2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Troy
Georgia Tech needed two late interceptions from Gary Guyton and Jamal Lewis to help put down the Trojans. The game was tied 14–14 going into the fourth quarter before the Yellow Jackets got the go ahead touchdown on a play action pass to fullback Mike Cox. The next Trojan possession saw a tipped pass get intercepted by Guyton and Tech would drive down the field for a Tashard Choice rushing touchdown. Jamal Evans would score another rushing touchdown following a second GT pick by Lewis. The game was highlighted by Rashaun Grant's 53 yards and a touchdown on two end around plays, Tashard Choice's 73 yards rushing and a touchdown, Reggie Ball's single game GT QB rushing record of 138 yards, and James Johnson's 74 yards receiving with a touchdown.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Virginia
Georgia Tech ended its three-game losing streak to UVA with a dominating defensive effort and superb performances by Reggie Ball and Calvin Johnson. Reggie Ball is now 1–3 against the Wahoos and had 205 yards passing, 2 touchdown passes, and a rushing touchdown. Calvin Johnson set his personal longest touchdown reception record twice recording 58 and 66 yard touchdowns in a 165-yard effort. Tashard Choice, Rashaun Grant, and Jamaal Evans added 103 yards on 26 carries between them. Patrick Nix called three risky plays in the game. The first was a fullback pass from Mike Cox to Reggie Ball.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Virginia
The blocking back has never rushed for yardage but managed to complete a 17-yard pass to Ball. Rashaun Grant also received two reverse pitches from Tashard Choice, which netted only 7 yards. The defense held the Cavs to 166 yards of offense and forced three turnovers (two interceptions by Djay Jones and Jahi Word-Daniels and a fumble recovery by Jamal Lewis). The only Cavalier score was made possible by a fourth quarter fumble by Ball and Choice on a speed option. Also of note, Georgia Tech sported a white helmet and mustard uniform from the Bud Carson era (1969–1971).


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Virginia Tech
Georgia Tech opened with 21 straight points and never relented against the Hokies. The first play from the line of scrimmage was a 59-yard pass from Reggie Ball to James Johnson. Georgia Tech would block a punt to help set up their third touchdown. The defense also added points to the effort with a Philip Wheeler strip on Sean Glennon, which was recovered by Gary Guyton and returned for a touchdown. Calvin Johnson added 115 yards and 2 touchdowns, Tashard Choice accumulated 104 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns, and Reggie Ball added 211 yards of total offense to the victory.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Maryland
Georgia Tech needed a 13-point fourth-quarter rally to rid Bobby Dodd Stadium of Terrapin red. Georgia Tech's first drive resulted in a touchdown but the celebration was short-lived as Maryland's cornerback Josh Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff for a 104-yard touchdown. Georgia Tech's placekicker Travis Bell faulted three times in the game, missing two field goals and throwing an incompletion to punter–holder Durant Brooks. The missed field goals allowed a stuttering Maryland offense to keep the game close. Maryland drove to the 7 yard line with 1:02 left in the game.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Maryland
QB Sam Hollenbach was sacked two times on 3rd and 4th down by end Michael Johnson in the last minute to seal the victory for Georgia Tech. The game featured a 133-yard and one-touchdown effort by Calvin Johnson, 245 yards of offense and two touchdowns from Reggie Ball, and most importantly a dominating effort by Tashard Choice of 137 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. Georgia Tech's defense held Maryland to only 87 yards rushing, garnered 5 sacks, had 1 fumble recovery, and picked off 1 Hollenbach pass. Georgia Tech had not been 5–1 and 3–0 in conference since GT's co-ACC Championship in 1998. The game was also the 90th anniversary of the 222–0 victory over Cumberland College.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Clemson
Georgia Tech suffered its first conference loss to Clemson in Death Valley. C. J. Spiller and James Davis accounted for 92% of Clemson's offense in the loss. Georgia Tech's vaunted rush defense gave up over 300 yards on the ground after only allowing 81 yards a game coming into the contest. Calvin Johnson was held to no catches for the first time since his first game as a Yellow Jacket and only had −4 yards rushing on a speed option.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Clemson
Reggie Ball had 130 yards of offense and James Johnson had the Jackets only touchdown on an awkwardly deflected 35 yard pass. The Jackets forced two turnovers and had one sack. Djay Jones had the Ramblin' Wreck's pick and Philip Wheeler recovered a fumble after Tyler Grisham got drilled by Djay Jones. This game continued the Yellow Jackets' streak of losing in ESPN College GameDay events with an overall record of 0–4–1.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Miami
Georgia Tech got off to a rocky start when a Reggie Ball fumble was returned for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The two teams then exchanged field goals until Georgia Tech's offense kicked out of neutral. Reggie Ball connected on a Hamilton–Campbellesque 46 yard play action touchdown to James Johnson. Six field goals were kicked in the game by both squads, three by Travis Bell. Calvin Johnson had a 1-yard touchdown reception and 67 yards receiving. James Johnson had 69 yards receiving and his 46-yard touchdown bomb.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Miami
Tashard Choice had 101 yards rushing and a 24-yard break away touchdown that put the game out of reach. Mike Cox had 2 receptions of 36 total yards, which resulted in punishing hits to Miami defenders. The Georgia Tech defense and special teams managed to force 4 turnovers and the defense sacked Kyle Wright 7 times (Pat Clark interception, Avery Roberson fumble recovery, Chris Dunlap fumble recovery, and KaMichael Hall fumble recovery). Durant Brooks pounded 6 punts at 51 yards per kick and his last punt sailed over the returner's head, was mishandled, and recovered by GT for the victory. Georgia Tech now has an 11-year winning streak in homecoming games.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, NC State
The Georgia Tech defense shut NC State out of the end zone and continued Georgia Tech's dominance over Chuck Amato. The only NC State touchdowns were scored off of an interception return and kickoff return. NC State could not capitalize on field position and the second Georgia Tech interception turning all red zone attempts into field goal attempts. NC State also misfired on 2 of their 5 field goal attempts and committed 102 yards in penalties. Reggie Ball, James Johnson, and Calvin Johnson lit up the skies with over 215 passing yards and four touchdowns. Tashard Choice also contributed 165 yards on the ground behind a solid Georgia Tech offensive line effort. Georgia Tech has now outscored their last four opponents 47–21 in the fourth quarter of play.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, North Carolina
Georgia Tech shut out the Tar Heels in a game reminiscent of the 1990 tie that almost cost the Jackets the 1990 UPI title. The game marked the first shutout for Georgia Tech in six years and featured the longest drive of the year by an ACC team. The ten and half minute drive was the only score for the Jackets as Tashard Choice pushed his way into the end zone. Choice accumulated 119 yards on 32 carries. The defense added two picks by Jamal Lewis and Kenny Scott, which staved off any real Tarheel threats to score. The Tar Heels were held to only 65 yards rushing and gave up two sacks. Tech's offense had an 11-minute advantage in time of possession. Georgia Tech has now clinched the ACC Coastal division and will be playing in Jacksonville on December 2.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Duke
Tech finished its ACC schedule with an easy victory over mismatched Duke. The game was won on the legs of Tashard Choice and the big connections between Reggie Ball and Calvin Johnson. Choice ran for 118 yards and a score while Reggie connected with Calvin for 5 passes, 78 yards, and two touchdowns. Ball finished the day by the end of the second quarter with 7–13 passing for 122 yards and 3 touchdowns against the maligned Blue Devils.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Duke
Taylor Bennett lead the second team in the third and fourth quarter adding another score on his second pass on a 20-yard dart to Greg Smith. Bennett and Smith connected later on another score of 25 yards. Third string back Jamaal Evans added another 90 rushing yards and a score. The defense added 4 sacks, 2 interceptions,  and 2 fumble recoveries.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Georgia
For the third straight year, the Tech-UGA game has been settled by a touchdown or less in a defensive brawl. The Jackets could not overcome three turnovers to end their losing streak to the Dogs and lost on a Matthew Stafford touchdown pass with 1:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. The true bright spots for Tech in the loss were the spectacular play of Tashard Choice, Durrant Brooks, Travis Bell, and the Tech Defense. The defense recorded two sacks and held the Bulldog offense to less than 100 yards rushing.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Georgia
The defense also recovered a fumble to help set up a Travis Bell field goal. Travis Bell was 2 for 2 on field goals. Durrant Brooks boomed 5 punts for a 44.6 yard average. 3 of the 5 punts landed within the 20. Tashard Choice continued his streak of 100 yard games with a 143-yard and 1 touchdown performance. Choice's touchdown lifted the Jackets to their final lead early in the fourth quarter but the lead would only last for 7 minutes. Georgia Tech's last possession saw Tech starting within their own 20 and needing a big play downfield.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Georgia
UGA's defensive line aided Tech with a personal foul on 4th down and 12, but Reggie Ball, who finished the game 6–22 for 42 yards with 0 TDs, 2 interceptions and a lost fumble, threw the ball right into the arms of Georgia cornerback Paul Oliver to seal the Bulldogs win.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, ACC Championship Game
On a day that featured heavy rain and a soggy field, conservative play-calling, the kicking games of Tech and Wake Forest, Wake prevailed by kicking a field goal with 2:55 left on the game clock to go ahead for good 9 to 6 after a long pass completion gave the Deacons good field position. Both teams punted a combined 12 times for almost 550 yards. There were 6 field goal attempts made, the ony miss coming from Wake's backup field goal kicker. The Tech defense recorded 4 sacks and held the Demon Deacons under 100 yards rushing. Tashard Choice recorded 99 yards rushing, Calvin recorded 117 yards receiving, and Reggie Ball recorded 170 all-purpose yards. Also of note, Georgia Tech sported navy blue jerseys for the game, a style not worn since Bill Lewis' 1994 season.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Gator Bowl
Georgia Tech opened the game with fireworks taking as much as an 18-point lead at the start of the 3rd quarter. However, WVU rallied to the tune of 21 3rd quarter points and beat the Jackets by 3 in the highest scoring Gator Bowl in the 61 years of its operation. Taylor Bennett started for Georgia Tech as Reggie Ball was, shockingly, found academically ineligible at the completion of the Fall semester. Taylor had a career-high 335 yards and 3 touchdowns. His lone pick was one of the few mistakes Taylor made in his 2007 coming out party.


