2007 Deutschland Tour

The 9th Germany tour was a bike race and was held from 10 to 18 August 2007. It started in Saarbrücken, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Saarland as a German state. The tour led, as in previous years, again by Austria. Thus ended a stage in Sölden in the Ötztal. The tour ended after 1292.5 km on 18 August in Hannover. In addition, since the reintroduction of the tour in 1999 there was the first time a team time trial, which took the 23 eligible teams start on the second leg in attack.

The Austrian Professional Continental team Elk Haus -Simplon complained one his start and took the basis of a preliminary injunction from the Landgericht Hamburg part in the race.

Course

Stage 1

In the first section leading through the Saarland and the Saarland Saarbrücken, the three outliers Maarten den Bakker, Matej Mugerli and Philipp Ludescher broke away after 34 kilometers driven. They increased their lead quickly and at times were more than ten minutes before the peloton before this took up the persecution under the auspices of the Gerolsteiner team, CSC, T -Mobile and Milram. Ludescher had his two companions then leave 61 km from the finish draw, leaving just a duo was leading the race, but nine kilometers were obtained from the peloton to the finish. In the subsequent mass sprint of the field, Robert Förster secured the victory. The runners-up of the daily standings followed Danilo Napolitano and Erik Zabel.

The leadership in Appreciation took over stage winner Robert Förster with two seconds ahead of Maarten den Bakker, who had received as an outlier various time credits. Rangers also secured the points jersey. In the mountains classification Matej Mugerli took the lead, and in the youth classification Philipp Ludescher. The team standings led to Bouygues Télécom.

Stage 2

The second stage, which in a team time trial, the first was held in the history of the tour, around which is in the Kraichgau Bretten, won the launching under Danish license CSC team under the leadership of the current world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara. He and his seven teammates, including last year's winner Jens Voigt and the second overall Giro d'Italia, Andy Schleck, completed the 42.2 km long course, which was very bumpy and selective for a team time trial in a time of 51:40 minutes and were at the end of 25 seconds before the Discovery Channel with Levi Leipheimer and 55 seconds ahead of Team Gerolsteiner.

In the overall standings Jens Voigt took the lead with a second ahead of his team-mates after he had been credited on the first stage in a sprint one time bonus of a second. In the points and mountains classification, there was no change. The leadership in the youth classification secured Voigt's team-mate Andy Schleck and Team CSC sat down at the top of the team standings.

Stage 3

At the third stage from Pforzheim to Offenburg through the northern Black Forest with two climbs of the first category first saw a Ausreißerduo consisting of Niki Terpstra and Christian life at the top. They had dissolved after about 15 kilometers driven on a short descent from the main field and were able to extend their lead to about five minutes before the peloton, recorded in the form of Team CSC, the prosecution and the residue stabilized.

When it came in the first increase after All Saints' Day, the lead had grown to 6:30 minutes, and life could not follow the pace of his running mate Terpstra. Terpstra reached the summit at All Saints with 30 seconds ahead of life and only about three minutes on the peloton. Immediately following the departure of All Saints of the eight -kilometer-long rise followed a refuge with ascent percentages of partly 18 percent. There, Jon Bru and Matthias Russ, and Amaël Moinard broke away from the field and formed shortly after the culmination point, 45 kilometers from the finish, a new leadership quartet with Terpstra, which had about 1:15 minutes ahead of the now disintegrated into two parts field. On the last short climb, ten kilometers from the finish in Bottenau, then fell Terpstra and brother back into the main draw, while had formed a six-man chase group with Jens Voigt and Davide Rebellin behind the leading duo. They brought the two leaders six kilometers before the finish line, but were even caught four kilometers later by the peloton. Out of this, Erik Zabel his 13th success tour secured as part of Germany before José Joaquín Rojas Gil and Bradley McGee.

Jens Voigt remained in the overall standings at the top, as well as his teammate Andy Schleck in the junior standings and Team CSC in the team standings. The lead in the points classification took over stage winner Erik Zabel and in the mountains classification Niki Terpstra took the lead.

Stage 4

The fourth stage took the riders over 183.8 km from Singen to Sonthofen. Only after the first intermediate sprint at kilometer race 76.1 succeeded two drivers to settle. Piet Rooijakkers and Mariusz Witecki but were caught just before the second mountain stage. A three -man lead group was allowed to settle on the final climb. Finally, in Sonthofen it was won before Davide Rebellin and David López García to sprint between the leading trio, which Damiano Cunego of the Italians. Five seconds later, the first chase group came up with the favorites for overall victory to the finish.

