel)
Photo ©: Sirotti
(Click for larger image)

"I was dropped in the beginning because I was tired from yesterday... I rode my ass off all day yesterday. Obviously if I hadn't done yesterday I could have done better today. [he was 8th, 46 seconds back]. The weather was hard... I was cold and tired coming up. I am happy to be done with the mountains."

The American said that the response to his stage win has been positive. "I got a nice reaction from the people back home, and especially the spectators in Spain," he said. "I can't be any happier about yesterday, it is a dream come true. Now I feel confident I can do the classification for real in the future."

Final word to today's winner, Kashechkin. Did he think the Vuelta was now over? "We will do all we can to control the race and ensure that he [Vinokourov] arrives in Madrid, after the time trial, in the first place. It is not over for sure - a crash or something like that could cause problems, so until we cross the final finish line it is not won. But things are good."

How it unfolded

Now that's steep...
Photo ©: Sirotti
(Click for larger image)

La Pandera is a mountain first climbed in 2002, when Roberto Heras prevailed over Gilberto Simoni and Oscar Sevilla over the same route as today's. Alejandro Valverde also won here in 2003 after a phenomenal performance, beating great climbers like Heras and Colombia's Felix Cardenas. That was the second Grand Tour stage win for Valverde in his sporting career and indeed a nice memory.

The race lost two great riders who didn't take the start today: Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) and Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas). Both were protagonists in this Vuelta, winning one stage apiece (Bettini won stage 2 and Di Luca stage 5), but they decided to stop their ride to Madrid.

An early breakaway was formed at km 8 with seven riders: Nicki Sorensen (CSC), Benoit Poilvet (Credit Agricole), Raul Garcia de Mateo (Relax), Markel Irizar (Euskaltel), Pedro Horrillo (Rabobank), Pierre Drancourt (Bouygues Telecom) and Olivier Kaisen (Davitamon).

José Gomez Marchante (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
Photo ©: Sirotti
(Click for larger image)

The leaders were able to keep their distance, and at the first intermediate sprint in Huelma (km 68.5), Poilvet led the race followed by Kaisen and Garcia de Mateo. At km 89, the gap between the breakaway and the bunch was 4'05. With the two big climbs in Villares and La Pandera at the end, the race went on and the peloton stayed calm.

The lead group continued to resist the chase by the second intermediate sprint (km 129) in los Villares, although their advantage began to drop. As the peloton started swallowing the members of the breakaway with less than 20 km to go, Nicki Sorensen kept his tempo and was soon alone, with the bunch a little more than a minute ahead.

However, with 14 km to go, the Dane was caught by Iban Mayo (Euskaltel) and Egoi Martinez (Discovery). The best riders weren't far behind when this duo attacked - 40 seconds was the difference at the summit of the penultimate climb at km 140.4, with 13 km left to race.

Oh boy, that was a hard day...
Photo ©: Sirotti
(Click for larger image)

The favourites drove hard and soon caught Mayo, while Martinez became the solo leader with 7 km to go. Luis Perez (Cofidis) joined Martinez soon afterwards, and a little later on La Pandera with 6 km to go, Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) found the precise moment to attack. Alejandro Valverde (Illes Balears) felt the blow and couldn't follow, as Vino then led the race and distanced himself from Valverde by 45 seconds four kilometres from the finish.

At this point, Andrey Kashechkin (Astana) wasn't too far behind his team leader, and the young Kazakhstani joined Vino with 3 km to go. Both riders helped each other and finished off a magnificent day for Astana by crossing the line together, with Vinokourov giving the win to Kashechkin.

Valverde never gave up but couldn't match the might of the Kazakhstani duo, losing 43 precious seconds by the finish, just behind third-placed Jose Gomez Marchante (Saunier Duval). On the podium, it became clear Vinokourov was already thinking of kissing the winner's trophy in Madrid.

Stage 19 - September 15: Jaen-Ciudad Real, 205.3 km

Tomorrow's stage is littered with small climbs along its undulating parcours. Three categorised climbs - Alto del Parque Natural de Andujar (Cat. 2 - 750 m. above sea level - km 75), Alto de Sierra Madrona (Cat. 3 - 960 m. - km 102.6) and Alto del Tamaral (Cat. 3 - 800 m. - km 117) - and two intermediate sprints - in Las Viñas de Peñallana (km 50) and Puertollano (km 161.2) - are the feature attractions along the 205.3 km route.