2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, Game summaries, Gator Bowl
Tashard Choice dominated against a supposedly stingy WVU run defense racking up 169 yards on 27 carries along with 2 touchdowns, yet, unsurprisingly, couldn't bring the Jackets to victory. Choice also accumulated 36 yards receiving. Calvin Johnson highlighted Georgia Tech's offensive efforts with 9 catches, 186 yards receiving, and 2 touchdowns. The defense recorded 1 sack and Durrant Brooks boomed 4 punts for a 46.3 yard average.


2006 Georgia gubernatorial election
The 2006 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Governor Sonny Perdue ran for re-election to a second and final term as governor. Governor Perdue was renominated by the Republican Party, defeating a minor opponent in the process, while Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor narrowly emerged victorious from a competitive Democratic primary. In the general election, though Taylor ran a spirited campaign, Perdue was aided by the increasing tendency of the state to vote for Republicans and by his popularity with the public; polling showed his approval ratings above sixty percent. In the end, Perdue was overwhelmingly re-elected as governor, defeating Taylor in a landslide.


2006 Georgia gubernatorial election
Exit polls showed that Perdue won white voters (68% to 27%) while Taylor won black voters (81% to 17%). Perdue's 17% of the African American vote was the highest showing of any Republican seeking statewide office in Georgia.


2006 Georgia gubernatorial election, General election, Fundraising
Perdue had more financial resources on hand than Taylor. As of the March 31 filing, Perdue reported that he had in excess of $8 million on hand, while Taylor had $4.1 million in reserve. Perdue had the added advantage of facing a weak opponent in Ray McBerry in the primary election, while Cox and Taylor engaged in a bitter struggle for the Democratic nomination. Hayes, the Libertarian candidate, reported less than $1,000 on hand, though the September 11 Zogby poll showed him attracting a surprising 8.1 percent of polled voters.


2006 Georgia gubernatorial election, General election, Advertisements
A minor controversy developed during the primary campaign over an ad created by Georgians for Truth, a group founded by several prominent Democratic fundraisers. The ad criticized Perdue for allegedly failing to pay his taxes for several years before becoming governor, allegations that had been made in the 2002 campaign as well. Cox and Taylor, for reasons that are not clear, requested that the group not run the ad, prompting the Georgia Democratic Party chairman, Bobby Kahn, to strongly rebuke the group's members.


2006 Georgia gubernatorial election, Campaign issues, Immigration
The problem presented by illegal immigrants emerged during Georgia's 2006 legislative session as an issue likely to have a large impact on the gubernatorial campaign. Perdue signed legislation restricting the ability of illegal immigrants to access state resources, including health care and public education.


2006 Georgia state elections
In the 2006 Georgia elections, Incumbent Governor Sonny Perdue, the first Republican Governor of Georgia since reconstruction, was re-elected over then-Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor (D).


2006 Georgia state elections
Prior to the elections, though Republicans held the Governor's mansion and majorities in both houses of the Georgia General Assembly, Democrats then-held five of the eight statewide offices. Following the elections, Republicans would pick up two positions, those being Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State, with the victories of Casey Cagle (who became the eleventh overall and first ever Republican elected Lieutenant Governor) and Karen Handel (who became the twenty-sixth overall and first Republican since reconstruction to be Secretary of State) in each of their respective races. Both positions were open after the incumbent office holders chose to seek the governorship of Georgia.


2006 Georgia state elections
All other state Executive Officers, Attorney General of Georgia Thurbert Baker (D), state Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox (R), Commissioner of Insurance John Oxendine (R), Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin (D), and Commissioner of Labor Mike Thurmond (D), were re-elected. This was the last time Democrats won a statewide election in Georgia until 2020 when Democrat Joe Biden won the state in the presidential election as well as the last time democrats won statewide office in Georgia until Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were elected to the Senate in 2021.


2006 Georgia state elections, Federal elections, United States Congressional elections
In 2006, all thirteen of Georgia's U.S. House seats were up for election. Neither of the Peach state's U.S. Senate  seats were up for election that year.


2006 Georgia state elections, Federal elections, United States Congressional elections, United States House of Representatives elections
All thirteen of Georgia's incumbent Representatives sought re-election in 2006. Going into the elections, Republicans held seven of Georgia's U.S. House seats and Democrats held six seats.


2006 Georgia state elections, Federal elections, United States Congressional elections, United States House of Representatives elections
Despite significant gains by Republicans in Georgia since 2002, such as consecutive Republican victories since in Presidential elections since 1996, gaining both of Georgia's U.S. Senate seats, the election of Sonny Perdue as Georgia's first post-Reconstruction Republican governor in 2002, successful elections of Republicans to other state executive offices, and gaining control of both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly for the first time since Reconstruction, Democrats have succeeded in gaining seats of Georgia's House delegation in recent House elections.


2006 Georgia state elections, Federal elections, United States Congressional elections, United States House of Representatives elections
Following gains in both houses of the General Assembly in 2002 and 2004, Republicans enacted a mid-decade redistricting to alter the congressional districts created by the 146th Georgia General Assembly, which Democrats held control of at the time, with the intention of benefiting Republicans. Two Democratic incumbents who were especially targeted were Jim Marshall (GA-8) and John Barrow (GA-12). They were opposed respectively by former Representatives Mac Collins (who previously represented what is now the Third district) and Max Burns. These two races were among the most competitive in the nation, but ultimately resulted in both incumbents being re-elected by razor thin margins of 1 and 0.6 percentage points respectively.


2006 Georgia state elections, Federal elections, United States Congressional elections, United States House of Representatives elections
The partisan makeup of Georgia's House delegation did not change, however one Incumbent, Cynthia McKinney (GA-4), was denied renomination by her 59% to 41% defeat in the Democratic Primary runoff to then-Dekalb county Commissioner Hank Johnson.


2006 Georgia state elections, Governor
In the Republican primary, incumbent Sonny Perdue defeated challenger Ray McBerry by a margin of 88 percent to 12 percent. In the Democratic primary, Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor defeated state Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Bill Bolton, and Mac McCarley with 51.7 percent of the vote to Cox's 44 percent, Bolton's 2 percent, and McCarley 2 percent. Libertarian Garrett Michael Hayes faced Perdue Mark Taylor in the general election. Independent John Dashler withdrew from the race, unable to collect the 40,000 signatures required for ballot access.


2006 Georgia state elections, Governor
Perdue was re-elected to a second term, winning 57.9 percent of the vote.


2006 Georgia state elections, Judicial elections
In 2006, four seats on the Supreme Court of Georgia and four on the Georgia Court of Appeals were up for election. All judicial elections in Georgia are officially non-partisan.


2006 Georgia state elections, Judicial elections, Supreme Court of Georgia elections
Incumbent state Supreme Court Associate Justices George H. Carley, Harold Melton, Hugh P. Thompson, and Carol W. Hunstein were all re-elected with three being unopposed. Only Hunstein received any opposition, which she overcame handily.


2006 Georgia state elections, Judicial elections, Georgia Court of Appeals elections
Incumbent Judges John Ellington, M. Yvette Miller, Herbert E. Phipps, and J.D. Smith were re-elected without opposition


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election
The 2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election was an election for the United States House of Representatives. The general election was held on November 7, 2006. However, the 4th was a heavily Democratic district, with the Democratic primary viewed as the more important contest. In that primary, DeKalb County Commissioner Hank Johnson upset the incumbent, Cynthia McKinney.


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election
Johnson went on to defeat Republican Catherine Davis, a human resources manager and GOP activist, in November to become the district's Representative.


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Primary campaign
Johnson portrayed himself as the more reasonable Democratic Party candidate; an  alternative to the highly controversial McKinney. On December 21, 2005, Johnson commented during the press conference announcing his decision to run, that "The Fourth District faces serious problems of traffic and transportation, public safety, healthcare and education. I'm a nuts-and-bolts public servant. My record speaks for itself. I am committed to getting results for those [who] made me their County Commissioner. I will bring that same approach to representing the District in the 110th Congress."


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary election
McKinney finished first in the July 18, 2006, Democratic primary, edging Johnson, 47.1% to 44.4%, with a third candidate receiving 8.5%. Since McKinney failed to get a majority of the votes, she and Johnson were forced into a run-off.


