2006 Giro d'Italia

The 2006 Giro d'Italia was the 89th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro began in the Belgian city of Seraing with a 6.2 km (3.9 mi) individual time trial. The race came to a close with a 140 km (87.0 mi) mass-start road stage that stretched from Museo del Ghisallo to Milan. Twenty two teams entered the race that was won by the Italian Ivan Basso of the Team CSC team.[1] Second and third were the Spain José Enrique Gutiérrez and Italian Gilberto Simoni.[1]

2006 Giro d'Italia
2006 UCI ProTour, race 12 of 27
Overview of the stages:
route from Seraing, in Belgium, to Milan covered by the riders on the bicycle (red)
and distances between stages (green).
Race details
Dates6 – 28 May
Stages21
Distance3,526.2 km (2,191 mi)
Winning time91h 33' 36"
Results
Winner  Ivan Basso (ITA) (Team CSC)
  Second  José Enrique Gutiérrez (ESP) (Phonak)
  Third  Gilberto Simoni (ITA) (Saunier Duval–Prodir)
Points  Paolo Bettini (ITA) (Quick-Step–Innergetic)
Mountains  Juan Manuel Gárate (ESP) (Quick-Step–Innergetic)
Combination  Paolo Savoldelli (ITA) (Discovery Channel)
  Combativity  Paolo Bettini (ITA) (Quick-Step–Innergetic)
  Team Phonak
  Team points Phonak

Basso, riding for Team CSC, won the Giro in dominant fashion.[2] Basso won three individual stages, as well as the team time trial, along with his fellow Team CSC riders, and won the overall classification by more than 9 minutes over the next best rider, the largest margin of victory in a Grand Tour in the last three years.

In the other classifications that the race awarded, Paolo Bettini of the Quick-Step–Innergetic team won the points classification, Quick Step-Innergetic rider Juan Manuel Gárate won the mountains classification, and Paolo Savoldelli of the Discovery Channel won the combination classification.[1] Phonak finished as the winners of the Trofeo Fast Team classification, ranking each of the twenty-two teams contesting the race by lowest cumulative time.[1] The other team classification, the Trofeo Super Team classification, where the teams' riders are awarded points for placing within the top twenty in each stage and the points are then totaled for each team was also won by Phonak.[1]

Teams
For a more comprehensive list, see List of teams and cyclists in the 2006 Giro d'Italia.

Twenty-two teams contested the 2006 Giro. Since it was a UCI ProTour event, the 20 ProTour teams were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad. Race officials also invited two other teams. Each team sent a squad of nine riders, giving the race a 198-man peloton at its outset.

The 22 that competed in the race were:

Route and stages

The 2006 Giro opened, and had its first 4 stages in the South-East of Belgium in the Wallonia region. The Giro organisers chose to locate the opening in this region as a homage to the thousands of Italians who moved to the region following the end of World War II in order to find jobs in the coal mines of the area. It is estimated that as many as 300'000 Belgians of Italian origin live in this area. The 2006 Giro commemorated the deaths of 136 Italian miners who died in the 1956 Bois du Cazier mine disaster.[3]

The race introduced a team time trial stage upon its arrival in Italy. This discipline had been absent from the Giro since edition 1989. It also included 56.2 km (34.9 mi) of individual time trials, distributed between the prologue and the long time trial at Pontedera.

It also featured famous climbs, such as the steep Mortirolo and the Monte Bondone. There were plans to visit Plan de Corones for the first time; however, bad weather prevented the unpaved climb from being used. It instead saw its debut in the Giro d'Italia in 2008.

