Alessandro Petacchi finished the season head and shoulders above the rest in terms of victories obtained in major races. The Fassa Bortolo super sprinter won 27 races this year, with just two of those being non-UCI rated. Among his wins were Milan-San Remo, Trofeo Luis Puig, GP Costa Degli Etruschi, the Vuelta a la Comunidad Valenciana (and three stages), five stages in the Vuelta a España and four in the Giro d'Italia.
The second best on the victory list was Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto), who scored 23 victories, including eight non-UCI races. McEwen's 2005 featured wins in the Australian Championship, GP De Fourmies, Paris-Brussels, three stages in the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under. In third place was Tom Boonen (Quick.Step), who won 19 races, 14 of which were UCI rated. Boonen's 2005 palmares is of top quality, as it includes the World Championship, Ronde Van Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix, E3 Prijs Vlaanderen, Tour of Belgium, and two stages in the Tour de France and Paris-Nice.
