# 61st Vuelta a España (2006 Tour of Spain)



## Charlie Schuessler (Aug 27, 2006)

Stage 2 - Málaga - Córdoba, 167 km

www.cyclingnews.com is reporting that Norwegian rider Thor Hushovd finds himself in a Grand Tour leader's jersey thanks to his blistering turn of speed. While today strong placings in bonus sprints plus a close second behind Italian champion Paolo Bettini at the finish saw him leap into the race lead of the Vuelta a España. 

The final sprint was a chaotic affair, with riders lined right across the road on Córdoba's Avenida República Argentina. The wide boulevard meant that it was as much about timing as position; Erik Zabel's Team Milram hit the front too soon, as did Robbie McEwen's leadout du jour Fred Rodriguez. The Australian pumped his legs and wrenched his arms, fighting to get every bit of speed out of his bike, but cracked with fifty metres to go as Hushovd moved alongside and then started pulling away. But it was Bettini who read the gallop to perfection, making his move at precisely the right time to beat the pure sprinters and nab his second ever Vuelta stage win. 

Stage 2 Results
1 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic
2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole                                  
3 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas                                         
4 Robbie Mcewen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto                                 
5 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems     

Teams 
1 Team CSC
2 Euskaltel - Euskadi                                                 
3 Bouygues Telecom                                                    
4 Liquigas                                                            
5 Phonak Hearing Systems                                              

General Classification after stage 2

1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole
2 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic
3 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC
4 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team CSC                                      
5 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC                                    
6 Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team CSC                                       
7 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team CSC                                    
8 Iñigo Cuesta (Spa) Team CSC                                         
9 Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Team CSC                                     
10 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC                                       
11 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC                               0.11
23 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team         0.16
24 Michael Barry (Can) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team             
25 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team            
26 Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team          
28 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team           
29 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team            
30 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team            
31 Benoît Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team            
45 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Team                             
76 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team     0.23
84 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank                                       
85 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                                  
116 Robbie Mcewen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto                           0.32
117 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Davitamon-Lotto                              
118 Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto                          
128 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Phonak Hearing Systems                       
177 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Team Milram

Points classification
1 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic
2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole 
3 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 
4 Robbie Mcewen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 
5 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems

Mountains classification
1 Mario De Sarraga (Spa) Relax-Gam
2 Benoît Joachim (Lux) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
3 Rubén Pérez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
4 José Antonio Garrido (Spa) Quick Step-Innerget

Teams classification
1 Team CSC
2 Caisse D'Epargne - Illes Balears
3 Team Milram
4 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
5 T- Mobile Team

Stage 3 – August 28: Cordoba-Almendralejo, 219km 
The Vuelta a España will arrive in Almendralejo, Extremadura tomorrow after many years. It is a pretty flat stage with just two category 3 climbs, both at the very beginning: Alto de Villaviciosa (550 m. above sea level, km 6) and Puerto del Aire (750 m., km 30). It's a non-decisive stage, and the sprinters should reign again. The climbs are small, and the sprinters teams fresh, so a result similar to today can be expected.


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