A very long stage for all the riders, although the favourites will be focused on having a quiet day in the office before the final time trial on Saturday. This leaves the chance for a breakaway to be in the spotlight.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by AFP Photo

Images by Fotoreporter Sirotti

Results

1 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team                                 3.57.39 (38.65 km/h)
2 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team                                     
3 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                  0.30
4 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                0.32
5 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir                            0.35
6 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                         
7 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                 0.46
8 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                  
9 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                      0.48
10 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC                                              
11 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                1.20
12 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                    
13 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre-Fondital                                 1.29
14 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team               1.34
15 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team               1.43
16 Daniel Moreno (Spa) Relax-Gam                                         1.56
17 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                 2.05
18 Iñigo Cuesta (Spa) Team CSC                                           2.13
19 Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto                                  
20 Eric Leblacher (Fra) Française des Jeux                               2.34
21 Theo Eltink (Ned) Rabobank                                            2.36
22 Stéphane Goubert (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance                                    
23 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team                                     2.45
24 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC                                         2.55
25 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Lampre-Fondital                                       
26 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Liquigas                                      3.16
27 Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                   
28 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                
29 José Antonio Garrido (Spa) Quick Step-Innergetic                      3.24
30 Aketza Peña (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                   3.43
31 José Miguel Elias (Spa) Relax-Gam                                     3.46
32 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                    3.48
33 Iñigo Chaurreau (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance                                 3.55
34 José Antonio Redondo (Spa) Astana Team                                4.14
35 Frédéric Bessy (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                 4.44
36 Torsten Hiekmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                   4.48
37 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                  4.49
38 Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team CSC                                         5.03
39 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team CSC                                        5.28
40 Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance                                   5.42
41 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                     6.02
42 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                   
43 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                     6.17
44 Thierry Marichal (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone               7.18
45 Benoît Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team               8.04
46 Serguei Yakovlev (Kaz) Astana Team                                    8.08
47 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC                                      8.18
48 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Credit Agricole                                     
49 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team CSC                                          
50 Raúl García De Mateo (Spa) Relax-Gam                                  8.22
51 Ángel Vallejo (Spa) Relax-Gam                                         9.45
52 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam                                     10.33
53 Rubén Pérez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                  10.56
54 Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                                 12.18
55 Steve Morabito (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems                               
56 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                   
57 Mauricio Ardila (Col) Rabobank                                       13.00
58 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                     
59 Bingen Fernández (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                   
60 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance                                     
61 Daniele Nardello (Ita) T-Mobile Team                                 13.02
62 Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Team CSC                                      13.12
63 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Credit Agricole                              13.15
64 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                   14.35
65 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance                                   
66 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram                                              
67 Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank                                           
68 Pieter Mertens (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                                      
69 Ian Mcleod (RSA) Française des Jeux                                  14.39
70 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Team Milram                                       14.50
71 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2R Prevoyance                                      
72 Sebastian Siedler (Ger) Team Milram                                  14.53
73 Benoît Poilvet (Fra) Credit Agricole                                 15.12
74 Stephan Schreck (Ger) T-Mobile Team                                  15.13
75 Franck Renier (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                 15.37
76 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                                15.51
77 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic                           16.32
78 Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) Liquigas                                     
79 Michael Barry (Can) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                    
80 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                  
81 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank                                        16.35
82 Pierre Drancourt (Bel) Bouygues Telecom                                   
83 Markel Irizar (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                     
84 Iñigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                   
85 Marco Velo (Ita) Team Milram                                              
86 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                             
87 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto                                 16.56
88 Pedro Horrillo (Spa) Rabobank                                        18.00
89 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                 22.10
90 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole                                        
91 David Navas (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance                                         
92 Mads Kaggestad (Nor) Credit Agricole                                      
93 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance                                  
94 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                      
95 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                                    
96 Kjell Carlström (Fin) Liquigas                                            
97 David George (RSA) Relax-Gam                                              
98 Dario Andriotto (Ita) Liquigas                                            
99 Carlos Barredo (Spa) Astana Team                                          
100 Robert Förster (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                        
101 Francesco Failli (Ita) Liquigas                                          
102 Aaron Kemps (Aus) Astana Team                                            
103 Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic                           
104 Pablo Lastras (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                       
105 William Walker (Aus) Rabobank                                            
106 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                    
107 Alberto Benítez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                               
108 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                 
109 Bastiaan Giling (Ned) T-Mobile Team                                      
110 Florian Stalder (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems                             
111 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Credit Agricole                                      
112 David Loosli (Swi) Lampre-Fondital                                       
113 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas                                          
114 Scott Davis (Aus) T-Mobile Team                                          
115 Jérémy Roy (Fra) Française des Jeux                                      
116 Joan Horrach (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                        
117 Luis Fernández Oliveira (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems                     
118 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems                              
119 Francisco José Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                        
120 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval-Prodir                                  
121 Alberto Ongarato (Ita) Team Milram                                       
122 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems                                   
123 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Team Milram                                       
124 Fabien Patanchon (Fra) Française des Jeux                                
125 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Credit Agricole                                     
126 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic                               
127 Jorge García (Spa) Relax-Gam                                             
128 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                 
129 Kevin Van Impe (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic                               
130 José Vicent Garcia Acosta (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears           
131 Addy Engels (Ned) Quick Step-Innergetic                                  
132 David Cañada (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                                  
133 Davide Vigano (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic                                
134 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Française des Jeux                                  
135 Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana Team                                          
DNF Daniel Becke (Ger) Team Milram                                           
DNS Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas                                            
DNS Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic                                
 