Stage Date Course[4] Distance Type Winner
1 6 May Seraing (Belgium) 6.2 km (3.9 mi) Individual time trial  Paolo Savoldelli (ITA)
2 7 May Mons (Belgium) to Charleroi (Belgium) 197 km (122 mi) Flat stage  Robbie McEwen (AUS)
3 8 May Perwez (Belgium) to Namur (Belgium) 202 km (126 mi) Undulating stage  Stefan Schumacher (GER)
4 9 May Wanze (Belgium) to Hotton (Belgium) 193 km (120 mi) Flat stage  Robbie McEwen (AUS)
10 May Rest day
5 11 May Piacenza to Cremona 38 km (24 mi) Team time trial Team CSC
6 12 May Busseto to Forlì 227 km (141 mi) Flat stage  Robbie McEwen (AUS)
7 13 May Cesena to Saltara 236 km (147 mi) Medium mountain stage  Rik Verbrugghe (BEL)
8 14 May Civitanova Marche to Maielletta 171 km (106 mi) Medium mountain stage  Ivan Basso (ITA)
9 15 May Francavilla al Mare to Termoli 121 km (75 mi) Flat stage  Tomas Vaitkus (LTU)
10 16 May Termoli to Peschici 187 km (116 mi) Undulating stage  Franco Pellizotti (ITA)
17 May Rest day
11 18 May Pontedera 50 km (31 mi) Individual time trial  Jan Ullrich (GER)[N 1]
12 19 May Livorno to Sestri Levante 171 km (106 mi) Undulating stage  Joan Horrach (ESP)
13 20 May Alessandria to La Thuile 218 km (135 mi) Medium mountain stage  Leonardo Piepoli (ITA)
14 21 May Aosta to Domodossola 223 km (139 mi) Mountain stage  Luis Felipe Laverde (COL)
15 22 May Mergozzo to Brescia 189 km (117 mi) Flat stage  Paolo Bettini (ITA)
16 23 May Rovato to Trento 173 km (107 mi) Medium mountain stage  Ivan Basso (ITA)
17 24 May Tramin to Plan de Corones 133 km (83 mi) Mountain stage  Leonardo Piepoli (ITA)
18 25 May Sillian to Gemona del Friuli 210 km (130 mi) Undulating stage  Stefan Schumacher (GER)
19 26 May Pordenone to Passo di San Pellegrino 224 km (139 mi) Mountain stage  Juan Manuel Gárate (ESP)
20 27 May Trento to Aprica 211 km (131 mi) Mountain stage  Ivan Basso (ITA)
21 28 May Museo del Ghisallo to Milan 140 km (87 mi) Flat stage  Robert Förster (GER)
Total 3,526.2 km (2,191 mi)

Classification leadership
Lampre rider Evgeni Petrov riding on the slopes of the Passo di Gavia.

In the 2006 Giro d'Italia, four different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on mass start stages, the leader received a pink jersey. This classification is considered the most important of the Giro d'Italia, and the winner is considered the winner of the Giro.[7]

Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a mauve jersey. In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing in the top 15 in a stage. The stage win awarded 25 points, second place awarded 20 points, third 16, fourth 14, fifth 12, sixth 10, and one point less per place down the line, to a single point for 15th. In addition, some points could be won in intermediate sprints.[7]

There was also a mountains classification, which awarded a green jersey. In the mountains classifications, points were won by reaching the top of a mountain before other cyclists. Each climb was categorized, either first, second, or third category, with more points available for the higher-categorized climbs. The highest point in the Giro (called the Cima Coppi), which in 2006 was the Passo di Gavia in stage 20, afforded still more points than the other first-category climbs.[7]

The fourth was the combination classification, which awarded a blue jersey. In the combination classification, the top 15 placed riders each day in the general, points, mountains, and 110 Gazzetta classifications earned points, 15 for first and one point less per place down the line, to a single point for 15th. These points were tallied throughout the Giro.[8]

There were also two classifications for teams. The first was the Trofeo Fast Team. In this classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage are added, and the team with the lowest time is leading team. The Trofeo Super Team was a team points classification, with the top 20 placed riders on each stage earning points (20 for first place, 19 for second place and so on, down to a single point for 20th) for their team.[7]

