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Mt Hood Classic
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91st Tour de France - July 3-25, 2004

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Rest Day #1 - July 12

Rest day wrap-up

Slip-sliding away

The boom-crash opera of the first week of the 2004 Tour de France saw an almost unprecedented number of crashes as the race visited the roads of Belgium and northern France. In a region that usually hosts the Spring Classics, the weather turned the calendar back to March and the wind and rain played as much of a role as the riders in the race's first 8 stages. The Tour's next generation battled through the weather to emerge on to the podium as several stage wins and the yellow jersey went to young riders in their first Tour. Chris Henry looks back on a tumultuous week of the Tour

This year's Tour de France opened with the Grand Départ in neighbouring Belgium, as American Lance Armstrong (US Postal Service) began his bid to reach the as-yet unattainable sixth victory in the world's biggest bicycle race. With early stages mirroring spring classics, decidedly non-summer weather dominating the days, and an open field of sprinters and GC contenders, excitement levels were high all around.

Prologue - July 3: Prologue Liege ITT, 6.1 km

Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo)
Photo ©: Sirotti

Young Swiss professional Fabian Cancellara of Fassa Bortolo claimed the glory of the Tour's opening prologue with a blistering ride through the streets of Liège, Belgium. Cancellara is mostly known as a time trial specialist, though he did take his first road race win this year at the Tour of Qatar. He beat five-time Tour winner and defending champion Lance Armstrong to take the first yellow jersey, while Armstrong put more than a quarter minute into some of his top rivals including Jan Ullrich, Tyler Hamilton, and Iban Mayo. The American signaled that he was ready to defend his Tour crown.

Norwegian champion Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) was the best placed among the sprinters, putting him in prime position to challenge for the yellow jersey in the opening days of racing. Meanwhile, heavy favourite Brad McGee (FDJeux.com), winner of last year's Tour prologue, wasn't at his best and failed to reproduce his winning ride. Perhaps the toughest luck belonged to fellow Australian Matt White (Cofidis), who crashed while warming up on the course and broke his collarbone. White's dream of finally riding the Tour fell apart before the Tour even began.

Results

Stage 1 - July 4: Liège-Charleroi, 202.5 km

Jaan Kirsipuu strikes first
Photo ©: Sirotti

Veteran sprinter Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2r-Prévoyance) rediscovered his taste for Tour success with a powerful sprint to beat Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Domo) and Thor Hushovd in the opening road stage. Kirsipuu profited from a perfect leadout from fellow sprinter and teammate Jean-Patrick Nazon, powering to the line and recording his 116th career victory.

Cipollini down but not out
Photo ©: Olympia

A day of rain and wind played havoc on the main field, as Mario Cipollini (Domina Vacanze) became an early victim of what would be just one of many crashes in the Tour opener. Brad McGee also found himself in trouble, suffering from back pain a day after his modest prologue performance and limping home with the help of teammate Matt Wilson after fighting hard to remain in contact with the peloton.

An early break in the company of Jens Voigt (Team CSC), Janek Tombak (Cofidis), Bernhard Eisel (FDJeux.com), and Franck Renier (Brioches La Boulangère) let Italian Paolo Bettini (Quick.Step-Davitamon) snatch the early lead in the king of the mountains competition. The break was caught, but Voigt's teammate Jakob Piil went on the attack just after, along with Rabobank's Marc Wauters. They two fell victim to the sprinters' teams in the finale, as Kirsipuu drove to the line and Giro d'Italia sprint king Alessandro Petacchi was handed his first Tour defeat. Petacchi's teammate Cancellara held onto his yellow jersey but Hushovd was closing in.