Points
 
1 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team                                      25 pts
2 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team                                   20
3 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                    16
4 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                  14
5 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir                              12
6 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                       10
7 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                    9
8 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                 8
9 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                         7
10 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC                                             6
11 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                   5
12 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                   4
13 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre-Fondital                                    3
14 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                  2
15 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                  1
16 Frédéric Bessy (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                   -5
17 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                 -5
 
Mountains
 
Alto de Las Encebras - Cat. 3, km 46
1 Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                                      6 pts
2 Markel Irizar (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                     4
3 Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team CSC                                             2
4 Benoît Poilvet (Fra) Credit Agricole                                      1
 
Alto de Los Villares - Cat. 2, km 140
1 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                   10 pts
2 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                         7
3 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                         5
4 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                        3
5 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                     2
6 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                   1
 
Sierra de la Pandera - Cat. E, km 153
1 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team                                      30 pts
2 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team                                   25
3 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                    20
4 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                  16
5 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir                              12
6 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                       10
7 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                    8
8 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                 6
9 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                         4
10 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC                                             3
11 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                   2
12 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                   1
 
Sprints
 
Huelma, km 68,5                                                              
1 Benoît Poilvet (Fra) Credit Agricole                                      4 pts
2 Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                                      2
3 Raúl García De Mateo (Spa) Relax-Gam                                      1
 
Los Villares, km 129,3                                                       
1 Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team CSC                                             4 pts
2 Raúl García De Mateo (Spa) Relax-Gam                                      2
3 Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                                      1
 
Teams
 
1 Astana                                                             11.56.02
2 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                                     0.35
3 Caisse D'Epargne - Illes Balears                                       0.52
4 Euskaltel - Euskadi                                                    1.59
5 Team CSC                                                               2.51
6 Cofidis, le Credit Par Telephone                                       5.53
7 Ag2r Prevoyance                                                        9.08
8 Relax - GAM                                                           10.59
9 Saunier Duval - Prodir                                                14.35
10 Lampre - Fondital                                                    23.29
11 Davitamon - Lotto                                                    26.21
12 Rabobank                                                             27.06
13 Gerolsteiner                                                         28.42
14 Credit Agricole                                                      33.40
15 Française des Jeux                                                   36.18
16 Liquigas                                                             38.53
17 Quick Step - Innergetic                                              39.01
18 Team Milram                                                          41.13
19 T- Mobile Team                                                       47.20
20 Bouygues Telecom                                                     51.17
21 Phonak Hearing Systems                                               53.33
 
