# 2006 Giro d'Italia

The 2006 Giro d'Italia was the 89th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It 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. Second and third were the Spain José Enrique Gutiérrez and Italian Gilberto Simoni.
Basso, riding for Team CSC, won the Giro in dominant fashion. 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. 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. 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.

## Teams

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:
| AG2R Prévoyance Bouygues Télécom Caisse d'Epargne–Illes Balears Ceramica Panaria–Navigare Cofidis Crédit Agricole Davitamon–Lotto Discovery Channel | Euskaltel–Euskadi Française des Jeux Gerolsteiner Lampre–Fondital Liberty Seguros–Würth Liquigas Phonak | Quick-Step–Innergetic Rabobank Saunier Duval–Prodir Selle Italia–Diquigiovanni T-Mobile Team Team CSC Team Milram |

## 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.
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 | Distance | Type | 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 | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | 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 | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day |
| 11 | 18 May | Pontedera | 50 km (31 mi) | | Individual time trial | Jan Ullrich (GER) |
| 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 (Austria) 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 | Total | 3,526.2 km (2,191 mi) | 3,526.2 km (2,191 mi) | 3,526.2 km (2,191 mi) | 3,526.2 km (2,191 mi) | 3,526.2 km (2,191 mi) |

## Classification leadership

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 | Paolo Savoldelli | Paolo Savoldelli | Paolo Savoldelli | Paolo Savoldelli | Discovery Channel | T-Mobile Team |
| 3 | Stefan Schumacher | Stefan Schumacher | Stefan Schumacher | Moisés Aldape | Paolo Savoldelli | Discovery Channel | Davitamon–Lotto |
| 4 | Robbie McEwen | Stefan Schumacher | Robbie McEwen | Sandy Casar | Paolo Savoldelli | Discovery Channel | Davitamon–Lotto |
| 5 | Team CSC | Serhiy Honchar | Robbie McEwen | Sandy Casar | Paolo Savoldelli | T-Mobile Team | Davitamon–Lotto |
| 6 | Robbie McEwen | Olaf Pollack | Robbie McEwen | Sandy Casar | Paolo Savoldelli | T-Mobile Team | Davitamon–Lotto |
| 7 | Rik Verbrugghe | Serhiy Honchar | Robbie McEwen | Staf Scheirlinckx | Paolo Savoldelli | Discovery Channel | Davitamon–Lotto |
| 8 | Ivan Basso | Ivan Basso | Robbie McEwen | Ivan Basso | Paolo Savoldelli | Discovery Channel | Davitamon–Lotto |
| 9 | Tomas Vaitkus | Ivan Basso | Robbie McEwen | Ivan Basso | Paolo Savoldelli | Discovery Channel | Davitamon–Lotto |
| 10 | Franco Pellizotti | Ivan Basso | Robbie McEwen | Ivan Basso | Paolo Savoldelli | Liquigas | Davitamon–Lotto |
| 11 | Jan Ullrich | Ivan Basso | Robbie McEwen | Ivan Basso | Paolo Savoldelli | Discovery Channel | T-Mobile Team |
| 12 | Joan Horrach | Ivan Basso | Robbie McEwen | Ivan Basso | Paolo Savoldelli | Discovery Channel | T-Mobile Team |
| 13 | Leonardo Piepoli | Ivan Basso | Paolo Bettini | Ivan Basso | Paolo Savoldelli | Discovery Channel | Discovery Channel |
| 14 | Luis Felipe Laverde | Ivan Basso | Paolo Bettini | Fortunato Baliani | Paolo Savoldelli | Phonak | Ceramica Panaria–Navigare |
| 15 | Paolo Bettini | Ivan Basso | Paolo Bettini | Fortunato Baliani | Paolo Savoldelli | Phonak | Ceramica Panaria–Navigare |
| 16 | Ivan Basso | Ivan Basso | Paolo Bettini | Ivan Basso | Paolo Savoldelli | Phonak | Phonak |
| 17 | Leonardo Piepoli | Ivan Basso | Ivan Basso | Ivan Basso | Paolo Savoldelli | Phonak | Phonak |
| 18 | Stefan Schumacher | Ivan Basso | Paolo Bettini | Ivan Basso | Paolo Savoldelli | Phonak | Phonak |
| 19 | Juan Manuel Gárate | Ivan Basso | Paolo Bettini | Fortunato Baliani | Paolo Savoldelli | Phonak | Phonak |
| 20 | Ivan Basso | Ivan Basso | Ivan Basso | Juan Manuel Gárate | Paolo Savoldelli | Phonak | Phonak |
| 21 | Robert Förster | Ivan Basso | Paolo Bettini | Juan Manuel Gárate | Paolo Savoldelli | Phonak | Phonak |
| Final | Final | Ivan Basso | Paolo Bettini | Juan Manuel Gárate | Paolo Savoldelli | Phonak | Phonak |

## Final standings

Legend :
| Denotes the winner of the General classification | Denotes the winner of the Mountains classification |
| Denotes the winner of the Points classification | Denotes the winner of the Combination classification |

### 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. Italian Paolo Bettini won the Most Combative classification. Bettini also won the 110 Gazzetta classification. The Azzurri d'Italia classification was based on finishing order, but points were awarded only to the top three finishers in each stage. Ivan Basso won the Azzurri d'Italia classification. 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. The classification was won by Christophe Edaleine. Teams were given penalty points for minor technical infringements. Ceramica Panaria–Navigare were most successful in avoiding penalties, and so won the Fair Play classification.