Results

Stage 2 - July 5: Charleroi-Namur, 197 km

McEwen turns up the heat
Photo ©: Sirotti

The Tour continued its march through Belgium in stage 2, as Robbie McEwen earned the flowers over 197 kilometres from Charleroi to Namur. Another sprinter's stage by nature, an early break went clear including once more Jakob Piil, Sebastian Lang (Gerolsteiner), Christophe Edaleine (Cofidis), Jérôme Pineau (Brioches La Boulangère), Mark Scanlon (Ag2r-Prévoyance), and Christophe Mengin (FDJeux.com). The leaders never built too great an advantage, but were given enough leeway to put their stamp on the stage.

Thor Hushovd
Photo ©: Sirotti

Fassa Bortolo learned from its mistake in stage 1 and decided the defense of Cancellara's yellow jersey was too great a task in combination with relentless control of the field for sprinter Petacchi. Having spent all of stage 1 driving the peloton, Fassa took a less prominent position in stage 2, letting the break go clear and leaving the chase to other teams including Hushovd's Crédit Agricole team.

The Tour's first victim was Gian Matteo Fagnini, who crashed and fractured his collarbone. Fagnini's departure was a blow to Mario Cipollini, looking to salvage some sprinting form in what was almost certainly his final Tour de France. Cipollini showed improvement nonetheless, placing in the top ten in the bunch sprint a day after being dropped from the main field.

McEwen made a daring dash on the inside line of a curving finale, getting the better of Hushovd and Nazon. Hushovd was still happy, becoming the first Norwegian ever to don the yellow jersey. McEwen took over the green.

Results

Stage 3 - July 6: Waterloo - Wasquehal, 210 km

No mercy on the pavé
Photo ©: Olympia

Tuesday was the first big test for some in the Tour as the parcours tackled more tough roads in Flanders before crossing back into France, but not without a few sections of cobblestones along the way. From Waterloo to Wasquehal, the Tour paid homage to two great spring classics: the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. The race may have bypassed the toughest part of the Muur van Geraardsbergen in Flanders, but several kilometres of tough pavé in France threatened to turn the Tour into the hell of the north.

That it did. While most general classification contenders emerged unscathed from their hammering over the stones, Dauphiné Libéré winner Iban Mayo fell victim to a crash and lost nearly four minutes to defending champion Armstrong. Mayo crashed before the first pavé as the riders battled for position prior to the first obstacle. A relentless tempo set by Armstrong's US Postal Service teammates, including classics experts George Hincapie and Viatcheslav Ekimov, split the field into several groups and effectively dashed Mayo's hopes for the general classification as he struggled to regain contact along with maillot jaune for a day Hushovd.

Results

Stage 4 - July 7: Cambrai - Arras TTT, 64.5 km

Not rain, not sleet...
Photo ©: Mitchell Clinton

Next on the menu after a tough run through Belgium was the team time trial. Reminiscent of the final individual time test in the 2003 Tour, the team time trial from Cambrai to Arras was run in dismal, driving rain. Crashes and mechanical problems plagued several teams, including Phonak, Gerolsteiner, and CSC. The tough luck didn't stop Phonak and Tyler Hamilton from putting in a promising performance, but the day would belong to the number one Tour team, US Postal Service.

After what Armstrong described as a slow start, his troops rallied to put their training and expertise in the discipline to full effect, crushing all comers and putting Armstrong in his first yellow jersey of this year's race. Jan Ullrich and T-Mobile limited their losses, while Liberty Seguros kept skinny climber Roberto Heras within striking distance of his former leader Armstrong. US Postal had no intention of defending this first jersey in the early days of the Tour, but after Armstrong's second place in the prologue, the team's ride dealt a blow to the morale of those who thought the American's less dominant rides in the build up to the Tour meant he was in anything but top condition.

Results

Stage 5 - July 8: Amiens - Chartres, 200.5km

Stuart O'Grady (Cofidis)
Photo ©: Sirotti
Click for larger image

With Armstrong in yellow, but not defending his jersey, stage 5 from Amiens to Chartres was the perfect day for a breakaway to finally outpace the peloton. Who better to help spark the move than Jakob Piil, already awarded most combative rider after his stage 2 breakaway. Along with Piil went French national champion Thomas Voeckler (Brioches La Boulangère), local rider Sandy Casar, Paris-Roubaix winner Magnus Bäckstedt, and former stage winner and yellow jersey Stuart O'Grady (Cofidis), a contender once again for the green points jersey in this year's Tour.