Classification leadership by stage
Stage Winner General classification
 Points classification
 Mountains classification
 Combination classification
 Trofeo Fast Team Trofeo Super Team
1 Paolo Savoldelli Paolo Savoldelli Paolo Savoldelli Paolo Savoldelli Paolo Savoldelli Discovery Channel not awarded
2 Robbie McEwen T-Mobile Team
3 Stefan Schumacher Stefan Schumacher Stefan Schumacher Moisés Aldape Davitamon–Lotto
4 Robbie McEwen Robbie McEwen Sandy Casar
5 Team CSC Serhiy Honchar T-Mobile Team
6 Robbie McEwen Olaf Pollack
7 Rik Verbrugghe Serhiy Honchar Staf Scheirlinckx Discovery Channel
8 Ivan Basso Ivan Basso Ivan Basso
9 Tomas Vaitkus
10 Franco Pellizotti Liquigas
11 Jan Ullrich[N 1] Discovery Channel T-Mobile Team
12 Joan Horrach
13 Leonardo Piepoli Paolo Bettini Discovery Channel
14 Luis Felipe Laverde Fortunato Baliani Phonak Ceramica Panaria–Navigare
15 Paolo Bettini
16 Ivan Basso Ivan Basso Phonak
17 Leonardo Piepoli Ivan Basso
18 Stefan Schumacher Paolo Bettini
19 Juan Manuel Gárate Fortunato Baliani
20 Ivan Basso Ivan Basso Juan Manuel Gárate
21 Robert Förster Paolo Bettini
Final Ivan Basso Paolo Bettini Juan Manuel Gárate Paolo Savoldelli Phonak Phonak

Final standings
Legend
     Denotes the winner of the General classification[1][9]      Denotes the winner of the Mountains classification[1][10]
     Denotes the winner of the Points classification[1][11]      Denotes the winner of the Combination classification[1][12]

Minor classifications

Other less well-known classifications, whose leaders did not receive a special jersey, were awarded during the Giro. Other awards included the Combativity classification, which was a compilation of points gained for position on crossing intermediate sprints, mountain passes and stage finishes.[7][13] Italian Paolo Bettini won the Most Combative classification.[1][14] Bettini also won the 110 Gazzetta classification.[1][15] The Azzurri d'Italia classification was based on finishing order, but points were awarded only to the top three finishers in each stage.[7] Ivan Basso won the Azzurri d'Italia classification.[1][16] The Trofeo Fuga Piaggio classification rewarded riders who took part in a breakaway at the head of the field, each rider in an escape of ten or fewer riders getting one point for each kilometre that the group stayed clear.[7] The classification was won by Christophe Edaleine.[1][17] Teams were given penalty points for minor technical infringements.[7] Ceramica Panaria–Navigare were most successful in avoiding penalties, and so won the Fair Play classification.[1][18]

References

Footnotes
  1. Jan Ullrich was the original winner of stage 11 but was later disqualified after the Court of Arbitration for Sports disqualified Ullrich's results from May 2005 on after having tested positive for performance enhancing drugs.[5][6]

Citations
  1. Anthony Tan (2006-05-28). ""Seven key moments"; Mission 1 of 2 complete". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  2. Gene Bisbee (28 May 2006). "No surprise: Ivan Basso wins Giro d'Italia; Tour de France is next?". Biking Bis. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  3. Tim Maloney (2005-11-13). "After Belgian antipasto, 2006 Giro has molto mountains for a tough climbers tour". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
  4. "Giro Tappe" [Giro Stages] (PDF). La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2005-05-03. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
  5. "Jan Ullrich found guilty of an anti-doping rule violation by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS)" (PDF). Press Release. Court of Arbitration for Sport. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  6. "Jan Ullrich given two-year ban from CAS". Cyclingnews. Future Publishing limited. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  7. Laura Weislo and Tim Maloney (2007-05-18). "Giro d'Italia classifications demystified". Cycling News. Archived from the original on 8 January 2010. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
  8. "Giro d'Italia 2006 Regolamento" (PDF). La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). RCS Sport. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
  9. "Classifica generale" [General Classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  10. "Classifica GPM Generale" [Mountains Classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  11. "Classifica a punti generale" [Points Classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  12. "Classifica Grancombinata generale" [Combination Classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  13. Riche, Antoine (23 May 2006). "Les classements du Giro" (in French). CyclisMag. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  14. "Classifica combattività generale" [Combativity Classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  15. "Classifica 110 Generale" [110 Gazzetta classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  16. "Class. azzurri d'italia generale" [Azzurri d'Italia classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  17. "Fuga piaggio generale" [Trofeo Fuga Piaggio]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  18. "Classifica FAIR PLAY" [Fair Play Classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
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