Jens Voigt defended his yellow jersey successful. Zabel, however, had to give up to be Gil sprint jersey. The mountain standings led to Niki Terpstra. Chris Anker Sørensen took the white jersey from Andy Schleck, who got out of the tour.

Stage 5

The fifth section took the riders from Sonthofen on Rettenbachferner in Sölden in Austria. The arrival on the Rettenbachferner, 2,631 meters above sea level, was the highest summit finish of the UCI ProTour 2007. After 30 kilometers, a first breakaway group formed around the Russian cyclist Vladimir Jefimkin whose lead times was up to four minutes. Through the leadership of the team Discovery Channel, the outliers have been obtained. As a final outlier Jefimkin was placed nine kilometers from the finish. The daily winner was David López García, who crossed the finishing twelve seconds before the overall leader Jens Voigt. Third place was taken by the Dutch Robert Gesink.

Stage 6

The sixth stage took the riders after the two tough stages of the previous days from Langenfeld to Kufstein in the German neighboring Austria. After a troubled start of the race sat in racing 34 kilometers Wolfgang Murer and Paul Martens on the field. Although the residue Martens was only 10:51 on the overall leader Jens Voigt, the duo was able to sell quickly and built the lead to eight minutes. After the peloton, however, had set off in pursuit, the boss took off again just as quickly, before they were overtaken eight kilometers from the finish. In the ensuing bunch sprint, the former German champion Gerald Ciolek secured its first stage victory in front of Danilo Napolitano and José Joaquín Rojas Gil.

In the individual ratings and the team competition there was to the leadership positions for the first time in Tour history no changes at the top position.

Stage 7

The seventh and longest stage at the same time the driver from the Austrian Kufstein back to Germany. The 192.2 km long stage ended in Regensburg. The race started and restless after 20 kilometers, a group of five riders could settle their member Florian Stalder meantime drove in the virtual yellow jersey. After more than 160 kilometers escape the outliers were caught before the finish from the field in which the CSC team of overall leader Jens Voigt made ​​the pace. The victory in a bunch sprint was able to achieve team, who had won the day before Gerald Ciolek from T -Mobile. He came in front of Erik Zabel and José Joaquín Rojas Gil to the finish.

Jens Voigt was able to defend his lead of 33 seconds, David López García.

Stage 8

The eighth stage was a 33.1 km long individual time trial around the Frankish Fürth. The victory secured the overall leader Jens Voigt, who arrived 15 seconds in the race against the clock before László Bodrogi the finish. Third was American Levi Leipheimer.

Jens Voigt was by winning the lead in the overall standings at the new overall ranking - the Second and Third Days Levi Leipheimer, who ousted David López García to third place in the overall standings, expand to nearly two minutes. In the team standings Discovery Channel captured the second place.

Stage 9

The ninth and final stage was 143 miles from Einbeck to Hanover. A four -man breakaway group with local hero Grisha Niermann could be five rounds in the city of Hanover, 8.5 km from the finish found shortly after the beginning of the last. It came to a bunch sprint, the T-Mobile rider Gerald Ciolek decided for themselves. Erik Zabel was second.

Jens Voigt came at the same time as 68 to the goal and defended the Yellow jersey of overall leader. He is the first rider in the Tour history to win selbige twice. The first triumph was succeeded in 2006. In the other ratings, there were no more changes. Erik Zabel won for the seventh time total the points standings. His team-mate Niki Terpstra secured the mountain classification and Robert Gesink won the youth classification, introduced in 2006. The CSC team achieved the best team result.

Stages

Jerseys in the itinerary

The table shows the support of the respective jerseys during each stage or the leaders of the respective Ranking in the evening of the previous day.

Effects of doping discussion

Due to the recurring cases of doping in professional cycling, the public television channel last this has led cancel downloading of the Tour de France, the race has been particularly marked in relation to the anti - doping fight. In Germany Tour 2007 so many doping controls were carried out as never before in this race. For the first time, the control system of the chaperone was used throughout. These supervisors accompany the cyclists after crossing the finish line to doping control.