General classification after stage 18
 
1 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team                             71.27.08
2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                0.53
3 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team                                    2.06
4 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC                                           2.51
5 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                  5.06
6 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team              7.05
7 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                 8.23
8 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                8.28
9 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                     10.04
10 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                10.06
11 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team              11.04
12 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team               13.16
13 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir                          14.11
14 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre-Fondital                                15.44
15 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                   16.07
16 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team                                    17.16
17 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears               20.33
18 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                    24.34
19 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Lampre-Fondital                                  25.36
20 Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto                             26.58
21 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                   29.15
22 Theo Eltink (Ned) Rabobank                                           39.06
23 José Miguel Elias (Spa) Relax-Gam                                    39.16
24 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team CSC                                       40.08
25 Iñigo Chaurreau (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance                                41.21
26 Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team CSC                                        44.03
27 Iñigo Cuesta (Spa) Team CSC                                          44.09
28 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team              44.49
29 Serguei Yakovlev (Kaz) Astana Team                                   45.32
30 Stéphane Goubert (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance                               47.09
31 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team             48.55
32 Eric Leblacher (Fra) Française des Jeux                              52.14
33 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                    52.52
34 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                              53.09
35 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Credit Agricole                              57.37
36 Daniel Moreno (Spa) Relax-Gam                                        59.02
37 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Credit Agricole                                59.40
38 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Liquigas                                   1.01.32
39 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team         1.04.10
40 Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance                                       
41 Frédéric Bessy (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone              1.10.35
42 Carlos Barredo (Spa) Astana Team                                   1.14.43
43 Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone            1.16.19
44 Thierry Marichal (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone            1.21.54
45 José Antonio Redondo (Spa) Astana Team                             1.25.41
46 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC                                   1.27.09
47 Pablo Lastras (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                 1.27.29
48 Daniele Nardello (Ita) T-Mobile Team                               1.27.52
49 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                 1.28.18
50 Raúl García De Mateo (Spa) Relax-Gam                               1.31.30
51 José Luis Arrieta (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance                            1.31.43
52 Benoît Poilvet (Fra) Credit Agricole                               1.34.59
53 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team CSC                                   1.35.03
54 Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Team CSC                                    1.35.22
55 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance                              1.36.41
56 Ángel Vallejo (Spa) Relax-Gam                                      1.36.43
57 José Antonio Garrido (Spa) Quick Step-Innergetic                   1.37.30
58 Iñigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                            1.37.57
59 Torsten Hiekmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                1.39.06
60 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank                                      1.40.26
61 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram                                       1.41.08
62 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Française des Jeux                            1.41.33
63 Mauricio Ardila (Col) Rabobank                                     1.42.48
64 Benoît Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team            1.43.20
65 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval-Prodir                            1.43.57
66 Aketza Peña (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                1.44.05
67 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC                                      1.45.26
68 David George (RSA) Relax-Gam                                       1.46.10
69 Rubén Pérez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                1.46.23
70 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                      1.46.36
71 Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank                                    1.48.13
72 Florian Stalder (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems                       1.49.30
73 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic                         1.50.19
74 David Loosli (Swi) Lampre-Fondital                                 1.52.50
75 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone              1.58.07
76 Francisco José Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                  1.58.45
77 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Credit Agricole                               1.59.21
78 Michael Barry (Can) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team             1.59.47
79 Joan Horrach (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                  2.00.10
80 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole                                 2.01.56
81 Stephan Schreck (Ger) T-Mobile Team                                2.02.14
82 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                             2.04.37
83 Bingen Fernández (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone            2.05.09
84 Steve Morabito (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems                        2.05.20
85 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone           2.06.15
86 Pieter Mertens (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                               2.06.17
87 Jorge García (Spa) Relax-Gam                                       2.06.30
88 David Cañada (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                            2.10.16
89 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2R Prevoyance                               2.11.26
90 Luis Fernández Oliveira (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems               2.12.24
91 Scott Davis (Aus) T-Mobile Team                                    2.12.25
92 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                               2.14.26
93 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                              2.16.08
94 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner                               2.16.41
95 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic                         2.17.33
96 Markel Irizar (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                              2.19.18
97 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                               2.20.12
98 Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana Team                                    2.23.14
99 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Team Milram                                     2.23.55
100 Ian Mcleod (RSA) Française des Jeux                               2.25.23
101 Alberto Benítez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                        2.25.25
102 Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) Liquigas                             2.26.11
103 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone          2.27.21
104 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam                                  2.28.04
105 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance                          2.32.30
106 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                             2.32.56
107 Pedro Horrillo (Spa) Rabobank                                     2.33.07
108 Pierre Drancourt (Bel) Bouygues Telecom                           2.34.27
109 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto                              2.34.30
110 William Walker (Aus) Rabobank                                     2.35.12
111 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems                            2.36.02
112 Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto                              2.36.39
113 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems                       2.37.15
114 Dario Andriotto (Ita) Liquigas                                    2.37.21
115 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas                                   2.39.25
116 Davide Vigano (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic                         2.39.34
117 Marco Velo (Ita) Team Milram                                      2.40.05
118 Franck Renier (Fra) Bouygues Telecom                              2.41.10
119 Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic                    2.41.12
120 Aaron Kemps (Aus) Astana Team                                     2.41.20
121 Jérémy Roy (Fra) Française des Jeux                               2.41.59
122 Kjell Carlström (Fin) Liquigas                                    2.42.32
123 José Vicent Garcia Acosta (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears    2.42.35
124 Francesco Failli (Ita) Liquigas                                   2.42.44
125 Addy Engels (Ned) Quick Step-Innergetic                           2.43.01
126 Bastiaan Giling (Ned) T-Mobile Team                               2.44.20
127 David Navas (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance                                 2.47.28
128 Sebastian Siedler (Ger) Team Milram                               2.51.01
129 Fabien Patanchon (Fra) Française des Jeux                         2.53.06
130 Robert Förster (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                 2.53.09
131 Alberto Ongarato (Ita) Team Milram                                2.54.20
132 Kevin Van Impe (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic                        2.55.15
133 Mads Kaggestad (Nor) Credit Agricole                              3.05.48
134 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Team Milram                                3.14.24
135 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Credit Agricole                               3.15.54
 
