In short
| Stage winner | Hans DEKKERS |
 (yellow/white jersey) |
Cyrille MONNERAIS |
 (green/white jersey) |
Cyrille MONNERAIS |
 (red polka dotted jersey) |
Wesley VAN DER LINDEN |
All classifications
| Stage |
|---|
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• Individual time• Individual points • Best climber • Best team |
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| Overall |
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• 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
Saturday 2 September 2006| stage 3 | Mont-Saint-Martin - Moyeuvre-Grande - 144.5 km |  |
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Dekkers, the survivor
Mont-Saint-Martin – Moyeuvre-Grande (144.5 km). Start at 12:57 pm for 130 racers. On the agenda: four 4th and 3rd category climbs and 3 sprint-bonifications. Dekkers won the third stage after a massive sprint marked by a theatrical collective fall. Monnerais kept the Yellow Jersey.
The film of the stage
The hostilities were high from kilometre 0. Khatuntsev (RUS), followed by Sonnery (FRA), Van der Linden (JAC), Claeys (UBD) and Remme (NOR) decided to take the race personally. These five men quickly got ahead of the peloton, which already lagged by 1’45’’ at kilometre 12.5. Zubero (ORB), behind by 35’’, counterattacked. At kilometre 15, he joined the breakaway group, an indication of how the race would play out.
The front of the peloton saw clearer positions and more ambitious pursuit. The six leaders’ advantage quickly disintegrated. They arrived in Pierrepont (km 26) with no more than a 45’ lead, but at the top of the Côte de Pierrepont (km 29.5), the breakaway group, led by Van der Linden, Khatuntsev and Remme, was 1’10 ahead. Pushed by the downhill advantage, their advantage shot to 3’10 in Ville-au-Montois (km 33).
The breakaways stayed close together. As the sprint-bonification approached in Villers-la-Montagne (km 45), they had a 4’50 difference. Zubero crossed the line ahead of Van der Linden and Sonnery while the peloton lagged by 5’20. At the top of the Côte de Hussigny-Godbrange (km 50), the peloton’s lag seemed more stable at 5’40, but Van der Linden took the lead once again from Khatuntsev and Remme. The episode was repeated at the top of the Côte de Villerupt (km 58.5).
As it exited the refreshment area, the peloton picked up its pace, drawn out into a single-file line by the Cofidis and Rabobank teams. The peloton got closer, with only a 4’45 disadvantage, but some of the trailing cyclists had trouble keeping up the chase rhythm. During the Mont-Bonvillers sprint-bonification (km 82), Zubero took three points for first place, followed by Khatuntsev and Claeys. They were 2’25 ahead of the front of the peloton, followed by a second group at 35’’. At the head of the race, the breakaways lost more of their lead: 1’20 at kilometre 86.5, 1’ in Mairy (km 88.5) and 50’’ in Tucquegnieux (km 90).
As they entered Trieux (km 96) Claeys focused on his attack, quickly recovering some thirty seconds while the peloton got back together. In the Trieux sprint-bonification, Claeys took the lead, 20’’ ahead of Zubero and Van der Linden at the front of the peloton. These two then caught up with Claeys, but were passed themselves at kilometre 97.
Thanks to this regrouping, several racers tried to break ahead. But the peloton was prepared for all of their attacks. The peloton first crossed the line as a group, despite many breakaway attempts. The pace remained extremely quick. Gesink (RB3), at the top of the mountain ranking, passed Monnerais (FDJ) wearing the Yellow Jersey, Monfort (COF) and Sprick at the top of the Côte des Gayes (km 110.5).
At kilometre 115, Mestre (POR) slipped ahead of the peloton, taking a 15’’ lead until Daenninck (FRA) and Myhre (NOR) caught up with him. The three men shared a 35’’ advantage. Behind them, Hagen (Nor) tried his solitary counter-attack, but the peloton was unyielding, regrouping five kilometres from the finish line. This set off multiple attacks, but the peloton pedalled at lightning pace, with a determination that focused on the sprint.
At 500 metres from the finish, the heavyweight sprinters took the lead with Haddou (AUB), Farrar (Cof), Caethoven (JAC) and Dekkers (AGR) on top. But sprints are unique trials, and sometimes that can be dangerous. One hundred metres from the finish, one lead position racer fell, taking the rest of the peloton down with him. Dekkers slipped through the cracks to win the stage.
No changes in the general ranking: Monnerais kept the yellow and green jerseys, and Gesink remained best climber.
The winner interview
I was five centimetres away from falling myself
This was my first sprint of the season after I was injured in the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque, so I’m happy I came out on top. It was a really close call. I think I was about five centimetres away from falling myself. I ended up winning, but I wish it could’ve happened under different circumstances.