Lance Armstrong in yellow
Photo ©: Olympia
Click for larger image

The break forged ahead in more rain and unseasonal temperatures and US Postal Service gave the breakaway its blessing. The five leaders moved more than 16 minutes ahead of the peloton before Armstrong's team did just enough work to take back a few dangerous minutes. O'Grady was the danger man in the move, but no one rider looked overwhelming as they neared Chartres. Voeckler was riding into the yellow jersey but O'Grady was the man to beat if it came down to a sprint finale.

The attacks started on the outskirts of Chartres, but each time the group reformed. Bäckstedt showed the strain of a long day in the rain, but the other four prepared themselves to sprint to the line. Piil, a crafty rider who won a stage in Marseille last year, posed the biggest threat to O'Grady. But this time Stuey wasn't to be denied. Riding on courage after a difficult spring with injury and scandal surrounding his new team, the Australian powered over the line first and took a well-earned win. Voeckler meanwhile delighted France by trading his tricolore jersey for solid yellow.

Results

Stage 6 - July 9: Bonneval - Angers, 196 km

Tom Boonen (Quick.Step-Davitamon) gets one
Photo ©: Jon Devich
Click for larger image

With the general classification shifted to reflect Armstrong's decision not to defend his jersey, Voeckler now assumed the position of most wanted man. His Brioches La Boulangère team was ready to defend the jersey, a point of pride for a team and for a nation, a sign of a new generation coming into its own. As a new rider took centre stage, two big names took their exit and decided not to start in Bonneval. Sprinters Mario Cipollini and Alessandro Petacchi, both having missed out on the winner's spoils and both having suffered through crashes in the first week, opted to return to Italy and leave the Tour behind.

Rene Haselbacher (Gerolsteiner)
Photo ©: Olympia
Click for larger image

The remaining sprinters returned in force in stage 6 as Belgian wonder boy Tom Boonen (Quick.Step-Davitamon) confirmed his intentions of winning a Tour stage in his first appearance. Boonen overcame mechanical difficulties and bad luck which kept him out of the running in the opening stages, beating O'Grady and Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) in a nervous and ill-fated finish in Angers. As the sprinters funneled into a narrow, turning finale, Ren&ecute;e Haselbacher of Gerolsteiner tangled with the barriers and Robbie McEwen, resulting in a massive pileup that split the field just under the 1km to go banner.

McEwen lost a pound of flesh, Haselbacher fractured several ribs and his nose, and other riders including Tyler Hamilton hit the deck. Hamilton suffered cuts on his back and took a hard knock, but crossed the line and rallied to carry on the next day. Armstrong too was involved in falls in the first week, but none so serious as to jeopardize his first week of the Tour.

Results

Stage 7 - July 10: Chateaubriant - Saint Brieuc, 204.5 km

Filippo Pozzato (Fassa Bortolo)
Photo ©: Olympia
Click for larger image

Sunny skies greeted the riders at last on Saturday morning as the Tour faced up to another 200 kilometre day, moving north to the Brittany coast and the town of Saint Brieuc. Over narrow roads and constantly undulating terrain, it took an hour of attack and counter attack from the main field before a breakaway could establish itself and the peloton could settle its frazzled nerves. Wily Dutchman Erik Dekker (Rabobank) broke clear with Thierry Marichal (Lotto-Domo) as the two set off on a long adventure together.

Brioches La Boulangère did its job in the main field, keeping the break's lead in check and protecting the lead of Thomas Voeckler. The GC favourites had a relatively calm day, although Gilberto Simoni and his Saeco team found themselves behind the field nursing the former Giro winner back to the bunch after a rocky start. Dekker and Marichal carried on, moving from sun to rain as the race hit the windswept coast.