Points classification
 
1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole                                      169 pts
2 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team                                  138
3 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                 131
4 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team                                      92
5 Francisco José Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                        89
6 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC                                             84
7 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                   83
8 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC                                            82
9 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram                                             79
10 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                   68
11 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team               62
12 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance                                51
13 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                 42
14 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                      37
15 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                  37
16 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                37
17 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                 35
18 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                       34
19 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team                                       33
20 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir                             32
21 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval-Prodir                                 29
22 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems                                  29
23 Iñigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                 26
24 Robert Förster (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                       25
25 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems                             22
 
Mountains classification
 
1 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                  129 pts
2 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Credit Agricole                                 117
3 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                  98
4 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team                                      84
5 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team                                   82
6 José Miguel Elias (Spa) Relax-Gam                                        70
7 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                       67
8 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC                                             63
9 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                    60
10 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                       58
11 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team               44
12 Ángel Vallejo (Spa) Relax-Gam                                           36
13 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                33
14 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                  32
15 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Liquigas                                        28
16 Benoît Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                 26
17 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                       25
18 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                 23
19 Alexandre Usov (Blr) AG2R Prevoyance                                    23
20 Eric Leblacher (Fra) Française des Jeux                                 21
21 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team                                       20
22 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                 19
23 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam                                        18
24 José Antonio Redondo (Spa) Astana Team                                  18
25 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole                                      16
 
Combination classification
 
1 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team                                    8 pts
2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                   8
3 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Team                                      11
4 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC                                             18
5 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir                    24
6 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                28
7 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                   28
8 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                   28
9 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                       36
10 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                 39
11 Luis Pérez (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone                       44
12 Sergio Paulinho (Por) Astana Team                                       56
13 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                 57
14 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                       58
15 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir                             59
16 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                60
17 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                 76
18 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                   83
19 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Liquigas                                        87
20 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears                  98
21 Stéphane Goubert (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance                                 104
22 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole                                     106
23 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Lampre-Fondital                                    107
24 Eric Leblacher (Fra) Française des Jeux                                109
25 Iñigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                114
 
Teams classification
 
1 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                                213.55.53
2 Astana                                                                15.21
3 Caisse D'Epargne - Illes Balears                                      15.44
4 Euskaltel - Euskadi                                                   30.01
5 Team CSC                                                              53.59
6 Saunier Duval - Prodir                                              1.26.55
7 Lampre - Fondital                                                   1.38.28
8 Ag2r Prevoyance                                                     1.57.28
9 Relax - GAM                                                         1.59.05
10 Cofidis, le Credit Par Telephone                                   2.05.33
11 Credit Agricole                                                    2.49.13
12 Rabobank                                                           3.08.59
13 Davitamon - Lotto                                                  3.41.09
14 Liquigas                                                           3.43.20
15 Quick Step - Innergetic                                            4.17.21
16 Française des Jeux                                                 4.30.21
17 T- Mobile Team                                                     4.34.38
18 Phonak Hearing Systems                                             4.42.22
19 Gerolsteiner                                                       4.53.05
20 Team Milram                                                        5.30.29
21 Bouygues Telecom                                                   5.57.25

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