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary election
McKinney had been favored to win. Her narrow margin in the primary, and failure to get 50% of the vote surprised some observers. Those results focused attention on the challenger, Johnson, and changed the perception of the race. Voter interest increased with the realization of McKinney's vulnerability, and Johnson's level of support. Almost 62,000 people voted in the primary; slightly over 70,000 voted in the runoff.


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off campaign
Johnson continued to stress his ability to get along with people. He told a reporter for USA Today, "I'm going to be an effective legislator," and "I'm not going to be a divisive one."


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off campaign
Both campaigns went negative. McKinney criticized Johnson for receiving $16,000 in donations from Republicans. Johnson responded that he was a "lifelong Democrat" and that the money McKinney criticized was small compared to the $130,000 in donations he took in before the primary vote. Johnson pointed out that McKinney has received large donations from donors from New York and Los Angeles, while most of his support had come from within the Congressional district.


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off campaign
Johnson raised questions about McKinney's controversial confrontation with a U.S. Capitol police officer. During the second debate on August 5, 2006, Johnson pointed to the Capitol Hill incident as an example of what he has called McKinney's embarrassing leadership in office. Johnson also raised questions about McKinney missing votes in Congress. He specifically asked about her missing a vote to extend the National Voting Rights Act of 1965: "If the Voting Rights Act is not important enough for you to show up, then what is important enough for you to show up?"


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off campaign
A reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, commenting on the appearance of Johnson and McKinney in the second debate, said that Johnson showed confidence and knowledge of the issues, while McKinney "seemed rattled and frustrated at times" and that she "refused to directly answer some questions from the panel."


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off campaign
In the period leading up to the primary election, McKinney had $282,000 in total campaign receipts compared to $170,000 for Johnson. Between the primary and the runoff, Johnson doubled his contributions; taking in nearly three times the amount that McKinney did during the same  period.


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off campaign, Use of the internet and blogosphere
Johnson's aggressive use of the internet to court supporters and attract national attention to the race was noted by national political media. The National Journal wrote that of all Congressional candidates nationwide in 2006, "Johnson had the most unique blog strategy by far." In July, another National Journal article dubbed Johnson a "staple of the blogosphere."


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off campaign, Use of the internet and blogosphere
Blogger Joe Gandelman wrote about Johnson's candidacy, driving traffic to his campaign web site. After he observed that Johnson was posting on multiple prominent political blogs, Gandelman wrote, "These are fascinating posts -- worth the attention of readers of all persuasions -- because they show a candidate taking full advantage of Internet technology to directly spread his word and also (not a small matter) a candidate who's offering voters a different style of representation."


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off campaign, Use of the internet and blogosphere
The National Journal went on to tout Johnson's use of the internet to defeat McKinney as the number-three blog story of 2006.


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off campaign, Polls and predictions for the primary runoff
The first poll on the race was done right after the primary on July 26, 2006. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a poll by InsiderAdvantage "shows challenger Hank Johnson with a hefty lead over incumbent Cynthia McKinney in the Democratic run-off for the 4th District congressional race. The poll shows Johnson leading McKinney, 46 to 21 percent, with a third of voters undecided."


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off campaign, Polls and predictions for the primary runoff
Insider Advantage took a second poll on July 31, 2006. Johnson still led McKinney, but by a smaller margin of 49 to 34 percent, with 17 percent undecided. InsiderAdvantage CEO Matt Towery commented that "There has been some shift in African American voters in McKinney’s direction. However, the black vote remains split with local black leaders endorsing Johnson, who is trouncing McKinney among eligible white voters.


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off campaign, Polls and predictions for the primary runoff
A poll taken on August 3, 2006, indicated that Johnson was leading McKinney heading into the final weekend before the runoff election. The poll of 300 eligible voters found that Johnson's support was at 52 percent and McKinney's support was at 39 percent, the first time that a poll placed Johnson above the 50 percent level. The poll only had nine percent undecideds. Early voting in the Fourth Congressional District was high.


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off campaign, Polls and predictions for the primary runoff
The last poll by InsiderAdvantage before the primary runoff election, taken on August 6, 2006, gave the impression that Johnson had strengthened his lead in the race against McKinney. The poll showed Johnson leading McKinney, 53 percent to 40 percent. Seven percent were undecided.


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off campaign, Polls and predictions for the primary runoff
Based upon historical results in Georgia runoff elections, many experts in Georgia politics believed that Johnson was the favorite to win the runoff election. University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock said that McKinney would probably lose because historically most incumbents forced into a runoff in Georgia do. "There is blood in the water and the sharks are circling," Bullock concluded. Merle Black, a political science professor at Emory University in Atlanta, expressed a similar sentiment, "An incumbent who is forced into a runoff is a serious sign of weakness. Johnson’s vote will go up, he’ll raise a lot of money, and the momentum has gone over to Johnson.


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off election, August 2006
On August 8, 2006, in the runoff, Johnson won a decisive victory:


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off election, August 2006
In his victory speech, Johnson commented on the Democratic primary campaign and on future prospects: "“What we have done today is something that has been watched by the nation. It is clear, where most people have a low opinion of the work of our Congress, that they want to see things done differently."


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, Democratic primary run-off election, August 2006
During her concession speech, McKinney praised leaders in Cuba and Venezuela and blamed the media and electronic voting machines for her defeat.


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, November general election
The 4th District is a 60% black-majority district, and is heavily Democratic. Johnson defeated the GOP candidate, human resources manager Catherine Davis, in the November 7 general election, winning 76% of the vote—one of the largest percentages for a Democrat in a contested election, and the largest in the history of the district.


2006 Georgia's 4th congressional district election, November general election
Davis was the 2004 Republican nominee but lost to McKinney by nearly 30 percentage points. The district supported Democrat John Kerry for President that same year with 71 percent of the vote.


2006 Georgian local elections
Local elections were held in Georgia on October 5, 2006. The elections follow a decree issued on August 26 by President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, setting the date for the local ballot.


2006 Georgian local elections
This vote was considered to be the first major test of the authorities commitment to a transparent process in non-revolutionary circumstances. In addition they were to demonstrate the level of public confidence in both the NMD - after a series of scandals - and the opposition, which has begun to strengthen and reorganise that year.


2006 Georgian local elections
The elections coincided with a very tense period of relations with Russia. After a major diplomatic row regarding alleged Russian spying, the Kremlin has severed all transport and post links with Georgia.


2006 Georgian local elections
According to preliminary results, the elections were won by the United National Movement led by President Saakashvili with an overwhelming majority. The predominantly Armenian-populated city of Akhalkalaki was the only municipality where an opposition grouping, the Industry Will Save Georgia Party, won a majority of votes.


2006 Georgian local elections
According to international observers, particularly the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the "municipal elections in Georgia were conducted with general respect for fundamental freedoms; however, the blurred distinction between the ruling authorities and the leading party reinforced the advantage of the incumbents".


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy
The 2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy began when the Government  of Georgia arrested four Russian officers on charges of espionage, on September 27, 2006. The Western and Georgian media sources report that relations between the two post-Soviet nations have significantly deteriorated after Georgia and NATO agreed to hold talks on closer relations.


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Background
Russian-Georgian relations have largely been reported as tense after the November 2003 Rose Revolution in Georgia brought the pro-Western reformist leader Mikheil Saakashvili to power.


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Background
The 2006 gas pipeline explosions and the Russian ban of Georgian wines and mineral waters were interpreted by many as the means of the Government of Russia's pressure on the Georgian leadership for the country's close ties with NATO and the United States.


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Background
The recent disruption of the Status quo ante in the Kodori Valley in Abkhazia led to a further downturn in the already tensed Russian-Georgian relations.


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Background
In July 2006, the Georgian police and security forces took control of the Kodori Valley, hitherto controlled by the local Georgian militias led by the defiant commander Emzar Kvitsiani. Georgian officials claimed that the Russian security services were behind the 2006 Kodori crisis, while Russian and Abkhaz authorities accused Georgia of violation of the previous ceasefire agreements by deploying an armed force in the Valley. In September 2006, the area was officially renamed Upper Abkhazia by the Georgian government and declared to be the "temporary administrative center" of Abkhazia until the conflict is resolved.


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Background
Continuous anti-Russian statements by the Georgian government, such as the September 2006 speech by President Saakashvili in Poland, were interpreted by some Russian media sources as depicting Russia as the "barbarous tribe of Huns".


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Timeline
On April 16, 2009 the case was brought before the European Court of Human Rights. The hearing was for the admissibility of the State vs. State case, a rare occurrence in this court with a ruling still pending.


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Reactions
On September 29, Sergey Ivanov, Russia's Defense Minister and Vice Premier, denounced Georgia as a "bandit" state, and accused the NATO members of arming Georgia in support to "military solution" to the country's secessionist conflicts. Vladimir Zhirinovsky, urged the government to exert economic and political pressure on Georgia, and consider military intervention.


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Reactions
On September 30, the BBC reported Foreign Minister of Georgia Gela Bezhuashvili as saying that Georgia "expected Russia to honour the pullout agreement" and as accusing the Russian government of "trying to scare" Georgians. President Mikheil Saakashvili described the Russian government's reaction to the arrests as "hysteria."