Thomas Voeckler (Brioches)
Photo ©: Jon Devich
Click for larger image

As the sprinters' teams once more reeled in the escapees, with just over 20km to race, an immediate counter attack broke clear and for a time looked to be a dangerous move. As usual, Jakob Piil of CSC was one of the animators, along with former yellow jersey Cancellara, Evgeni Petrov (Saeco), and José Vincente Garcia Acosta (Illes Balears-Banesto). The quartet got half a minute in hand over the main field but the finish was too far away for the leaders to muster enough horsepower to hold off the charge behind.

Into the town of Saint-Brieuc, over a series of rises and through a technical finish, a new and bigger group launched clear of the main field. Included in the group were local hero Sébastien Hinault (Crédit Agricole), Paolo Bettini, former world champion Laurent Brochard (Ag2r-Prévoyance), Spanish national champion Francisco Mancebo (Illes Balears), and the youngest rider in the race, Filippo Pozzato (Fassa Bortolo). A series of tough attacks from Brochard, Bettini and Mancebo ignited the gripping finale, but it was Pippo Pozzato who outfoxed and out-muscled them all, following accelerations by Mancebo and Iker Flores (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and polishing them off with his powerful sprint.

Results

Stage 8 - July 11: Lamballe - Quimper, 168 km

Thor Hushovd
Photo ©: Sirotti
Click for larger image

Just one more stage lay before the riders before the first well-earned rest day and a long transfer southeast from Quimper to Limoges. Without the usual first week individual time trial, the face of the Tour was somewhat different this year. Most notably, Armstrong was not in his customary yellow by week's end, even if he had spent a day in the jersey thanks to the US Postal's win in the team time trial. There was no rest for the weary after the constant attacking of the first week, Some riders with no ambitions in the general classification use the individual time trial as a day to relax, while those who expect to fight for every second try to conserve energy before and after. This week nobody could rest.

Ronny Scholz leads the three man break
Photo ©: Jon Devich
Click for larger image

A short 168km jaunt from Lamballe to Quimper closed the first nine days of racing, but not without some more rain and cold. Piil did what he does best, slipping into a break along with Ronny Scholz (Gerolsteiner) and Matteo Tosatto (Fassa Bortolo). It was another close run for the leaders, who lasted as far as 10km to go before being swept up by the fast-moving peloton. Another lumpy, technical finish prompted a nervous arrival into Quimper, but Crédit Agricole was ready for the moment to arrive.

New Zealander Julian Dean provided the perfect lead in for Thor Hushovd, who has shown in the past his affinity for sprint victories in cold, wet conditions. Rocketing out of the final turn just 230 metres before the line, Hushovd came around Luxembourg champion Kim Kirchen (Fassa Bortolo) and held off Erik Zabel to take his first stage win since 2002. Dean himself is a new recruit to the team riding his first Tour after a grittily determined recovery from breaking both arms earlier this year.

Lance Armstrong (US Postal Service)
Photo ©: Sirotti
Click for larger image

Voeckler kept his yellow jersey heading into the rest day, with a few days still to hang onto his race lead. Top favourites Armstrong and Ullrich each expressed relief and satisfaction after an unpleasant first week, The riders boarded two planes bound for Limoges after the soggy stage 8 finish, while the rest of the Tour entourage packed up and began the long drive.

For many, the racing truly begins now. Tough days in the Massif Central will test the legs of Voeckler and his supporting team, while Spaniards Roberto Heras and Iban Mayo, among others, anxiously await the coming of the Pyrénées mountains and the battle to come with Armstrong. After the Pyrénées come the Alps, and perhaps the toughest final week of racing the Tour has seen in a long time.

