Tour de France 2006/1. stage

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Result of the 1st stage
Stage winner Jimmy Casper 4:10:00 h
(44.280 km / h)
Second Robbie McEwen equal time
Third Erik Zabel equal time
Fourth Daniele Bennati equal time
fifth Luca Paolini equal time
Sixth Isaac Gálvez equal time
seventh Stuart O'Grady equal time
Eighth Bernhard Eisel equal time
Ninth Thor Hushovd equal time
Tenth Óscar Freire equal time
Most combative driver Walter Bénéteau
Intermediate results after the 1st stage
Yellow jersey George Hincapie 4:18:15 h
Second Thor Hushovd + 0:02 min
Third David Zabriskie + 0:06 min
Green jersey Jimmy Casper 35 p.
Second Thor Hushovd 32 p.
Third Robbie McEwen 30 p.
Dotted jersey Fabian Wegmann 3 p.
Second Matthieu Sprick 2 p.
Third Unai Etxebarria 1 P.
White jersey Benoît Vaugrenard 4:18:26 h
Second Joost Posthuma + 0:07 min
Third Markus Fothen + 0:09 min
Team evaluation Discovery Channel 12:55:16 h
Second Team CSC + 0:01 min
Third T-Mobile team + 0:07 min

The 1st stage of the Tour de France 2006 on July 2nd consisted of a 184.5 km circuit around Strasbourg . The route also ran 21 km over German territory (between Offenburg and Kehl ).

The race was shaped by a top group that had formed shortly after the start and consisted of seven drivers. Eight kilometers from the finish, however, on the Kehler Rhine bridge, the last runaway Walter Bénéteau was overtaken by the field. In the mass sprint for the stage win, the French Jimmy Casper came out on top rather surprisingly .

Thanks to two bonus seconds in the last sprint classification in Kehl, George Hincapie secured the lead in the overall classification. The previous overall first Thor Hushovd sustained a deep cut on the arm shortly before the finish because a spectator had held an advertising object over the barrier.

Intermediate sprints

1st intermediate sprint in Saverne (53 km)

First Benoît Vaugrenard 6 p. And 6 s
Second Walter Bénéteau 4 p. And 4 s
Third Unai Etxebarria 2 P. and 2 s

2nd intermediate sprint in Plobsheim (137 km)

First Walter Bénéteau 6 p. And 6 s
Second Benoît Vaugrenard 4 p. And 4 s
Third Matthieu Sprick 2 P. and 2 s

3rd intermediate sprint in Kehl (175.5 km)

First Walter Bénéteau 6 p. And 6 s
Second Sébastien Hinault 4 p. And 4 s
Third George Hincapie 2 P. and 2 s

Mountain ratings

Côte de Heiligenstein , category 4 (101.5 km)

First Fabian Wegmann 3 p.
Second Matthieu Sprick 2 p.
Third Unai Etxebarria 1 P.