91st Tour de France - July 3-25, 2004

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

By Deena-Maree Faulkner

Out in the hills again, with the riders heading into France for 50 kilometres, before heading back towards Namur in Belgium on a different route to the previous stage. For an easier ride today, the riders can hope for a still day as the roads are narrow and the straights are long. The riders will skirt around Meuse for the last 15 kilometres before finishing right in the centre of Namur. One last bend in the road around, 200 metres out, marks the start of the final straight, where we test the riders' ability to sprint. This may be where we finally see sprinters such as Alessandro Petacchi, Robbie McEwen and Baden Cooke show their form.

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