The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd edition of the prestigious cycling race, and it took place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. The race covered a total distance of approximately 3,547 kilometers (2,205 miles) and consisted of 21 stages, including prologue and time trial stages.
- Prologue in Strasbourg: The race kicked off with a 7.1-kilometer individual time trial in Strasbourg, France. Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara won the prologue and wore the yellow jersey as the overall leader.
- Winner: Initially, Floyd Landis was declared the winner of the 2006 Tour de France. However, due to a doping scandal, Landis was later disqualified, and the victory was awarded to Óscar Pereiro, a Spanish cyclist who had finished second.
- Disqualification of Floyd Landis: Floyd Landis, the American cyclist who originally won the 2006 Tour de France, faced doping allegations. He tested positive for synthetic testosterone after an exceptional performance in Stage 17. Subsequently, Landis was stripped of his title, and the victory was given to Pereiro.
- Margin of Victory: The statement notes that, by the margin of victory, the 2006 Tour de France was the third closest of all time. This suggests that the competition for the overall victory was closely contested among the leading riders.
The 2006 Tour de France will be remembered for its drama, Landis’ comeback, and subsequent doping controversies that impacted the final standings.
Yellow Jersey, Green Jersey, Polka Dot Jersey and White Jersey
The winners of the main jerseys in the 2006 Tour de France were as follows:
- Yellow Jersey (Overall Leader):
- Initially, Floyd Landis won the yellow jersey, but he was later disqualified due to a doping scandal.
- The title was subsequently awarded to Óscar Pereiro, who finished second in the original standings.
- Green Jersey (Points Classification):
- Robbie McEwen from Australia won the green jersey. The green jersey is awarded to the rider who accumulates the most points in the sprint stages and intermediate sprints throughout the race.
- Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains):
- Michael Rasmussen from Denmark won the polka dot jersey. The polka dot jersey is awarded to the rider who earns the most points in the mountain stages, based on their performance in climbs and summit finishes.
- White Jersey (Best Young Rider):
- Damiano Cunego from Italy won the white jersey. The white jersey is awarded to the best-placed rider under the age of 25 in the general classification.
Overall Ranking – Tour de France 2006:
The overall top 10 riders in the 2006 Tour de France, before the disqualification of Floyd Landis and the subsequent reassignment of the standings, were as follows:
1.Floyd Landis (United States) – Disqualified
1. Óscar Pereiro (Spain) – Later declared the winner after Landis’ disqualification
2. Andreas Klöden (Germany)
3. Carlos Sastre (Spain)
4. Cadel Evans (Australia)
5. Denis Menchov (Russia)
6. Cyril Dessel (France)
7. Christophe Moreau (France)
8. Haimar Zubeldia (Spain)
9. Michael Rogers (Australia)
10. Fränk Schleck (Loxenbourg)
Stage Winners – Tour de France 2006:
Here is a list of the stage winners in the 2006 Tour de France:
- Prologue: Thor Hushovd (Norway)
- Stage 1: Jimmy Casper (France)
- Stage 2: Robbie McEwen (Australia)
- Stage 3: Matthias Kessler (Germany)
- Stage 4: Robbie McEwen (Australia)
- Stage 5: Óscar Freire (Spain)
- Stage 6: Robbie McEwen (Australia)
- Stage 7: Serhiy Honchar (Ukraine)
- Stage 8: Sylvain Calzati (France)
- Stage 9: Óscar Freire (Spain)
- Stage 10 (Individual Time Trial): Juan Miguel Mercado (Spain)
- Stage 11: Denis Menchov (Russia)
- Stage 12: Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine)
- Stage 13: Jens Voigt (Germany)
- Stage 14: Pierrick Fédrigo (France)
- Stage 15: Fränk Schleck (Luxembourg)
- Stage 16: Michael Rasmussen (Denmark)
- Stage 17: Carlos Sastre (Spain) – Floyd Landis was disqualified
- Stage 18: Matteo Tosatto (Italy)
- Stage 19: Serhiy Honchar (Ukraine)
- Stage 20: Thor Hushovd (Norway)
Click here to remember who the winners of the Tour de France 2007 were.
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