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Reactions
President Putin said, on October 1, Georgia's arrest of four Russian army officers for spying was "an act of state terrorism with hostage-taking", a statement that was downplayed by Saakashvili as "an overreaction caused by nervousness that they have created by themselves."


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Reactions
Meanwhile, various international organizations are trying to defuse the diplomatic conflict between the two sides. On September 30, the European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana spoke by telephone with Mikheil Saakashvili, urging him to find a rapid solution and offering assistance. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), to which both Georgia and Russia belong, appealed, on October 1, for both sides to open a dialogue and seek a peaceful solution to the dispute. The OSCE Chairman-in-Office Karel De Gucht said he was ready to travel to the region if needed and assist the conflicting sides to reduce the tensions.


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Reactions
On October 16, the Russian newspaper Versiya published an interview with the Georgian Defense Minister, Irakli Okruashvili where the minister stated that Russia "would lose if the quarrel between the two countries escalates into a shooting war". On the same day Yury Baluyevsky, the Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, responded that Russia does not plan a war with Georgia and warned about the "consequences of the provocation by the brash politician".


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Reactions
The next day the Georgian Ministry of Defense denied that Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili was interviewed by the Russian newspaper and called the information "another provocation coinciding with the visit of NATO officials to Moscow." Russian newspaper asserted that the interview it published was genuine and the audio recording of the conversation between the reporter Ruslan Gorevoy and Okruashvili is available.


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Reactions
On September 17, Estonia's parliament passed a declaration in support of "strengthening democracy in Georgia" and condemning "the endeavours by the Russian Federation to suppress Georgia's intentions by using economic sanctions and threats of [using] force."


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Deportations
The deportation of Georgian immigrants from Russia amid the ongoing diplomatic crisis also aroused much controversy. According to Russian authorities, more than half of the Georgians in the country are working illegally. Following the Russian crackdown on Georgian-owned alleged criminal businesses and the tightening of visa criteria for Georgians, on October 6, 2006, about 136 Georgians accused of "immigration offences" were flown back to Georgia on board a Russian cargo plane. Several deportees, however, showed valid passports and Russian entry visas, as reported by Reuters. In Georgia, the process of deportation and crackdown on allegedly illegal Georgian businesses in Moscow was described as “ethnic cleansing.”


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Deportations
Vice-president of the Federal Migration Service of Russia, Mikhail Tyurkin, said that immigrants "head home, to their mothers and children" and termed the mission "humanitarian."


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Deportations
The Russian authorities are also claimed to have begun targeting ethnic Georgian celebrities living in Moscow, including the famed Georgian-Russian fiction novelist Grigory Chkhartishvili better known by his penname Boris Akunin. Akunin commented on the Russian radio station Echo of Moscow that his publisher had been questioned by tax authorities over the writer's finances. "I didn't think I would live to see ethnic cleansing in Russia," he said. On October 6, the influential Russian human rights organization, Memorial condemned both sides of the dispute, accusing the government of Russia of "racial discrimination," and Georgia of "irresponsible policies."


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Deportations
Mikhail Kasyanov, leader of Russia's Peoples Democratic Union and former Prime Minister of Russia, made a following statement:


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Deportations
The actions of the Russian leadership, which called upon the UN Security Council for the resolution of an incident that occurred in relation to Georgia and which made the decision to implement informal sanctions against the Georgian people, are unworthy of the status of a Great Power. This policy can not be justified by the incorrect, and at times provocative, actions of the Georgian leadership.


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Deportations
The ongoing campaign of discrimination not only against the people of the neighboring state, but also against [Russian] citizens of Georgian nationality, have led to the violation of the Constitution, which directly forbids the limitation of citizens' rights based on ethnicity. We have to admit that Russia's first presidency in the G-8 would be marked not only by gas scandals, but also by chauvinist hysteria.


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Deportations
On October 6, the Moscow-based Echo of Moscow radio station called for expressing a protest against the authorities’ policy towards ethnic Georgian immigrants through pinning a badge saying "I am Georgian":


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Deportations
Political standoff between Russia and Georgia has turned into tracking down Georgians living in Russia. They live with us and they should not be blamed if officials, politicians and the Presidents of the two countries hate each other… If you do not want large-scale ethnic cleansing to be launched in Russia… pin this badge before coming out in the street.”


2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, Deportations
On October 7, a minor unsanctioned rally organized by opposition youth activists in support of the Georgians was dispersed and more than a dozen of its participants detained by Moscow police.


2006 German Athletics Championships
The 2006 German Athletics Championships were held at the Donaustadion in Ulm on 15–16 July 2006.


2006 German Figure Skating Championships
The 2006 German Figure Skating Championships (German: Deutsche Meisterschaften im Eiskunstlaufen) took place from December 27 through 30th, 2005 at the LBZ Hohenschönhausen in Berlin. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, ice dancing, and synchronized skating at the senior and junior levels.


2006 German Figure Skating Championships
The first senior compulsory dance was the Yankee Polka and the second was the Tango Romantica. The first junior compulsory dance was the Austrian Waltz and the second was the Quickstep.


2006 German Formula Three Championship
The 2006 ATS Formel 3 Cup season was a multi-event motor racing championship for single-seat open wheel formula racing cars that held across Europe. The championship featured drivers competing in two-litre Formula Three racing cars built by Dallara, Ligier, Lola and SLC which conform to the technical regulations, or formula, for the championship. It was the fourth edition of the ATS F3 Cup. It commenced on 22 April at Oschersleben and ended on 1 October at the same place after ten double-header rounds.


2006 German Formula Three Championship
The title was won by Ho-Pin Tung, who became the first Chinese driver to win the Formula Three championship. He achieved nine wins, to overcome his teammate Ferdinand Kool by 46 points, who was victorious at Lausitz. The third place went to Harald Schlegelmilch, who clinched both the Trophy and Rookie titles and won three from four races at Assen. Seyffarth Motorsport driver Renger van der Zande lost two points to Schlegelmilch in both the main and Rookie championship to finish fourth and second respectively. Nico Hülkenberg won the race at Hockenheim and completed the top five. Schlegelmilch's teammate Joey Foster was the last driver to win more than one race. He did it at Oschersleben, Hockenheim and Nürburgring. Other wins were shared between Nathan Antunes and Johnny Cecotto Jr..


2006 German Grand Prix
The 2006 German Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2006) was a Formula One motor race held at the Hockenheimring on 30 July 2006. The 67-lap race was the twelfth round of the 2006 Formula One season and was won by Michael Schumacher. The Grand Prix weekend got off to a controversial start when the mass damper system fitted by Renault was deemed legal by the FIA appointed stewards, despite the FIA banning the use of these devices. The FIA appealed against the steward's decision, but Renault then withdrew the system after Friday practice to avoid further sanctions.


2006 German Grand Prix
Kimi Räikkönen took pole position, but it proved artificial as McLaren had inadvertently not put enough fuel as intended in his car before qualifying. In the race, Räikkönen's early pitstop left him unable to challenge at the front, and the way was left clear for Ferrari to score a dominant one-two. Perhaps due to the damper issue, Renault were not competitive; it was the first time in 2006 that neither of their cars finished the race on the podium.


2006 German Grand Prix
Sakon Yamamoto made his Formula One début at the Grand Prix, starting from pit lane after changing chassis after the qualifying session. He was not the only one to suffer changes after qualifying, as Jarno Trulli and Christijan Albers both had to change engines, incurring ten-place penalties. A nightmare weekend for Albers was summed up with his disqualification, along with team-mate Tiago Monteiro, as the Midlands were disqualified after the race for having illegally flexing rear wings.


2006 German Grand Prix
The race also saw the last appearance by 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve, who blamed the split on the "lack of assurances about his short-term future with BMW Sauber". Robert Kubica was promoted internally at BMW to drive at the Hungaroring because Villeneuve was still recovering from the after-effects of his crash in Germany, and went on to race in all the remaining Grands Prix.


2006 German Grand Prix, Friday drivers
The bottom 6 teams in the 2005 Constructors' Championship and Super Aguri were entitled to run a third car in free practice on Friday. These drivers drove on Friday but did not compete in qualifying or the race.


2006 German Open
The 2006 German Open in badminton was held in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, from January 9 to January 15, 2006.


