A Roller Coaster Ride:
Tour de France 2006

More could be said here (and later maybe it will be) about the pre-race drama (with doping-related exits of two major competitors, Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso, and most of the team of Alexander Vinokourov), in-race drama (check the table at the end of this page), and the post-race drama of discovering that Floyd Landis, who was declared "the winner" at the tour's conclusion, may have the title stripped from him due to a failed drug test.  If this happens, Oscar Pereiro would be the "surprise champion" because of three gifts — the pre-race elimination of three favorites, an in-race "gift from his competitors" of 30 minutes during Stage 13, and post-race disqualification of the apparent winner — plus gutsy performances, where he proved himself a worthy rider, during three tough mountain stages (15-16-17) and the final time trial (19).

Here is interesting information about the two most dramatic stages, 16 and 17:
Before Stage 17, Eddy Merckx (5-time winner) and a former domestique gave Landis a psychological boost — and after Stage 17, praise from famous bicycle people (riders, commentators,...) about the ride of Floyd Landis — here is what happened, day by day:
    • after Stage 15, Landis back in yellow, as reported by VeloNews & Cycling News
    • after Stage 16, Landis loses the tour ("crazy tour takes another weird twist" with more to come!) by VeloNews & Cycling News
    • after Stage 17, Landis back in the race, from VeloNews & Cycling News

Celebration — Family, hometown celebrate Landis's victory & Landis 'the man' on both sides of the Atlantic — and looking ahead, Landis hopes to get surgery done and over quickly — on Sunday, July 24
Confusion — after the drug test & Landis pleads case on Larry King, Armstrong adds support — and mystery that lingers, due to questions with no answers.

There is more about post-race drama and the science of doping and testing:
Controversy, Questions, and Mystery — Floyd Landis in the Tour de France

The table below shows the roller coaster ride (during 8 important stages) for 10 riders, especially for Oscar Pereiro (who may end up the winner due to drug-testing developments on July 27) who was allowed — by Phonak, the team of Floyd Landis (who had the yellow jersey at that point, and thus his team was expected to "defend it") plus all the other teams who refused to chase him down with the peloton-group that, on a flat stage, has tremendous advantages in reducing air resistance — to gain 30 minutes of time!  /  And check a table with more details about the day-by-day changes in the roller coaster ride, which shows that "Landis was the most consistently fast rider throughout the three weeks, not just in Stage 17."  /   The most dramatic changes were during Stage 16 (Landis "had it won" at the beginning of the day, and "lost it" by the end of this stage) and the next day in Stage 17 he won it back. (he won it practically, although not officially because, as expected, he gained lots of time on other riders during the time trial of Stage 19)   All times below are relative to Landis:  after Stage 13, for example, Pereiro (-1:29) was 1:29 ahead of Landis, but Kloden (+2:29) was 2:29 behind Landis.

Related Pages:
Floyd Landis & Testosterone — Mystery and Controversy 
Doping (EPO, steroids, amphetamines,...) in Bicycle Racing 
Detailed Day-by-Day Data about the 2006 Roller Coaster 
The "soap opera" drama of Tour de France in the 1980s 
BICYCLE SCIENCE FOR RECREATION & RACING