All classifications
| 1 | Fabian CANCELLARA |
| 2 | Tom BOONEN |
| 3 | Alessandro BALLAN |
| 4 | Juan Antonio FLECHA |
| 5 | Bernhard EISEL |
| » overall rankings |
Starters' list | Time schedules
| Sectors | Place |
| 27 | Troivilles at Inchy |
| 26 | Viesly at Quiévy |
| 25 | Quiévy at Saint-Python |
| 24 | Saint-Python |
| 23 | Vertain at St-Martin-sur-Écaillon |
| 22 | Capelle-sur-Écaillon - Le-Buat |
| 21 | Verchain-Maugré at Quérénaing |
| 20 | Quérénaing at Maing |
| 19 | Maing at Monchaux-sur-Écaillon |
| 18 | Haveluy at Wallers |
| 17 | Trouée d'Arenberg |
| 16 | Wallers at Hélesmes |
| 15 | Hornaing at Wandignies - Hamage |
| 14 | Warlaing at Brillon |
| 13 | Tilloy at Sars-et-Rosières |
| 12 | Orchies |
| 11 | Auchy-lez-Orchies at Bersée |
| 10 | Mons-en-Pévèle |
| 9 | Méringnies at Pont-à-Marcq |
| 8 | Pont-Thibaut at Ennevelin |
| 7 | Templeuve - L'Épinette |
| 7 | Templeuve - Moulin-de-Vertain |
| 6 | Cysoing at Bourghelles |
| 6 | Bourghelles at Wannehain |
| 5 | Camphin-en Pévèle |
| 4 | Carrefour de l'Arbre |
| 3 | Gruson |
| 2 | Hem |
| 1 | Roubaix |
The race
Sunday 9 April 2006Paris (Compiègne) > Roubaix - 259 km
Timely victory for Siwtzerland’s Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara (Team CSC) broke away on his own in the famous Carrefour de l’Arbre, 17 kms from the finish, to become the first Swiss since Henri Suter in 1923 to win Paris-Roubaix, the Queen of Classics.
The 2004 Tour de France prologue winner, who was fourth in the Hell of the North that year, exposed Tom Boonen’s weakness on the day to try his luck and win by far his most prestigious victory to date.
A time trial specialist, Cancellara, 25, finished ahead of Belgians Leif Hoste and Peter Van Petegem. But the two were later disqualified after illegaly riding past a level-crossing that was closed.
The decision awarded second place to world champion Boonen, who was looking to become the first rider to win both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix twice in succession. A meagre consolation.
American George Hincapie was even more unlucky as he crashed because of a mechanical problem in the hardest cobbled sector of the day and was forced out with a collarbone injury.
The film of the stage
The start was given at 10:58 to 194 riders in cool and dry conditions. Thierry Marichal (Cofidis) did not start.
After many unsuccessful attempts at the front of the bunch, four riders broke clear at kilometre 62 : Joost Posthuma (Rabobank), Dimitri Konyshev (Team LPR), Nicolas Portal (Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears) and Stephan Schreck (T-Mobile). The gap reached 1:25 over Iker Flores (Euskaltel), Stephane Berges (Agritubel) and Marco Righetto (Liquigas) when the four reached the first cobbled sector at Troisvilles (km 98). The bunch was 2:25 adrift.
While Denmark’s Frank Hoj (Gerolsteiner) also chased behind the four on his own, the lead of the break over the main bunch increased to four minutes on the cobbled sectors of Viesly and Quievy (km 111). As the pace remained extremely fast (47 kph in the first two hours), the gap between the four escapees and the main bunch steadied at 2:40 until cobbled sector 19 in Monchaux-sur-Ecaillon (km 145.5). Roger Hammond crashed in sector 20, emulating his Discovery Channel leader George Hincapie, also involved in a fall early on.
Magnificent fourteen
Konyshev was dropped from the leading group in sector 18 in Haveluy and again in the Arenberg trench, when title holder Tom Boonen was seen leading the bunch, 45 seconds behind the breakaways.
The break ended in the middle of the trench (km 165) as Ghent Wevelgem winner Thor Hushovd was held by a puncture..
A group of 17 emerged including Tom Boonen, George Hincapie, Frederic Guesdon, Fabian Cancellara, Bernhard Eisel, Steffen Wesemann, Juan Antonio Flecha, Nicolas Portal, Lars Michaelsen, Vladimir Gusev, Leif Hoste, Gert Steegmans, Alessandro Ballan and Peter Van Petegem. The 14 above mentioned led the rest of the bunch by 1:30 in sector 14 in Warlaing (km 185).
With most favourites in the lead, the gap reached two minutes in the feeding zone (km 194) and remained stable until sector 10 in Mons en Pevele.
Hincapie on the canvas
The hardest cobbled sector in the race was fatal to Hincapie, who crashed heavily as his handlebars broke. The American was forced out of the race with a collarbone injury.
At the start of cobbled sector 9, four men were left in contention: Boonen, Van Petegem, Ballan and Cancellara, who were later joined by Hoste, Gusev, Flecha and Eisel. Ballan and Gusev crashed in sector 6 (Cysoing) but were able to keep with the leading group.
Cancellara pulls away
Cancellara, at first followed by Gusev, broke on his own in the Carrefour de l’Arbre (km 243) and quickly dropped the rest f the leaders. Last year’s winner Boonen was unable to react and had to be content with joining forces with Flecha and to let Van Petegem, Gusev and Hoste lead the chase.
Cancellara, a former Tour de France prologue winner, became the first Swiss in 83 years to win Paris-Roubaix
Hoste and Van Petegem were second and third but were later disqualified for riding past a closed level-crossing. Second place went to Boonen ahead of Flecha…
The winner interview
Fabian Cancellara
What was your strategy in the last kilometres?
From the moment when I moved, I talked a lot with my team director to keep informed of the gaps. I gave everything I had exactly like in a time trial. I had the impression I had legs like I never had before but it’s above all with the head that I won.
Did you think you could beat Tom Boonen on this race?
I knew I could beat him but I mainly thought about winning and I did not focus on him or my other rivals. Boonen was not the only rider to watch and we had talked a lot with my team-mates. It’s also thanks to them that I won. For the first time in my career, I felt the whole team were working for me and that’s a great feeling.
What did you feel in the last kilometres?
I first tought about staying concentrated to avoid crashing in the last lap. Actually I tried to do everything I could to take advantage of that special atmosphere. I thought back about all the efforts made and what it meant to be only the second Swiss to win here.
The newsflashes