2006 German Open
It was one of the 2006 Grand Prix tournaments and the prize money was US$80,000.


2006 German Skeleton Championship
The 40th German Skeleton Championship 2006 was organized on 7 March 2006 in Winterberg.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix was the tenth round of the 2006 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 14–16 July 2006 at the Sachsenring.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
This race was most notable for the four-way battle for the win that happened throughout the race, as well as Rossi's victory from tenth on the grid.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
After nine rounds, Nicky Hayden still leads the championship with 153 points. A rather distant second is rookie Dani Pedrosa with 127 and in third Valentino Rossi with 118, who has climbed up the order in a rather quick pace after early season mechanical problems and driver errors cost him quite some points.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On Saturday, Dani Pedrosa took pole position - his fourth and final of the season - with a time of 1:21.815. Lining alongside him in second is Kenny Roberts Jr., who took a surprise front row place by only being +0.092 seconds off the pace of Pedrosa - and teammate Nicky Hayden in third place. The second row of the grid consists out of Shinya Nakano on the Kawasaki in fourth, Loris Capirossi in fifth and Marco Melandri in sixth position. Rossi meanwhile only managed to qualify a lowly tenth and thus was down on the fourth row of the grid. Another rookie - Casey Stoner - did not participate in the race due to a concussion he sustained after a crash earlier that day during the warm-up practice.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
All riders take off and do their usual warm-up lap before lining up in their respective grid slots. As the lights go out, Pedrosa has a great start and retains his lead going into the Coca-Cola Kurve (Turn 1) on the opening lap. Roberts Jr. retains his position, as does Hayden in third. Makoto Tamada meanwhile has also had a fantastic start, passing multiple riders from ninth to move up into fourth place. Capirossi and Melandri have swapped places, Melandri now being fifth and Capirossi sixth.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
At Turn 3, Capirossi then loses another place to John Hopkins and another one at the Castrol Omega (Turn 4) to a fast charging Rossi, demoting him to eighth place in just four corners. He is now ahead of Nakano - who had a bad start and lost a few places as well. Halfway into the lap, the top five have started to open up a slight gap back to sixth place Hopkins. Inside that group, Hayden is also opening up a slight gap to Roberts Jr, with Pedrosa harassing him all throughout the lap.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
At the Sachsen Kurve (Turn 13), Rossi makes a move on Hopkins for sixth by diving down his inside. A similar move is also done by Hayden on both Roberts Jr. and Pedrosa at the same corner, making a very late lunge and taking the lead on the exit of the corner.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap two, both Tamada and Melandri pass Roberts Jr. at the beginning and exit of the Coca-Cola Kurve, promoting both to third and fourth place. At the Sachsen Kurve, Melandri tries to pass Tamada for third but runs wide, allowing the Japanese to retake the place upon exit. This move also allows Roberts Jr. and Rossi to close right up.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap three and at the end of the start/finish straight, Melandri goes for a pass on Tamada again, this time at the entrance of the Coca-Cola Kurve. He goes up his inside and this time successfully takes third from him. Sixth place Rossi is still right behind the American, trying to pass him at the Sachsen Kurve but not being able to. Home hero Alex Hofmann meanwhile has retired from the race.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap four, Melandri sets the fastest lap of the race. Rossi this time manages to get past Roberts Jr. at the Sachsen Kurve, moving him up into fifth place.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap five and Pedrosa tries a move on teammate Hayden but has a moment going into the Coca-Cola Kurve, opting to stick behind him for the time being. Rossi has quickly closed the tiny gap to Tamada and is behind him all throughout the lap.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap six, Capirossi - who had regained the places he had lost earlier - is now right on the back of Roberts Jr. and tries to find a way past. The top six now consists out of Hayden, Pedrosa, Melandri, Tamada, Rossi and Roberts Jr..


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
As Hayden crosses the lap to start lap seven, it is Tamada who passes Melandri for third position at the start/finish straight, finalising the pass at the entrance of the Coca-Cola Kurve. Entering the Sachsen Kurve, Melandri tries to line up a pass by diving down the inside of Tamada but gets blocked and has to stay behind instead.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap eight and Melandri manages to take third from Tamada at the same corner where he tried to pass the Japanese rider one lap earlier, the Sachsen Kurve.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap nine, Tamada retries to take third by using the power of his Konica Minolta Honda and blast pass, only to run slightly wide upon entrance of the Coca-Cola Kurve and having to give back the position to Melandri. At the Sachsen Kurve, Melandri goes up the inside of Pedrosa and takes second, with Rossi doing likewise to Tamada for third. The Japanese tries to fight back at the Queckenberg Kurve (Turn 14), but has to slot in behind Rossi.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap ten and Rossi runs a bit wide exiting the Queckenberg Kurve, allowing Tamada to blast past the Camel Yamaha rider and take back third place at the start/finish straight. At the Sachsen Kurve, Rossi makes a clean move down the inside of Tamada and retakes third.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap eleven, Melandri takes over the lead as he passes Hayden at the start/finish straight, entering the Coca-Cola Kurve. Tamada tries to take third place back from Rossi but this time is not able to. Pedrosa then follows suit at Castrol Omega, taking a shorter line and going side by side with Hayden, exiting the corner ahead of him. At the Sachsen Kurve, Rossi then makes his move and passes Hayden for third. Roberts Jr. then tries to pass Tamada for fourth place at the Queckenberg Kurve but takes a line that is too tight, losing the front end and striking an unfortunate Tamada along with him into the gravel. The Japanese rider then grabs his leg, visibly shown in pain.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap twelve and the lead group now consists out of four riders: Melandri, Pedrosa, Rossi and Hayden. Roberts Jr. is shown kneeling next to him, trying to ask him if he is okay. The retirement of the two riders now moves up Capirossi into fifth and Nakano into sixth position. At the Sachsen Kurve, Rossi passes Pedrosa for second by diving down his inside.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap thirteen, Capirossi has managed to close the gap and is now right behind Hayden, making it a five-way battle for victory. At the Sachsen Kurve, Rossi overtakes Melandri and takes over the lead by going up his inside. At Turn 9, Melandri makes a small mistake and allows Rossi to pull a slight gap.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap fifteen and Pedrosa overtakes Melandri as the Italian goes slightly wide and he takes a tighter line entering Castrol Omega, moving him up into second position.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap sixteen, Pedrosa and Melandri have slowly closed the gap to Rossi, opening up a small gap of their own to Hayden. No overtakes happened at the front.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap seventeen and the top four now consists out of Rossi, Pedrosa, Melandri and Hayden Fifth placed Capirossi is starting to lose connection to the top four by now.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap eighteen, the front is stable and no overtakes happened. Capirossi's gap to sixth place Nakano is +1.816 seconds.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap nineteen and Hayden's gap to Capirossi is now +1.248 seconds. Melandri closes up to Pedrosa and has a look up the inside of the Spaniard at the Sachsen Kurve, but stays behind for now.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twenty, the front is still stable and no one has made any overtakes so far.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap twenty-one and Rossi's bike is now sliding a bit as the tyres start to wear for everyone. Pedrosa is still shadowing him in second. At the Sachsen Kurve, Melandri finally makes a move and passes Pedrosa on the inside for second position.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
As Rossi crosses the line to start lap twenty-two, Hayden goes side by side with Pedrosa at the start/finish straight and tries to overtake him on the outside at the entrance of the Coca-Cola Kurve, failing to do so and having to settle for fourth.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twenty-three, Melandri is all over the back of Rossi during the lap but is not able to make a move. No overtakes happen at the front.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap twenty-four and Pedrosa passes Melandri at the inside of the Coca-Coca Kurve, promoting him up into second place. At the Sachsen Kurve, Melandri takes back second position from Pedrosa. The Spaniard tries to retake it but decides to stay behind for now as they enter the Queckenberg Kurve.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twenty-five, Pedrosa tries a move up the inside of Melandri by taking the shorter line at Castrol Omega, but gets blocked off by Melandri mid-corner, forcing him to back off.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap twenty-six and Pedrosa takes second from Melandri, this time executing to perfection the move he tried earlier on the Italian at Castrol Omega. At the Sachsen Kurve, Pedrosa runs wide and allows both Melandri and Hayden to overtake him, making him lose two positions in one corner.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twenty-seven, Rossi now has pulled a small gap back to Melandri, who himself has opened up a small gap to Hayden and Pedrosa. Melandri however catches up this small gap rather quickly.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Crossing the line to start lap twenty-eight, Melandri makes a very late lunge down the inside of Rossi to take over the lead at the front. This has allowed the Repsol Honda duo of Hayden and Pedrosa to close up on the top two again. Melandri has pulled a small gap back to Rossi but closes it as soon as he enters the Sachsen Kurve - where he also thinks of a move up his inside but stays behind for now.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
As Melandri crosses the line to start lap twenty-nine - the penultimate lap - Pedrosa goes side by side with his American teammate for second, Hayden then going a bit wide but somehow retaining third as he tries to overtake Rossi on the outside of the Coca-Cola Kurve but isn't able to. Melandri has again pulled a slight gap to Rossi. Pedrosa then tries to take Hayden at Castrol Omega by going in with a tighter line, the Spaniard not being able to pass when Hayden closes the door and causing the pair to almost collide in the process. This has allowed Rossi and Pedrosa to form a big enough gap to make it a two-way fight for the lead. Rossi is now all over the back of Melandri and takes back the lead at the Sachsen Kurve, going up his inside.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
The final lap - lap thirty - begins and Melandri tries to retake first place at the start/finish straight, Rossi blocking him off entering the Coca-Cola Kurve. This however has caused Rossi to have a slight moment but is able to retain the lead. Hayden then tries to form a pass on the outside of Melandri after he closed the gap to him again on the previous lap, the American not being able to as he now comes under pressure from Pedrosa again. Melandri is harassing Rossi all throughout the lap, Pedrosa doing likewise to Hayden.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Exiting the fast right-handed Turn 12, Melandri tries to go up the inside of Rossi but the Italian holds on going into the long straight before the Sachsen Kurve. Melandri then tries a move around the outside of this corner, with Rossi blocking the inside off and forcing him all the way onto the kerb. Behind them, Pedrosa takes a wider line entering the Sachsen Kurve to have a better drive exiting it, allowing him to go side by side as the Repsol Honda pair enter the Queckenberg Kurve for the final time.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Melandri tries once more to pass Rossi on the outside of the last turn, but Rossi once again relegates him to the outside, allowing him to cross the line and win the race - his fourth win of the season - with Melandri coming home in second place. Behind them, it looks to be Pedrosa who has taken third from Hayden on the line as he exits the corner, but Hayden has held on and narrowly crosses the line ahead of the Spaniard in third, with Pedrosa finishing fourth. Further back, Capirossi, who was starting to be caught by Nakano, crosses the line fifth, Nakano in sixth.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On the parade lap, Rossi stops as the fans swarm the track to side around a happy Rossi, along with the marshalls and some of the press. One of the two cremembers put on a shirt of Marco Materazzi, the footballer who scored the crucial goal against France during the penalty shoot-out in the finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which had concluded in Germany a week before the race. Hayden also waves to the crowd.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Going onto the podium, Rossi was still wearing the shirt of Materazzi but took it off before appearing on the podium. However, he took the shirt with him and as the other two riders stand on the podium already, he puts the shirt back on as the audience gives him a loud applause and cheers. He congratulates the other riders, then a crewmembers adjusts his shirt in the back.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
He then steps on the top step of the podium as Hermann Tomczyk hands the third-place trophy to Hayden, Jean-Pierre Mougin hands out the second-place trophy to Melandri and Georg Milbradt hands the winners trophy to Rossi. As he receives the trophy, the crowd once again jubilantly cheers as 'The Doctor' raises the trophy. Tomczyk also hands out the constructors trophy to the crew chief of the Camel Yamaha team. The Italian national anthem plays for Rossi and as it stops, the champagne gets handed out. As soon as Rossi receives it, he cheekily sprays one of the grid girls, as does Melandri.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Rossi's victory and Hayden's third place now means that Hayden extends his title hunt, with Rossi catching him ever so slowly. Hayden still sits first with 169 points, followed by Rossi who passes Pedrosa in the standings with 143 points. In third place is Pedrosa with 140 points.


