2006 Tour de France
Rank Rider Team Points
1 Robbie McEwen ( AUS ) Davitamon-Lotto 288
2 Erik Zabel ( GER ) Team Milram 199
3 Thor Hushovd ( NOR ) Crédit Agricole 195
4 Bernhard Eisel ( AUT ) Française des Jeux 176
5 Luca Paolini ( ITA ) Liquigas 174
6 Iñaki Isasi ( ESP ) Euskaltel-Euskadi 130
7 Francisco Ventoso ( ESP ) Saunier Duval-Prodir 128
8 Cristian Moreni ( ITA ) Cofidis 116
9 Jimmy Casper ( FRA ) Cofidis 98
10 Óscar Pereiro ( ESP ) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 88
Points classification
The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took between 1 and 23 July. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of apparent winner Floyd Landis. Due to United States Anti-Doping Agency announcing in August 2012 that they had disqualified Lance Armstrong from all his results since 1998, including his seven Tour de France wins from 1999-2005, this is the first Tour to have an overall winner since 1998. The Tour began with a prologue in Strasbourg, on the French-German border, and ended on Sunday 23 July in Paris. The distance of the course (run counterclockwise around France) was 3,657 km (2,272 mi). The race was the third fastest in average speed. Along the way, the cyclists passed through six different countries including France, The Netherlands (a stop at Valkenburg in Stage 3), Belgium (at Huy, Stages 3 and 4), Luxembourg (at Esch-sur-Alzette, Stages 2 and 3), Germany (though not stopping there, Stage 1) and Spain (Pla-de-Beret, Stage 11). The presentation of the course was made by the new director of Le Tour, Christian Prudhomme. For the first time since the 1999 edition, there was no team time trial. The event, as with some of the Tours of the late 1990s, was marred by doping scandals. Prior to the tour, numerous riders - including the two favourites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso - were expelled from the Tour due to their link with the Operación Puerto doping case.