Results

Standings

General classification after stage 8
 
1 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère                  33.03.36
2 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Cofidis - Le Crédit Par Téléphone            3.01
3 Sandy Casar (Fra) Fdjeux.com                                      4.06
4 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Alessio-Bianchi                            6.27
5 Jakob Piil (Den) Team CSC                                         7.09
6 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal p/b Berry Floor                   9.35
7 George Hincapie (USA) US Postal p/b Berry Floor                   9.45
8 Jose Azevedo (Por) US Postal p/b Berry Floor                      9.57
9 José Enrique Gutierrez (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems              10.02
10 Erik Zabel (Ger) T-Mobile Team                                  10.06
11 Tyler Hamilton (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems                     10.11
12 Floyd Landis (USA) US Postal p/b Berry Floor                    10.12
13 Santos Gonzalez (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems                         
14 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Phonak Hearing Systems                       10.16
15 Francisco Mancebo Pérez (Spa) Illes Balears - Banesto           10.18
16 Oscar Sevilla (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems                      10.19
17 Jose Luis Rubiera (Spa) US Postal p/b Berry Floor               10.20
18 Manuel Beltran (Spa) US Postal p/b Berry Floor                  10.22
19 Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) US Postal p/b Berry Floor              10.26
20 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team                                 10.30
21 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile Team                              10.32
22 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC                                     10.35
23 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                       10.37
24 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Rabobank                                  10.43
25 Daniele Nardello (Ita) T-Mobile Team                            10.46
26 Matthias Kessler (Ger) T-Mobile Team                            10.49
27 Bram de Groot (Ned) Rabobank                                         
28 Michele Bartoli (Ita) Team CSC                                  10.52
29 Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC                                            
30 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC                                10.54
31 Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank                                 11.02
32 Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (Spa) Liberty Seguros                 11.04
33 Dariusz Baranowski (Pol) Liberty Seguros                        11.15
34 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank                                11.17
35 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step-Davitamon                                
36 Roberto Heras Hernandez (Spa) Liberty Seguros                   11.20
37 Marc Lotz (Ned) Rabobank                                        11.33
38 Evgueni Petrov (Rus) Saeco                                      11.35
39 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC                                    11.37
40 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Alessio-Bianchi                         11.50
41 Andrea Noè (Ita) Alessio-Bianchi                                11.54
42 Laurent Dufaux (Swi) Quick Step-Davitamon                       11.56
43 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Lotto-Domo                                       
44 Nicki Sørensen (Den) Team CSC                                   11.58
45 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) AG2R Prévoyance                             12.02
46 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2R Prévoyance                             
47 Laurent Brochard (Fra) AG2R Prévoyance                          12.05
48 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère                      12.14
49 Danilo Hondo (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                 12.16
50 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Fassa Bortolo                           12.19
51 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Domina Vacanze                           12.22
52 José V. Garcia Acosta (Spa) Illes Balears - Banesto                  
53 Stéphane Goubert (Fra) AG2R Prévoyance                          12.24
54 Didier Rous (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère                        12.25
55 Mark Scanlon (Irl) AG2R Prévoyance                              12.26
56 Aitor Gonzalez Jimenez (Spa) Fassa Bortolo                      12.34
57 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) AG2R Prévoyance                 12.35
58 Richard Virenque (Fra) Quick Step-Davitamon                          
59 Kim Kirchen (Lux) Fassa Bortolo                                 12.38
60 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère                   12.41
61 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Fassa Bortolo                            12.44
62 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Fassa Bortolo                             12.48
63 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank                                  12.49