2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix, Championship standings after the race (MotoGP)
Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round ten has concluded.


2006 German train bombing attempts
On 31 July 2006, two men placed two suitcases filled with bombs on regional commuter trains in Germany. Departing from the central station in Cologne, the bombs were timed to go off near Hamm or Dortmund and near Koblenz, and according to German investigators "would have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people ... on a much larger scale than the terrorist attacks on London subways and buses in July 2005." However, due to faulty construction, the bombs only failed to ignite, even as the detonators worked. According to the German prosecutor, at the time Germany had "never been closer to an Islamist attack than in this case."


2006 German train bombing attempts
German investigators suspected a terrorist organisation was behind the plot. Investigations found two Lebanese men to have been behind the attempted bombings. Jihad Hamad, who had fled to Lebanon after the attempted attacks was sentenced to twelve years in prison in Beirut in 2007. Youssef Mohamad el-Hajdib, arrested in Kiel on 19 August, was in 2008 sentenced to life in prison in Germany for the attempted bombings. There remained suspicions of involvement by the brother of one of the convicted men, Saddam el-Hajdib, a high-ranking member of Fatah al-Islam who was killed in fighting with the Lebanese Army before he could be tried in court.


2006 German train bombing attempts
Europol classified the attack as Islamic terrorism in a 2007 report.


2006 German train bombing attempts, Suspects, Youssef Mohamad El Hajdib
El Hajdib, aged 21, was arrested at Kiel's central train station on 19 August 2006. There were reports two weeks later in connection with the Vollsmose terrorist trial that he was trying to travel to Denmark and that he had Odense imam Abu Bashar's telephone in his pocket. Bashar denied knowing El Hajdib. On 9 December 2008 El Hajdib was sentenced to life in prison by a German court for attempted murder and the attempt to cause an explosion. After serving his sentence, he will be deported to Egypt.


2006 German train bombing attempts, Suspects, Jihad Hamad
Hamad, aged 20, fled to Lebanon after the failed attack and tried to hide with his family. He turned himself to Lebanese authorities in Beirut a few days after El Hajdib was arrested. His family lives in Al-Kobbe, Tripoli. In his youth Jihad went to a Christian school. Jihad came to Essen to live with his uncle, study and work. Jihad confessed to depositing the luggage on the trains but claimed he was unaware it was a bomb. He also said El Hajdib and he had researched on the internet how to prepare attacks which would cause increased suffering.


2006 German train bombing attempts, Suspects, Jihad Hamad
Hamad told Lebanese interrogators that El Hajdib saw the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy as an attack by the Western world on Islam. Further motivation was the killing of Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi on 7 June 2006 by US forces. Hamad and El Hajdib lived together in Cologne. Hamad was sentenced in December 2007 to twelve years in prison with hard labour in Beirut.


2006 German train bombing attempts, Bombs and evidence
The plans for the bombs were taken from the internet. The suspects diverged at a few points and it was there that technical mistakes were made. The devices cost about 200-300 Euro to build. The bombs were made from propane barbecue canisters to be triggered with gasoline and makeshift detonators. The detonators went off, but failed to ignite the gas. According to German security services the attacks were originally planned for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, several weeks earlier, but the suspects abandoned the plan when they considered the implications of such an attack.


2006 German train bombing attempts, Bombs and evidence
A search of the suspects' apartment found DNA matching that on the suitcases and receipts for the gas canister and gas. Surveillance cameras caught both suspects carrying wheeled baggage onto the train at Cologne.


2006 German troops controversy
In October 2006, German troops in Afghanistan were in the centre of an international scandal of them posing with human skulls. Six servicemen were suspended over the first case, and a total of 23 were being investigated in connection with the incident.


2006 German troops controversy
The events took place during the War in Afghanistan (2001–present), and included German soldiers taking photographs of each other posed with skulls, including kissing the skulls.


2006 Gerry Weber Open
The 2006 Gerry Weber Open was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 14th edition of the Gerry Weber Open, and was part of the International Series of the 2006 ATP Tour. It took place at the Gerry Weber Stadion in Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, from June 12 through June 18, 2006.


2006 Gerry Weber Open
The singles field was led by World No. 1, Australian Open champion, French Open runner-up, and 2003, 2004 and 2005 Halle winner Roger Federer, Australian Open semifinalist Nicolas Kiefer, and Auckland titlist Jarkko Nieminen. Also present were Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis, Adelaide semifinalist Tomáš Berdych, Tommy Haas, Christophe Rochus and Kristof Vliegen.


2006 Gerry Weber Open, Finals, Doubles
Fabrice Santoro /  Nenad Zimonjić defeated  Michael Kohlmann /  Rainer Schüttler, 6–0, 6–4


2006 Gerry Weber Open – Doubles
Yves Allegro and Roger Federer were the defending champions, but Federer chose not to participate, and only Allegro competed that year. Allegro partnered with Marat Safin, but lost in the semifinals to Michael Kohlmann and Rainer Schüttler.


2006 Gerry Weber Open – Doubles
Fabrice Santoro and Nenad Zimonjić won in the final 6–0, 6–4, against Michael Kohlmann and Rainer Schüttler.


2006 Gerry Weber Open – Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, and won in the final 6–0, 6–7(4–7), 6–2, against Tomáš Berdych.


2006 Ginetta Junior Championship
The 2006 Ginetta Junior Championship season was the second season of the Ginetta Junior Championship. The season began at Snetterton on 1 April 2006 and concluded after 14 races over 7 events at Thruxton on 1 October 2006.


2006 Girabola
The 2006 Girabola was the 28th season of top-tier football in Angola. The season ran from 25 February to 26 November 2006. Sagrada Esperança were the defending champions.


2006 Girabola
The league comprised 14 teams, the bottom three of which were relegated to the 2007 Gira Angola.


2006 Girabola
Primeiro de Agosto were crowned champions, while Bravos do Maquis, Progresso do Sambizanga and Sporting de Cabinda were relegated. Manucho Gonçalves of Petro Luanda finished as the top scorer with 16 goals.


2006 Girabola, Changes from the 2005 season
Relegated: Académica do Lobito, Petro do Huambo, Sporting do Bié Promoted: Bravos do Maquis, Académica do Soyo, Benfica do Lubango


2006 Girls' Youth NORCECA Volleyball Championship
The 2006 Girls' Youth NORCECA Volleyball Championship was played from July 23 to July 31, 2006 in Gainesville, Florida, United States. Six teams competed in this tournament. United States won the tournament for the fourth time defeating Dominican Republic. Puerto Rico joined the United States and Dominican Republic to compete at the 2007 Girls' U18 World Championship. Team USA's Tarah Murrey won the tournament MVP award.


2006 Giro d'Italia
The 2006 Giro d'Italia was the 89th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro 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.


2006 Giro d'Italia
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.


2006 Giro d'Italia
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.


2006 Giro d'Italia, 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.


2006 Giro d'Italia, 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.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Route and stages
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.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Route and stages
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.


