Tour de France week 1 wrap up

July 9, 2005

Stage 1 - Fromentine - Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile 19.0km Individual Time Trial
1. David Zabriskie (USA) Team CSC                             20:51 2. Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel                    0:02 3. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan) T-Mobile                 0:53

David Zabriskie dominates the course and the competition to edge out Armstrong by 2 seconds. Most of Armstrong's challengers finish over a minute down. Jan Ullrich is demoralised by having Lance, who started 1 minute after him, catch and overtake him.

Stage 2 - Challans - Les Essarts 181.5km
1. Tom Boonen (Belgium) Quick.Step                         3:51:31 2. Thor Hushovd (Norway) Credit Agricole                      s.t.                                        3. Robbie McEwen (Australia) Davitamon-Lotto                   s.t.

Tom Boonen dominates the first bunch sprint of this years Tour as he powered away to finish a bike length in front of his two biggest rivals for the Green Points Jersey in Hushovd and McEwen.

Stage 3 - La Chataigneraie - Tours 212.5km
1. Tom Boonen (Belgium) Quick.Step                         4:36:09 2. Peter Wrolich (Austria) Gerolsteiner                       s.t.  3. Stuart O'Grady (Australia) Cofidis                          s.t.

Robbie McEwen crossed the line in third place but was relegated to last place after the Jury of Commissaires examined the finish in which McEwen had leaned on fellow Australian heavily with his arm and head at over 60 km/h. Tom Boonen wins easily in front of Peter Wrolich and O'Grady.

Stage 4 - Tours - Blois 67.5km Team Time Trial
1. Discovery Channel                                       1:10:39 2. Team CSC                                                   0:02 3. T-Mobile                                                   0:35

Discovery Channel takes the stage and Lance pulls on the maillot jaune (yellow jersey) for the first time this year after Dave Zabriskie from Danish Team CSC crashs within the last couple of kilometres of the stage. Team CSC had been 6 seconds in front of Discovery at the 45.8km time check in Onzain.

Stage 5 - Chambord - Montargis 183.0km
1. Robbie McEwen (Australia) Davitamon-Lotto               3:46:00 2. Tom Boonen (Belgium) Quick.Step                            s.t.  3. Thor Hushovd (Norway) Credit Agricole                       s.t.

Robbie McEwen edges out rival Tom Boonen by half a wheels length. His victory is a consolation after being relegated in Stage 3 putting him behind in the chase for the sprinters Green Jersey.

Stage 6 - Troyes - Nancy 199.0km
1. Lorenzo Bernucci (Italy) Fassa Bortolo                  4:12:52 2. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan) T-Mobile                 s.t.  3. Robert Förster (Germany) Gerolsteiner                       0:07

A stage dominated by rain and a 175km breakaway by veteran Frenchman Christophe Mengin of the Francaise des Jeux team. Mengin bravely held on to a narrow lead of about 10 seconds as the peleton approached the final kilometre. Bernucci and Vinokourov attacked just prior to this point and had almost bridged the gap when Mengin went down in a slippery right hand bend. Bernucci avoided Mengin and stayed upright, while Vinokourov slowed and pulled a foot from his pedals. As the peleton rounded the same corner almost all of the 20 riders in the peleton went down. Bernucci held on to take out the first win of his pro career, while Vinokourov got his foot back in and maintained his second place. Vinokourov efforts enable him to gain a 7 second time split plus a time bonus of 12 second moving him up in to third in the General Classification.

Stage 7 - Lunéville - Karlsruhe 228.5km
1. Robbie McEwen (Australia) Davitamon-Lotto               5:03:45 2. Magnus Backstedt (Sweden) Liquigas-Bianchi                 s.t.  3. Bernard Eisel (Austria) Francaise des Jeux                  s.t. Australian Robbie McEwen wins his second stage of this years Tour winning in a long straight bunch sprint in Karlruhe in Germany. The win levels the score between Robbie and Tom Boonen each with 2 stage wins so far. Earlier in the day Fabian Wegmann a German on German team Gerolsteiner lead a solo breakaway from the peleton to pick up points in the King of the Mountains competition. Even though he was caught by the pack before the finish it was a successful day for Wegmann as he claimed the polka dot jersey for the King of the Mountains leader and also lead the tour as it pass over the border into to Germany. The tour returns into France today with the stage finishing in Gerardmer.

Tour de France