In short

Stage winner	Marcus ZBERG
(yellow/white jersey)	Floyd LANDIS
(green/white jersey)	Samuel SANCHEZ
(red polka dotted jersey)	David MONCOUTIE
(blue jersey)	Luis SANCHEZ

 

All classifications

Stage
• Individual time • Individual points • Best climber • Best young • Best team
Overall
• Individual time • Individual points • Best climber • Best young • Best team

 

Stage by stage

P	Sunday 5 March	4.8 km
	Issy-les-Moulineaux > Issy-les-Moulineaux
1	Monday 6 March	193 km
	Villemandeur > Saint-Amand-Montrond
2	Tuesday 7 March	200 km
	Cerilly > Belleville
3	Wednesday 8 March	168.5 km
	Julienas > Saint-Etienne
4	Thursday 9 March	193 km
	Saint-Etienne > Rasteau
5	Friday 10 March	201.5 km
	Avignon > Digne-les-Bains
6	Saturday 11 March	179 km
	Digne-les-Bains > Cannes
7	Sunday 12 March	135 km
	Nice > Nice
Total		1274.8 km

 

The race

Sunday 12 March 2006

stage 7 | Nice > Nice - 135 km

Landis makes it two for the U.S.

Two years ago, no American had ever won Paris-Nice. Riders from the U.S. have now won the Race to the Sun two years in succession : Floyd Landis was crowned on Sunday at the end of the 135-kms final stage around Nice.
The Phonak team leader took over from Bobby Julich, keeping his nine-second edge over Spain’s Patxi Villa Errandonea in the three first category climbs on Sunday’s menu to win his second stage race this season after the Tour of California.
The final stage, which saw holder Julich and world champion Tom Boonen quit, went to Swiss Marcus Zberg, who had been second overall in 1999.
The rugged profile of the last stage allowed France’s David Moncoutie to bring home the best climber’s polka dot jersey.

The film of the stage

Intermediate sprints in the 7th stage:
Km 15.5 - Levens
Km 107 - Nice

Climbs in the 7th stage:
KM 25.5: Cote de Duranus (cat 2)
Km 52: Col de la Porte (Cat 1)
Km 89.5: La Turbie (Cat 1)
Km 119: Col d’Eze (Cat 1)
Weather: Sunny and warm.
120 riders at the start. Did not start: Bobby Julich (Team CSC)

The start was given at 11:26 to 120 riders. Last year’s winner Bobby Julich did not start. Six kilometres into the final stage, Tom Boonen, winner of three stages and points leader, also decided to call it quits before the first climb of the day, the Cote de Duranus (km 25.5). After the first sprint of the day won by Erik Dekker (km 15.5), five riders broke clear : Francisco Ventoso (Saunier Duval), Marcus Burghardt (T-Mobile), Matej Mugerli (Liquigas), Lilian Jegou (FD Jeux), Jose Luis Arrieta (AG2R). Five other riders launched the chase at km 24 : Xavier Florencio (Bouygues Telecom), Mario Aerts (Davitamon Lotto), Aitor Osa (Liberty Seguros), Dmitry Fofonov (Credit Agricole)and David Moncoutie (Cofidis).

Moncoutie takes polka dot jersey
The junction took place at km 33 but as the peloton were closing in, Mugerli attacked (km 39). Moncoutie replied two kms later and tackled the Col de la Porte (1st cat) by himself. As the chase was soon reduced to Mugerli, Arrieta, Osa, Alberto Contador and Sergio Paulinho (Liberty Seguros), Marcus Zberg, (Gerolsteiner) and Joaquin Rodriguez (Caisse d’Epargne Illes Balears), the gap widened. At the top of the Col de la Porte, Moncoutie was leading the chase by 1:20, with the peloton 3:25 adrift. The Frenchman ousted Christophe Laurent from the top of the mountain classification.

Break on La Turbie
In the descent, Moncoutie was caught by the chase (km 67) . Eight men climbed the Col de la Turbie together until Zberg made his move, two kilometres from the finish. The Swiss rider reached the top on his own but was rejoined by his companions in the descent. Moncoutie collected three more points at the top. At the first passage on the Promenade des Anglais, Osa was leading Contador, Rodriguez, Zberg and Arrieta while Moncoutie, Paulinho and Mugerli lost touch.

Zberg wins stage
Contador, Rodriguez, at first accompanied by Zberg, broke at the foot of the Col d’Eze (km 112) as the peloton had made it back to 1:30. Evgueni Petrov (Lampre) parted company with the main pack in the first turns of the climb and chased behind the leaders with Zberg and Antonio Colom (Caisse d’Epargne). The bunch was only 15 seconds behind, 3 kms from the finish, but the five managed to hold a slim lead and battle it out for the stage. Zberg easily outsprinted Petrov and Contador on the line. Floyd Landis finished in the main bunch, 18 seconds behind, and kept his nine seconds lead over Patxi Vila in overall standings.

The winner interview

Landis: the Tour is my main goal

What does this victory mean to you ?
It’s really a great satisfaction but I must first of all thank my Phonak team-mates. There was no big fight today but since the St Etienne stage when I made the difference, they have worked hard evry day. I was rather happy they took it easy today.

Are you proud to take over from Julich ?
Yes. I did not expect to be in such a shape so early in the season and to win here after the Tour of California. But it’s becoming a bit of an American race and I’m very proud to add my name to the winners list of such a prestigious event.

What are you going to do now ?
Sleep first. And then I will work on a strategy and a preparation for the big race in July.

The newsflashes

15:06

Luis Sanchez wins young rider jersey

15:05

David Moncoutie best climber

15:05

Samuel Sanchez wins points jersey

15:01

Final overall top five

14:59

Result of the final stage

» Read all the dispatches

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