2006 Giro d'Italia, 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.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Classification leadership
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.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Classification leadership
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.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Classification leadership
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.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Classification leadership
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.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Final standings, 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.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Final standings, Minor classifications
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.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11
The 2006 Giro d'Italia began on 6 May in Seraing in Belgium, and stage 11 occurred on 18 May in Pontedera. As is usually the case in a Grand Tour, the first half of the race was considerably easier than the second half – both rest days occurred before the halfway point, and there were no mountain stages or stages ending with climbs among the first eleven.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11
The Giro began with an individual time trial, which defending champion Paolo Savoldelli won to become the first race leader. After breakaways and the team time trial in stage 5 (the first on Italian soil) resulted in three other riders wearing the pink jersey, Ivan Basso took a lead he held all the way to the Giro's conclusion in Milan with his victory in stage 8.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11
Sprinter Alessandro Petacchi, who had won thirteen stages in the last two editions of the Giro, fractured his kneecap in stage 3 and was forced to abandon the Giro and miss the rest of the season.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 1
6 May 2006 — Seraing (Belgium) 6.2 km (3.9 mi) (individual time trial)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 1
The Giro began in Belgium with a short individual time trial. It was the first time the Giro had come to Belgium since 1973. The course included some climbing, with the second intermediate time check also awarding points to the mountains competition.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 1
A number of early riders posted provisional best times on the day. The first to stand up for any sustained length of time was Stefan Schumacher's 8'03". That time held up against reigning world time trial champion Michael Rogers and other riders like José Rujano and Tom Danielson before José Enrique Gutiérrez bettered it by less than a second. Shortly afterward, Bradley McGee stopped the clock two seconds faster than Gutierrez. The only riders to follow McGee were the Giro's overall favorites and contenders.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 1
Danilo Di Luca had the best time at the first intermediate time check, but lost time as the ride wore on and finished in 8'09". Former teammates Damiano Cunego and Gilberto Simoni, though neither of them renowned as particularly good time trialists, both finished in 8'16", with Cunego milliseconds the better of the two. Ivan Basso turned in an 8'13" ride to place himself better than Simoni and Cunego in the first general classification.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 1
With only defending Giro champion Paolo Savoldelli left to leave the starthouse, McGee's 8'01" was still best and it appeared that the Australian would get the first pink jersey. Savoldelli, however, set by far the best time at the intermediate time checks and was 11 seconds better than McGee at the finish, winning the stage and all four jerseys on the podiums afterward. Savoldelli was the only rider to finish the course in under eight minutes. McGee expressed disappointment after the stage that the last man had beaten him, but also recognized that Savoldelli had turned in the considerably better ride. For his part, Savoldelli was surprised by his victory, and felt poised to challenge for a third Giro victory.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 2
7 May 2006 — Mons (Belgium) to Charleroi Marcinelle (Belgium) 197 km (122 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 2
The first road race stage was flat and raced on relatively straight roads, with a very wide final 2 km (1.2 mi). It was a simple course expected to produce a mass sprint finish.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 2
The arrival site of Marcinelle demonstrated why the Giro had come to Belgium – 2006 marked the 50th anniversary of a mining accident there that killed 262 people, including 136 Italians.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 2
Intermittent rain fell throughout the day on all parts of the course. The maximum advantage attained by the four breakaway riders (Gabriele Missaglia, Beñat Albizuri, Mickaël Delage, and Arnaud Labbe) was 6'18", and they took the intermediate sprint and the climb on offer on the stage. With 60 km (37 mi) to go, the time gap was reduced to three minutes. At this point, race leader Paolo Savoldelli's Discovery Channel team gave up the pacemaking, as the teams of the sprinters were more invested in making a timely catch of the leading group.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 2
At the 17 km (11 mi) mark, the peloton was all together again, and Team Milram and Davitamon–Lotto, working for Alessandro Petacchi and Robbie McEwen, respectively, alternately tried to take control of the race. Petacchi's last leadout man Alberto Ongarato did not maintain the pace that had been set before him in the race's final 1,500 m (4,900 ft), leading to a chaotic sprint to the line. Petacchi started his sprint with 170 m (560 ft) to go, but McEwen, who had been holding his wheel in the last 5 km (3.1 mi), came around him for the stage win. Olaf Pollack and Paolo Bettini also managed to out-sprint Petacchi, who was upset to finish just fourth. Savoldelli, celebrating his 33rd birthday, retained the race leadership.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 3
8 May 2006 — Perwez (Belgium) to Namur (Belgium) 202 km (126 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 3
Although the profile for this stage was quite flat, pre-race analysis expected that the stage would not favor sprinters like the previous stage had. The course included a cobbled climb by the Meuse River, on roads visited in La Flèche Wallonne, and another in the last 2 km (1.2 mi) to the finish line by the Citadel of Namur.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 3
It took two hours for a breakaway group to form on this stage. After a move instigated by Moisés Aldape, he and Amaël Moinard, Markel Irizar, Raffaele Illiano formed the day's escape. The peloton was content to let this group get away for a while, affording them three minutes advantage in the 10 km (6.2 mi) after Aldape first attacked. Quick-Step–Innergetic organized the chase, working for their captain, classics specialist Paolo Bettini, who was thought to be a favorite for the stage. Their lead started to dissipate as individual tactics began on the day's second climb.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 3
Aldape was first to the line and took sufficient points to gain the green jersey. About 50 km (31 mi) from the finish, Dario Cioni and Alessandro Petacchi crashed at the back of the peloton, going about 60 km/h (37 mph) at the time. Petacchi got up and, with the help of his teammates, made it to the finish some 14 minutes after the stage winner. Though he said he felt better after the stage than he did immediately after the crash, tests after the stage revealed that he had fractured his left kneecap and had to abandon the race.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 3
Though the crash afforded the leading quartet a little more time, they were easily caught by 20 km (12 mi) to go. The rain, which had been falling lightly throughout the day, intensified in the stage's final kilometers. Between 20 km (12 mi) and 10 km (6.2 mi) to go, no team forced the pace, and Team CSC rode a tempo to try to keep their leader Ivan Basso safe. A Euskaltel–Euskadi rider crashed with just over 3 km (1.9 mi) to go, splitting what had been the pink jersey group into two. Alberto Loddo was the first to try to attack for the stage win. José Luis Rubiera countered with 1,700 m (5,600 ft) to go and appeared poised for the win until Stefan Schumacher passed him a few hundred meters later, winning the stage and the pink jersey.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 4
9 May 2006 — Wanze (Belgium) to Hotton (Belgium) 193 km (120 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 4
The last stage in Belgium was undulating, with several small rises in elevation. Included among them were two categorized climbs often included in the Ardennes classics.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 4
The day's signature breakaway formed very quickly after the true beginning of the stage, which was expected given that the uphill stretches began almost immediately. Sandy Casar, Grischa Niermann, Patrick Calcagni, Jurgen Van de Walle, and Alessandro Bertolini slipped away and, thanks to a helpful tailwind, built up a 3'30" advantage by the 26 km (16 mi) mark. Their eventual maximum advantage was just less than seven minutes. Davitamon–Lotto and Gerolsteiner led the chase. By 15 km (9.3 mi) to go, the break's lead was reduced to 20 seconds, and Niermann tried to solo in the rest of the way.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 4
Eventually, the riders were all together again, though the escape had allowed Casar to be first over the day's climbs and win enough points to take the green jersey from Moisés Aldape. Team Milram led the peloton through the final kilometers – although they had lost their leader Alessandro Petacchi in the previous stage, they still had other strong sprinters on their squad, riders who would have normally been Petacchi's last leadout man.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 4
They set up the sprint with Mirco Lorenzetto in mind, but Davitamon–Lotto leader Robbie McEwen followed their wheels and timed his acceleration just right to take his second stage win of this Giro. Aside from three riders, the entire peloton finished the stage together, meaning the day's effect on the overall standings was virtually nil – the only change was Bettini's second-place time bonus moving him from 11th to 10th.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 5
11 May 2006 — Piacenza to Cremona 35 km (22 mi) (team time trial)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 5
After the rest day and transfer to Italy, the fifth stage was a team time trial (TTT). A favorite discipline of second-year race director Angelo Zomegnan, this was the first TTT in the Giro in 17 years. The course was flat and favored powerful squads like Team CSC and Discovery Channel.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 5
The dominance of the Lance Armstrong-led Discovery Channel team in recent years in TTT's in the Tour de France had had that race institute a rule limiting time losses in the general classification for individual riders finishing together. The Giro did not institute this rule, however, and only real time was taken on the stage. There was a slight tailwind blowing on the day, and the course was reduced in length slightly from the planned length of 38 km (24 mi), which was expected to make for limited time gaps.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 5
Davitamon–Lotto, led by points classification leader Robbie McEwen, set the early time to beat, coming home in 38'05" and bettering the times of Selle Italia–Diquigiovanni and Bouygues Télécom. The next team on the course was Saunier Duval–Prodir, who were composed of climbers and not time trialists and managed an 18th place ride with 39'22". Shortly thereafter came Liquigas and Team CSC, who posted successive best times at the first intermediate time check. Team CSC had the best time at the finish line, stopping the clock in 36'56", leading to speculation over whether Jens Voigt would take the race leadership.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 5
Though T-Mobile Team was eight seconds off Team CSC's pace at the first time check and gradually faded further, they rode a very strong final 10 km (6.2 mi) and put the next pink jersey on their star time trialist Serhiy Honchar. They finished only one second worse than Team CSC at the finish line.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 5
Discovery Channel and Gerolsteiner were the last teams on the course. Discovery Channel's squad wasn't nearly as strong as it had been in the 2005 Tour de France when they were stage winners who handily defeated every team but Team CSC, though they still managed third on the day with 37'25". Gerolsteiner never stood much chance of retaining the jersey, though their sixth-place ride in 37'59" was better than pre-stage expectations.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 6
12 May 2006 — Busseto to Forlì 227 km (141 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 6
This stage was very flat, heading on straight roads southeast through the region of Emilia-Romagna. It was the first time the Giro had come to Forlì in 29 years, with a stage that stood to favor the sprinters.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 6
Though the peloton first seemed to want to keep Sergiy Matveyev, Christophe Edaleine, and Andoni Aranaga from breaking away after just 6 km (3.7 mi), the trio fought through the counter-attacks and became the day's signature escape. Their biggest advantage of the day was 6'14", at the intermediate sprint in Rio Saliceto. Davitamon–Lotto led the chase, with double stage winner Robbie McEwen in mind. The course's perfectly flat terrain meant that it was exceedingly unlikely that the break would stay away to the finish.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 6
T-Mobile Team joined the chase, and by 25 km (16 mi) to go the time gap was just 40 seconds. The peloton thus stood the risk of catching them too soon, which would leave open the possibility for counter-attacks when the catch occurred. The trio's lead grew a little for the next several kilometers until they were at last brought back with 9 km (5.6 mi) left in the stage. Several teams tried to control the field in the run in to the finish, with their various sprinters in mind.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 6
AG2R Prévoyance's Tomas Vaitkus flew out of the main field with 300 m (980 ft) left, followed closely by McEwen and Olaf Pollack. Pollack later described that his primary leadout man André Korff had crashed about a kilometer earlier, which threw off his preparations for the sprint. Points classification leader McEwen was first over the line to claim his third stage win of the Giro, but the 12-second time bonus Pollack received made him the new race leader.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 7
13 May 2006 — Cesena to Saltara 236 km (147 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 8
14 May 2006 — Civitanova Marche to Maielletta 171 km (106 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 9
15 May 2006 — Francavilla al Mare to Termoli 171 km (106 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 10
16 May 2006 — Termoli to Peschici 187 km (116 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 11
18 May 2006 — Pontedera 50 km (31 mi) (individual time trial)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21
The 2006 Giro d'Italia was the 89th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro began in Seraing, Belgium with an individual time trial on 6 May, and Stage 12 occurred on 19 May with an undulating stage from Livorno. The race finished in Milan on 28 May.