64 Georg Totschnig (Aut) Gerolsteiner                                   
65 Paolo Valoti (Ita) Domina Vacanze                               12.51
66 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saeco                                     12.57
67 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Fassa Bortolo                     
68 Axel Merckx (Bel) Lotto-Domo                                         
69 Isidro Nozal Vega (Spa) Liberty Seguros                         13.09
70 Sylvain Calzati (Fra) R.A.G.T. Semences - MG Rover              13.10
71 Christophe Mengin (Fra) Fdjeux.com                              13.17
72 Jean-Cyril Robin (Fra) Fdjeux.com                               13.22
73 Peter Farazijn (Bel) Cofidis - Le Crédit Par Téléphone          13.24
74 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems                      13.28
75 Gilles Bouvard (Fra) R.A.G.T. Semences - MG Rover               13.33
76 Aart Vierhouten (Ned) Lotto-Domo                                13.35
77 José I.Gutierrez Palacios (Spa) Illes Balears - Banesto         13.59
78 Daniel Becke (Ger) Illes Balears - Banesto                      14.11
79 Pavel Padrnos (Cze) US Postal p/b Berry Floor                   14.12
80 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Illes Balears - Banesto                  14.13
81 Denis Menchov (Rus) Illes Balears - Banesto                     14.21
82 Santiago Botero (Col) T-Mobile Team                             14.30
83 Aitor Osa Eizaguirre (Spa) Illes Balears - Banesto              14.32
84 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole                              14.37
85 Rolf Aldag (Ger) T-Mobile Team                                  14.48
86 Frédéric Guesdon (Fra) Fdjeux.com                               14.52
87 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Fassa Bortolo                              14.56
88 Marc Wauters (Bel) Rabobank                                     15.01
89 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                             15.02
90 Christian Vandevelde (USA) Liberty Seguros                      15.03
91 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                       15.08
92 Allan Davis (Aus) Liberty Seguros                               15.09
93 Iker Camaño (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                           15.10
94 Sergei Ivanov (Rus) T-Mobile Team                               15.15
95 Marius Sabaliauskas (Ltu) Saeco                                 15.17
96 Massimiliano Mori (Ita) Domina Vacanze                          15.20
97 Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco                                  15.30
98 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner                               15.31
99 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Crédit Agricole                         15.33
100 Scott Sunderland (Aus) Alessio-Bianchi                         15.43
101 Peter Wrolich (Aut) Gerolsteiner                               15.45
102 Claus Michael Møller (Den) Alessio-Bianchi                     15.46
103 Andrea Peron (Ita) Team CSC                                    15.50
104 Michael Rogers (Aus) Quick Step-Davitamon                      15.51
105 Jörg Ludewig (Ger) Saeco                                       15.53
106 Unai Etxebarria (Ven) Euskaltel - Euskadi                      16.00
107 Mikel Pradera Rodriguez (Spa) Illes Balears - Banesto          16.02
108 Karsten Kroon (Ned) Rabobank                                   16.22
109 Sergio Marinangeli (Ita) Domina Vacanze                        16.29
110 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Davitamon                       16.31
111 Walter Bénéteau (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère                   16.38
112 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Cofidis - Le Crédit Par Téléphone       16.49
113 David Loosli (Swi) Saeco                                       17.00
114 Nicolas Portal (Fra) AG2R Prévoyance                           17.04
115 Laurent Lefèvre (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère                   17.16
116 Christophe Laurent (Fra) R.A.G.T. Semences - MG Rover          17.18
117 Patrice Halgand (Fra) Crédit Agricole                          17.27
118 Stefano Zanini (Ita) Quick Step-Davitamon                      17.32
119 Carlos Dacruz (Fra) Fdjeux.com                                 17.34
120 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Crédit Agricole                        17.46
121 Julian Dean (NZl) Crédit Agricole                              17.48
122 Christophe Rinero (Fra) R.A.G.T. Semences - MG Rover                
123 David Moncoutié (Fra) Cofidis - Le Crédit Par Téléphone        17.55
124 Martin Hvastija (Slo) Alessio-Bianchi                          18.49
125 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère                  19.47
126 Iñigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                      20.18
127 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Lotto-Domo                                20.20
128 Koos Moerenhout (Ned) Lotto-Domo                               20.36
129 Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Liberty Seguros                      20.43
130 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner                              20.48
131 Jan Hruska (Cze) Liberty Seguros                               20.57
132 David Etxebarria (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                     20.58
