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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,
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July 22
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2004 TOUR DE FRANCE
Stage 4: Team Time Trial: July 07, 2004

Stage 4: Team Time Trial: July 07, 2004
USPS Wins Team Time Trial; Armstrong Takes Overall Lead


Lance Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service Team won today's team time trial.
Lance Armstrong's U.S. Postal
Service Team won today's
team time trial. (Beth Schneider)
Five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong took the Tour's yellow jersey Tuesday when his U.S. Postal team blew away the competition in the Stage 4 team time trial.

"I think our team's better this year," Armstrong told OLN prior to the time trial. "I think we're smoother."

Indeed, the USPS team rode with impeccable style and posted a time of 1:12:03, more that a minute faster than Tyler Hamilton's Phonak team, which finished second.

Team Illes Balears-Banesto rounded out the top three while Jan Ullrich's T-Mobile team placed fourth. Roberto Heras' Liberty Seguros team placed seventh and Iban Mayo's Euskaltel-Euskadi finished eighth.

In the overall standings, USPS team members Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie, Floyd Landis, Azevedo José, Rubiera José Luis and Viatceslav Ekimov stand at first, second, third, fourth, fifth and seventh respectively.

Hamilton is currently in eight place in the individual standings, while Ullrich and Heras stand at 16th and 42nd respectfully. Euskaltel-Euskadi team leader Mayo currently ranks at 49th. Mayo was involved in a crash Monday that effectively took him out of the running for the Tour title.

A steady rain made for treacherous conditions on the 40-mile course from Cambrai to Arras, France. Slick streets and an uneven cobblestone section meant that riders were tossed and turned around the course. The Saeco and CSC teams suffered crashes, and USPS was forced to leave ninth rider Benjamin Noval behind when he was separated from the pack. Postal made up for the lack of personnel, however, and was able to pull ahead by a healthy mark.

Hamilton's Phonak lost multiple riders and ultimately came in with the minimal five riders for qualification. One more Phonak cyclist lost to the slick conditions could have been disastrous for the team.

Wednesday the peloton will head back to the open road for Stage 5, a 122-mile run from Amiens to Chartres.


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