The 2006 Tour of Britain took place at various locations across Great Britain, lasting from the 29th of August to the 3rd of September. A UCI Category 2.1 event, the tour consisted of six stages covering a total distance of , starting in Glasgow and finishing at The Mall in London.
The stage was dominated by an early breakaway of three riders, who were never caught and finished 2 minutes ahead of the peloton.
The stage concluded in a mass sprint. Throughout the race, Goss secured enough time bonuses in the sprints to take the overall lead from Pedersen.
The stage was dominated by a crosswind. Pedersen's teammates split the peloton to help him regain the lead, but were unable to catch Filippo Pozzato, who had escaped from the lead group near the finish.
In another stage, a group broke away early, and the peloton was unable to catch them again. Manning was leading as the race reached the final roundabout but he was directed the wrong way and lost the stage.
The riders went on strike, after being misled by race officials, with their main complaint being poor security. They eventually resumed the race, and the stage concluded with a mass sprint.
There was a number of breakaways on the final stage, but all were eliminated, and the stage concluded with a mass sprint.