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2004 Tour de France
2004 Tour de France news
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A d v e r t i s e m e n t

 News
Stage 20 July 25, 2004
Stage 19 July 24, 2004
Stage 18 July 23, 2004
Stage 17 July 22, 2004
Stage 16 July 21, 2004
Stage 15 July 20, 2004
Stage 14 July 18, 2004
Stage 13 July 17, 2004
Stage 12 July 16, 2004
Stage 11 July 15, 2004
Stage 10 July 14, 2004
Stage 9 July 13, 2004
Stage 8 July 11, 2004
Stage 7 July 10, 2004
Stage 6 July 09, 2004
Stage 5 July 08, 2004
Stage 4: Team Time Trial July 07, 2004
Stage 3 July 06, 2004
Stage 2 July 05, 2004
Stage 1 July 04, 2004
Prologue July 03, 2004
Tour Preview July 02, 2004
Stage 18 June 23, 2004
Stage 17 June 22, 2004
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2004 Tour Photo Gallery #7,
July 26
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2004 Tour Photo Gallery #6,
July 22
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2004 Tour Photo Gallery #5,
July 19
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2004 Tour Photo Gallery #4,
July 14
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2004 Tour Photo Gallery #3,
July 11
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2004 Tour Photo Gallery #2,
July 9
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2004 Tour Photo Gallery #1, July 62004 Tour Photo Gallery #1,
July 6
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2004 TOUR DE FRANCE
Stage 1: July 04, 2004

Stage 1: July 04, 2004
Jaan Kirsipuu Wins Slippery Stage 1


2004 Tour de France : Jaan Kirsipuu Wins Stage 1
Jaan Kirsipuu Wins Stage 1 (Beth Schneider)
Rain blasted the peloton during Stage 1 of the 2004 Tour de France, in which multiple riders crashed on the wet roads between Liège and Charleroi, Belgium on the 121-mile course of rolling hills and valleys.

An attack by Jakob Piil (CSC) and Mark Wauters (Rabobank) in the late minutes of the race looked to be enough to keep the duo ahead of the pack for the duration of the stage, but with less than one mile to go, the sprinters kicked in and overtook Piil and Wauters with a virtual photo finish.

Sprint specialist Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2R) took the stage win Robbie McEwen (Lotto) and Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) rounding out the top three. Fabian Cancellara, who beat out Lance Armstrong by just two seconds in Saturday's prologue, came in 27th, a good enough finish to keep the 23-year-old Fassa Bortolo rider in the yellow jersey for a second day.

Armstrong, who took the 48th spot, now stands at third in the overall standings behind Cancellarra and Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole). CSC's Jens Voigt stands at fourth place while Americans Bobby Julich (CSC) and George Hincapie (U.S. Postal Service) are anchoring CSC and USPS with eighth and ninth place overall standings respectively.

Oscar Sevilla and Mario Cipollini were both involved in a crash that resulted in Sevilla having to change bikes. Tyler Hamilton was involved in a separate crash in which he slid out on a corner, changed bikes, and ultimately rejoined the peloton. He finished 52nd. Voigt and Franck (Brioches La Boulangere) also crashed on the slippery descent of the Category 3 Côte de Borlon, the first Category 3 hill of the 2004 Tour. Nicolas Jalabert (Phonak) also went down with just over three miles to go in the race.

At two and a half miles, the attacks started with Walter Benetau (Brioches la Boulangere) attacking first with Voight and Karsten Kroon (Rabobank) on his heels. The group was caught by the peloton but Voight, who continued to attack throughout the course of the day, joined the next group that broke away consisting of Janek Tombak (Cofidis), Paolo Bettini (Quick Step), Franck Renier (La Boulangere) and Bernhard Eisel (FDJeux), only to be caught yet again.

With 12.5 miles to go, Jakob Piil (CSC) and Mark Wauters (Rabobank) were just 1:45 ahead of the peloton. But that lead though was continuously chipped away. With 15 kilometers to go the gap was 1:20, and with 1.2 miles left in the stage, the leaders had only a five-second advantage when Piil and Wauters were caught and Kirsipuu (Ag2R), McEwen (Lotto), and Hushovd made a break for the finish line.

In related news, Euskaltel-Euskadi, whose team leader Iban Mayo is considered a legitimate contender for this year's Tour title, has suspended its team doctor Jesus Losa, according to Agence France Presse (AFP). The decision comes on the heels of British rider David Millar's admission of the use of the performance-enhancing drug, EPO. According to AFP, Euskaltel has suspended the doctor in relation to advice Millar stated he had received from Losa. Euskaltel is currently conducting its own investigation into the claims.


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