133 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Crédit Agricole                      21.33
134 Janek Tombak (Est) Cofidis - Le Crédit Par Téléphone           21.35
135 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) Crédit Agricole                         21.38
136 Santiago Perez (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems                    21.54
137 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Phonak Hearing Systems                  21.56
138 Christophe Edaleine (Fra) Cofidis - Le Crédit Par Téléphone    22.09
139 Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) T-Mobile Team                           22.10
140 Martin Elmiger (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems                    22.15
141 Fabio Baldato (Ita) Alessio-Bianchi                            22.40
142 Guillaume Auger (Fra) R.A.G.T. Semences - MG Rover             22.42
143 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Alessio-Bianchi                        23.10
144 Servais Knaven (Ned) Quick Step-Davitamon                      23.13
145 Benoît Salmon (Fra) Crédit Agricole                            23.23
146 Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukr) AG2R Prévoyance                           23.34
147 Baden Cooke (Aus) Fdjeux.com                                        
148 Dmitri Fofonov (Kaz) Cofidis - Le Crédit Par Téléphone         23.42
149 Ronny Scholz (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                23.45
150 Franck Renier (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère                     24.06
151 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Fdjeux.com                                24.17
152 Pierre Bourquenoud (Swi) R.A.G.T. Semences - MG Rover          24.55
153 Massimo Giunti (Ita) Domina Vacanze                            25.06
154 Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Alessio-Bianchi                     25.18
155 Stefano Casagranda (Ita) Saeco                                 26.09
156 Iker Flores (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                          26.22
157 Marcos Serrano Rodriguez (Spa) Liberty Seguros                 26.24
158 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Illes Balears - Banesto                    26.25
159 Thierry Marichal (Bel) Lotto-Domo                              26.39
160 Ludovic Martin (Fra) R.A.G.T. Semences - MG Rover              26.40
161 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Saeco                                    26.45
162 Egoi Martínez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                        26.54
163 Gerrit Glomser (Aut) Saeco                                     27.13
164 Wim Vansevenant (Bel) Lotto-Domo                               27.39
165 Juan Miguel Mercado (Spa) Quick Step-Davitamon                 27.41
166 Uwe Peschel (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                 27.51
167 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R Prévoyance                          29.07
168 Matthew Wilson (Aus) Fdjeux.com                                29.35
169 Filippo Simeoni (Ita) Domina Vacanze                           30.03
170 Erik Dekker (Ned) Rabobank                                     32.09
171 Benjamin Noval (Spa) US Postal p/b Berry Floor                 32.12
172 Jimmy Casper (Fra) Cofidis - Le Crédit Par Téléphone           35.01
173 Davide Bramati (Ita) Quick Step-Davitamon                      37.47
174 Francesco Secchiari (Ita) Domina Vacanze                       40.53
175 Frédéric Finot (Fra) R.A.G.T. Semences - MG Rover              41.19
176 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Crédit Agricole                           51.11
 
Points classification
 
1 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Lotto-Domo                                     158 pts
2 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Cofidis - Le Crédit Par Téléphone             149
3 Erik Zabel (Ger) T-Mobile Team                                     148
4 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole                                 147
5 Danilo Hondo (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                    139
 
Mountains classification
 
1 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Davitamon                            20 pts
2 Janek Tombak (Est) Cofidis - Le Crédit Par Téléphone                14
3 Ronny Scholz (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                     12
4 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC                                            9
5 Jakob Piil (Den) Team CSC                                            9
 
Young rider classification
 
1 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère                  33.03.36
2 Sandy Casar (Fra) Fdjeux.com                                      4.06
3 Matthias Kessler (Ger) T-Mobile Team                             10.49
4 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step-Davitamon                            11.17
5 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère                       12.14
 
Teams classification
 
1 Team CSC                                                      97.05.12
2 Alessio-Bianchi                                                   2.04
3 Brioches La Boulangere                                            3.16
4 Fdjeux.Com                                                        6.12
5 US Postal presented by Berry Floor                               10.41
 
See Stage 8's results for the full classifications of all categories