Alexandre Vinokourov
Robbie McEwen
Koldo Gil
Thomas Dekker
Today's break:
Brard, Wiggins, Astarloa, Brouzes, Haselbacher, Gritters, Vansevant, Verbist, Cumming, Thomas and Bak.
Quick Step were not so keen to chase today, but still managed to sacrifice Boonen before the finish, as he was dropped. As the sprint began to build up, Zabel lost his footing and crashed, wreaking carnage through the pack. Chicchi did his best to take down Vinokourov:
But had to settle for the Lampre rider, Julich instead.
Thomas Dekker was one of the casualties:
As was Andrei Kashechkin and George Hincapie (the Ag2r rider stood up)
Kashechkin was the last man from the peleton to fall, but not the last to fall. Boonen and Chainel (Auber rider who later abandoned) went down, as did Cadel Evans who was riding home with Alberto Contador. Contador did not fall but was still disappointing as he could not keep up with those who had crashed once they had gotten going again.
Up front, Petacchi was rueing the breakaway:
Igor Astarloa was not though:
Despite only being the 2nd strongest sprinter (Haselbacher was better on paper), Astarloa took a comfortable victory. So all round a good day for Milram: Zabel took out some of Leipheimer's rivals and Astarloa won the stage.
1
Igor Astarloa
TEAM MILRAM
4h17'58
2
René Haselbacher
ASTANÁ
+ 22
3
Lars Ytting Bak
TEAM CSC
s.t.
4
Wim Vansevenant
PREDICTOR - LOTTO
s.t.
5
Bradley Wiggins
COFIDIS, LE CRÉDIT PAR TÉLÉPHONE
s.t.
6
Evert Verbist
LIQUIGAS
s.t.
7
Alessandro Petacchi
T-MOBILE TEAM
s.t.
8
Steven Cummings
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
s.t.
9
Stuart O'Grady
FRANÇAISE DES JEUX
s.t.
10
Filippo Pozzato
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE
s.t.
11
Thor Hushovd
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
s.t.
12
Baden Cooke
UNIBET.COM
s.t.
13
Niels Brouzes
AUBER 93
s.t.
14
Daniele Bennati
LAMPRE - FONDITAL
s.t.
15
Luca Paolini
LIQUIGAS
s.t.
16
Robbie McEwen
QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC
s.t.
17
Oscar Freire
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
s.t.
18
Magnus Bäckstedt
PREDICTOR - LOTTO
s.t.
19
Bernhard Eisel
T-MOBILE TEAM
s.t.
20
Bradley McGee
FRANÇAISE DES JEUX
s.t.
21
Francisco Ventoso
SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR
s.t.
22
Jean-Patrick Nazon
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE
s.t.
23
Vicente Reynès
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
s.t.
24
Ricardo Van der Velde
PREDICTOR - LOTTO
s.t.
25
Aleksandr Kuchinski
LIQUIGAS
s.t.
26
Andreas Klier
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
s.t.
27
Greg Van Avermaet
PREDICTOR - LOTTO
s.t.
28
Juan-Antonio Flecha
LIQUIGAS
s.t.
29
Claudio Corioni
LAMPRE - FONDITAL
s.t.
30
Maximiliano Richeze
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
s.t.
31
Marco Zanotti
UNIBET.COM
s.t.
32
Magno Nazaret
PREDICTOR - LOTTO
s.t.
33
Giuliano Figueras
LAMPRE - FONDITAL
s.t.
34
Peter Van Petegem
T-MOBILE TEAM
s.t.
35
Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver
ASTANÁ
s.t.
36
Sergei Ivanov
COFIDIS, LE CRÉDIT PAR TÉLÉPHONE
s.t.
37
Sylvain Calzati
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE
s.t.
38
Matthias Kessler
UNIBET.COM
s.t.
39
Frédéric Guesdon
FRANÇAISE DES JEUX
s.t.
40
Egoi Martínez de Esteban
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
s.t.
41
Steven De Jongh
QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC
s.t.
42
Thomas Berkhout
RABOBANK CONTINENTAL
s.t.
43
Leif Hoste
LAMPRE - FONDITAL
s.t.
44
Sylvain Chavanel
COFIDIS, LE CRÉDIT PAR TÉLÉPHONE
s.t.
45
Carlos Castaño
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
s.t.
46
Cédric Vasseur
QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC
s.t.
47
Paolo Tiralongo
LAMPRE - FONDITAL
s.t.
48
Stijn Devolder
COFIDIS, LE CRÉDIT PAR TÉLÉPHONE
s.t.
49
Chris Horner
PREDICTOR - LOTTO
s.t.
50
David Moncoutié
COFIDIS, LE CRÉDIT PAR TÉLÉPHONE
s.t.
118
Marco Marzano
LAMPRE - FONDITAL
+ 3'26
119
Kyle Gritters
HEALTH NET PRESENTED BY MAXXIS
s.t.
120
José Antonio Pecharroman
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
s.t.
121
Andrei Kashechkin
UNIBET.COM
s.t.
122
Allan Davis
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
s.t.
123
George Hincapie
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE
s.t.
124
László Bodrogi
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
s.t.
125
Thomas Dekker
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
s.t.
126
Bobby Julich
LAMPRE - FONDITAL
s.t.
127
Samuel Dumoulin
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE
s.t.
128
Sylwester Szmyd
LAMPRE - FONDITAL
s.t.
129
Gianpaolo Caruso
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
s.t.
130
Erik Zabel
TEAM MILRAM
s.t.
131
Olaf Pollack
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
s.t.
132
Gert Steegmans
QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC
s.t.
133
Ivan Parra Pinto
COFIDIS, LE CRÉDIT PAR TÉLÉPHONE
s.t.
134
Tadej Valjavec
LAMPRE - FONDITAL
s.t.
135
Steffen Wesemann
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
s.t.
136
Matteo Carrara
UNIBET.COM
s.t.
137
Axel Merckx
T-MOBILE TEAM
s.t.
138
Fabian Cancellara
BOUYGUES TELECOM
s.t.
139
Martin Elmiger
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE
s.t.
140
José Rujano
BOUYGUES TELECOM
s.t.
141
Marcel Sieberg
TEAM MILRAM
s.t.
142
Saul Raisin
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
s.t.
143
Aurélien Clerc
BOUYGUES TELECOM
s.t.
144
Gonzalo Rabuñal
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
s.t.
145
Tom Steels
PREDICTOR - LOTTO
s.t.
146
David Navarro
ASTANÁ
s.t.
147
José Antonio Redondo
ASTANÁ
s.t.
148
Óscar Solis
BOUYGUES TELECOM
s.t.
149
Francesco Chicchi
LIQUIGAS
s.t.
150
Tom Boonen
QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC
s.t.
151
Alberto Contador
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE
+ 5'17
152
Brett Lancaster
TEAM MILRAM
+ 5'46
153
Sandy Casar
FRANÇAISE DES JEUX
s.t.
154
Cadel Evans
FRANÇAISE DES JEUX
s.t.
Theo Bos and John Murphy are battling for the Lanterne rouge and finished over 10 minutes after Evans.