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 12
19 May 2006 - Livorno to Sestri Levante, 169 km (105 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 13
20 May 2006 - Alessandria to La Thuile, 218 km (135 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 14
21 May 2006 - Aosta to Domodossola, 220 km (140 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 15
22 May 2006 - Mergozzo to Brescia, 190 km (120 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 16
23 May 2006 - Rovato to Trento, 168 km (104 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 17
24 May 2006 - Tramin to Plan de Corones, 115 km (71 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 18
25 May 2006 - Sillian to Gemona del Friuli, 207 km (129 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 19
26 May 2006 - Pordenone to San Pellegrino Pass, 224 km (139 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 20
27 May 2006 - Trento to Aprica, 211 km (131 mi)


2006 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 21
28 May 2006 - Museo del Ghisallo to Milan, 140 km (87 mi)


2006 Giro del Trentino
The 2006 Giro del Trentino was the 30th edition of the Tour of the Alps cycle race and was held on 18 April to 21 April 2006. The race started and finished in Arco. The race was won by Damiano Cunego.


2006 Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile – Memorial Michela Fanini
The 2006 Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile – Memorial Michela Fanini was the 13th edition of the Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile – Memorial Michela Fanini, a women's cycling stage race in Italy. It was rated by the UCI as category 2.1 race, and was held between 12 and 17 September 2006.


2006 Giro di Lombardia
In 2006, the 100th edition of the Giro di Lombardia cycling race took place on 14 October, in and around the Italian region of Lombardy. It was won by World Champion Paolo Bettini who dedicated the victory to his brother who had recently died.


2006 Giro di Lombardia
This race marked the end of the 2006 UCI ProTour calendar, with Alejandro Valverde taking the overall title and setting a new record for most ProTour points amassed in one season.


2006 Gloucester City Council election
The 2006 Gloucester City Council election took place on 3 May 2006 to elect members of Gloucester City Council in England. One-third of council were up for election.and the council is still in No Overall Control.


2006 Golden Corral 500
The 2006 Golden Corral 500 was the fourth race in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup season which took place  on March 20, 2006 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Rain showers forced the green flag to be moved back to the Monday. Television coverage moved to cable's FX channel for the race (with some exceptions).


2006 Golden Corral 500, Race recap
Kasey Kahne sat on the pole with a speed of 192.553 mph, edging Ryan Newman by .002 seconds. Bill Lester qualified 19th in the #23 Dodge Charger, becoming the first African-American to start a NASCAR Nextel Cup race since 1986. He finished 38th, six laps down.


2006 Golden Corral 500, Race recap
For the first time during the season there were no extra laps at the end of the race. Last year's Atlanta winner, Carl Edwards eliminated himself from contention early. He damaged the front end of the 99 car after hitting Dave Blaney on pit road on lap 45 during a caution to address the stopped car of Kyle Busch. Bobby Labonte ran in the top 10 for the first 50 laps before his engine failed on lap 55.


2006 Golden Corral 500, Race recap
Another scary incident took place on pit road during the sixth caution of the day (laps 189-197), when Reed Sorenson hit John Slusher, catch can man for Robby Gordon's crew, as he pulled out of his pit stall. Slusher was attached to a backboard but treated at the infield care center.


2006 Golden Corral 500, Race recap
Several rookies had good days at Atlanta. Paul Menard and Reed Sorenson finished in the top ten, and Denny Hamlin led 16 laps. He was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop because of a loose condition, and finished 31st.


2006 Golden Corral 500, Race recap
On the track, the 9 car was near the front all day. Kahne took the lead from Greg Biffle with 79 laps to go. Despite a challenge from Mark Martin, Kahne was not seriously challenged down the stretch and visited victory lane for the second time in his career. Kahne was the first driver to win from the pole since Matt Kenseth in the 2005 Sharpie 500.


2006 Golden Corral 500, Race results
Failed to qualify: Mike Garvey (#51), Stanton Barrett (#95), Chad Chaffin (#34), Derrike Cope (#74), Kenny Wallace (#78), Travis Kvapil (#32), Mike Skinner (#37), Greg Sacks (#13), Chad Blount (#92)


2006 Golden Globes (Portugal)
The 2006 Golden Globes (Portugal) were held on 25 May 2006.


2006 Golden Spin of Zagreb
The 2006 Golden Spin of Zagreb was the 39th edition of an annual senior-level international figure skating competition held in Zagreb, Croatia. It was held at the Dom Sportova between November 16 and 19, 2006. Figure skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, and ice dancing. The Junior-level equivalent was the 2006 Golden Bear of Zagreb. The compulsory dance was the Golden Waltz.


2006 Goody's 250 (Martinsville)
The Goody's 250 was a NASCAR Busch Series stock car race held at Martinsville Speedway, in Martinsville, Virginia. The race was only held once, on July 22, 2006, as a standalone event during the summer. It had been speculated the race would be held at night, under a temporary lighting system to be installed at the track, but it was held in the afternoon instead. The Goody's 250 replaced the ITT Industries & Goulds Pumps Salute to the Troops 250 on the Busch Series schedule. After a Busch Series Martinsville record high 19 cautions for 87 laps, the Goody's 250 was replaced in 2007 by the NAPA Auto Parts 200 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve road course in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The race was the final start in NASCAR for Darrell Waltrip and Ricky Craven.


2006 Goody's 250 (Martinsville), Report, Background
The Goody's 250 was the 21st out of 35 scheduled stock car races of the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series. It was held on July 22, 2006 at Martinsville Speedway, in Martinsville, Virginia, a short track that holds NASCAR races. The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847 km) oval. Its turns are banked at eleven degrees, and neither the front stretch (the location of the finish line) nor the back stretch is banked.


2006 Goody's 250 (Martinsville), Report, Background
Before the race, Kevin Harvick led the Drivers' Championship with 3,092 points, with Carl Edwards in second and Clint Bowyer third. Denny Hamlin and J. J. Yeley were fourth and fifth, and Greg Biffle, Paul Menard, Kyle Busch, Johnny Sauter and Kenny Wallace rounded out the top ten. This was the first Busch Series race to be held at Martinsville since October 1994, and it had been speculated the race would be held under night conditions with a temporary lighting system installed at the track, but it was held in the afternoon instead.


2006 Goody's 250 (Martinsville), Report, Background
Two drivers chose to make a one-off return to NASCAR at the race. Three-time Winston Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip drove the No. 99 Michael Waltrip Racing car by gaining his wife Stevie's permission after his younger brother Michael Waltrip asked if he wanted to race. Since his car was 16th in the Owner's Championship, Waltrip earned an automatic qualifying berth for the event. Despite winning eleven times at Martinsville in the Nextel Cup Series, the Goody's 250 marked Waltrip's first appearance at the track in the Busch Series.