In short
| Stage winner | Mickaël DELAGE |
 (yellow/white jersey) |
Mickaël DELAGE |
 (green/white jersey) |
Mickaël DELAGE |
 (red polka dotted jersey) |
Robert GESINK |
All classifications
| Stage |
|---|
 |
• Individual time• Individual points • Best climber • Best team |
|
| Overall |
|
• Individual time• Individual points • Best climber • Best team |
Stage by stage
| 1 | Thursday 31 August | 130 km |
| Charleroi - Charleroi | ||
| 2 | Friday 1 September | 180.5 km |
| Charleroi - Mont-Saint-Martin | ||
| 3 | Saturday 2 September | 144.5 km |
| Mont-Saint-Martin - Moyeuvre-Grande | ||
| 4 | Sunday 3 September | 149 km |
| Yutz - Metz | ||
| 5 | Monday 4 September | 151 km |
| Metz - Nancy | ||
| 6 | Tuesday 5 September | 161.5 km |
| Nancy - La Bresse | ||
| 7 | Wednesday 6 September | 163 km |
| La Bresse - Ornans | ||
| 8 | Thursday 7 September | 143.5 km |
| Salins-Les-Bains - Saint-Genis-Pouilly | ||
| 9 | Friday 8 September | 24.5 km |
| Chamonix-Mont-Blanc - Finhaut | ||
| 10 | Saturday 9 September | 145.5 km |
| Saint-Nicolas-La-Chapelle - Marcinelle-en-Montagne | ||
| Total | 1393 km | |
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The race
Thursday 31 August 2006| stage 1 | Charleroi - Charleroi - 130 km |  |
|---|
Delage gets things sorte
Mickaël Delage (FDJ) came out on top of a difficult stage that upset many favourites. This victory gave him the privilege of wearing the leader’s yellow jersey in front of his team-mate Monnerais.
The film of the stage
The 131 racers set off at 1:30 pm. On the agenda for this first stage were thirteen laps around the 10-km course from Charleroi to Montceau-sur-Sambre.
The race started getting lively as soon as the cyclists left the start line. The attacks came on like rapid fire and Mazet (AUB) quickly broke away from the peloton. He got progressively further ahead of Nordhaug (NOR) and Sonnery (FRA) and their counter-offence. After 10 km, Mazet finished the first lap, beating Nordhaug and Sonnery by 17’’ while the peloton came in at 30’’. At kilometre 13, the peloton caught up with the two would-be leaders and closed in on Mazet by 12’’. The pace quickened, and by kilometre 15, Mazet was no longer alone on top.
At this point, several groups battled for a place at the front, but no one took a significant lead. As the end of the second lap approached, Daenninck (FRA) broke ahead of the peloton, crossing the line with a 10’’ lead. His advantage reached 20’’ as he began to climb the Côte de Montceau-sur-Sambre. Mazet, with Remme (NOR) by his side, fixed his eyes on the lead man. At the top of the hill (km 22), Daenninck was 10” ahead of Mazet and Remme. But the peloton was hot on their trail.
A junction occurred with the approach of the sprint-bonification at kilometre 30. On the line, Delage (FDJ) got ahead of Ladagnous (FDJ) and Van der Linden (JAC), both at the head of the closely-knit peloton. In the 4th lap, Naibo (A2R), Gesink (RB3) and Kolesnikov (ODB) withdrew slightly. They were up to 15’’ ahead as they crossed the line, losing this advantage just after the end of the fourth lap.
Then a group of eleven racers broke away. Naibo, Gesink, Kolesnikov, Pardilla (VMC), Stubbe (JAC), Monnerais (FDJ), Clément (BTL), Gudsell (FDJ), Lazkano (ORB), Klyuev (ODB) and Boom (RB3) gained 5’’ on Duenas Nevado (AGR), Moinard (COF) and Kvachuk (UKR), with the peloton 35’’ behind. The three men were neck-and-neck, meeting the leader group at kilometre 50. At the top of Côte de Montceau-sur-Sambre, conquered for the second time at kilometre 52, Gesink took the lead ahead of Lazkano and Boom.
During the day’s second sprint-bonification at kilometre 60, Klyuev stole the lead away from Clément and Moinard. Mondory, Hovelynck and Mazet were at 10’’ while the peloton was at 40’’. The distance remained stable despite attempts at counter-attacks. The leaders arrived at the foot of Côte de Montceau-sur-Sambre (km 82) with a 35’’ advantage. At the top, Gesink raced ahead of Mazet and Duenas Nevado. The top group kept its lead as the peloton fell to pieces.
In the last sprint-bonification (km 90), Boom was victorious, ahead of Clément and Hovelynck. The newly formed peloton came in at 55’’. Bringing up the rear, Sprick (BTL) set his sights on the leader group, followed by Pauwels, Delage, Ladagnous and Gomes. These five men joined forces against the breakaway group, with no more than three laps remaining.
The counter-attacks were many but the lead cyclists resisted. In the last lap, Delage, Monnerais and Ladagnous stiffened the rhythm. The selection was gradual. As the finish line approached, Delage and Monnerais tried for a final sprint that truly made the difference. In the final minutes, Delage gained ground on his team-mate Monnerais and on Moinard. Delage took the leader’s yellow jersey and topped the point ranking, and Gesink earned the title of best climber.
The winner interview
DELAGE Mickaël (FRA - FRANCAISE DES JEUX)
“It feels great to be on top of the podium again. It’s been over a year and a half since I’ve won, so this is really satisfying. And this stage was truly difficult. What a surprise for the top leaders who already know they won’t win the Tour de l’Avenir. I won’t predict that I’ll win the race, but I’m going to do all I can to keep the yellow jersey as long as possible. But I’m not a climber, so the end of the race is going to be a real challenge.”