In short
| Stage winner | Stéphane BONSERGEN |
 |
Abdelati SAADOUNE |
 |
Lionel SYNE |
 |
Julien GONNET |
 |
Ahmed RASHAD |
 |
Gueswende SAWADOGO |
 |
Abdelati SAADOUNE |
| » Jerseys' description | |
All classifications
| Stage |
|---|
 |
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• Individual time |
|
| Overall |
|
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• Individual time • Individual points • Best team |
Stage by stage
| 1 | Wednesday 25 October | 91 km |
| Ouagadougou > Manga | ||
| 2 | Thursday 26 October | 121 km |
| Manga > (Pô) > Tiébélé | ||
| 3 | Friday 27 October | 140 km |
| Pô > Ouagadougou | ||
| 4 | Saturday 28 October | 129 km |
| Boussé > Ouahigouya | ||
| 5 | Sunday 29 October | 150 km |
| Yako > Ziniaré | ||
| 6 | Tuesday 31 October | 136 km |
| Kokologo > Boromo | ||
| 7 | Wednesday 1 November | 83.5 km |
| Bobo Dioulasso > Banfora | ||
| 8 | Thursday 2 November | 121 km |
| Bobo Dioulasso > Bobo Dioulasso | ||
| 9 | Friday 3 November | 115 km |
| Boromo > (Sabou) > Koudougou | ||
| 10 | Saturday 4 November | 96 km |
| Linoghin > Pouytenga | ||
| 11 | Sunday 5 November | 88 km |
| Loumbila (Barrage) > Ouagadougou | ||
| Total | 1270.5 km | |
The race
Saturday 28 October 2006| stage 4 | Boussé > Ouahigouya - 129 km |  |
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Brittany shines again
Morocco’s strategy to protect their leader Abdelati Saadoune is a perfect reference to French tale ‘the hair and the turtle’. “It is pointless to run just as long as you take off on timeâ€, wrote French poet Jean de la Fontaine. Something to think about for the many attackers on the day, kept under good control by the Moroccans. The final decisive move was however for Stéphane Bonsergent who on three occasions had the good idea of jumping in the good break in the final 25 kilometres. His last effort gave the Brittany team a second win on the Tour. Concerning the Moroccans, protecting their leader has a price to pay: exhausted Mohamed Er-Ragragui, finished his stage in hospital…
The film of the stage
No exit
The road north rapidly gave ideas to attacking riders. Tidiane Ouedraogo (Bur) and Boukaré Kagambega (Bur) launch the first move immediately after crossing the kilometre zero line. Without any success however. They were then copied by Kaboré (Bur), Barboza (Sen), and Fofana (Civ), who lived the same fate before even making it to kilometre ten. At kilometre 20, the Pattyn (Bel) – Conan (Fra / Bre) duo proved to be a bit more convincing but only enjoyed a 30’’ lead over the pack as they made it to the first intermediate sprint (km 26). Again, not good enough.
Kagambega insists
A few attempts later, three riders managed to work together and build a decent gap on the pack. Boukaré Kagambega, Thiam (Sen) and Diop (Sen) took off rapidly followed buy a group of counter-attackers (km 49). Young Kagambega probably felt claustrophobic and decided to try his chance on his own. He even distanced the pack with a 1’10’’ advantage but his breakaway companions insisted to keep him in their group. He eventually started working out with Abduaziz (Egy) and Pattyn.
Morocco controls
Despite the efforts deployed, the adventurers were faced with the harsh reality of the moment: Morocco wouldn’t let the slightest rider enjoy a too long break. The philosophy of the yellow jersey holder’s team mates seemed clear. They were ready to insure a high pace tempo in the leadership of the pack to make sure the gaps remained acceptable. The strategy worked out and indeed all the riders bunched up together again at kilometre 80.
A four-man sprint
With less than forty kilometres to go before the finish, Saadoune’s army could consider than the biggest part of the work had been done for the day. It was indeed possible to let some escapees take off and that’s exactly what happened when a group of thirteen riders broke away. Among this group, Thiam (Sen), Bonsergent (Fra / Bre), Verdonck (Bel) and Abdul Wahab Sawadogo (Bur) felt it was time to give it a go with 25 kilometres remaining. While their former companions were rapidly caught back by the main field, a four-man battle started preparing. In the final 100 metres, Bonsergent answered Verdonck’s attack. He eventually gave Brittany its second success of this Tour du Faso.
LE MAGAZINE
Herman, “the Burkinabelgian’’
In Ouaga like in Bobo, Herman Beysens is known as being the “most Burkinabé of Belgiansâ€. A professional rider back in the seventies, he competed seven times in the Tour de France and was the team mate of Eddy Merckx and Freddy Martens… an honourable CV. It was however when becoming a sporting director than his real nature was revealed. Since 1997, Herman has taken part in every single edition of the Tour du Faso at the head of the Belgian team: the surprising meeting between a man and a country.
Thanks to you, Belgium has been the most regular of all the European countries competing in the Tour du Faso. What started it?
In 1997, I was the owner of a restaurant and a rider called Marc Laureys came to ask me if I wanted to take care of a team competing in the Tour du Faso that was to take place a week later. At the time, I had like many people a stupid and wrong idea of what the Africans were like. He gave me five minutes to decide and still wanted to give it a go. To see… Than the day I arrived in Burkina, my life changed. During the first minutes I told myself: “this is the place where I was bornâ€.
Between you and Burkina, it’s more than just a cycling story…
Now I come three or four times every year and I take friends of mine who are business men and who help me finance drillings to allow villages to have water. When we choose a village there is always someone who finds the place were we need to dig thanks to a water diviner stick. It’s unreal, and they’re never wrong! Then we have engineers come in to build the wells. Last year, we, for instance, had one built in Kombissiri, the village of Saïdou Rouamba. I promise that until I die, I will come to have six drillings a year made for this country.
On a sporting point of view, your riders have never managed to win in ten years despite managing good performances in each edition. A real losing machine?
During the first years I didn’t come here with competitive teams. It’s been slightly different for the past three or four years although we’ve only just missed out on final victory. But to be honest when the win goes to a rider from Burkina it doesn’t bother me at all. I’m still happy just winning stages and seeing my guys share my passion. That is why, for instance, I only accept riders who are ready to pay for their plane tickets. Despite all that, if one day one pf them triumphs, I would be the happiest of individuals.